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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §5.84.1-5.84.3

Athenian Expedition to Melos and Negotiations

Passage 584 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Alcibiades detains three hundred suspected Argives, and the Athenians launch a large-scale expedition against Melos, which sought to remain neutral. The Athenian generals send ambassadors to negotiate with the Melian leaders before causing any damage to the land.

§5.84.1τοῦ δ’ ἐπιγιγνομένου θέρους Ἀλκιβιάδης τε πλεύσας ἐς Ἄργος ναυσὶν εἴκοσιν Ἀργείων τοὺς δοκοῦντας ἔτι ὑπόπτους εἶναι καὶ τὰ Λακεδαιμονίων φρονεῖν ἔλαβε τριακοσίους ἄνδρας, καὶ κατέθεντο αὐτοὺς Ἀθηναῖοι ἐς τὰς ἐγγὺς νήσους ὧν ἦρχον·
In the following summer, Alcibiades sailed to Argos with twenty ships, and seized three hundred of the Argives who were still suspected of holding with the Lacedaemonian interest; and the Athenians deposited them in the neighboring islands under their rule.
καὶ ἐπὶ Μῆλον τὴν νῆσον Ἀθηναῖοι ἐστράτευσαν ναυσὶν ἑαυτῶν μὲν τριάκοντα, Χίαις δὲ ἕξ, Λεσβίαιν δὲ δυοῖν, καὶ ὁπλίταις ἑαυτῶν μὲν διακοσίοις καὶ χιλίοις καὶ τοξόταις τριακοσίοις καὶ ἱπποτοξόταις εἴκοσι, τῶν δὲ ξυμμάχων καὶ νησιωτῶν ὁπλίταις μάλιστα πεντακοσίοις καὶ χιλίοις.
The Athenians also made an expedition against the island of Melos with thirty ships of their own, six Chian, and two Lesbian; and with twelve hundred heavy infantry, three hundred archers, and twenty mounted archers of their own, and about fifteen hundred heavy infantry of the allies and islanders.
§5.84.2οἱ δὲ Μήλιοι Λακεδαιμονίων μέν εἰσιν ἄποικοι, τῶν δ’ Ἀθηναίων οὐκ ἤθελον ὑπακούειν ὥσπερ οἱ ἄλλοι νησιῶται, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον οὐδετέρων ὄντες ἡσύχαζον, ἔπειτα ὡς αὐτοὺς ἠνάγκαζον οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι δῃοῦντες τὴν γῆν, ἐς πόλεμον φανερὸν κατέστησαν.
Now the Melians are colonists of the Lacedaemonians, and they would not submit to the Athenians as the other islanders did, but at first remained quiet, being on neither side, and then, when the Athenians tried to force them by ravaging their country, they entered into open war.
§5.84.3στρατοπεδευσάμενοι οὖν ἐς τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν τῇ παρασκευῇ ταύτῃ οἱ στρατηγοὶ Κλεομήδης τε ὁ Λυκομήδους καὶ Τεισίας ὁ Τεισιμάχου, πρὶν ἀδικεῖν τι τῆς γῆς, λόγους πρῶτον ποιησομένους ἔπεμψαν πρέσβεις.
The generals, therefore, Cleomedes the son of Lycomedes and Tiasias the son of Tisimachus, having encamped in their territory with this force, sent ambassadors to hold a conference before doing any damage to the land.
οὓς οἱ Μήλιοι πρὸς μὲν τὸ πλῆθος οὐκ ἤγαγον, ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἀρχαῖς καὶ τοῖς ὀλίγοις λέγειν ἐκέλευον περὶ ὧν ἥκουσιν.
The Melians did not bring these before the commons, but bade them state the business on which they had come before the magistrates and the few.

Notes

  1. 5.84.1τὰ Λακεδαιμονίων φρονεῖν — The verb φρονέω with the neuter plural accusative (with article) expresses political or ideological alignment ('to side with', 'to favor the interests of'). Here it means 'to favor the Lacedaemonian cause.'
  2. 5.84.3λόγους ποιησομένους — Future active participle expressing purpose ('in order to hold a conference'), modifying the noun πρέσβεις (ambassadors). The phrase λόγους ποιοῦμαι is an idiomatic expression meaning 'to hold talks' or 'to negotiate.'
  3. 5.84.3πρὶν ἀδικεῖν τι τῆς γῆς — The conjunction πρίν is followed by an infinitive meaning 'before doing...'. The pronoun τι (accusative, 'anything') is the direct object of ἀδικεῖν, and τῆς γῆς ('of the land') is a partitive genitive, together meaning 'before doing any damage to their land.'

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §5.84.1-5.84.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.84.1-5.84.3

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