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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §3.88.1-3.88.4

Expedition to the Aeolian Islands and End of Year Five

Passage 337 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenians and Rhegians launch a winter expedition against the Aeolian Islands, describing the geography of Lipara and Hiera, and the fifth year of the war comes to an end.

§3.88.1καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐν Σικελίᾳ Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ Ῥηγῖνοι τοῦ αὐτοῦ χειμῶνος τριάκοντα ναυσὶ στρατεύουσιν ἐπὶ τὰς Αἰόλου νήσους καλουμένας· θέρους γὰρ δι’ ἀνυδρίαν ἀδύνατα ἦν ἐπιστρατεύειν.
And the Athenians in Sicily and the Rhegians, during the same winter, made an expedition with thirty ships against the islands called those of Aeolus; for in summer, owing to the lack of water, it was impossible to campaign against them.
§3.88.2νέμονται δὲ Λιπαραῖοι αὐτάς, Κνιδίων ἄποικοι ὄντες.
These islands are inhabited by the Liparaeans, who are colonists from Cnidus.
οἰκοῦσι δ’ ἐν μιᾷ τῶν νήσων οὐ μεγάλῃ, καλεῖται δὲ Λιπάρα· τὰς δὲ ἄλλας ἐκ ταύτης ὁρμώμενοι γεωργοῦσι, Διδύμην καὶ Στρογγύλην καὶ Ἱεράν.
They dwell in one of the islands, which is not large, and is called Lipara; and setting out from this, they cultivate the other islands, Didyme, Strongyle, and Hiera.
§3.88.3νομίζουσι δὲ οἱ ἐκείνῃ ἄνθρωποι ἐν τῇ Ἱερᾷ ὡς ὁ Ἥφαιστος χαλκεύει, ὅτι τὴν νύκτα φαίνεται πῦρ ἀναδιδοῦσα πολὺ καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν καπνόν.
And the people in those parts believe that Hephaestus works his forge in Hiera, because by night it is seen sending up much fire and by day smoke.
κεῖνται δὲ αἱ νῆσοι αὗται κατὰ τὴν Σικελῶν καὶ Μεσσηνίων γῆν, ξύμμαχοι δ’ ἦσαν Συρακοσίων.
These islands lie off the territory of the Sicels and Messenians, and they were allies of the Syracusans.
§3.88.4τεμόντες δ’ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τὴν γῆν, ὡς οὐ προσεχώρουν, ἀπέπλευσαν ἐς τὸ Ῥήγιον.
And the Athenians, having ravaged their land, since they would not surrender, sailed away to Rhegium.
καὶ ὁ χειμὼν ἐτελεύτα, καὶ πέμπτον ἔτος τῷ πολέμῳ ἐτελεύτα τῷδε ὃν Θουκυδίδης ξυνέγραψεν.
And the winter ended, and so ended the fifth year of this war which Thucydides wrote the history of.

Notes

  1. §3.88.1ἀδύνατα ἦν — A common usage in Thucydides where a neuter plural adjective is used as an impersonal predicate. It is equivalent in meaning to the singular ἀδύνατον ἦν ("it was impossible"), with the infinitive ἐπιστρατεύειν ("to campaign") acting as the logical subject.
  2. §3.88.3ἐν τῇ Ἱερᾷ ὡς ὁ Ἥφαιστος χαλκεύει — The conjunction ὡς ("that") introduces the object clause after the verb νομίζουσι ("believe"). The prepositional phrase of place ἐν τῇ Ἱερᾷ ("in Hiera") logically belongs inside the dependent clause (with χαλκεύει) but is pulled forward (prolepsis) before the conjunction ὡς for emphasis.
  3. §3.88.3φαίνεται πῦρ ἀναδιδοῦσα — The verb φαίνομαι combined with a participle (ἀναδιδοῦσα) expresses a clear fact ("it is seen sending up" or "it clearly sends up"). The subject of the participle is the island Ἱερά (feminine), hence the feminine singular form of the participle.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §3.88.1-3.88.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.88.1-3.88.4

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