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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.133.1-4.133.4

Dismantling of Thespiae's Walls and Burning of Hera's Temple

Passage 498 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Thebans dismantle the walls of Thespiae, and the temple of Hera at Argos is accidentally burned down due to the negligence of the priestess Chrysis. Meanwhile, the Athenians complete the circumvallation of Scione.

§4.133.1ἐν δὲ τῷ αὐτῷ θέρει Θηβαῖοι Θεσπιῶν τεῖχος περιεῖλον ἐπικαλέσαντες ἀττικισμόν, βουλόμενοι μὲν καὶ αἰεί, παρεσχηκὸς δὲ ῥᾷον ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἀθηναίους μάχῃ ὅτι ἦν αὐτῶν ἄνθος ἀπωλώλει.
In the same summer, the Thebans dismantled the wall of the Thespians, accusing them of atticizing; they had indeed always wished to do so, but it had now become easier, since the flower of the Thespians' youth had perished in the battle against the Athenians.
§4.133.2καὶ ὁ νεὼς τῆς Ἥρας τοῦ αὐτοῦ θέρους ἐν Ἄργει κατεκαύθη, Χρυσίδος τῆς ἱερείας λύχνον τινὰ θείσης ἡμμένον πρὸς τὰ στέμματα καὶ ἐπικαταδαρθούσης, ὥστε ἔλαθεν ἁφθέντα πάντα καὶ καταφλεχθέντα.
During the same summer, the temple of Hera at Argos was burned down, because Chrysis the priestess had placed a lighted lamp near the garlands and fallen asleep, so that all was set on fire and consumed before she was aware of it.
§4.133.3καὶ ἡ Χρυσὶς μὲν εὐθὺς τῆς νυκτὸς δείσασα τοὺς Ἀργείους ἐς Φλειοῦντα φεύγει· οἱ δὲ ἄλλην ἱέρειαν ἐκ τοῦ νόμου τοῦ προκειμένου κατεστήσαντο Φαεινίδα ὄνομα.
Chrysis immediately fled by night to Phlius for fear of the Argives; and they, in accordance with the established law, appointed another priestess named Phaeinis.
ἔτη δὲ ἡ Χρυσὶς τοῦ πολέμου τοῦδε ἐπέλαβεν ὀκτὼ καὶ ἔνατον ἐκ μέσου, ὅτε ἐπεφεύγει.
Chrysis had held her office during eight years of this war, and into the middle of the ninth, when she fled.
§4.133.4καὶ ἡ Σκιώνη τοῦ θέρους ἤδη τελευτῶντος περιετετείχιστό τε παντελῶς, καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐπ’ αὐτῇ φυλακὴν καταλιπόντες ἀνεχώρησαν τῷ ἄλλῳ στρατῷ.
Scione was completely circumvallated by the end of the summer, and the Athenians, leaving a garrison there, withdrew with the rest of their army.

Notes

  1. §4.133.1παρεσχηκὸς — An accusative absolute of an impersonal verb, meaning 'an opportunity having presented itself' or 'since it had become easier'. It is coordinated with the preceding nominative participle βουλόμενοι, resulting in an anacoluthon, but functions parallel to it in explaining the reasons.
  2. §4.133.1ὅτι ἦν αὐτῶν ἄνθος — The word ὅτι here is not the conjunction 'that/because', but the neuter singular of the relative pronoun ὅστις, functioning as 'that which was the flower of their youth' and serving as the subject of the clause introduced by the conjunction ἐπειδὴ.
  3. §4.133.2ἔλαθεν ἁφθέντα πάντα καὶ καταφλεχθέντα — The verb λανθάνω (here aorist third-person singular ἔλαθεν) with participles (ἁφθέντα and καταφλεχθέντα) forms an idiomatic construction meaning 'without being noticed' or 'before anyone was aware, everything was set on fire and consumed'.
  4. §4.133.3ἔτη ... ὀκτὼ καὶ ἔνατον ἐκ μέσου — The noun ἔτη is an accusative of duration of time. The phrase ἐκ μέσου means 'up to the middle', indicating that Chrysis held office for eight full years and into the middle of the ninth year of the war.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.133.1-4.133.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.133.1-4.133.4

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