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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §3.106.1-3.106.3

March of Eurylochus and Junction at Olpae

Passage 355 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Peloponnesian army under Eurylochus covertly marches through the temporarily undefended Acarnania and successfully joins forces with the Ambraciots in Olpae.

§3.106.1οἱ μὲν οὖν μετ’ Εὐρυλόχου Πελοποννήσιοι ὡς ᾔσθοντο τοὺς ἐν Ὄλπαις Ἀμπρακιώτας ἥκοντας, ἄραντες ἐκ τοῦ Προσχίου ἐβοήθουν κατὰ τάχος, καὶ διαβάντες τὸν Ἀχελῷον ἐχώρουν δι’ Ἀκαρνανίας οὔσης ἐρήμου διὰ τὴν ἐς Ἄργος βοήθειαν, ἐν δεξιᾷ μὲν ἔχοντες τὴν Στρατίων πόλιν καὶ τὴν φρουρὰν αὐτῶν, ἐν ἀριστερᾷ δὲ τὴν ἄλλην Ἀκαρνανίαν.
Now the Peloponnesians under Eurylochus, when they heard that the Ambraciots at Olpae had arrived, set out from Proschium and went to their aid with all speed; and having crossed the Achelous, they marched through Acarnania, which was deserted because of the expedition to the aid of Argos, keeping the city of Stratus and its garrison on their right, and the rest of Acarnania on their left.
§3.106.2καὶ διελθόντες τὴν Στρατίων γῆν ἐχώρουν διὰ τῆς Φυτίας καὶ αὖθις Μεδεῶνος παρ᾽ ἔσχατα, ἔπειτα διὰ Λιμναίας· καὶ ἐπέβησαν τῆς Ἀγραίων, οὐκέτι Ἀκαρνανίας, φιλίας δὲ σφίσιν.
And having passed through the territory of Stratus, they marched through Phytia and again along the borders of Medeon, and then through Limnaea; and they entered the territory of the Agraeans, which was no longer Acarnania, but friendly to them.
§3.106.3λαβόμενοι δὲ τοῦ Θυάμου ὄρους, ὅ ἐστιν Ἀγραϊκόν, ἐχώρουν δι’ αὐτοῦ καὶ κατέβησαν ἐς τὴν Ἀργείαν νυκτὸς ἤδη, καὶ διεξελθόντες μεταξὺ τῆς τε Ἀργείων πόλεως καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ Κρήναις Ἀκαρνάνων φυλακῆς ἔλαθον καὶ προσέμειξαν τοῖς ἐν Ὄλπαις Ἀμπρακιώταις.
Having occupied Mount Thyamus, which is Agraean, they marched over it and descended into the Argive territory when it was already night; and passing through between the city of the Argives and the Acarnanian outpost at Crenae, they escaped notice and joined the Ambraciots in Olpae.

Notes

  1. 3.106.1οὔσης ἐρήμου — Attributive participle agreeing with Ἀκαρνανίας (genitive singular feminine). The cause of this 'deserted' state is explained by the following prepositional phrase διὰ τὴν ἐς Ἄργος βοήθειαν.
  2. 3.106.2παρ᾽ ἔσχατα — The preposition παρά followed by the accusative plural, meaning 'along the borders/edges of', modifying the genitive Μεδεῶνος.
  3. 3.106.3ἔλαθον καὶ προσέμειξαν — Although ἔλαθον (aorist of λανθάνω) usually takes a supplementary participle to express 'escaped notice while doing something,' here two indicative verbs are connected as coordinates by καί to express the same meaning: 'they escaped notice and joined' (i.e., 'they joined without being noticed').

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §3.106.1-3.106.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.106.1-3.106.3

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