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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.131.1-4.131.3

Athenian Capture of the Hill and Siege of Scione

Passage 496 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Upon arriving at Scione, the Athenians dislodged the enemy from a strong hill in front of the city and prepared for circumvallation. Meanwhile, the besieged auxiliaries from the acropolis of Mende escaped by night and succeeded in entering Scione.

§4.131.1οἱ δὲ ἀντεπεξελθόντες αὐτοὶ καὶ Πελοποννήσιοι ἱδρύθησαν ἐπὶ λόφου καρτεροῦ πρὸ τῆς πόλεως, ὃν εἰ μὴ ἕλοιεν οἱ ἐναντίοι, οὐκ ἐγίγνετο σφῶν περιτείχισις.
The Scionaeans themselves and the Peloponnesians, having sallied out to meet them, posted themselves on a strong hill in front of the city; unless the enemy should take this hill, no circumvallation of them could be effected.
§4.131.2προσβαλόντες δ’ αὐτῷ κατὰ κράτος οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ μάχῃ ἐκκρούσαντες τοὺς ἐπόντας ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντό τε καὶ ἐς τὸν περιτειχισμὸν τροπαῖον στήσαντες παρεσκευάζοντο.
The Athenians, having attacked it with all their might and dislodged those upon it in a battle, encamped, and after setting up a trophy for the circumvallation, began to prepare for it.
§4.131.3καὶ αὐτῶν οὐ πολὺ ὕστερον ἤδη ἐν ἔργῳ ὄντων οἱ ἐκ τῆς ἀκροπόλεως ἐν τῇ Μένδῃ πολιορκούμενοι ἐπίκουροι βιασάμενοι παρὰ θάλασσαν τὴν φυλακὴν νυκτὸς ἀφικνοῦνται, καὶ διαφυγόντες οἱ πλεῖστοι τὸ ἐπὶ τῇ Σκιώνῃ στρατόπεδον ἐσῆλθον ἐς αὐτήν.
And not long afterwards, while they were already engaged in this work, the auxiliaries who were besieged in the acropolis at Mende, having forced their way past the guard along the sea by night, arrived; and most of them, escaping through the camp before Scione, entered into it.

Notes

  1. §4.131.1οὐκ ἐγίγνετο σφῶν περιτείχισις — The imperfect οὐκ ἐγίγνετο, coupled with the conditional clause εἰ μὴ ἕλοιεν, expresses past potentiality or impossibility ("no circumvallation could be made").
  2. §4.131.3αὐτῶν οὐ πολὺ ὕστερον ἤδη ἐν ἔργῳ ὄντων — A genitive absolute construction where the pronoun αὐτῶν refers to the Athenians (the subject of the previous sentence), and ἐν ἔργῳ ὄντων means "while they were already engaged in the work (of circumvallation)."
  3. §4.131.3ἐσῆλθον ἐς αὐτήν — The feminine singular pronoun αὐτήν refers back to the city of Scione (Σκιώνῃ) mentioned in the preceding clause.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.131.1-4.131.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.131.1-4.131.3

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