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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §3.7.1-3.7.5

Expedition of Asopius and His Death at Leucas

Passage 256 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Athens sends thirty ships around the Peloponnese under Asopius. After ravaging the Laconian coast, Asopius campaigns against Oeniadae and Leucas, but is killed in action during a retreat at Nericus.

§3.7.1κατὰ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον τοῦ θέρους τούτου Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ περὶ Πελοπόννησον ναῦς ἀπέστειλαν τριάκοντα καὶ Ἀσώπιον τὸν Φορμίωνος στρατηγόν, κελευσάντων Ἀκαρνάνων τῶν Φορμίωνός τινα σφίσι πέμψαι ἢ υἱὸν ἢ ξυγγενῆ ἄρχοντα.
During the same summer, the Athenians also sent thirty ships around the Peloponnese under the command of Asopius, the son of Phormio, since the Acarnanians had requested them to send either a son or a relative of Phormio to be their commander.
§3.7.2καὶ παραπλέουσαι αἱ νῆες τῆς Λακωνικῆς τὰ ἐπιθαλάσσια χωρία ἐπόρθησαν.
And these ships, sailing along the coast, ravaged the maritime districts of Laconia.
§3.7.3ἔπειτα τὰς μὲν πλείους ἀποπέμπει τῶν νεῶν πάλιν ἐπ’ οἴκου ὁ Ἀσώπιος, αὐτὸς δ’ ἔχων δώδεκα ἀφικνεῖται ἐς Ναύπακτον, καὶ ὕστερον Ἀκαρνᾶνας ἀναστήσας πανδημεὶ στρατεύει ἐπ᾽ Οἰνιάδας, καὶ ταῖς τε ναυσὶ κατὰ τὸν Ἀχελῷον ἔπλευσε καὶ ὁ κατὰ γῆν στρατὸς ἐδῄου τὴν χώραν.
Thereafter, Asopius sent the greater part of the ships back home, while he himself with twelve ships arrived at Naupactus; and later, having mobilized the Acarnanians with their entire force, he marched against Oeniadae, and sailed with his ships up the Achelous, while the land force ravaged the territory.
§3.7.4ὡς δ’ οὐ προσεχώρουν, τὸν μὲν πεζὸν ἀφίησιν, αὐτὸς δὲ πλεύσας ἐς Λευκάδα καὶ ἀπόβασιν ἐς Νήρικον ποιησάμενος ἀναχωρῶν διαφθείρεται αὐτός τε καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς τι μέρος ὑπὸ τῶν αὐτόθεν τε ξυμβοηθησάντων καὶ φρουρῶν τινῶν ὀλίγων.
But when they did not surrender, he dismissed the land force, while he himself sailed to Leucas and made a descent upon Nericus; but in retreating, he himself and a part of his army were destroyed by the inhabitants who had rallied to help and by a few guards.
§3.7.5καὶ ὕστερον ὑποσπόνδους τοὺς νεκροὺς ἀποπλεύσαντες οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι παρὰ τῶν Λευκαδίων ἐκομίσαντο.
And later, the Athenians, having sailed away, recovered their dead from the Leucadians under a truce.

Notes

  1. §3.7.1κελευσάντων Ἀκαρνάνων — Genitive absolute construction. The aorist active participle indicates the reason prior to the action of the main clause, taking the infinitive `πέμψαι` as its complement. The indirect reflexive pronoun `σφίσι` refers to the Acarnanians, the logical subject of the genitive absolute, rather than the Athenians, the subject of the main clause.
  2. §3.7.1τῶν Φορμίωνός τινα — The article `τῶν` is a genitive plural referring to 'those belonging to Phormio' (his family or kin), functioning as a partitive genitive with `τινα` ('someone'). It means 'someone of Phormio's relatives'.
  3. §3.7.5ὑποσπόνδους — Accusative masculine plural of the adjective `ὑπόσπονδος` ('under a treaty'), functioning as a predicative adjective modifying `τοὺς νεκρούς` or adverbially. It forms a formulaic expression in ancient Greek warfare for recovering the dead under a truce.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §3.7.1-3.7.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.7.1-3.7.5

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