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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §5.53.1

Sacrificial Dispute and Argive Plans to Invade Epidaurus

Passage 553 of 917 · Greek

Summary

War breaks out between the Epidaurians and the Argives over a sacrificial dispute; Alcibiades and the Argives, recognizing the strategic advantages, prepare to invade Epidaurus.

§5.53.1τοῦ δ’ αὐτοῦ θέρους Ἐπιδαυρίοις καὶ Ἀργείοις πόλεμος ἐγένετο, προφάσει μὲν περὶ τοῦ θύματος τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος τοῦ Πυθαέως, ὃ δέον ἀπαγαγεῖν οὐκ ἀπέπεμπον ὑπὲρ βοταμίων Ἐπιδαύριοι (κυριώτατοι δὲ τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἦσαν Ἀργεῖοι)·
During the same summer, war broke out between the Epidaurians and the Argives. The pretext was about the sacrificial victim for Apollo Pythaeus, which the Epidaurians, though they were bound to send it as payment for their pastures, did not send (the Argives having the chief control of the temple).
ἐδόκει δὲ καὶ ἄνευ τῆς αἰτίας τὴν Ἐπίδαυρον τῷ τε Ἀλκιβιάδῃ καὶ τοῖς Ἀργείοις προσλαβεῖν, ἢν δύνωνται, τῆς τε Κορίνθου ἕνεκα ἡσυχίας καὶ ἐκ τῆς Αἰγίνης βραχυτέραν ἔσεσθαι τὴν βοήθειαν ἢ Σκύλλαιον περιπλεῖν τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις.
But even apart from this pretext, it seemed advisable to Alcibiades and the Argives to secure Epidaurus, if they could, both for the sake of keeping Corinth quiet, and because they thought that for the Athenians the line of help from Aegina would be shorter than sailing round Scyllaeum.
παρεσκευάζοντο οὖν οἱ Ἀργεῖοι ὡς αὐτοὶ ἐς τὴν Ἐπίδαυρον διὰ τοῦ θύματος τὴν ἔσπραξιν ἐσβαλοῦντες.
The Argives, therefore, made preparations to invade Epidaurus on their own account, on the pretext of exacting the sacrifice.

Notes

  1. 5.53.1δέον — The neuter accusative singular participle of the impersonal verb δεῖ, used in the accusative absolute construction. It means 'although it was necessary' and takes the infinitive ἀπαγαγεῖν.
  2. 5.53.1ἔσεσθαι — A future infinitive dependent on the impersonal verb ἐδόκει at the beginning of the sentence. It stands in parallel with προσλαβεῖν, expressing the content of the belief that the route of assistance would be shorter.
  3. 5.53.1ὡς ... ἐσβαλοῦντες — The conjunction ὡς combined with the future active participle of ἐσβάλλω, expressing the intention or subjective purpose of the subject (οἱ Ἀργεῖοι). It complements the main verb παρεσκευάζοντο ('they were preparing').

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §5.53.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.53.1

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