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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §4.6.1-4.6.2

Peloponnesian Army's Early Retreat from Attica

Passage 371 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Peloponnesian army in Attica retreats hastily after only fifteen days due to the news of the capture of Pylos, shortage of provisions, and unseasonably severe weather.

§4.6.1οἱ δ’ ἐν τῇ Ἀττικῇ ὄντες Πελοποννήσιοι ὡς ἐπύθοντο τῆς Πύλου κατειλημμένης, ἀνεχώρουν κατὰ τάχος ἐπ’ οἴκου, νομίζοντες μὲν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ Ἆγις ὁ βασιλεὺς οἰκεῖον σφίσι τὸ περὶ τὴν Πύλον· ἅμα δὲ πρῲ ἐσβαλόντες καὶ τοῦ σίτου ἔτι χλωροῦ ὄντος ἐσπάνιζον τροφῆς τοῖς πολλοῖς, χειμών τε ἐπιγενόμενος μείζων παρὰ τὴν καθεστηκυῖαν ὥραν ἐπίεσε τὸ στράτευμα.
Meanwhile, the Peloponnesians who were in Attica, as soon as they learned that Pylos had been occupied, retreated in haste to their homes; for the Lacedaemonians and King Agis regarded the affair of Pylos as a matter of direct concern to themselves; at the same time, having invaded early in the season and while the grain was still green, they were short of food for the majority of their troops, and a storm, heavier than was expected for the established season, came upon them and distressed the army.
§4.6.2ὥστε πολλαχόθεν ξυνέβη ἀναχωρῆσαί τε θᾶσσον αὐτοὺς καὶ βραχυτάτην γενέσθαι τὴν ἐσβολὴν ταύτην· ἡμέρας γὰρ πέντε καὶ δέκα ἔμειναν ἐν τῇ Ἀττικῇ.
Thus from many causes it resulted that they retreated more quickly, and that this invasion proved to be the shortest; for they remained in Attica for fifteen days.

Notes

  1. 4.6.1τῆς Πύλου κατειλημμένης — A genitive object with an attributive/predicative participle dependent on the verb of perception ἐπύθοντο (aorist of πυνθάνομαι), meaning 'when they learned that Pylos had been occupied'. This is a standard construction of genitive of object with verbs of hearing or learning about a fact.
  2. 4.6.1νομίζοντες μὲν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ Ἆγις ὁ βασιλεὺς — The nominative participle νομίζοντες agrees grammatically with the subject of the main clause, 'the Peloponnesians' (οἱ Πελοποννήσιοι), but is followed by 'the Lacedaemonians and King Agis' in the nominative as an apposition of the part to the whole (schema par' holon kai meros), highlighting that this specific group within the allied force felt the personal urgency of the matter.
  3. 4.6.1παρὰ τὴν καθεστηκυῖαν ὥραν — The preposition παρά with the accusative is used here in combination with the comparative μείζων to express deviation or comparison against a standard norm, meaning 'contrary to' or 'beyond what is usual for the established season'. The participle καθεστηκυῖαν (perfect active of καθίστημι) means 'established' or 'regular'.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §4.6.1-4.6.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.6.1-4.6.2

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