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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.4.1-4.4.3

Athenian Soldiers Spontaneously Fortifying Pylos

Passage 369 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Although Demosthenes is unable to persuade the generals, the soldiers spontaneously begin to fortify Pylos during their forced delay. Despite lacking proper tools and containers, they work rapidly with manual labor to fortify the most vulnerable points.

§4.4.1ὡς δὲ οὐκ ἔπειθεν οὔτε τοὺς στρατηγοὺς οὔτε τοὺς στρατιώτας, ὕστερον καὶ τοῖς ταξιάρχοις κοινώσας, ἡσύχαζεν ὑπὸ ἀπλοίας, μέχρι αὐτοῖς τοῖς στρατιώταις σχολάζουσιν ὁρμὴ ἐνέπεσε περιστᾶσιν ἐκτειχίσαι τὸ χωρίον.
As he could persuade neither the generals nor the soldiers, having afterwards communicated also with the captains, he remained quiet owing to the stress of weather, until an impulse fell upon the soldiers themselves in their leisure, gathering together, to fortify the place.
§4.4.2καὶ ἐγχειρήσαντες εἰργάζοντο, σιδήρια μὲν λιθουργὰ οὐκ ἔχοντες, λογάδην δὲ φέροντες λίθους, καὶ ξυνετίθεσαν ὡς ἕκαστόν τι ξυμβαίνοι· καὶ τὸν πηλόν, εἴ που δέοι χρῆσθαι, ἀγγείων ἀπορίᾳ ἐπὶ τοῦ νώτου ἔφερον, ἐγκεκυφότες τε, ὡς μάλιστα μέλλοι ἐπιμένειν, καὶ τὼ χεῖρε ἐς τοὐπίσω ξυμπλέκοντες, ὅπως μὴ ἀποπίπτοι.
And setting to work they began to build, though they had no iron tools for stone-working, but carrying stones picked up at random, they put them together just as each happened to fit; and the mud, if there was need to use it anywhere, they carried on their backs for want of vessels, bending forward so that it might best remain on, and clasping their hands behind them to keep it from falling off.
§4.4.3παντί τε τρόπῳ ἠπείγοντο φθῆναι τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους τὰ ἐπιμαχώτατα ἐξεργασάμενοι πρὶν ἐπιβοηθῆσαι· τὸ γὰρ πλέον τοῦ χωρίου αὐτὸ καρτερὸν ὑπῆρχε καὶ οὐδὲν ἔδει τείχους.
And in every way they hastened to anticipate the Lacedaemonians by completing the most vulnerable parts before they should come to the rescue; for the greater part of the place was naturally strong and had no need of a wall.

Notes

  1. §4.4.1αὐτοῖς τοῖς στρατιώταις σχολάζουσιν ὁρμὴ ἐνέπεσε περιστᾶσιν — The dative complement αὐτοῖς τοῖς στρατιώταις of the verb ἐνέπεσε ("an impulse fell upon the soldiers themselves") is modified by the present participle σχολάζουσιν ("being at leisure") and the aorist participle περιστᾶσιν ("having gathered around"), which is the third-person plural aorist active participle of περιίστημι.
  2. §4.4.2ὡς μάλιστα μέλλοι ἐπιμένειν — A final clause introduced by ὡς with the optative μέλλοι (oblique optative after the past main verb ἔφερον). The subject of the infinitive ἐπιμένειν ("to remain [on the back]") is contextually ὁ πηλός (the mud).
  3. §4.4.3φθῆναι τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους τὰ ἐπιμαχώτατα ἐξεργασάμενοι — The verb φθάνω ("anticipate, do first") is used with a participle (here ἐξεργασάμενοι) to express "to anticipate [someone] by doing [something]". The infinitive φθῆναι depends on the main verb of rushing ἠπείγοντο.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.4.1-4.4.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.4.1-4.4.3

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