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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §2.25.1-2.25.5

Athenian Raids on Methone and Brasidas' Relief

Passage 171 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian and allied fleet ravages the coastal Peloponnese and lands at Methone, but is repulsed by the Spartan Brasidas. They then proceed to Elis, where they defeat the local forces and temporarily capture Pheia before sailing onward.

§2.25.1οἱ δ’ ἐν ταῖς ἑκατὸν ναυσὶ περὶ Πελοπόννησον Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ Κερκυραῖοι μετ’ αὐτῶν πεντήκοντα ναυσὶ προσβεβοηθηκότες καὶ ἄλλοι τινὲς τῶν ἐκεῖ ξυμμάχων ἄλλα τε ἐκάκουν περιπλέοντες καὶ ἐς Μεθώνην τῆς Λακωνικῆς ἀποβάντες τῷ τείχει προσέβαλον ὄντι ἀσθενεῖ καὶ ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἐνόντων.
Meanwhile, the Athenians in the hundred ships around the Peloponnese, and with them the Corcyraeans who had come to their aid with fifty ships, as well as some of the other allies from those parts, ravaged various places as they sailed around, and landed at Methone in Laconia, attacking the wall, which was weak and had no men inside to defend it.
§2.25.2ἔτυχε δὲ περὶ τοὺς χώρους τούτους Βρασίδας ὁ Τέλλιδος ἀνὴρ Σπαρτιάτης φρουρὰν ἔχων, καὶ αἰσθόμενος ἐβοήθει τοῖς ἐν τῷ χωρίῳ μετὰ ὁπλιτῶν ἑκατόν.
Now it happened that Brasidas, son of Tellis, a Spartan, was in these parts with a garrison, and on perceiving this, he went to the aid of those in the place with a hundred hoplites.
διαδραμὼν δὲ τὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων στρατόπεδον ἐσκεδασμένον κατὰ τὴν χώραν καὶ πρὸς τὸ τεῖχος τετραμμένον ἐσπίπτει ἐς τὴν Μεθώνην καὶ ὀλίγους τινὰς ἐν τῇ ἐσδρομῇ ἀπολέσας τῶν μεθ’ αὑτοῦ τήν τε πόλιν περιεποίησε καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου τοῦ τολμήματος πρῶτος τῶν κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἐπῃνέθη ἐν Σπάρτῃ.
Dashng through the Athenian army, which was scattered over the country and directed toward the wall, he burst into Methone; and though he lost a few of his own men in the charge, he saved the city, and from this bold exploit he was the first to be praised at Sparta during this war.
§2.25.3οἱ δὲ Ἀθηναῖοι ἄραντες παρέπλεον, καὶ σχόντες τῆς Ἠλείας ἐς Φειὰν ἐδῄουν τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ δύο ἡμέρας καὶ προσβοηθήσαντας τῶν ἐκ τῆς κοίλης Ἤλιδος τριακοσίους λογάδας καὶ τῶν αὐτόθεν ἐκ τῆς περιοικίδος Ἠλείων μάχῃ ἐκράτησαν.
As for the Athenians, they set sail and continued their voyage, and putting in at Pheia in Elis, they ravaged the land for two days, and in a battle defeated the three hundred chosen men from hollow Elis and the local Eleans from the surrounding territory who had come to support them.
§2.25.4ἀνέμου δὲ κατιόντος μεγάλου χειμαζόμενοι ἐν ἀλιμένῳ χωρίῳ, οἱ μὲν πολλοὶ ἐπέβησαν ἐπὶ τὰς ναῦς καὶ περιέπλεον τὸν Ἰχθῦν καλούμενον τὴν ἄκραν ἐς τὸν ἐν τῇ Φειᾷ λιμένα, οἱ δὲ Μεσσήνιοι ἐν τούτῳ καὶ ἄλλοι τινὲς οἱ οὐ δυνάμενοι ἐπιβῆναι κατὰ γῆν χωρήσαντες τὴν Φειὰν αἱροῦσιν.
But when a great wind came down on them, and they were caught in a storm in a place with no harbor, most of them embarked on the ships and sailed round the promontory called Ichthys into the harbor at Pheia; meanwhile the Messenians and some others who could not embark marched by land and captured Pheia.
§2.25.5καὶ ὕστερον αἵ τε νῆες περιπλεύσασαι ἀναλαμβάνουσιν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐξανάγονται ἐκλιπόντες Φειάν, καὶ τῶν Ἠλείων ἡ πολλὴ ἤδη στρατιὰ προσεβεβοηθήκει.
Afterward the ships sailed round and took them on board, and they put to sea, abandoning Pheia, by which time the main force of the Eleans had already come to the rescue.
παραπλεύσαντες δὲ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐπὶ ἄλλα χωρία ἐδῄουν.
The Athenians then sailed along the coast and ravaged other places.

Notes

  1. 2.25.1ὄντι ἀσθενεῖ καὶ ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἐνόντων — The dative circumstantial participle `ὄντι ἀσθενεῖ` (which was weak), agreeing with the preceding dative noun `τῷ τείχει` (the wall), is juxtaposed via the conjunction `καί` with the genitive absolute construction `ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἐνόντων` (there being no men inside); both describe the state of the wall.
  2. 2.25.2διαδραμὼν δὲ τὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων στρατόπεδον ἐσκεδασμένον κατὰ τὴν χώραν καὶ πρὸς τὸ τεῖχος τετραμμένον — The direct object of the participle `διαδραμών` is `τὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων στρατόπεδον` (the Athenian army), which is modified by the two agreeing perfect passive participles `ἐσκεδασμένον` (dispersed) and `τετραμμένον` (directed), describing the state of the Athenian forces who were scattered and focused on the wall.
  3. 2.25.3προσβοηθήσαντας ... μάχῃ ἐκράτησαν — While the verb `κρατέω` typically governs the genitive case, here it means "to defeat, conquer" and thus governs the accusative `προσβοηθήσαντας ...` (those who had come to rescue) as its direct object.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §2.25.1-2.25.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.25.1-2.25.5

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