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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §5.35.1-5.35.8

Mutual Suspicion over Pylos and Territory Restitutions

Passage 535 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Following the treaty, mutual suspicion grew between Athens and Sparta over the non-restoration of territories, prompting negotiations where Sparta demanded Pylos and Athens agreed to withdraw the Messenians to Cephallenia.

§5.35.1τοῦ δ’ αὐτοῦ θέρους καὶ Θυσσὸν τὴν ἐν τῇ Ἄθω Ἀκτῇ Διῆς εἷλον, Ἀθηναίων οὖσαν ξύμμαχον.
During the same summer, the Dians of Mount Athos captured Thyssus, which was an ally of the Athenians.
§5.35.2καὶ τὸ θέρος τοῦτο πᾶν ἐπιμειξίαι μὲν ἦσαν τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις καὶ Πελοποννησίοις, ὑπώπτευον δὲ ἀλλήλους εὐθὺς μετὰ τὰς σπονδὰς οἵ τε Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι κατὰ τὴν τῶν χωρίων ἀλλήλοις οὐκ ἀπόδοσιν.
And throughout all this summer, though there was intercourse between the Athenians and the Peloponnesians, yet both the Athenians and the Lacedaemonians suspected each other from the very moment of the treaty, because of the non-restoration of the places to one another.
§5.35.3τὴν γὰρ Ἀμφίπολιν πρότεροι λαχόντες οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι ἀποδιδόναι καὶ τἆλλα οὐκ ἀπεδεδώκεσαν, οὐδὲ τοὺς ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης παρεῖχον ξυμμάχους τὰς σπονδὰς δεχομένους οὐδὲ Βοιωτοὺς οὐδὲ Κορινθίους, λέγοντες αἰεὶ ὡς μετ’ Ἀθηναίων τούτους, ἢν μὴ ᾽θέλωσι, κοινῇ ἀναγκάσουσιν· χρόνους τε προύθεντο ἄνευ ξυγγραφῆς ἐν οἷς χρῆν τοὺς μὴ ἐσιόντας ἀμφοτέροις πολεμίους εἶναι.
For the Lacedaemonians, who had drawn the lot to restore Amphipolis and the other places first, had not restored them, nor did they make their allies in Thrace accept the treaty, nor the Boeotians, nor the Corinthians, constantly declaring that they, in conjunction with the Athenians, would compel them to do so if they refused; moreover, they set a time-limit, though without a written agreement, within which those who did not accede to the treaty should be considered enemies to both.
§5.35.4τούτων οὖν ὁρῶντες οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι οὐδὲν ἔργῳ γιγνόμενον ὑπώπτευον τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους μηδὲν δίκαιον διανοεῖσθαι, ὥστε οὔτε Πύλον ἀπαιτούντων αὐτῶν ἀπεδίδοσαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τῆς νήσου δεσμώτας μετεμέλοντο ἀποδεδωκότες, τά τε ἄλλα χωρία εἶχον, μένοντες ἕως σφίσι κἀκεῖνοι ποιήσειαν τὰ εἰρημένα.
The Athenians, therefore, seeing that none of these promises was being actually performed, suspected that the Lacedaemonians had no honest intentions; consequently, when the Lacedaemonians demanded Pylos, they refused to restore it, and even regretted having given back the prisoners from the island, and kept possession of the other places, waiting until the Lacedaemonians should perform their part of the agreement.
§5.35.5Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ τὰ μὲν δυνατὰ ἔφασαν πεποιηκέναι· τοὺς γὰρ παρὰ σφίσι δεσμώτας ὄντας Ἀθηναίων ἀποδοῦναι καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης στρατιώτας ἀπαγαγεῖν καὶ εἴ του ἄλλου ἐγκρατεῖς ἦσαν·
The Lacedaemonians, on their part, maintained that they had done what was possible; for they had restored the Athenian prisoners who were in their hands, had withdrawn their troops from Thrace, and had evacuated any other place of which they were in possession.
Ἀμφιπόλεως δὲ οὐκ ἔφασαν κρατεῖν ὥστε παραδοῦναι, Βοιωτοὺς δὲ πειράσεσθαι καὶ Κορινθίους ἐς τὰς σπονδὰς ἐσαγαγεῖν καὶ Πάνακτον ἀπολαβεῖν καὶ Ἀθηναίων ὅσοι ἦσαν ἐν Βοιωτοῖς αἰχμάλωτοι κομιεῖν.
But they asserted that they were not masters of Amphipolis so as to deliver it up; on the other hand, they promised to try to bring the Boeotians and Corinthians into the treaty, to recover Panactum, and to bring back all the Athenian prisoners who were in Boeotia.
§5.35.6πύλον μέντοι ἠξίουν σφίσιν ἀποδοῦναι· εἰ δὲ μή, Μεσσηνίους γε καὶ τοὺς Εἵλωτας ἐξαγαγεῖν, ὥσπερ καὶ αὐτοὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ Θρᾴκης, Ἀθηναίους δὲ φρουρεῖν τὸ χωρίον αὐτούς, εἰ βούλονται.
They demanded, however, that Pylos should be restored to them, or, if not, that the Messenians and Helots should at least be withdrawn, just as they themselves had withdrawn their troops from Thrace, and that the Athenians themselves, if they wished, should garrison the place.
§5.35.7πολλάκις δὲ καὶ πολλῶν λόγων γενομένων ἐν τῷ θέρει τούτῳ ἔπεισαν τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ὥστε ἐξαγαγεῖν ἐκ Πύλου Μεσσηνίους καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Εἵλωτάς τε καὶ ὅσοι ηὐτομολήκεσαν ἐκ τῆς Λακωνικῆς· καὶ κατῴκισαν αὐτοὺς ἐν Κρανίοις τῆς Κεφαλληνίας.
After many negotiations had taken place during this summer, they finally persuaded the Athenians to withdraw from Pylos the Messenians and the other Helots, as well as all who had deserted from Laconia; and the Athenians settled them at Cranii in Cephallenia.
§5.35.8τὸ μὲν οὖν θέρος τοῦτο ἡσυχία ἦν καὶ ἔφοδοι παρ’ ἀλλήλους.
During this summer, then, there was peace, and there were mutual visits to one another.

Notes

  1. §5.35.1Διῆς — The proper noun Διῆς (inhabitants of Dium, Dians) functions as the subject (nominative plural) of the transitive verb εἷλον, indicating the party that captured Thyssus (Θυσσόν, accusative).
  2. §5.35.3πρότεροι λαχόντες — The adjective πρότεροι (comparative nominative plural) modifies the participle λαχόντες (aorist of λαγχάνω), meaning 'having drawn the lot to do so first.' The infinitive ἀποδιδόναι serves as the complement to λαχόντες.
  3. §5.35.4μετεμέλοντο ἀποδεδωκότες — The verb μεταμέλομαι (to regret) takes a participle (here the perfect active participle ἀποδεδωκότες) rather than an infinitive to express the object of regret, meaning 'they regretted having already given them back.'
  4. §5.35.5κρατεῖν — The verb κρατεῖν (to rule, have power over) governs the genitive case (Ἀμφιπόλεως). The subsequent clause ὥστε παραδοῦναι is a clause of result, meaning 'so as to deliver it up.'

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §5.35.1-5.35.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.35.1-5.35.8

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