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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §5.49.1-5.49.5

Exclusion of Sparta from the Olympic Games

Passage 549 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Olympic games are held, but the Lacedaemonians are excluded for refusing to pay a fine imposed by the Eleans for military actions during the sacred truce. A dispute ensues between the two parties regarding the timing and validity of the truce declaration, ending in a deadlock.

§5.49.1Ὀλύμπια δ’ ἐγένετο τοῦ θέρους τούτου, οἷς Ἀνδροσθένης Ἀρκὰς παγκράτιον τὸ πρῶτον ἐνίκα·
During this summer the Olympic games were held, in which Androsthenes, an Arcadian, won the pankration for the first time.
καὶ Λακεδαιμόνιοι τοῦ ἱεροῦ ὑπὸ Ἠλείων εἴρχθησαν ὥστε μὴ θύειν μηδ’ ἀγωνίζεσθαι, οὐκ ἐκτίνοντες τὴν δίκην αὐτοῖς ἣν ἐν τῷ Ὀλυμπιακῷ νόμῳ Ἠλεῖοι κατεδικάσαντο αὐτῶν φάσκοντες 〈ἐς 〉 σφᾶς ἐπὶ Φύρκον τε τεῖχος ὅπλα ἐπενεγκεῖν καὶ ἐς Λέπρεον αὐτῶν ὁπλίτας ἐν ταῖς Ὀλυμπιακαῖς σπονδαῖς ἐσπέμψαι.
And the Lacedaemonians were excluded from the temple by the Eleans, so that they could neither sacrifice nor compete, because they would not pay the fine which the Eleans had recorded against them according to the Olympic law, alleging that they had attacked the fortress of Phyrcus during the Olympic truce and had sent a body of their hoplites into Lepreum.
ἡ δὲ καταδίκη δισχίλιαι μναῖ ἦσαν, κατὰ τὸν ὁπλίτην ἕκαστον δύο μναῖ, ὥσπερ ὁ νόμος ἔχει.
The fine was two thousand minae, being two minae for each hoplite, as the law prescribes.
§5.49.2Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ πρέσβεις πέμψαντες ἀντέλεγον μὴ δικαίως σφῶν καταδεδικάσθαι, λέγοντες μὴ ἐπηγγέλθαι πω ἐς Λακεδαίμονα τὰς σπονδάς, ὅτ’ ἐσέπεμψαν τοὺς ὁπλίτας.
But the Lacedaemonians sent envoys and argued that the judgment had been unjustly passed upon them, declaring that the truce had not yet been announced in Lacedaemon when they sent the hoplites.
§5.49.3Ἠλεῖοι δὲ τὴν παρ’ αὐτοῖς ἐκεχειρίαν ἤδη ἔφασαν εἶναι (πρώτοις γὰρ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ἐπαγγέλλουσιν), καὶ ἡσυχαζόντων σφῶν καὶ οὐ προσδεχομένων ὡς ἐν σπονδαῖς, αὐτοὺς λαθεῖν ἀδικήσαντας.
The Eleans, however, maintained that the truce had already begun with them (for they announce it first to themselves), and that while they were keeping quiet and expecting nothing, as in a time of truce, the Lacedaemonians had committed an injustice by taking them by surprise.
§5.49.4οἱ δὲ Λακεδαιμόνιοι ὑπελάμβανον οὐ χρεὼν εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἐπαγγεῖλαι ἔτι ἐς Λακεδαίμονα, εἰ ἀδικεῖν γε ἤδη ἐνόμιζον αὐτούς, ἀλλ’ οὐχ ὡς νομίζοντας τοῦτο δρᾶσαι, καὶ ὅπλα οὐδαμόσε ἔτι αὐτοῖς ἐπενεγκεῖν.
But the Lacedaemonians replied that they would not have had to announce it in Lacedaemon at all if the Eleans had already considered them to be in the wrong; but they had done so because they did not consider them to have done wrong, and after that the Lacedaemonians had not made any attack anywhere.
§5.49.5Ἠλεῖοι δὲ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου εἴχοντο, ὡς μὲν οὐκ ἀδικοῦσι μὴ ἂν πεισθῆναι, εἰ δὲ βούλονται σφίσι Λέπρεον ἀποδοῦναι, τό τε αὑτῶν μέρος ἀφιέναι τοῦ ἀργυρίου, καὶ ὃ τῷ θεῷ γίγνεται αὐτοὶ ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων ἐκτίσειν.
But the Eleans held to the same argument, saying that they could never be persuaded that the Lacedaemonians had not done wrong; but if they were willing to restore Lepreum to them, they would release their own share of the money, and would themselves pay on their behalf the portion that belonged to the god.

Notes

  1. 5.49.1σφᾶς — Indirect reflexive pronoun referring to the subject of `φάσκοντες` (the Eleans), meaning "to their own [territory]".
  2. 5.49.1δισχίλιαι μναῖ ἦσαν — Although the subject `ἡ δὲ καταδίκη` is singular, the verb `ἦσαν` is plural, agreeing with the plural predicate noun `δισχίλιαι μναῖ` (attraction to the predicate).
  3. 5.49.3αὐτοὺς λαθεῖν ἀδικήσαντας — The verb `λανθάνω` (here the infinitive `λαθεῖν`) combined with the participle `ἀδικήσαντας` means "to commit an injustice secretly" or "by surprise". The subject of the infinitive, `αὐτούς`, refers to the Lacedaemonians.
  4. 5.49.4ἀλλ’ οὐχ ὡς νομίζοντας τοῦτο δρᾶσαι — A highly elliptical construction. It should be understood as: "but [that they announced it] not as thinking that they [the Lacedaemonians] had done this [i.e., committed an injustice]". The accusative participle `νομίζοντας` agrees with the unexpressed subject of `ἐπαγγεῖλαι` (the Eleans) and depends on `ὑπελάμβανον`.
  5. 5.49.5ὡς μὲν οὐκ ἀδικοῦσι μὴ ἂν πεισθῆναι — The infinitive `πεισθῆναι` is accompanied by the potential particle `ἄν` and the negative `μή`, expressing a strong potential rejection: "they could never be persuaded that...". The clause `ὡς οὐκ ἀδικοῦσι` depends on `πεισθῆναι`.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §5.49.1-5.49.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.49.1-5.49.5

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