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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §3.27.1-3.27.3

Arming and Revolt of the Commons in Mytilene

Passage 276 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Faced with food shortages and delays of the Peloponnesian fleet, Salæthus armed the common people of Mytilene; however, the newly armed populace revolted, demanding food distribution and threatening to surrender the city to the Athenians.

§3.27.1οἱ δὲ Μυτιληναῖοι ἐν τούτῳ, ὡς αἵ τε νῆες αὐτοῖς οὐχ ἧκον ἀπὸ τῆς Πελοποννήσου ἀλλὰ ἐνεχρόνιζον καὶ ὁ σῖτος ἐπελελοίπει, ἀναγκάζονται ξυμβαίνειν πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους διὰ τάδε.
In the meantime, the Mytilaeneans, as the ships from the Peloponnese had not arrived but were delayed, and their provisions had run out, were compelled to come to terms with the Athenians for the following reason.
§3.27.2ὁ Σάλαιθος καὶ αὐτὸς οὐ προσδεχόμενος ἔτι τὰς ναῦς ὁπλίζει τὸν δῆμον πρότερον ψιλὸν ὄντα ὡς ἐπεξιὼν τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις·
Salæthus himself, no longer expecting the ships, armed the common people who had previously been light-armed, with the intention of sallying out against the Athenians.
§3.27.3οἱ δὲ ἐπειδὴ ἔλαβον ὅπλα, οὔτε ἠκροῶντο ἔτι τῶν ἀρχόντων, κατὰ ξυλλόγους τε γιγνόμενοι ἢ τὸν σῖτον ἐκέλευον τοὺς δυνατοὺς φέρειν ἐς τὸ φανερὸν καὶ διανέμειν ἅπασιν, ἢ αὐτοὶ ξυγχωρήσαντες πρὸς Ἀθηναίους ἔφασαν παραδώσειν τὴν πόλιν.
But when they had received the arms, they no longer obeyed their magistrates; and forming into groups, they demanded that the powerful men should bring the provisions into public view and distribute them to everyone, or else they themselves would make an agreement with the Athenians and surrender the city.

Notes

  1. §3.27.1διὰ τάδε — A proleptic demonstrative pronoun referring forward to the events described in §3.27.2 and §3.27.3 (the arming of the common people by Salæthus and their subsequent revolt). It means 'for the following reasons'.
  2. §3.27.2ὡς ἐπεξιὼν — The conjunction ὡς combined with the participle ἐπεξιὼν (from ἐπέξειμι, 'to sally out' or 'to march out') expresses the intention or subjective motive of the subject, Salæthus.
  3. §3.27.3ἔφασαν παραδώσειν — An infinitive phrase depending on the verb ἔφασαν (imperfect of φημί, 'to say'). The future infinitive παραδώσειν expresses their intention to perform an action in the future ('they said they would surrender', functioning practically as a threat).

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §3.27.1-3.27.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.27.1-3.27.3

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