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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.117.1-4.117.3

One-Year Armistice Between Athens and Sparta

Passage 482 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenians and Lacedaemonians agree to a one-year armistice, each acting out of their respective strategic interests.

§4.117.1Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ καὶ Ἀθηναῖοι ἅμα ἦρι τοῦ ἐπιγιγνομένου θέρους εὐθὺς ἐκεχειρίαν ἐποιήσαντο ἐνιαύσιον, νομίσαντες Ἀθηναῖοι μὲν οὐκ ἂν ἔτι τὸν Βρασίδαν σφῶν προσαποστῆσαι οὐδὲν πρὶν παρασκευάσαιντο καθ’ ἡσυχίαν, καὶ ἅμα, εἰ καλῶς σφίσιν ἔχοι, καὶ ξυμβῆναι τὰ πλείω, Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ ταῦτα τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἡγούμενοι ἅπερ ἐδέδισαν φοβεῖσθαι, καὶ γενομένης ἀνοκωχῆς κακῶν καὶ ταλαιπωρίας μᾶλλον ἐπιθυμήσειν αὐτοὺς πειρασαμένους ξυναλλαγῆναί τε καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας σφίσιν ἀποδόντας σπονδὰς ποιήσασθαι καὶ ἐς τὸν πλείω χρόνον.
Meanwhile, at the very beginning of the spring of the ensuing summer, the Lacedaemonians and Athenians immediately concluded a one-year armistice. The Athenians did so because they thought that Brasidas would no longer be able to revolt any more of their allies from them before they could make their preparations in peace, and at the same time, if it should go well for them, they might also come to an agreement on more general terms. The Lacedaemonians did so because they believed that the Athenians were fearing the very things which they themselves feared, and that if a cessation of their evils and miseries were once established, the Athenians, having tasted its benefits, would be more eager to come to a reconciliation, restore their men to them, and make a treaty for a longer period.
§4.117.2τοὺς γὰρ δὴ ἄνδρας περὶ πλέονος ἐποιοῦντο κομίσασθαι, ὡς ἔτι Βρασίδας ηὐτύχει· καὶ ἔμελλον ἐπὶ μεῖζον χωρήσαντος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀντίπαλα καταστήσαντος τῶν μὲν στέρεσθαι, τοῖς δ’ ἐκ τοῦ ἴσου ἀμυνόμενοι κινδυνεύσειν καὶ κρατήσειν.
For they indeed made it their chief object to recover their men while Brasidas was still successful; since if he should advance further and establish an equality of strength, they were likely, on the one hand, to be deprived of those men, and on the other, defending themselves on equal terms, to run risks with only an uncertain prospect of victory.
§4.117.3γίγνεται οὖν ἐκεχειρία αὐτοῖς τε καὶ τοῖς ξυμμάχοις ἥδε.
The following, then, was the armistice concluded between them and their allies.

Notes

  1. 4.117.1σφῶν — A genitive depending on the verb προσαποστῆσαι (to revolt further). It can be interpreted either as a genitive of separation (from them) or as a possessive genitive (their allies), functioning here to convey both senses.
  2. 4.117.1ταῦτα τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἡγούμενος ἅπερ ἐδέδισαν φοβεῖσθαι — The participle ἡγούμενοι (thinking) governs the accusative and infinitive construction τοὺς Ἀθηναίους φοβεῖσθαι (that the Athenians feared). The subject of the verb ἐδέδισαν (they feared) in the relative clause is best understood as the Lacedaemonians themselves, meaning they believed that the Athenians feared the very things (further losses and war escalation) which they themselves feared (such as the permanent loss of their prisoners).
  3. 4.117.2καὶ ἔμελλον ἐπὶ μεῖζον χωρήσαντος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀντίπαλα καταστήσαντος τῶν μὲν στέρεσθαι, τοῖς δ’ ἐκ τοῦ ἴσου ἀμυνόμενοι κινδυνεύσειν καὶ κρατήσειν — The verb ἔμελλον (with the Lacedaemonians as subject, 'they were likely to') governs the infinitives στέρεσθαι and κινδυνεύσειν καὶ κρατήσειν. The genitive absolute structure ἐπὶ μεῖζον χωρήσαντος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀντίπαλα καταστήσαντος, with αὐτοῦ (Brasidas) as its logical subject, functions as a conditional clause. In the contrast, τῶν μὲν refers to the Spartan prisoners (τοὺς ἄνδρας), while τοῖς δ’ refers to the Athenians (τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις).

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.117.1-4.117.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.117.1-4.117.3

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