Humanitext Reader

Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.124.1-4.124.4

Expedition to Lyncus and Discord with Perdiccas

Passage 489 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Brasidas and Perdiccas conduct a second joint expedition to Lyncus and defeat the Lyncestian forces. While waiting for Illyrian mercenaries, a disagreement arises between Perdiccas, who wishes to advance, and Brasidas, who wants to retreat out of concern for Mende.

§4.124.1Βρασίδας δὲ καὶ Περδίκκας ἐν τούτῳ στρατεύουσιν ἅμα ἐπὶ Ἀρραβαῖον τὸ δεύτερον ἐς Λύγκον.
Meanwhile Brasidas and Perdiccas made a joint expedition for the second time against Arrhabaeus into Lyncus.
καὶ ἦγον ὁ μὲν ὧν ἐκράτει Μακεδόνων τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τῶν ἐνοικούντων Ἑλλήνων ὁπλίτας, ὁ δὲ πρὸς τοῖς αὐτοῦ περιλοίποις τῶν Πελοποννησίων Χαλκιδέας καὶ Ἀκανθίους καὶ τῶν ἄλλων κατὰ δύναμιν ἑκάστων.
And they led, the one the force of the Macedonians whom he ruled and the hoplites of the resident Greeks, and the other, in addition to his remaining Peloponnesians, the Chalcidians, Acanthians, and others according to the strength of each state.
ξύμπαν δὲ τὸ ὁπλιτικὸν τῶν Ἑλλήνων τρισχίλιοι μάλιστα, ἱππῆς δ’ οἱ πάντες ἠκολούθουν Μακεδόνων ξὺν Χαλκιδεῦσιν ὀλίγου ἐς χιλίους, καὶ ἄλλος ὅμιλος τῶν βαρβάρων πολύς.
The whole hoplite force of the Greeks was about three thousand; and all the cavalry, Macedonians and Chalcidians together, who followed them were nearly a thousand, besides a large crowd of barbarians.
§4.124.2ἐσβαλόντες δὲ ἐς τὴν Ἀρραβαίου καὶ εὑρόντες ἀντεστρατοπεδευμένους αὑτοῖς τοὺς Λυγκηστὰς ἀντεκαθέζοντο καὶ αὐτοί.
Having invaded the territory of Arrhabaeus and finding the Lyncestians encamped against them, they also sat down and encamped opposite.
§4.124.3καὶ ἐχόντων τῶν μὲν πεζῶν λόφον ἑκατέρωθεν, πεδίου δὲ τοῦ μέσου ὄντος, οἱ ἱππῆς ἐς αὐτὸ καταδραμόντες ἱππομάχησαν πρῶτα ἀμφοτέρων, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ ὁ Βρασίδας καὶ ὁ Περδίκκας, προελθόντων προτέρων ἀπὸ τοῦ λόφου μετὰ τῶν ἱππέων τῶν Λυγκηστῶν ὁπλιτῶν καὶ ἑτοίμων ὄντων μάχεσθαι, ἀντεπαγαγόντες καὶ αὐτοὶ ξυνέβαλον καὶ ἔτρεψαν τοὺς Λυγκηστάς, καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν διέφθειραν, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ διαφυγόντες πρὸς τὰ μετέωρα ἡσύχαζον.
And as the infantry on each side held a hill, and there was a plain in the middle, the cavalry first charged down into it and fought a cavalry action on both sides; and then Brasidas and Perdiccas, when the Lyncestian hoplites had advanced beforehand from the hill with their cavalry and were ready to fight, led forward their own forces in turn, joined battle, and routed the Lyncestians, killing many of them, while the rest escaped to the high ground and remained quiet.
§4.124.4μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο τροπαῖον στήσαντες δύο μὲν ἢ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐπέσχον, τοὺς Ἰλλυριοὺς μένοντες, οἳ ἔτυχον τῷ Περδίκκᾳ μισθοῦ μέλλοντες ἥξειν· ἔπειτα ὁ Περδίκκας ἐβούλετο προϊέναι ἐπὶ τὰς τοῦ Ἀρραβαίου κώμας καὶ μὴ καθῆσθαι, Βρασίδας δὲ τῆς τε Μένδης περιορώμενος, μὴ τῶν Ἀθηναίων πρότερον ἐπιπλευσάντων τι πάθῃ, καὶ ἅμα τῶν Ἰλλυριῶν οὐ παρόντων, οὐ πρόθυμος ἦν, ἀλλὰ ἀναχωρεῖν μᾶλλον.
After this, having erected a trophy, they waited for two or three days, expecting the Illyrians, who were to come to Perdiccas for pay; then Perdiccas wished to advance against the villages of Arrhabaeus and not to sit idle, but Brasidas, being anxious about Mende, lest it should suffer some harm if the Athenians sailed against it first, and at the same time because the Illyrians were not present, was not eager to advance, but rather to retreat.

Notes

  1. 4.124.1ὁ μὲν ... ὁ δὲ — Contrary to the order of the preceding subjects 'Brasidas and Perdiccas', the Greek text uses ὁ μὲν to refer to Perdiccas (who led the Macedonians under his rule) and ὁ δὲ to Brasidas (who led the Peloponnesians and other allies).
  2. 4.124.3προελθόντων προτέρων ἀπὸ τοῦ λόφου μετὰ τῶν ἱππέων τῶν Λυγκηστῶν ὁπλιτῶν καὶ ἑτοίμων ὄντων μάχεσθαι — A genitive absolute construction explaining the situation of the enemy before the main subjects (Brasidas and Perdiccas) took counteraction, translated as 'when the Lyncestian hoplites had advanced beforehand from the hill with their cavalry and were ready to fight'.
  3. 4.124.4τῆς τε Μένδης περιορώμενος, μὴ τῶν Ἀθηναίων πρότερον ἐπιπλευσάντων τι πάθῃ — The middle participle περιορώμενος here means 'to care for' or 'to be anxious about' and governs the genitive τῆς Μένδης. The following μὴ clause (with the aorist subjunctive πάθῃ) is a clause of fearing, explaining Brasidas's inner motive: 'anxious about Mende, lest it should suffer some harm if the Athenians sailed against it first'.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.124.1-4.124.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.124.1-4.124.4

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.