Humanitext Reader

Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.116.1-4.116.3

Capture of Lekythos by Brasidas and End of Year Eight

Passage 481 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Brasidas seized the opportunity of the Athenian retreat to capture Lekythos, attributed the victory to divine intervention, dedicated the site to Athena, and spent the rest of the winter consolidating his gains until the eighth year of the war ended.

§4.116.1καὶ ὁ Βρασίδας ὡς ᾔσθετο αὐτοὺς ἀπολείποντάς τε τὰς ἐπάλξεις καὶ τὸ γιγνόμενον ὁρῶν, ἐπιφερόμενος τῷ στρατῷ εὐθὺς τὸ τείχισμα λαμβάνει, καὶ ὅσους ἐγκατέλαβε διέφθειρεν.
And Brasidas, when he perceived that they were abandoning the battlements and saw what was happening, immediately making an onslaught with his army, took the fortification, and put to death all whom he found left inside.
§4.116.2καὶ οἱ μὲν Ἀθηναῖοι τοῖς τε πλοίοις καὶ ταῖς ναυσὶ τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ ἐκλιπόντες τὸ χωρίον ἐς Παλλήνην διεκομίσθησαν·
And the Athenians in this manner, leaving the place in their boats and ships, crossed over to Pallene.
ὁ δὲ Βρασίδας (ἔστι γὰρ ἐν τῇ Ληκύθῳ Ἀθηνᾶς ἱερόν, καὶ ἔτυχε κηρύξας, ὅτε ἔμελλε προσβαλεῖν,τῷ ἐπιβάντι πρώτῳ τοῦ τείχους τριάκοντα μνᾶς ἀργυρίου δώσειν) νομίσας ἄλλῳ τινὶ τρόπῳ ἢ ἀνθρωπείῳ τὴν ἅλωσιν γενέσθαι, τάς τε τριάκοντα μνᾶς τῇ θεῷ ἀπέδωκεν ἐς τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ τὴν Λήκυθον καθελὼν καὶ ἀνασκευάσας τέμενος ἀνῆκεν ἅπαν.
But Brasidas—for there is in Lekythos a temple of Athena, and he happened to have proclaimed when he was about to make the assault that he would give thirty minas of silver to the first man who mounted the wall—thinking that the capture had been effected in some other than a human way, paid the thirty minas to the goddess for her temple, and having demolished Lekythos and cleared it, dedicated the whole space as a sacred precinct.
§4.116.3καὶ ὁ μὲν τὸ λοιπὸν τοῦ χειμῶνος ἅ τε εἶχε τῶν χωρίων καθίστατο καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐπεβούλευεν· καὶ τοῦ χειμῶνος διελθόντος ὄγδοον ἔτος ἐτελεύτα τῷ πολέμῳ.
And during the remainder of the winter he settled the affairs of the places he already held, and laid plans against others; and with the passing of the winter, the eighth year of the war came to an end.

Notes

  1. §4.116.1ὁρῶν — The conjunction `καὶ` asymmetrically connects the finite verb `ᾔσθετο` (within the temporal `ὡς` clause) and the nominative participle `ὁρῶν` (agreeing with the main subject `ὁ Βρασίδας`). Semantically, both function as part of the temporal circumstance: "when he perceived... and saw...".
  2. §4.116.2ἔτυχε κηρύξας — The construction of `τυγχάνω` with a supplementary participle. While it often means "to happen to do," here it emphasizes an actual past occurrence that had already taken place prior to the assault: "he had in fact proclaimed."
  3. §4.116.2ἄλλῳ τινὶ τρόπῳ ἢ ἀνθρωπείῳ — The comparative particle `ἤ` following `ἄλλος` expresses exclusion ("other than"). The phrase means "by some other than a human way," indicating Brasidas' belief that the capture of the fort was due to supernatural intervention by the goddess Athena.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.116.1-4.116.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.116.1-4.116.3

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