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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.110.1-4.110.2

Brasidas Marches to Torone and Infiltrates the City

Passage 475 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Because Sane and Dium did not submit, Brasidas marched against Torone, where, with the help of internal conspirators, he successfully sent a small vanguard into the city under the cover of night.

§4.110.1ὡς δ’ οὐκ ἐσήκουον, εὐθὺς στρατεύει ἐπὶ Τορώνην τὴν Χαλκιδικήν, κατεχομένην ὑπὸ Ἀθηναίων· καὶ αὐτὸν ἄνδρες ὀλίγοι ἐπήγοντο, ἑτοῖμοι ὄντες τὴν πόλιν παραδοῦναι.
As they did not submit, he immediately marched against Torone in Chalcidice, which was held by the Athenians; and a few men there were inviting him in, being ready to hand over the city.
καὶ ἀφικόμενος νυκτὸς ἔτι καὶ περὶ ὄρθρον τῷ στρατῷ ἐκαθέζετο πρὸς τὸ Διοσκόρεον,ὃ ἀπέχει τῆς πόλεως τρεῖς μάλιστα σταδίους.
Arriving while it was still night and about dawn, he encamped with his army near the Dioscoreum, which is about three stades distant from the city.
§4.110.2τὴν μὲν οὖν ἄλλην πόλιν τῶν Τορωναίων καὶ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους τοὺς ἐμφρουροῦντας ἔλαθεν· οἱ δὲ πράσσοντες αὐτῷ εἰδότες ὅτι ἥξοι, καὶ προελθόντες τινὲς αὐτῶν λάθρᾳ ὀλίγοι, ἐτήρουν τὴν πρόσοδον, καὶ ὡς ᾔσθοντο παρόντα, ἐσκομίζουσι παρ’ αὑτοὺς ἐγχειρίδια ἔχοντας ἄνδρας ψιλοὺς ἑπτά (τοσοῦτοι γὰρ μόνοι ἀνδρῶν εἴκοσι τὸ πρῶτον ταχθέντων οὐ κατέδεισαν ἐσελθεῖν·
Now he escaped the notice of the rest of the citizens of Torone and of the Athenians who were garrisoned there; but those who were negotiating with him, knowing that he would come, and some few of them having gone forward secretly, were watching for his approach. And as soon as they perceived that he was present, they let in to themselves seven light-armed men carrying daggers (for only this number out of twenty men originally appointed did not fear to enter; and their leader was Lysistratus of Olynthus).
ἦρχε δὲ αὐτῶν Λυσίστρατος Ὀλύνθιος), οἳ διαδύντες διὰ τοῦ πρὸς τὸ πέλαγος τείχους καὶ λαθόντες τούς τε ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀνωτάτω φυλακτηρίου φρουρούς, οὔσης τῆς πόλεως πρὸς λόφον, ἀναβάντες διέφθειραν καὶ τὴν κατὰ Καναστραῖον πυλίδα διῄρουν.
These, slipping through the wall facing the sea and escaping the notice of the guards on the highest lookout—since the city lay on a hill—went up and killed them, and began to break open the wicket-gate facing Canastraeum.

Notes

  1. 4.110.1ὡς δ’ οὐκ ἐσήκουον — The subject of the verb ἐσήκουον ("submit", "hearken") is not explicitly expressed but refers to the inhabitants of Sane and Dium who resisted Brasidas in the preceding section (4.109.5).
  2. 4.110.2τὴν μὲν οὖν ἄλλην πόλιν τῶν Τορωναίων — ἄλλην ("other") refers to the general citizenry of Torone, excluding the conspirators (οἱ πράσσοντες αὐτῷ). It is in the accusative case, serving as the direct object of the subsequent verb ἔλαθεν ("escaped the notice of").
  3. 4.110.2οὔσης τῆς πόλεως πρὸς λόφον — A genitive absolute construction expressing cause ("since the city lay on a hill"). Its insertion temporarily interrupts the flow leading to the main verbs of the relative clause (διέφθειραν and διῄρουν) introduced by οἳ.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.110.1-4.110.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.110.1-4.110.2

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