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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §5.15.1-5.15.2

Conclusion of a One-Year Truce between Athens and Sparta

Passage 515 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Both the Athenians and the Lacedaemonians, motivated by the desire to recover prisoners and their recent military setbacks, agreed to a one-year truce as a preliminary step toward lasting peace.

§5.15.1ταῦτ’ οὖν ἀμφοτέροις αὐτοῖς λογιζομένοις ἐδόκει ποιητέα εἶναι ἡ ξύμβασις, καὶ οὐχ ἧσσον τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις, ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῶν ἐκ τῆς νήσου κομίσασθαι· ἦσαν γὰρ οἱ Σπαρτιᾶται αὐτῶν πρῶτοί τε καὶ † ὁμοίως † σφίσι ξυγγενεῖς.
Therefore, as both sides considered these matters, it seemed to them that the treaty ought to be made, and not least to the Lacedaemonians, because of their desire to recover the men from the island; for those of them who were Spartans were of the highest rank and likewise related to them.
§5.15.2ἤρξαντο μὲν οὖν καὶ εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν ἅλωσιν αὐτῶν πράσσειν, ἀλλ’ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι οὔπως ἤθελον, εὖ φερόμενοι, ἐπὶ τῇ ἴσῃ καταλύεσθαι.
Indeed, they had begun to negotiate immediately after their capture, but the Athenians, as they were doing well, were not yet willing to come to terms on equal status.
σφαλέντων δὲ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῷ Δηλίῳ παραχρῆμα οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, γνόντες νῦν μᾶλλον ἂν ἐνδεξαμένους, ποιοῦνται τὴν ἐνιαύσιον ἐκεχειρίαν, ἐν ᾗ ἔδει ξυνιόντας καὶ περὶ τοῦ πλέονος χρόνου βουλεύεσθαι.
But when the Athenians met with disaster at Delium, the Lacedaemonians immediately, realizing that they would now be more likely to accept terms, made the one-year truce, during which they were to meet and deliberate also concerning a longer period.

Notes

  1. 5.15.1ἀμφοτέροις αὐτοῖς λογιζομένοις — It functions as a dative of interest/judgment with ἐδόκει, or as a quasi-absolute dative expressing background circumstance. The dative present participle λογιζομένοις agrees with ἀμφοτέροις αὐτοῖς.
  2. 5.15.2ἂν ἐνδεξαμένους — The construction of ἄν with a participle in indirect discourse after the verb of knowing γνόντες. It modifies the omitted accusative subject (the Athenians), representing a potential optative or past indicative with ἄν (originally ἂν ἐνδέξαιντο 'they would accept') turned into a participle.
  3. 5.15.2ξυνιόντας — Accusative present participle agreeing with the omitted subject of the impersonal verb ἔδει (in the accusative, here meaning 'both parties'). It functions as the subject of the infinitive βουλεύεσθαι.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §5.15.1-5.15.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.15.1-5.15.2

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