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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §2.31.1-2.31.3

Athenian Full-Scale Invasion of the Megarid under Pericles

Passage 177 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The passage describes the Athenian invasion of the Megarid with their entire force under Pericles' command, highlighting the unprecedented scale of the assembled army.

§2.31.1περὶ δὲ τὸ φθινόπωρον τοῦ θέρους τούτου Ἀθηναῖοι πανδημεί, αὐτοὶ καὶ οἱ μέτοικοι, ἐσέβαλον ἐς τὴν Μεγαρίδα Περικλέους τοῦ Ξανθίππου στρατηγοῦντος.
About the autumn of this summer, the Athenians invaded the Megarid with their whole population, both citizens and metics, under the command of Pericles, son of Xanthippus, as general.
καὶ οἱ περὶ Πελοπόννησον Ἀθηναῖοι ἐν ταῖς ἑκατὸν ναυσίν (ἔτυχον γὰρ ἤδη ἐν Αἰγίνῃ ὄντες ἐπ’ οἴκου ἀνακομιζόμενοι) ὡς ᾔσθοντο τοὺς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως πανστρατιᾷ ἐν Μεγάροις ὄντας, ἔπλευσαν παρ’ αὐτοὺς καὶ ξυνεμείχθησαν.
And the Athenians in the hundred ships around the Peloponnese (for they happened to be already at Aegina on their way home), when they perceived that those from the city were in Megara with their whole force, sailed to join them and united with them.
§2.31.2στρατόπεδόν τε μέγιστον δὴ τοῦτο ἁθρόον Ἀθηναίων ἐγένετο, ἀκμαζούσης ἔτι τῆς πόλεως καὶ οὔπω νενοσηκυίας· μυρίων γὰρ ὁπλιτῶν οὐκ ἐλάσσους ἦσαν αὐτοὶ Ἀθηναῖοι (χωρὶς δὲ αὐτοῖς οἱ ἐν Ποτειδαίᾳ τρισχίλιοι ἦσαν), μέτοικοι δὲ ξυνεσέβαλον οὐκ ἐλάσσους τρισχιλίων ὁπλιτῶν, χωρὶς δὲ ὁ ἄλλος ὅμιλος ψιλῶν οὐκ ὀλίγος.
This was indeed the largest assembled Athenian army, while the city was still at its height and not yet afflicted by the plague; for the Athenians themselves were not fewer than ten thousand hoplites (besides whom there were the three thousand at Potidaea), and the metics who invaded with them were not fewer than three thousand hoplites, and besides these, there was a not inconsiderable crowd of other light-armed troops.
δῃώσαντες δὲ τὰ πολλὰ τῆς γῆς ἀνεχώρησαν.
Having ravaged most of the land, they withdrew.
§2.31.3ἐγένοντο δὲ καὶ ἄλλαι ὕστερον ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ κατὰ ἔτος ἕκαστον ἐσβολαὶ Ἀθηναίων ἐς τὴν Μεγαρίδα καὶ ἱππέων καὶ πανστρατιᾷ, μέχρι οὗ Νίσαια ἑάλω ὑπ’ Ἀθηναίων.
There were also other subsequent invasions of the Megarid made by the Athenians during the war every year, both with cavalry and with their whole force, until Nisaea was captured by the Athenians.

Notes

  1. 2.31.1ἔτυχον ... ὄντες — The verb `τυγχάνω` with a participle (here `ὄντες`) forms a periphrastic construction meaning "happen to be" or "coincidentally be." Here it explains that the Athenian fleet "happened to be already at Aegina" on their way back.
  2. 2.31.2ἀκμαζούσης ἔτι τῆς πόλεως καὶ οὔπω νενοσηκυίας — A genitive absolute construction with the noun `τῆς πόλεως` and the participles `ἀκμαζούσης` and `νενοσηκυίας` (perfect active), functioning here as a causal clause ("since the city was still..."). The phrase `οὔπω νενοσηκυίας` ("not yet having fallen ill") foreshadows the famous plague that would soon afflict Athens.
  3. 2.31.2χωρὶς δὲ αὐτοῖς οἱ ἐν Ποτειδαίᾳ τρισχίλιοι ἦσαν — The dative pronoun `αὐτοῖς` functions as a dative of possession ("they had") or reference ("for them"), referring to the Athenians. The phrase means "besides these, they had the three thousand at Potidaea," indicating an expeditionary force distinct from the main army assembled at Athens.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §2.31.1-2.31.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.31.1-2.31.3

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