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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §1.46.1-1.46.5

Corinthian Fleet Sailing and Anchoring at Chimerium

Passage 46 of 917 · Greek

Summary

While the Athenian ships arrive at Corcyra, the Corinthians and their allies set sail with a total of 150 ships and anchor at Chimerium on the mainland opposite Corcyra, with a description of the surrounding geography.

§1.46.1αἱ μὲν δὴ νῆες ἀφικνοῦνται ἐς τὴν Κέρκυραν, οἱ δὲ Κορίνθιοι, ἐπειδὴ αὐτοῖς παρεσκεύαστο, ἔπλεον ἐπὶ τὴν Κέρκυραν ναυσὶ πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατόν.
Now the ships arrived at Corcyra; and the Corinthians, when their preparations were complete, sailed against Corcyra with a hundred and fifty ships.
ἦσαν δὲ Ἠλείων μὲν δέκα, Μεγαρέων δὲ δώδεκα καὶ Λευκαδίων δέκα, Ἀμπρακιωτῶν δὲ ἑπτὰ καὶ εἴκοσι καὶ Ἀνακτορίων μία, αὐτῶν δὲ Κορινθίων ἐνενήκοντα·
There were ten of the Eleans, twelve of the Megarians, ten of the Leucadians, twenty-seven of the Ambraciots, one of the Anactorians, and ninety of the Corinthians themselves.
§1.46.2στρατηγοὶ δὲ τούτων ἦσαν μὲν καὶ κατὰ πόλεις ἑκάστων, Κορινθίων δὲ Ξενοκλείδης ὁ Εὐθυκλέους πέμπτος αὐτός.
There were generals of these, indeed, for each of their respective cities, and of the Corinthians, Xenocleides, the son of Euthycles, was in command with four others.
§1.46.3ἐπειδὴ δὲ προσέμειξαν τῇ κατὰ Κέρκυραν ἠπείρῳ ἀπὸ Λευκάδος πλέοντες, ὁρμίζονται ἐς Χειμέριον τῆς Θεσπρωτίδος γῆς.
When they had reached the mainland opposite Corcyra, sailing from Leucas, they came to anchor at Chimerium in the territory of Thesprotis.
§1.46.4ἔστι δὲ λιμήν, καὶ πόλις ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ κεῖται ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἐν τῇ Ἐλαιάτιδι τῆς Θεσπρωτίδος Ἐφύρη.
There is a harbor there, and above it lies a city away from the sea, Ephyre, in the Elaeatis of Thesprotis.
ἐξίησι δὲ παρ’ αὐτὴν Ἀχερουσία λίμνη ἐς θάλασσαν· διὰ δὲ τῆς Θεσπρωτίδος Ἀχέρων ποταμὸς ῥέων ἐσβάλλει ἐς αὐτήν, ἀφ’ οὗ καὶ τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν ἔχει.
Beside it the Acherusian lake empties into the sea; and the river Acheron, flowing through Thesprotis, falls into this lake, from which also it takes its name.
ῥεῖ δὲ καὶ Θύαμις ποταμός, ὁρίζων τὴν Θεσπρωτίδα καὶ Κεστρίνην, ὧν ἐντὸς ἡ ἄκρα ἀνέχει τὸ Χειμέριον.
The river Thyamis also flows, bounding Thesprotis and Cestrine, between which the promontory of Chimerium projects.
§1.46.5οἱ μὲν οὖν Κορίνθιοι τῆς ἠπείρου ἐνταῦθα ὁρμίζονταί τε καὶ στρατόπεδον ἐποιήσαντο.
So the Corinthians came to anchor at this part of the mainland and formed their camp.

Notes

  1. 1.46.1αὐτοῖς παρεσκεύαστο — An impersonal construction using the pluperfect passive third person singular of παρασκευάζω. The dative αὐτοῖς functions as the dative of agent, meaning 'when preparation had been made by them', i.e., 'when they had made their preparations'.
  2. 1.46.2πέμπτος αὐτός — An idiomatic expression combining an ordinal number with the pronoun αὐτός to mean 'himself with [the number minus one] others' (i.e., 'himself the fifth', meaning with four others, making five in total).
  3. 1.46.4ὧν ἐντὸς — The relative pronoun ὧν (genitive plural) refers to either the two rivers (Acheron and Thyamis) or the two territories (Thesprotis and Cestrine) just mentioned. The prepositional adverb ἐντός governs the genitive and means 'within' or 'between' them.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §1.46.1-1.46.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.46.1-1.46.5

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