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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §1.59.1-1.59.2

Athenian Fleet Diverts to Macedonia to Join Philip

Passage 59 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian fleet arrived in Thrace to find Potidaea and other cities in revolt, prompting the generals to divert to Macedonia, where they joined forces with Philip and the brothers of Derdas.

§1.59.1αἱ δὲ τριάκοντα νῆες τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἀφικνοῦνται ἐς τὰ ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης, καὶ καταλαμβάνουσι τήν τε Ποτείδαιαν καὶ τἆλλα ἀφεστηκότα.
The thirty Athenian ships arrived in the district of Thrace, and found Potidaea and the other places already in revolt.
§1.59.2νομίσαντες δὲ οἱ στρατηγοὶ ἀδύνατα εἶναι πρός τε Περδίκκαν πολεμεῖν τῇ παρούσῃ δυνάμει καὶ τὰ ξυναφεστῶτα χωρία τρέπονται ἐπὶ τὴν Μακεδονίαν, ἐφ’ ὅπερ καὶ τὸ πρῶτον ἐξεπέμποντο, καὶ καταστάντες ἐπολέμουν μετὰ Φιλίππου καὶ τῶν Δέρδου ἀδελφῶν ἄνωθεν στρατιᾷ ἐσβεβληκότων.
The generals, thinking it impossible with their present force to carry on war against both Perdiccas and the places that had joined the revolt, turned toward Macedonia, which was indeed their original destination when they were dispatched; and having established themselves there, they carried on the war in cooperation with Philip and the brothers of Derdas, who had invaded from the interior with an army.

Notes

  1. §1.59.1καταλαμβάνουσι ... ἀφεστηκότα — The verb καταλαμβάνω (to find, discover) takes an accusative (τὴν Ποτείδαιαν καὶ τἆλλα) and a perfect participle (ἀφεστηκότα) to form a construction of physical or factual discovery: 'they found Potidaea and the other places to have already revolted'. It does not mean 'to seize' or 'to occupy' in this context.
  2. §1.59.2ἀδύνατα εἶναι — The neuter plural adjective ἀδύνατα acts as an impersonal predicate (equivalent to ἀδύνατόν ἐστι) introducing the following infinitive clause (πολεμεῖν...) as its subject. In Greek, impersonal adjectives of possibility or necessity are frequently put in the neuter plural rather than the singular.
  3. §1.59.2στρατιᾷ ἐσβεβληκότων — The dative στρατιᾷ denotes accompaniment or instrument ('with an army'). The perfect participle ἐσβεβληκότων (having invaded) agrees in the genitive with Φιλίππου καὶ τῶν Δέρδου ἀδελφῶν, which are governed by the preposition μετὰ, describing the situation where they had already invaded from the interior (ἄνωθεν) by the time the Athenians arrived.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §1.59.1-1.59.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.59.1-1.59.2

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