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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §1.8.1-1.8.4

Island Piracy and Social Advance under Minos

Passage 8 of 917 · Greek

Summary

This passage points to the piracy of the Carians and Phoenicians, citing archaeological proof from Delos, and outlines how the establishment of Minos' navy brought order and wealth, enabling the expansion and subjugation of smaller cities that paved the way for the Trojan expedition.

§1.8.1καὶ οὐχ ἧσσον λῃσταὶ ἦσαν οἱ νησιῶται, Κᾶρές τε ὄντες καὶ Φοίνικες· οὗτοι γὰρ δὴ τὰς πλείστας τῶν νήσων ᾤκησαν.
And the islanders were no less pirates, being Carians and Phoenicians; for these were the ones who inhabited most of the islands.
μαρτύριον δέ· Δήλου γὰρ καθαιρομένης ὑπὸ Ἀθηναίων ἐν τῷδε τῷ πολέμῳ καὶ τῶν θηκῶν ἀναιρεθεισῶν ὅσαι ἦσαν τῶν τεθνεώτων ἐν τῇ νήσῳ, ὑπὲρ ἥμισυ Κᾶρες ἐφάνησαν, γνωσθέντες τῇ τε σκευῇ τῶν ὅπλων ξυντεθαμμένῃ καὶ τῷ τρόπῳ ᾧ νῦν ἔτι θάπτουσιν.
And there is proof of this: for when Delos was being purified by the Athenians in this war and all the graves of those who had died on the island were removed, more than half appeared to be Carians, being recognized by the equipment of the weapons buried with them and by the manner in which they still bury their dead even now.
§1.8.2καταστάντος δὲ τοῦ Μίνω ναυτικοῦ πλωιμώτερα ἐγένετο παρ’ ἀλλήλους (οἱ γὰρ ἐκ τῶν νήσων κακοῦργοι ἀνέστησαν ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ, ὅτεπερ καὶ τὰς πολλὰς αὐτῶν κατῴκιζε), §1.8.3καὶ οἱ παρὰ θάλασσαν ἄνθρωποι μᾶλλον ἤδη τὴν κτῆσιν τῶν χρημάτων ποιούμενοι βεβαιότερον ᾤκουν, καί τινες καὶ τείχη περιεβάλλοντο ὡς πλουσιώτεροι ἑαυτῶν γιγνόμενοι· ἐφιέμενοι γὰρ τῶν κερδῶν οἵ τε ἥσσους ὑπέμενον τὴν τῶν κρεισσόνων δουλείαν, οἵ τε δυνατώτεροι περιουσίας ἔχοντες προσεποιοῦντο ὑπηκόους τὰς ἐλάσσους πόλεις.
And when the navy of Minos was established, navigation between one another became easier (for the evildoers from the islands were expelled by him, at the very time when he was also colonizing most of them), and the people on the coast, now acquiring wealth to a greater degree, lived more securely, and some even surrounded themselves with walls, as they became wealthier than they had been before; for in their desire for gain, the weaker submitted to the domination of the stronger, and the more powerful, having surpluses of wealth, made the smaller cities their subjects.
§1.8.4καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ μᾶλλον ἤδη ὄντες ὕστερον χρόνῳ ἐπὶ Τροίαν ἐστράτευσαν.
And being already more in this state, they later in time campaigned against Troy.

Notes

  1. 1.8.1γνωσθέντες — An aorist passive participle in the masculine plural nominative, agreeing with the predicate nominative "Carians" (who appeared as such). It describes how they were identified, taking the dative of means (τῇ σκευῇ and τῷ τρόπῳ).
  2. 1.8.3ἑαυτῶν — A genitive of comparison with the comparative "πλουσιώτεροι". The use of the plural reflexive pronoun here denotes a comparison with their own former state (i.e., "wealthier than they themselves had been").
  3. 1.8.4ἐν τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ μᾶλλον ἤδη ὄντες — Composed of "ἐν τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ ὄντες" (being in this state) with the comparative adverb "μᾶλλον" and "ἤδη". It indicates that they were "already more advanced in this state" of social organization described in the preceding section, setting the historical condition that enabled the Trojan expedition.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §1.8.1-1.8.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.8.1-1.8.4

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