Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §3.90.1-3.90.4

Laches' Capture of Myle and Submission of Messene

Passage 339 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Following the death of general Charoiades, Laches takes sole command of the Athenian fleet and captures Myle with the allies. Consequently, the Messenians also capitulate to the advancing forces, delivering hostages.

§3.90.1τοῦ δ’ αὐτοῦ θέρους ἐπολέμουν μὲν καὶ ἄλλοι, ὡς ἑκάστοις ξυνέβαινεν, ἐν τῇ Σικελίᾳ καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ Σικελιῶται ἐπ’ ἀλλήλους στρατεύοντες καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ξὺν τοῖς σφετέροις ξυμμάχοις· ἃ δὲ λόγου μάλιστα ἄξια ἢ μετὰ τῶν Ἀθηναίων οἱ ξύμμαχοι ἔπραξαν ἢ πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους οἱ ἀντιπόλεμοι, τούτων μνησθήσομαι.

In the course of the same summer, others also were at war in Sicily, as it happened to each, both the Siceliots themselves campaigning against one another, and the Athenians with their own allies; but of these events, I shall mention those which are most worthy of record, whether performed by the allies in conjunction with the Athenians, or against the Athenians by their adversaries.

§3.90.2Χαροιάδου γὰρ ἤδη τοῦ Ἀθηναίων στρατηγοῦ τεθνηκότος ὑπὸ Συρακοσίων πολέμῳ Λάχης ἅπασαν ἔχων τῶν νεῶν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐστράτευσε μετὰ τῶν ξυμμάχων ἐπὶ Μυλὰς τὰς Μεσσηνίων.

For, Charoiades the Athenian general being already dead in the war against the Syracusans, Laches, having now the sole command of the fleet, campaigned with the allies against Myle, a town of the Messenians.

ἔτυχον δὲ δύο φυλαὶ ἐν ταῖς Μυλαῖς τῶν Μεσσηνίων φρουροῦσαι καί τινα καὶ ἐνέδραν πεποιημέναι τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν νεῶν.

Now, it happened that two tribes of the Messenians were on guard at Myle, and they had also laid a certain ambush for those coming from the ships.

§3.90.3οἱ δὲ Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ οἱ ξύμμαχοι τούς τε ἐκ τῆς ἐνέδρας τρέπουσι καὶ διαφθείρουσι πολλούς, καὶ τῷ ἐρύματι προσβαλόντες ἠνάγκασαν ὁμολογίᾳ τήν τε ἀκρόπολιν παραδοῦναι καὶ ἐπὶ Μεσσήνην ξυστρατεῦσαι.

But the Athenians and their allies routed those from the ambush and destroyed many of them, and, having assaulted the fortification, compelled them by treaty to surrender the acropolis and to join in the campaign against Messina.

§3.90.4καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἐπελθόντων οἱ Μεσσήνιοι τῶν τε Ἀθηναίων καὶ τῶν ξυμμάχων προσεχώρησαν καὶ αὐτοί, ὁμήρους τε δόντες καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πιστὰ παρασχόμενοι.

And after this, when the Athenians and their allies advanced against them, the Messenians also themselves capitulated, giving hostages and furnishing other pledges of good faith.

Notes

3.90.1ἃ δὲ λόγου μάλιστα ἄξια ἢ μετὰ τῶν Ἀθηναίων οἱ ξύμμαχοι ἔπραξαν ἢ πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους οἱ ἀντιπόλεμοι, τούτων μνησθήσομαι. — The antecedent demonstrative pronoun in the genitive, `τούτων` (governed by the verb `μνησθήσομαι`), is placed after the relative clause introduced by `ἃ` (accusative object of `ἔπραξαν`), forming a syntactic inversion.
3.90.2ἔτυχον δὲ δύο φυλαὶ ἐν ταῖς Μυλαῖς τῶν Μεσσηνίων φρουροῦσαι καί τινα καὶ ἐνέδραν πεποιημέναι — The verb `ἔτυχον` (third-person plural aorist of `τυγχάνω`) is construed with the participles `φρουροῦσαι` and `πεποιημέναι` to denote a coincidental or actual state at that moment ('happened to be on guard and to have laid').
3.90.4καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἐπελθόντων οἱ Μεσσήνιοι τῶν τε Ἀθηναίων καὶ τῶν ξυμμάχων — The subject of the main clause, `οἱ Μεσσήνιοι`, is embedded as a hyperbaton between the participle `ἐπελθόντων` and its genitive subject `τῶν τε Ἀθηναίων καὶ τῶν ξυμμάχων` in the genitive absolute construction.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §3.90.1-3.90.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.90.1-3.90.4

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