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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §5.2.1-5.2.4

Cleon's Expedition to Thrace and Approach to Torone

Passage 502 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Cleon leads an Athenian expedition to Thrace, lands near Torone at the Cophos harbor, and approaches the city's outer wall.

§5.2.1Κλέων δὲ Ἀθηναίους πείσας ἐς τὰ ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης χωρία ἐξέπλευσε μετὰ τὴν ἐκεχειρίαν, Ἀθηναίων μὲν ὁπλίτας ἔχων διακοσίους καὶ χιλίους καὶ ἱππέας τριακοσίους, τῶν δὲ ξυμμάχων πλείους, ναῦς δὲ τριάκοντα.
Cleon, having persuaded the Athenians, sailed out to the regions of Thrace after the truce, having one thousand two hundred hoplites of the Athenians and three hundred cavalry, and a greater number of the allies, and thirty ships.
§5.2.2σχὼν δὲ ἐς Σκιώνην πρῶτον ἔτι πολιορκουμένην καὶ προσλαβὼν αὐτόθεν ὁπλίτας τῶν φρουρῶν, κατέπλευσεν ἐς τὸν Κωφὸν λιμένα τῶν Τορωναίων ἀπέχοντα οὐ πολὺ τῆς πόλεως.
Having first touched at Scione, which was still under siege, and having taken additional hoplites from the garrison there, he sailed into the Cophos harbor of the Toronaeans, which was not far from the city.
§5.2.3ἐκ δ’ αὐτοῦ, αἰσθόμενος ὑπ’ αὐτομόλων ὅτι οὔτε Βρασίδας ἐν τῇ Τορώνῃ οὔτε οἱ ἐνόντες ἀξιόμαχοι εἶεν, τῇ μὲν στρατιᾷ τῇ πεζῇ ἐχώρει ἐς τὴν πόλιν, ναῦς δὲ περιέπεμψε δέκα 〈ἐς 〉 τὸν λιμένα περιπλεῖν.
From there, having learned from deserters that neither Brasidas was in Torone nor were those inside capable of making a match for him, he marched with his land army against the city, and sent ten ships around to sail into the harbor.
§5.2.4καὶ πρὸς τὸ περιτείχισμα πρῶτον ἀφικνεῖται, ὃ προσπεριέβαλε τῇ πόλει ὁ Βρασίδας ἐντὸς βουλόμενος ποιῆσαι τὸ προάστειον, καὶ διελὼν τοῦ παλαιοῦ τείχους μίαν αὐτὴν ἐποίησε πόλιν.
And he arrived first at the outer wall, which Brasidas had built additionally around the city, wishing to bring the suburb inside, and by breaking down a part of the old wall, he had made it one single city.

Notes

  1. §5.2.1τῶν δὲ ξυμμάχων πλείους — τῶν δὲ ξυμμάχων πλείους ('more of the allies') indicates that the contingent from the allies was larger in comparison to the Athenian forces mentioned. πλείους is the contracted form of the comparative πλείονες.
  2. §5.2.2τῶν φρουρῶν — The genitive τῶν φρουρῶν is a partitive genitive qualifying the preceding ὁπλίτας, meaning 'some of the hoplites from the garrison.'
  3. §5.2.4τοῦ παλαιοῦ τείχους — The genitive τοῦ παλαιοῦ τείχους is a partitive genitive serving as the object of the participle διελὼν ('having broken down'), meaning 'having broken down a part of the old wall.'
  4. §5.2.4μίαν αὐτὴν ἐποίησε πόλιν — A double accusative construction, where αὐτήν is the direct object and μίαν πόλιν is the object complement, meaning 'he made it one single city.'

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §5.2.1-5.2.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.2.1-5.2.4

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