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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.42.1-4.42.4

Athenian Landing in Corinthian Territory under Nicias

Passage 407 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Under the command of Nicias and others, the Athenian army lands a large force including cavalry on the coast near the Solygeian hill in Corinthian territory, prompting the Corinthian army to rush for defense upon receiving the signal.

§4.42.1τοῦ δ’ αὐτοῦ θέρους μετὰ ταῦτα εὐθὺς Ἀθηναῖοι ἐς τὴν Κορινθίαν ἐστράτευσαν ναυσὶν ὀγδοήκοντα καὶ δισχιλίοις ὁπλίταις ἑαυτῶν καὶ ἐν ἱππαγωγοῖς ναυσὶ διακοσίοις ἱππεῦσιν· ἠκολούθουν δὲ καὶ τῶν ξυμμάχων Μιλήσιοι καὶ Ἄνδριοι καὶ Καρύστιοι, ἐστρατήγει δὲ Νικίας ὁ Νικηράτου τρίτος αὐτός.
Immediately after this, in the same summer, the Athenians made an expedition into the Corinthian territory with eighty ships, two thousand of their own hoplites, and two hundred cavalry in horse-transports; they were accompanied also by the Milesians, Andrians, and Carystians from among the allies, under the command of Nicias son of Niceratus and two others.
§4.42.2πλέοντες δὲ ἅμα ἕῳ ἔσχον μεταξὺ Χερσονήσου τε καὶ Ῥείτου ἐς τὸν αἰγιαλὸν τοῦ χωρίου ὑπὲρ οὗ ὁ Σολύγειος λόφος ἐστίν, ἐφ’ ὃν Δωριῆς τὸ πάλαι ἱδρυθέντες τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει Κορινθίοις ἐπολέμουν οὖσιν Αἰολεῦσιν· καὶ κώμη νῦν ἐπ’ αὐτοῦ Σολύγεια καλουμένη ἐστίν.
Sailing by dawn, they put in to the shore of the place between Chersonesus and Rheitus, above which is the Solygeian hill, on which the Dorians of old established themselves and waged war on the Corinthians in the city, who were then Aeolians; and there is now on it a village called Solygeia.
ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ αἰγιαλοῦ τούτου ἔνθα αἱ νῆες κατέσχον ἡ μὲν κώμη αὕτη δώδεκα σταδίους ἀπέχει, ἡ δὲ Κορινθίων πόλις ἑξήκοντα, ὁ δὲ Ἰσθμὸς εἴκοσι.
From this shore where the ships put in, this village is twelve stades distant, the city of Corinth sixty, and the Isthmus twenty.
§4.42.3Κορίνθιοι δὲ προπυθόμενοι ἐξ Ἄργους ὅτι ἡ στρατιὰ ἥξει τῶν Ἀθηναίων, ἐκ πλείονος ἐβοήθησαν ἐς Ἰσθμὸν πάντες πλὴν τῶν ἔξω Ἰσθμοῦ· καὶ ἐν Ἀμπρακίᾳ καὶ ἐν Λευκάδι ἀπῆσαν αὐτῶν πεντακόσιοι φρουροί· οἱ δ’ ἄλλοι πανδημεὶ ἐπετήρουν τοὺς Ἀθηναίους οἷ κατασχήσουσιν.
The Corinthians, having learned beforehand from Argos that the Athenian army would come, had long before marched to the Isthmus to help, all except those living outside the Isthmus; and five hundred of their guards were away in Ambracia and Leucas; but the rest in full force were watching to see where the Athenians would put in.
§4.42.4ὡς δὲ αὐτοὺς ἔλαθον νυκτὸς καταπλεύσαντες καὶ τὰ σημεῖα αὐτοῖς ἤρθη, καταλιπόντες τοὺς ἡμίσεις αὐτῶν ἐν Κεγχρειᾷ, ἢν ἄρα οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐπὶ τὸν Κρομμυῶνα ἴωσιν, ἐβοήθουν κατὰ τάχος.
But when the Athenians sailed in by night without their knowledge and the signals were raised for them, leaving half of their number at Cenchreae in case the Athenians should go against Crommyon, they went to the rescue with all speed.

Notes

  1. §4.42.1τρίτος αὐτός — An idiomatic expression combining the pronoun αὐτός with an ordinal number, meaning 'himself being one of [number]'. Here it indicates that Nicias was one of three generals in joint command.
  2. §4.42.2ἔσχον — The aorist of the verb ἔχω, used here intransitively in a nautical sense meaning 'to bring ships to land' or 'to put in' (with the accusative ναῦς understood).
  3. §4.42.4ἔλαθον ... καταπλεύσαντες — The construction of the verb λανθάνω with a participle, meaning 'to do something unobserved'. Here it expresses that the Athenians put in by night without being noticed by the Corinthians.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.42.1-4.42.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.42.1-4.42.4

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