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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §5.17.1-5.17.2

Peace Negotiations and Agreement on Territorial Restitution

Passage 517 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Describes Pleistoanax's personal motives for seeking peace to avoid constant slander, and details the diplomatic negotiations and territorial compromises that led to the ratification of the peace treaty despite the opposition of several Spartan allies.

§5.17.1ἀχθόμενος οὖν τῇ διαβολῇ ταύτῃ καὶ νομίζων ἐν εἰρήνῃ μὲν οὐδενὸς σφάλματος γιγνομένου καὶ ἅμα τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων τοὺς ἄνδρας κομιζομένων κἂν αὐτὸς τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἀνεπίληπτος εἶναι, πολέμου δὲ καθεστῶτος αἰεὶ ἀνάγκην εἶναι τοὺς προύχοντας ἀπὸ τῶν ξυμφορῶν διαβάλλεσθαι, προυθυμήθη τὴν ξύμβασιν.
Pleistoanax, therefore, being vexed by this slander, and believing that in peace, as no setback would occur and at the same time the Lacedaemonians would recover their men, he himself would be blameless in the eyes of his enemies, whereas in time of war, those in high positions must always inevitably be slandered because of disasters, was eager for the treaty.
§5.17.2καὶ τόν τε χειμῶνα τοῦτον ᾖσαν ἐς λόγους καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἔαρ ἤδη παρασκευή τε προεπανεσείσθη ἀπὸ τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων περιαγγελλομένη κατὰ πόλεις ὡς 〈ἐς 〉 ἐπιτειχισμόν, ὅπως οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι μᾶλλον ἐσακούοιεν, καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐκ τῶν ξυνόδων ἅμα πολλὰς δικαιώσεις προενεγκόντων ἀλλήλοις ξυνεχωρεῖτο ὥστε ἃ ἑκάτεροι πολέμῳ ἔσχον ἀποδόντας τὴν εἰρήνην ποιεῖσθαι, Νίσαιαν δ’ ἔχειν Ἀθηναίους (ἀνταπαιτούντων γὰρ Πλάταιαν οἱ Θηβαῖοι ἔφασαν οὐ βίᾳ, ἀλλ’ ὁμολογίᾳ αὐτῶν προσχωρησάντων καὶ οὐ προδόντων ἔχειν τὸ χωρίον, καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τῷ αὐτῷ τρόπῳ τὴν Νίσαιαν), τότε δὴ παρακαλέσαντες τοὺς ἑαυτῶν ξυμμάχους οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, καὶ ψηφισαμένων πλὴν Βοιωτῶν καὶ Κορινθίων καὶ Ἠλείων καὶ Μεγαρέων τῶν ἄλλων ὥστε καταλύεσθαι (τούτοις δὲ οὐκ ἤρεσκε τὰ πρασσόμενα), ποιοῦνται τὴν ξύμβασιν καὶ ἐσπείσαντο πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους καὶ ὤμοσαν, ἐκεῖνοί τε πρὸς τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους, τάδε.
And during this winter they were in negotiations, and as spring was already approaching, a military preparation was first held over them as a threat by the Lacedaemonians, being announced among the cities as if for the building of a fort, in order that the Athenians might be more compliant. And when, after many claims had been brought forward against one another in their meetings, it was agreed that they should make peace, restoring what each had acquired by war, but that the Athenians should keep Nisaea (for when the Athenians demanded Plataea in return, the Thebans said that they held the place not by force, but because the inhabitants had come over to them by agreement and had not betrayed it, and the Athenians claimed Nisaea in the same way), then indeed the Lacedaemonians summoned their allies, and when all the others except the Boeotians, Corinthians, Eleans, and Megarians voted for ending the war (for these were not pleased with what was being done), they made the treaty and concluded a truce and swore oaths to the Athenians, and the Athenians to the Lacedaemonians, as follows.

Notes

  1. 5.17.1κἂν αὐτὸς τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἀνεπίληπτος εἶναι — κἂν is a contraction of καὶ ἄν. The infinitive εἶναι depends on the participle νομίζων, and with ἄν it represents a potential or conditional statement in indirect discourse (equivalent to ἂν εἴην in direct speech). The subject αὐτός is in the nominative because it is identical to the subject of the governing participle νομίζων.
  2. 5.17.2προενεγκόντων — Aorist active participle in the genitive plural. It functions as a genitive absolute with its subject (the negotiating parties, i.e., the Athenians and Lacedaemonians) omitted because it is obvious from the context.
  3. 5.17.2ἀνταπαιτούντων — Present active participle in the genitive plural. Like προενεγκόντων in the previous note, this is a genitive absolute with the subject (the Athenians, τῶν Ἀθηναίων) omitted, indicating that the Athenians made a counter-demand for Plataea.
  4. 5.17.2ἀποδόντας — Aorist active participle in the accusative plural. It agrees with the implied accusative subject of the infinitive ποιεῖσθαι (representing both parties).

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §5.17.1-5.17.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.17.1-5.17.2

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