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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §3.91.1-3.91.6

Nicias' Expedition to Melos and the Battle of Tanagra

Passage 340 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenians dispatch fleets to the Peloponnese and Melos. After failing to subdue Melos, the Melian expedition forces move to Tanagra in Boeotia, unite with a land army sent from Athens, and defeat the Tanagraeans and Thebans.

§3.91.1τοῦ δ’ αὐτοῦ θέρους οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τριάκοντα μὲν ναῦς ἔστειλαν περὶ Πελοπόννησον, ὧν ἐστρατήγει Δημοσθένης τε ὁ Ἀλκισθένους καὶ Προκλῆς ὁ Θεοδώρου, ἐξήκοντα δὲ ἐς Μῆλον καὶ δισχιλίους ὁπλίτας· ἐστρατήγει δὲ αὐτῶν Νικίας ὁ Νικηράτου.
In the course of the same summer, the Athenians sent thirty ships around the Peloponnese, commanded by Demosthenes, the son of Alkisthenes, and Prokles, the son of Theodoros, and sixty ships and two thousand hoplites to Melos, commanded by Nicias, the son of Nikeratos.
§3.91.2τοὺς γὰρ Μηλίους ὄντας νησιώτας καὶ οὐκ ἐθέλοντας ὑπακούειν οὐδὲ ἐς τὸ αὑτῶν ξυμμαχικὸν ἰέναι ἐβούλοντο προσαγαγέσθαι.
For they wished to bring over the Melians, who, being islanders, were not willing to submit nor to enter into their alliance.
§3.91.3ὡς δὲ αὐτοῖς δῃουμένης τῆς γῆς οὐ προσεχώρουν, ἄραντες ἐκ τῆς Μήλου αὐτοὶ μὲν ἔπλευσαν ἐς Ὠρωπὸν τῆς Γραϊκῆς, ὑπὸ νύκτα δὲ σχόντες εὐθὺς ἐπορεύοντο οἱ ὁπλῖται ἀπὸ τῶν νεῶν πεζῇ ἐς Τάναγραν τῆς Βοιωτίας.
But when, despite their land being ravaged, they did not submit, sailing away from Melos, they themselves sailed to Oropos in Graike, and putting in under cover of night, the hoplites immediately marched on foot from the ships to Tanagra in Boeotia.
§3.91.4οἱ δὲ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως πανδημεὶ Ἀθηναῖοι, Ἱππονίκου τε τοῦ Καλλίου στρατηγοῦντος καὶ Εὐρυμέδοντος τοῦ Θουκλέους, ἀπὸ σημείου ἐς τὸ αὐτὸ κατὰ γῆν ἀπήντων.
Meanwhile, the Athenians from the city, in full force, under the command of Hipponikos, the son of Kallias, and Eurymedon, the son of Thoukles, met them at the same place by land at a given signal.
§3.91.5καὶ στρατοπεδευσάμενοι ταύτην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐν τῇ Τανάγρᾳ ἐδῄουν καὶ ἐνηυλίσαντο. καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ μάχῃ κρατήσαντες τοὺς ἐπεξελθόντας τῶν Ταναγραίων καὶ Θηβαίων τινὰς προσβεβοηθηκότας καὶ ὅπλα λαβόντες καὶ τροπαῖον στήσαντες ἀνεχώρησαν, οἱ μὲν ἐς τὴν πόλιν, οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ τὰς ναῦς.
Having encamped for that day in Tanagra, they ravaged the land and spent the night there; and on the following day, having defeated in battle those of the Tanagraeans who had sallied out and some of the Thebans who had come to their aid, and having stripped their arms and erected a trophy, they retreated, some to the city, and others to the ships.
§3.91.6καὶ παραπλεύσας ὁ Νικίας ταῖς ἑξήκοντα ναυσὶ τῆς Λοκρίδος τὰ ἐπιθαλάσσια ἔτεμε καὶ ἀνεχώρησεν ἐπ’ οἴκου.
And Nicias, coasting along with the sixty ships, ravaged the coastal regions of Locris and returned home.

Notes

  1. 3.91.3αὐτοῖς δῃουμένης τῆς γῆς — The phrase δῃουμένης τῆς γῆς is a genitive absolute construction with τῆς γῆς as the subject. The pronoun αὐτοῖς functions as a dative of disadvantage referring to the Melians, indicating 'for them, while their land was being ravaged.'
  2. 3.91.4ἀπὸ σημείου — The preposition ἀπό indicates the source or ground of an action, meaning 'by a prearranged signal' or 'upon a given signal,' showing that the land army from Athens and the seaborne troops coordinated their arrival.
  3. 3.91.5τοὺς ἐπεξελθόντας τῶν Ταναγραίων καὶ Θηβαίων τινὰς προσβεβοηθηκότας — This entire phrase is the object of the participle κρατήσαντες ('having defeated'). It coordinates two accusative elements: τοὺς ἐπεξελθόντας τῶν Ταναγραίων ('those of the Tanagraeans who had sallied out') and Θηβαίων τινὰς προσβεβοηθηκότας ('some of the Thebans who had come to help'), with both τῶν Ταναγραίων and Θηβαίων functioning as partitive genitives.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §3.91.1-3.91.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.91.1-3.91.6

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