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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §5.77.1-5.77.8

Text of the Peace Treaty between Sparta and Argos

Passage 577 of 917 · Greek

Summary

This is the draft treaty of accommodation between Sparta and Argos, written in the Doric dialect, detailing terms on the return of hostages, evacuation of Epidaurus, autonomy of Peloponnesian cities, mutual defense, and the status of allies.

§5.77.1‘καττάδε δοκεῖ τᾷ ἐκκλησίᾳ τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων ξυμβαλέσθαι ποττὼς Ἀργείως, ἀποδιδόντας τὼς παῖδας τοῖς Ὀρχομενίοις καὶ τὼς ἄνδρας τοῖς Μαιναλίοις, καὶ τὼς ἄνδρας τὼς ἐν Μαντινείᾳ τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις ἀποδιδόντας, καὶ ἐξ Ἐπιδαύρω ἐκβῶντας καὶ τὸ τεῖχος ἀναιρίοντας.
'It seems good to the assembly of the Lacedaemonians to make an agreement with the Argives on the following terms: that they shall restore the children to the Orchomenians and the men to the Maenalians, and restore the men in Mantinea to the Lacedaemonians, and evacuate Epidaurus and demolish the fortification.
§5.77.2αἰ δέ κα μὴ εἴκωντι τοὶ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐξ Ἐπιδαύρω, πολεμίως ἦμεν τοῖς Ἀργείοις καὶ τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις καὶ τοῖς τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων ξυμμάχοις καὶ τοῖς τῶν Ἀργείων ξυμμάχοις.
And if the Athenians do not evacuate Epidaurus, they shall be enemies to the Argives, to the Lacedaemonians, to the allies of the Lacedaemonians, and to the allies of the Argives.
§5.77.3καὶ αἴ τινα τοὶ Λακεδαιμόνιοι παῖδα ἔχοντι, ἀποδόμεν ταῖς πολίεσσι πάσαις.
And if the Lacedaemonians hold any child, they shall restore them to all the cities.
§5.77.4περὶ δὲ τῶ σιῶ σύματος, αἰ μὲν λῆν, τοῖς Ἐπιδαυρίοις ὅρκον δόμεν, 〈αἰ〉 δέ, αὐτὼς ὀμόσαι.
Concerning the offering to the god, if they wish, they shall give an oath to the Epidaurians, but if not, they themselves shall swear.
§5.77.5τὰς δὲ πόλιας τὰς ἐν Πελοποννάσῳ, καὶ μικρὰς καὶ μεγάλας, αὐτονόμως ἦμεν πάσας καττὰ πάτρια.
And all the cities in the Peloponnese, both small and great, shall be autonomous according to their ancestral customs.
§5.77.6αἰ δέ κα τῶν ἐκτὸς Πελοποννάσω τις ἐπὶ τὰν Πελοπόννασον γᾶν ἴῃ ἐπὶ κακῷ, ἀλεξέμεναι ἁμόθι βωλευσαμένως, ὅπᾳ κα δικαιότατα δοκῇ τοῖς Πελοποννασίοις.
And if anyone from outside the Peloponnese comes against the Peloponnesian land with hostile intent, they shall repel them in common, having consulted together in whatever way seems most just to the Peloponnesians.
§5.77.7ὅσσοι δ’ ἐκτὸς Πελοποννάσω τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων ξύμμαχοί ἐντι, ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ ἐσσίονται ἐν τῷπερ καὶ τοὶ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, καὶ τοὶ τῶν Ἀργείων ξύμμαχοι ἐν τ〈ῷ αὐτῷ ἐσσίονται ἐν τῷπερ καὶ τοὶ Ἀργεῖοι〉, τὰν αὐτῶν ἔχοντες.
And as many of the allies of the Lacedaemonians as are outside the Peloponnese shall be on the same terms as the Lacedaemonians, and the allies of the Argives shall be on the same terms as the Argives, keeping their own territory.
§5.77.8ἐπιδείξαντας δὲ τοῖς ξυμμάχοις ξυμβαλέσθαι, αἴ κα αὐτοῖς δοκῇ. αἰ δέ τι δοκῇ τοῖς ξυμμάχοις, οἴκαδ’ ἀπιάλλην. ’
And having shown this to the allies, they shall make the agreement, if it seems good to them; but if the allies have any other opinion, they shall send them home.'

Notes

  1. 5.77.1ἀποδιδόντας — The Doric ending `-ντας` here functions as an infinitive corresponding to the Attic present infinitive `-ναι` (i.e., `ἀποδιδόναι`), or is an accusative plural participle used with imperatival force. It is interpreted as an infinitive expressing the terms of the treaty.
  2. 5.77.2πολεμίως ἦμεν — `πολεμίως` is the Doric form of the accusative plural `πολεμίους`. `ἦμεν` is the Doric equivalent of the Attic infinitive `εἶναι`. The infinitive is used imperatively to express a legal stipulation ('they shall be').
  3. 5.77.4τῶ σιῶ σύματος — Demonstrates characteristic Doric phonetic shifts, corresponding to the Attic `τοῦ θεοῦ θύματος` ('the sacrifice of/to the god'). In the Doric dialect, θ (theta) frequently becomes σ (sigma), hence `θεοῦ` becomes `σιῶ` and `θύματος` becomes `σύματος`.
  4. 5.77.4αἰ μὲν λῆν — `αἰ` is the Doric conditional conjunction equivalent to Attic `εἰ` ('if'). `λῆν` (also spelt `λῇν` or `λᾶν`) is the present infinitive of the Doric verb `λῶ` ('to wish', equivalent to Attic `βούλομαι` or `θέλω`), forming the idiomatic expression 'if they wish'.
  5. 5.77.8ἀπιάλλην — A Doric infinitive. Scholars differ on whether it corresponds to the intransitive `ἀπιέναι` ('to depart') or the transitive `ἀποπέμπειν` ('to send back'). Functioning as an imperatival infinitive, it can mean either 'to send them [the allies] back home' or 'to depart for home', both fitting the treaty's context.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §5.77.1-5.77.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.77.1-5.77.8

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