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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §5.34.1-5.34.2

Enfranchisement of Helots and Disenfranchisement of Prisoners

Passage 534 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Lacedaemonians freed the Helots who fought with Brasidas and settled them in Lepreum, while temporarily disenfranchising the Sphacteria prisoners out of fear that they might attempt a revolution.

§5.34.1καὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ θέρους ἤδη ἡκόντων αὐτοῖς τῶν ἀπὸ Θρᾴκης μετὰ Βρασίδου ἐξελθόντων στρατιωτῶν, οὓς ὁ Κλεαρίδας μετὰ τὰς σπονδὰς ἐκόμισεν, οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι ἐψηφίσαντο τοὺς μὲν μετὰ Βρασίδου Εἵλωτας μαχεσαμένους ἐλευθέρους εἶναι καὶ οἰκεῖν ὅπου ἂν βούλωνται, καὶ ὕστερον οὐ πολλῷ αὐτοὺς μετὰ τῶν νεοδαμωδῶν ἐς Λέπρεον κατέστησαν, κείμενον ἐπὶ τῆς Λακωνικῆς καὶ τῆς Ἠλείας, ὄντες ἤδη διάφοροι Ἠλείοις·
During the same summer, when the soldiers who had gone out to Thrace with Brasidas had already returned to them—whom Clearidas brought back after the treaty—the Lacedaemonians decreed that the Helots who had fought under Brasidas should be free and live wherever they pleased; and not long afterwards they settled them, together with the Neodamodeis, at Lepreum, which is situated on the borders of Laconia and Elis, since they were already at variance with the Eleans.
§5.34.2τοὺς δ’ ἐκ τῆς νήσου ληφθέντας σφῶν καὶ τὰ ὅπλα παραδόντας, δείσαντες μή τι διὰ τὴν ξυμφορὰν νομίσαντες ἐλασσωθήσεσθαι καὶ ὄντες ἐπίτιμοι νεωτερίσωσιν, ἤδη καὶ ἀρχάς τινας ἔχοντας ἀτίμους ἐποίησαν, ἀτιμίαν δὲ τοιάνδε ὥστε μήτε ἄρχειν μήτε πριαμένους τι ἢ πωλοῦντας κυρίους εἶναι.
As for those of their own men who had been captured on the island and had surrendered their arms, fearing lest they, thinking that they would be degraded because of their disaster, might attempt some revolution while still retaining their franchise, they disenfranchised them, even though some of them already held offices. This disenfranchisement was of such a kind that they could neither hold office nor have any legal power to buy or sell.
ὕστερον δὲ αὖθις χρόνῳ ἐπίτιμοι ἐγένοντο.
Afterwards, however, in course of time, they were restored to their franchise again.

Notes

  1. 5.34.1ὄντες ἤδη διάφοροι Ἠλείοις — The present participle ὄντες (nominative plural) agrees with the subject of the main clause, οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι (the Lacedaemonians), expressing the causal reason for settling them at Lepreum.
  2. 5.34.2δείσαντες μή τι διὰ τὴν ξυμφορὰν νομίσαντες ἐλασσωθήσεσθαι καὶ ὄντες ἐπίτιμοι νεωτερίσωσιν — A complex nested structure. Within the fear clause introduced by μή with the subjunctive νεωτερίσωσιν ("lest they should attempt a revolution"), which depends on the nominative participle δείσαντες (the Lacedaemonians), are inserted the participles νομίσαντες ("thinking") and ὄντες ("being"), both agreeing with the subject of νεωτερίσωσιν (the surrendered prisoners). ἐλασσωθήσεσθαι is a future infinitive depending on νομίσαντες.
  3. 5.34.2ἀρχάς τινας ἔχοντας — The accusative participle ἔχοντας modifies the direct object at the beginning of the sentence, τοὺς δ’ ἐκ τῆς νήσου ληφθέντας... (the prisoners taken from the island), meaning "even those who already held certain offices."
  4. 5.34.2πριαμένους τι ἢ πωλοῦντας κυρίους εἶναι — The adjective κυρίους ("having authority/legal power"), which is the complement of the infinitive εἶναι in the consecutive ὥστε clause, is modified by the participles πριαμένους ("buying") and πωλοῦντας ("selling"), meaning "to have legal validity in buying or selling anything."

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §5.34.1-5.34.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.34.1-5.34.2

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