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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §3.103.1-3.103.3

Athenian Failure at Inessa and Descent on Locris

Passage 352 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian and allied forces attack Inessa but fail, suffering casualties from a Syracusan pursuit during their retreat. Afterward, the Athenians under Laches land in Locris and defeat a relieving force of Locrians.

§3.103.1οἱ δ’ ἐν τῇ Σικελίᾳ Ἀθηναῖοι τοῦ ἐπιγιγνομένου χειμῶνος ἐπελθόντες μετὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ξυμμάχων καὶ ὅσοι Σικελῶν κατὰ κράτος ἀρχόμενοι ὑπὸ Συρακοσίων καὶ ξύμμαχοι ὄντες ἀποστάντες αὐτοῖς [ἀπὸ Συρακοσίων] ξυνεπολέμουν, ἐπ᾽ Ἴνησσαν τὸ Σικελικὸν πόλισμα, οὗ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν Συρακόσιοι εἶχον, προσέβαλον, καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἐδύναντο ἑλεῖν, ἀπῇσαν.
In the following winter, the Athenians in Sicily, together with their Greek allies and all those of the Sicels who, being ruled by force by the Syracusans and being their allies, had revolted [from the Syracusans] and were fighting alongside them, made an attack upon Inessa, the Sicel town, of which the Syracusans held the acropolis; and when they were unable to take it, they retreated.
§3.103.2ἐν δὲ τῇ ἀναχωρήσει ὑστέροις Ἀθηναίων τοῖς ξυμμάχοις ἀναχωροῦσιν ἐπιτίθενται οἱ ἐκ τοῦ τειχίσματος Συρακόσιοι, καὶ προσπεσόντες τρέπουσί τε μέρος τι τοῦ στρατοῦ καὶ ἀπέκτειναν οὐκ ὀλίγους.
But in the retreat, the Syracusans from the fort fell upon those of the allies who were retreating behind the Athenians, and having attacked them, put a part of the army to flight and killed not a few.
§3.103.3καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῶν νεῶν ὁ Λάχης καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐς τὴν Λοκρίδα ἀποβάσεις τινὰς ποιησάμενοι κατὰ τὸν Καϊκῖνον ποταμὸν τοὺς προσβοηθοῦντας Λοκρῶν μετὰ Προξένου τοῦ Καπάτωνος ὡς τριακοσίους μάχῃ ἐκράτησαν καὶ ὅπλα λαβόντες ἀπεχώρησαν.
And after this, Laches and the Athenians made some landings from the ships upon Locris, and by the Caecinus river they defeated in battle about three hundred of the Locrians who came to assist under Proxenus the son of Capaton, and having taken their arms, they retreated.

Notes

  1. 3.103.1αὐτοῖς — The dative pronoun αὐτοῖς ("with them") refers to the Athenians (οἱ ... Ἀθηναῖοι), who are the subject of the main clause, and serves as the object of ξυνεπολέμουν ("were fighting alongside"). It cannot refer to the closer noun Συρακοσίων ("Syracusans"), as that would contradict the context of their revolt.
  2. 3.103.2ὑστέροις Ἀθηναίων τοῖς ξυμμάχοις ἀναχωροῦσιν — This entire dative phrase is the object of the verb ἐπιτίθενται ("attack"). Ἀθηναίων is a genitive of comparison depending on the comparative adjective ὑστέροις ("later than", "behind"), which describes the order of the retreat: the allies were retreating behind the Athenians.
  3. 3.103.3τοὺς προσβοηθοῦντας Λοκρῶν ... ὡς τριακοσίους — Λοκρῶν is a partitive genitive depending on the substantivized participle τοὺς προσβοηθοῦντας ("those who came to assist"). ὡς is used adverbially before numerals to mean "about", and the accusative τριακοσίους ("three hundred") functions as the direct object of ἐκράτησαν ("defeated"), in apposition to the participle phrase.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §3.103.1-3.103.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.103.1-3.103.3

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