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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §1.98.1-1.98.4

Cimon's Early Campaigns and the Subjection of Naxos

Passage 98 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Describes how the Athenians, under Cimon's command, captured Eion and Scyros, fought the Carystians, and besieged the revolting Naxians, making Naxos the first allied city to be enslaved contrary to custom.

§1.98.1πρῶτον μὲν Ἠιόνα τὴν ἐπὶ Στρυμόνι Μήδων ἐχόντων πολιορκίᾳ εἷλον καὶ ἠνδραπόδισαν, Κίμωνος τοῦ Μιλτιάδου στρατηγοῦντος.
First of all, under the command of Cimon, son of Miltiades, as general, they took Eion on the Strymon, which was held by the Medes, by siege and enslaved the inhabitants.
§1.98.2ἔπειτα Σκῦρον τὴν ἐν τῷ Αἰγαίῳ νῆσον, ἣν ᾤκουν Δόλοπες, ἠνδραπόδισαν καὶ ᾤκισαν αὐτοί.
Next, they enslaved Scyros, the island in the Aegean which was inhabited by the Dolopes, and colonized it themselves.
§1.98.3πρὸς δὲ Καρυστίους αὐτοῖς ἄνευ τῶν ἄλλων Εὐβοέων πόλεμος ἐγένετο, καὶ χρόνῳ ξυνέβησαν καθ’ ὁμολογίαν.
Then a war arose between them and the Carystians, without the involvement of the other Euboeans, and in time they came to terms by agreement.
§1.98.4Ναξίοις δὲ ἀποστᾶσι μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπολέμησαν καὶ πολιορκίᾳ παρεστήσαντο, πρώτη τε αὕτη πόλις ξυμμαχὶς παρὰ τὸ καθεστηκὸς ἐδουλώθη, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὡς ἑκάστῃ ξυνέβη.
After this, they made war on the Naxians who had revolted, and subdued them by siege; and this was the first allied city to be enslaved contrary to the established custom, and afterwards the same happened to the others as each case arose.

Notes

  1. 1.98.1Μήδων ἐχόντων — A genitive absolute construction with the Medes (Persians) as the subject, expressing temporal background or a concessive nuance ("although the Medes held it"). The phrase `Κίμωνος ... στρατηγοῦντος` at the end of the sentence is also a genitive absolute, showing two distinct genitive absolutes with different subjects in a single sentence.
  2. 1.98.4παρὰ τὸ καθεστηκὸς — `καθεστηκός` is the perfect active participle (neuter singular) of `καθίστημι` used substantively. Combined with the preposition `παρά` ("contrary to"), it means "contrary to the established custom (or law)." This indicates that enslaving an allied city violated the conventional rules or treaties of the Greek world.
  3. 1.98.4τῶν ἄλλων ὡς ἑκάστῃ ξυνέβη — `τῶν ἄλλων` is a genitive (genitive of the whole, or depending on the implied verb `ἐδουλώθη` applied to the remaining cities). The clause `ὡς ἑκάστῃ [πόλει] ξυνέβη` means "as it happened to each city," laconically describing how the same process of enslavement subsequently befell the other allied cities individually.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §1.98.1-1.98.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.98.1-1.98.4

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