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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §3.29.1-3.29.2

Peloponnesian Fleet's Delay and Arrival at Embatum

Passage 278 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Peloponnesian fleet, delayed in their voyage, learns of the fall of Mytilene and sails into Embatum to ascertain the exact situation.

§3.29.1οἱ δ’ ἐν ταῖς τεσσαράκοντα ναυσὶ Πελοποννήσιοι, οὓς ἔδει ἐν τάχει παραγενέσθαι, πλέοντες περί τε αὐτὴν τὴν Πελοπόννησον ἐνδιέτριψαν καὶ κατὰ τὸν ἄλλον πλοῦν σχολαῖοι κομισθέντες τοὺς μὲν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως Ἀθηναίους λανθάνουσι, πρὶν δὴ τῇ Δήλῳ ἔσχον, προσμείξαντες δ’ ἀπ’ αὐτῆς τῇ Ἰκάρῳ καὶ Μυκόνῳ πυνθάνονται πρῶτον ὅτι ἡ Μυτιλήνη ἑάλωκεν.
The Peloponnesians in the forty ships, who ought to have arrived in haste, wasted time while sailing around the Peloponnese itself, and having proceeded leisurely during the rest of the voyage, they escaped the notice of the Athenians from the city until they touched at Delos; but when they touched at Icarus and Myconus after leaving Delos, they first learned that Mytilene had been captured.
§3.29.2βουλόμενοι δὲ τὸ σαφὲς εἰδέναι κατέπλευσαν ἐς Ἔμβατον τῆς Ἐρυθραίας· ἡμέραι δὲ μάλιστα ἦσαν τῇ Μυτιλήνῃ ἑαλωκυίᾳ ἑπτὰ ὅτε ἐς τὸ Ἔμβατον κατέπλευσαν.
And wishing to know the exact truth, they sailed down to Embatum in the territory of Erythrae; about seven days had elapsed for Mytilene since its capture when they sailed into Embatum.
πυθόμενοι δὲ τὸ σαφὲς ἐβουλεύοντο ἐκ τῶν παρόντων, καὶ ἔλεξεν αὐτοῖς Τευτίαπλος ἀνὴρ Ἠλεῖος τάδε.
Having learned the exact truth, they deliberated on the basis of the present circumstances, and Teutiaplus, an Elisean, spoke to them as follows.

Notes

  1. §3.29.1λανθάνουσι, πρὶν δὴ τῇ Δήλῳ ἔσχον — Since the verb λανθάνω (to escape notice) carries a negative implication, the subsequent πρίν with the indicative past (ἔσχον) denotes a realized fact: 'not... until...' (i.e., they escaped notice until they actually touched at Delos, at which point they were discovered).
  2. §3.29.2τῇ Μυτιλήνῃ ἑαλωκυίᾳ — A dative of reference (specifically used for expressing elapsed time) consisting of a noun and a perfect participle (ἑαλωκυῖα). It means 'seven days had elapsed for Mytilene since its capture' (literally, 'it was seven days for Mytilene having been captured'), indicating the reference point from which the time is measured.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §3.29.1-3.29.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.29.1-3.29.2

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