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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §5.3.1-5.3.6

Capture of Torone and Cleon's Advance

Passage 503 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenians capture Torone by anticipating the retreating Pasitelidas, taking many prisoners, while around the same time the Boeotians capture Panactum, and Cleon sets sail for Amphipolis.

§5.3.1βοηθήσαντες δὲ ἐς αὐτὸ Πασιτελίδας τε ὁ Λακεδαιμόνιος ἄρχων καὶ ἡ παροῦσα φυλακὴ προσβαλόντων τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἠμύνοντο.
Pasitelidas, the Lacedaemonian commander, and the garrison present there went to its aid and defended themselves as the Athenians attacked.
καὶ ὡς ἐβιάζοντο καὶ αἱ νῆες ἅμα περιέπλεον 〈αἱ〉 ἐς τὸν λιμένα περιπεμφθεῖσαι, δείσας ὁ Πασιτελίδας μὴ αἵ τε νῆες φθάσωσι λαβοῦσαι ἐρῆμον τὴν πόλιν καὶ τοῦ τειχίσματος ἁλισκομένου ἐγκαταληφθῇ, ἀπολιπὼν αὐτὸ δρόμῳ ἐχώρει ἐς τὴν πόλιν.
But as they were being hard pressed and the ships sent around to the harbor were sailing in at the same time, Pasitelidas, fearing that the ships might seize the empty city first, and that he might be cut off and captured as the outer wall was being taken, abandoned it and retreated at a run into the city.
§5.3.2οἱ δὲ Ἀθηναῖοι φθάνουσιν οἵ τε ἀπὸ τῶν νεῶν ἑλόντες τὴν Τορώνην καὶ ὁ πεζὸς ἐπισπόμενος αὐτοβοεὶ κατὰ τὸ διῃρημένον τοῦ παλαιοῦ τείχους ξυνεσπεσών.
But the Athenians anticipated them, both those from the ships capturing Torone, and the land army following them, which burst in together with a shout through the broken part of the old wall.
καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἀπέκτειναν τῶν Πελοποννησίων καὶ Τορωναίων εὐθὺς ἐν χερσί, τοὺς δὲ ζῶντας ἔλαβον, καὶ Πασιτελίδαν τὸν ἄρχοντα.
And they killed some of the Peloponnesians and Toronaeans immediately in hand-to-hand combat, and took the others alive, including Pasitelidas the commander.
§5.3.3Βρασίδας δὲ ἐβοήθει μὲν τῇ Τορώνῃ, αἰσθόμενος δὲ καθ’ ὁδὸν ἑαλωκυῖαν ἀνεχώρησεν, ἀποσχὼν τεσσαράκοντα μάλιστα σταδίους μὴ φθάσαι ἐλθών.
Brasidas was coming to aid Torone, but having learned on the way that it had already been captured, he turned back, being about forty stades away, having failed to arrive in time.
§5.3.4ὁ δὲ Κλέων καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τροπαῖά τε ἔστησαν δύο, τὸ μὲν κατὰ τὸν λιμένα, τὸ δὲ πρὸς τῷ τειχίσματι, καὶ τῶν Τορωναίων γυναῖκας μὲν καὶ παῖδας ἠνδραπόδισαν, αὐτοὺς δὲ καὶ Πελοποννησίους καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος Χαλκιδέων ἦν, ξύμπαντας ἐς ἑπτακοσίους, ἀπέπεμψαν ἐς τὰς Ἀθήνας·
Cleon and the Athenians set up two trophies, one near the harbor and the other by the outer wall; they enslaved the women and children of the Toronaeans, and sent the men themselves, the Peloponnesians, and any other Chalcidians who were there, numbering about seven hundred in all, to Athens.
καὶ αὐτοῖς τὸ μὲν Πελοποννήσιον ὕστερον ἐν ταῖς γενομέναις σπονδαῖς ἀπῆλθε, τὸ δὲ ἄλλο ἐκομίσθη ὑπ’ Ὀλυνθίων, ἀνὴρ ἀντ’ ἀνδρὸς λυθείς.
Of these, the Peloponnesians later departed under the treaty that was made, while the rest were recovered by the Olynthians, being ransomed man for man.
§5.3.5εἷλον δὲ καὶ Πάνακτον Ἀθηναίων ἐν μεθορίοις τεῖχος Βοιωτοὶ ὑπὸ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον προδοσίᾳ.
Around the same time, the Boeotians also captured Panactum, a fortress of the Athenians on the border, through treachery.
§5.3.6καὶ ὁ μὲν Κλέων φυλακὴν καταστησάμενος τῆς Τορώνης ἄρας περιέπλει τὸν Ἄθων ὡς ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀμφίπολιν.
Cleon, having established a garrison in Torone, set sail and circumnavigated Mount Athos, heading towards Amphipolis.

Notes

  1. §5.3.1μὴ αἵ τε νῆες φθάσωσι λαβοῦσαι ἐρῆμον τὴν πόλιν καὶ τοῦ τειχίσματος ἁλισκομένου ἐγκαταληφθῇ — Inside the `μὴ` clause introduced by the verb of fearing `δείσας`, two different constructions are conjoined. In the first part, `αἵ τε νῆες φθάσωσι λαβοῦσαι`, the participle construction with `φθάνω` (to do something first) is used. In the second part, `τοῦ τειχίσματος ἁλισκομένου ἐγκαταληφθῇ`, a genitive absolute `τοῦ τειχίσματος ἁλισκομένου` (while the wall was being taken) is embedded, and the passive subjunctive `ἐγκαταληφθῇ` (that he might be cut off), with Pasitelidas as the subject, is governed by `μὴ`.
  2. §5.3.2φθάνουσιν οἵ τε ἀπὸ τῶν νεῶν ἑλόντες τὴν Τορώνην καὶ ὁ πεζὸς ... ξυνεσπεσών — The verb `φθάνουσιν` (to anticipate/arrive first) governs two coordinate subjects with different participles: `οἵ τε ... ἑλόντες` and `καὶ ὁ πεζὸς ... ξυνεσπεσών`. Contextually, it expresses that both Athenian forces "anticipated" Pasitelidas and his men in entering the city.
  3. §5.3.3μὴ φθάσαι ἐλθών — The infinitive `φθάσαι` (to anticipate) is accompanied by the negative `μὴ` and the participle `ἐλθών` (having come). This expression means "lest he should arrive in time," i.e., "because he had failed to arrive in time (it being already too late)," explaining the result or the situation that led to his retreat.
  4. §5.3.4ἀνὴρ ἀντ’ ἀνδρὸς λυθείς — The nominative singular participle `λυθείς` (being released) is used with `ἀνὴρ`. While the grammatical subject `τὸ δὲ ἄλλο` (the rest) is neuter singular, the masculine singular is chosen here by agreement according to sense (schema ad sensum), focusing on individual men, to express the manner of exchange "man for man."

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §5.3.1-5.3.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.3.1-5.3.6

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