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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.57.1-4.57.4

Athenian Capture of Thyrea and Fate of the Captives

Passage 422 of 917 · Greek

Summary

As the Athenians approach, the Aeginetans retreat to their upper city, but the Lacedaemonian garrison refuses to help defend the wall and flees to the high ground. The Athenians capture and burn Thyrea, carrying the Aeginetan captives and the Lacedaemonian commander Tantalus to Athens, where their fates are decided.

§4.57.1προσπλεόντων οὖν ἔτι τῶν Ἀθηναίων οἱ Αἰγινῆται τὸ μὲν ἐπὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ ὃ ἔτυχον οἰκοδομοῦντες τεῖχος ἐκλείπουσιν, ἐς δὲ τὴν ἄνω πόλιν, ἐν ᾗ ᾤκουν, ἀπεχώρησαν, ἀπέχουσαν σταδίους μάλιστα δέκα τῆς θαλάσσης.
While the Athenians were still sailing against them, the Aeginetans abandoned the wall which they happened to be building on the seashore, and retreated to the upper city in which they dwelt, situated about ten stades from the sea.
§4.57.2καὶ αὐτοῖς τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων φρουρὰ μία τῶν περὶ τὴν χώραν, ἥπερ καὶ ξυνετείχιζε, ξυνεσελθεῖν μὲν ἐς τὸ τεῖχος οὐκ ἠθέλησαν δεομένων τῶν Αἰγινητῶν, ἀλλ’ αὐτοῖς κίνδυνος ἐφαίνετο ἐς τὸ τεῖχος κατακλῄεσθαι· ἀναχωρήσαντες δὲ ἐπὶ τὰ μετέωρα, ὡς οὐκ ἐνόμιζον ἀξιόμαχοι εἶναι, ἡσύχαζον.
And although the Aeginetans entreated them, one of the Lacedaemonian garrisons in the neighborhood, which was also helping to build the wall, refused to enter it with them, as it seemed dangerous to them to be shut up inside the wall; so they retreated to the high ground and remained quiet, since they did not think themselves a match for the enemy.
§4.57.3ἐν τούτῳ δὲ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι κατασχόντες καὶ χωρήσαντες εὐθὺς πάσῃ τῇ στρατιᾷ αἱροῦσι τὴν Θυρέαν.
In the meantime, the Athenians landed and immediately marched with their whole army and took Thyrea.
καὶ τήν τε πόλιν κατέκαυσαν καὶ τὰ ἐνόντα ἐξεπόρθησαν, τούς τε Αἰγινήτας, ὅσοι μὴ ἐν χερσὶ διεφθάρησαν, ἄγοντες ἀφίκοντο ἐς τὰς Ἀθήνας καὶ τὸν ἄρχοντα ὃς παρ’ αὐτοῖς ἦν τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων, Τάνταλον τὸν Πατροκλέους· ἐζωγρήθη γὰρ τετρωμένος.
They burnt down the city and plundered everything in it, and carried off to Athens all the Aeginetans who had not been killed in the action, as well as Tantalus the son of Patrocles, the Lacedaemonian commander who was with them; for he had been taken prisoner after being wounded.
§4.57.4ἦγον δέ τινας καὶ ἐκ τῶν Κυθήρων ἄνδρας ὀλίγους, οὓς ἐδόκει ἀσφαλείας ἕνεκα μεταστῆσαι.
They also brought with them a few men from Cythera, whom they thought best to remove for the sake of security.
καὶ τούτους μὲν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐβουλεύσαντο καταθέσθαι ἐς τὰς νήσους, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Κυθηρίους οἰκοῦντας τὴν ἑαυτῶν φόρον τέσσαρα τάλαντα φέρειν, Αἰγινήτας δὲ ἀποκτεῖναι πάντας ὅσοι ἑάλωσαν διὰ τὴν προτέραν αἰεί ποτε ἔχθραν, Τάνταλον δὲ παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς ἐν τῇ νήσῳ Λακεδαιμονίους καταδῆσαι.
And the Athenians resolved to deposit these men in the islands, to make the other Cytherians who inhabited their own land pay a tribute of four talents, to put to death all the Aeginetans who had been captured because of their long-standing and constant hostility, and to keep Tantalus in custody along with the other Lacedaemonians captured on the island.

Notes

  1. §4.57.1ὃ ἔτυχον οἰκοδομοῦντες — The verb τυγχάνω combined with a participle (τυγχάνω + participle) acts as an auxiliary expression, meaning 'happen to be doing' or 'just be doing.' Here, with the relative pronoun ὅ as its object, it describes the wall that the Aeginetans 'happened to be building' at that time.
  2. §4.57.2ὡς οὐκ ἐνόμιζον ἀξιόμαχοι εἶναι — The conjunction ὡς here introduces a subjective reason ('thinking that...'). Since the subject of the infinitive εἶναι is identical to the subject of the governing verb (the Lacedaemonian garrison), the predicate adjective ἀξιόμαχοι is in the nominative case rather than the accusative.
  3. §4.57.4ἐβουλεύσαντο — Four infinitive clauses (καταθέσθαι, φέρειν, ἀποκτεῖναι, καταδῆσαι) are coordinated under the governing verb ἐβουλεύσαντο ('they resolved'). Note the shift in their subject: while καταθέσθαι, ἀποκτεῖναι, and καταδῆσαι have the Athenians themselves as the implied subject ('to deposit', 'to put to death', 'to bind'), φέρειν takes the accusative subject τοὺς ἄλλους Κυθηρίους ('for the other Cytherians to pay').

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.57.1-4.57.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.57.1-4.57.4

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