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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §1.44.1-1.44.3

Athenian Decision to Form a Defensive Alliance with Corcyra

Passage 44 of 917 · Greek

Summary

After holding two assemblies, the Athenians decide to form only a defensive alliance with Corcyra to avoid breaking the treaty with the Peloponnesians. This decision was driven by the anticipation of an inevitable war, the strategic value of Corcyra's navy, and its ideal geographical position for routes to Italy and Sicily.

§1.44.1τοιαῦτα δὲ καὶ οἱ Κορίνθιοι εἶπον.
Such were the words of the Corinthians as well.
Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ ἀκούσαντες ἀμφοτέρων, γενομένης καὶ δὶς ἐκκλησίας, τῇ μὲν προτέρᾳ οὐχ ἧσσον τῶν Κορινθίων ἀπεδέξαντο τοὺς λόγους, ἐν δὲ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ μετέγνωσαν Κερκυραίοις ξυμμαχίαν μὲν μὴ ποιήσασθαι ὥστε τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἐχθροὺς καὶ φίλους νομίζειν (εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ Κόρινθον ἐκέλευον σφίσιν οἱ Κερκυραῖοι ξυμπλεῖν, ἐλύοντ’ ἂν αὐτοῖς αἱ πρὸς Πελοποννησίους σπονδαί), ἐπιμαχίαν δ’ ἐποιήσαντο τῇ ἀλλήλων βοηθεῖν, ἐάν τις ἐπὶ Κέρκυραν ἴῃ ἢ Ἀθήνας ἢ τοὺς τούτων ξυμμάχους.
The Athenians, after hearing both sides, held an assembly twice; in the first, they accepted the arguments of the Corinthians no less than the others, but on the following day they changed their minds and decided not to make an alliance with the Corcyraeans of a kind that would make them have the same enemies and friends (for if the Corcyraeans should bid them sail with them against Corinth, their treaty with the Peloponnesians would be broken for them), but they made a defensive alliance to assist each other's territory, in case anyone should attack Corcyra or Athens or their allies.
§1.44.2ἐδόκει γὰρ ὁ πρὸς Πελοποννησίους πόλεμος καὶ ὣς ἔσεσθαι αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὴν Κέρκυραν ἐβούλοντο μὴ προέσθαι τοῖς Κορινθίοις ναυτικὸν ἔχουσαν τοσοῦτον, ξυγκρούειν δὲ ὅτι μάλιστα αὐτοὺς ἀλλήλοις, ἵνα ἀσθενεστέροις οὖσιν, ἤν τι δέῃ, Κορινθίοις τε καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ναυτικὸν ἔχουσιν ἐς πόλεμον καθιστῶνται.
For it seemed to them that the war with the Peloponnesians was bound to come anyway, and they did not wish to abandon Corcyra, which possessed so large a navy, to the Corinthians, but rather to clash them against each other as much as possible, so that when they entered into war, if it should be necessary, they might face the Corinthians and the others who possessed navies when these were weaker.
§1.44.3ἅμα δὲ τῆς τε Ἰταλίας καὶ Σικελίας καλῶς ἐφαίνετο αὐτοῖς ἡ νῆσος ἐν παράπλῳ κεῖσθαι.
At the same time, the island appeared to them to lie in an excellent position on the coastal voyage to Italy and Sicily.

Notes

  1. §1.44.1μετέγνωσαν Κερκυραίοις ξυμμαχίαν μὲν μὴ ποιήσασθαι — The verb μεταγιγνώσκω (to change one's mind) is followed by the infinitive ποιήσασθαι with the negative μή, meaning "they changed their mind so as not to make." The dative Κερκυραίοις goes with ποιήσασθαι (or ξυμμαχίαν), meaning "with the Corcyraeans."
  2. §1.44.1εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ Κόρινθον ἐκέλευον σφίσιν οἱ Κερκυραῖοι ξυμπλεῖν, ἐλύοντ’ ἂν αὐτοῖς αἱ πρὸς Πελοποννησίους σπονδαί — A contrary-to-fact conditional sentence. It consists of the protasis with εἰ and the imperfect indicative ἐκέλευον, and the apodosis with the imperfect indicative ἐλύοντο and ἄν. The indirect reflexive pronoun σφίσιν refers to the Athenians (the subject of the main clause), while αὐτοῖς is a dative of disadvantage, meaning "for them (the treaty would be broken)."
  3. §1.44.2ἵνα ἀσθενεστέροις οὖσιν ... Κορινθίοις τε καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ... ἐς πόλεμον καθιστῶνται — A purpose clause with the present subjunctive καθιστῶνται ("enter into war"). While an optative would be expected following the historical main verb (ἐβούλοντο), the subjunctive is retained for vividness. Κορινθίοις is the dative governed by ἐς πόλεμον καθίστασθαι (to enter into war against someone), and ἀσθενεστέροις οὖσιν (predicative adjective ἀσθενεστέροις with the present participle οὖσιν) functions adverbially to mean "when they are weaker."

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §1.44.1-1.44.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.44.1-1.44.3

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