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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §2.23.1-2.23.3

The Peloponnesian Retreat and Athenian Expedition

Passage 169 of 917 · Greek

Summary

While the Athenians refuse to offer battle, the Peloponnesians ravage other parts of Attica and retreat through Boeotia, while the Athenians dispatch a naval expedition around the Peloponnese.

§2.23.1οἱ δὲ Πελοποννήσιοι, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἐπεξῇσαν αὐτοῖς οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐς μάχην, ἄραντες ἐκ τῶν Ἀχαρνῶν ἐδῄουν τῶν δήμων τινὰς ἄλλους τῶν μεταξὺ Πάρνηθος καὶ Βριλησσοῦ ὄρους.
The Peloponnesians, since the Athenians did not come out to battle against them, moved their camp from Acharnae and ravaged some other of the demes between Mount Parnes and Mount Brilessus.
§2.23.2ὄντων δὲ αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ γῇ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἀπέστειλαν τὰς ἑκατὸν ναῦς περὶ Πελοπόννησον ἅσπερ παρεσκευάζοντο καὶ χιλίους ὁπλίτας ἐπ’ αὐτῶν καὶ τοξότας τετρακοσίους· ἐστρατήγει δὲ Καρκίνος τε ὁ Ξενοτίμου καὶ Πρωτέας ὁ Ἐπικλέους καὶ Σωκράτης ὁ Ἀντιγένους.
While they were still in the land, the Athenians dispatched the hundred ships around the Peloponnese which they had been preparing, with a thousand hoplites and four hundred archers on board; and Carcinus son of Xenotimus, Proteas son of Epicles, and Socrates son of Antigenes were in command.
§2.23.3καὶ οἱ μὲν ἄραντες τῇ παρασκευῇ ταύτῃ περιέπλεον, οἱ δὲ Πελοποννήσιοι χρόνον ἐμμείναντες ἐν τῇ Ἀττικῇ ὅσου εἶχον τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἀνεχώρησαν διὰ Βοιωτῶν, οὐχ ᾗπερ ἐσέβαλον·
And so the former set sail with this preparation and went on their cruise; while the Peloponnesians, having remained in Attica for as long a time as they had provisions, retreated through Boeotia, not by the route by which they had invaded.
παριόντες δὲ Ὠρωπὸν τὴν γῆν τὴν Γραϊκὴν καλουμένην, ἣν νέμονται Ὠρώπιοι Ἀθηναίων ὑπήκοοι, ἐδῄωσαν.
As they passed by Oropus, they ravaged the territory called Graice, which is occupied by the Oropians, who are subjects of the Athenians.
ἀφικόμενοι δὲ ἐς Πελοπόννησον διελύθησαν κατὰ πόλεις ἕκαστοι.
On reaching the Peloponnese, they dispersed to their respective cities.

Notes

  1. 2.23.1ἄραντες — Active participle of αἴρω (or ἀείρω) used intransitively with the sense of "breaking camp" or "setting out". Here, ἄραντες ἐκ τῶν Ἀχαρνῶν means "having moved their army from Acharnae."
  2. 2.23.3χρόνον ... ὅσου εἶχον τὰ ἐπιτήδεια — An elliptical expression for χρόνον [τοσοῦτον] ὅσου [χρόνου] "for as long a time as they had provisions." The relative pronoun is attracted into the genitive case of time.
  3. 2.23.3παριόντες δὲ Ὠρωπὸν τὴν γῆν τὴν Γραϊκὴν καλουμένην ... ἐδῄωσαν — Ὠρωπόν is the direct object of the participle παριόντες ("passing by Oropus"), while τὴν γῆν τὴν Γραϊκὴν καλουμένην is the direct object of the main verb ἐδῄωσαν ("they ravaged"). It means "passing by Oropus, they ravaged the territory called Graice."

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §2.23.1-2.23.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.23.1-2.23.3

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