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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §6.103.1-6.103.4

Athenian Double Wall and Syracuse's Peace Overtures

Passage 719 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian forces combine their land and naval strength to build a double circumvallation wall against Syracuse, receiving supplies and new allies. Despairing of victory and suspecting internal betrayal, the Syracusans seek peace negotiations and replace their generals.

§6.103.1μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τροπαῖον ἔστησαν καὶ τοὺς νεκροὺς ὑποσπόνδους ἀπέδοσαν τοῖς Συρακοσίοις καὶ τοὺς μετὰ Λαμάχου καὶ αὐτὸν ἐκομίσαντο·
After this, the Athenians erected a trophy, restored the dead to the Syracusans under a truce, and recovered those who had fallen with Lamachus and Lamachus himself.
καὶ παρόντος ἤδη σφίσι παντὸς τοῦ στρατεύματος καὶ τοῦ ναυτικοῦ καὶ τοῦ πεζοῦ, ἀπὸ τῶν Ἐπιπολῶν καὶ τοῦ κρημνώδους ἀρξάμενοι ἀπετείχιζον μέχρι τῆς θαλάσσης τείχει διπλῷ τοὺς Συρακοσίους.
And since their entire army, both the fleet and the land forces, was now present with them, they began from Epipolae and the cliffs and proceeded to shut off the Syracusans with a double wall as far as the sea.
§6.103.2τὰ δ’ ἐπιτήδεια τῇ στρατιᾷ ἐσήγετο ἐκ τῆς Ἰταλίας πανταχόθεν.
Meanwhile, provisions for the army were brought in from all parts of Italy.
ἦλθον δὲ καὶ τῶν Σικελῶν πολλοὶ ξύμμαχοι τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις, οἳ πρότερον περιεωρῶντο, καὶ ἐκ τῆς Τυρσηνίας νῆες πεντηκόντοροι τρεῖς.
Many of the Sicels, who had previously stood aloof, also came to the Athenians as allies, as well as three fifty-oared ships from Tyrrhenia.
καὶ τἆλλα προυχώρει αὐτοῖς ἐς ἐλπίδας.
And other matters also progressed for them according to their hopes.
§6.103.3καὶ γὰρ οἱ Συρακόσιοι πολέμῳ μὲν οὐκέτι ἐνόμιζον ἂν περιγενέσθαι, ὡς αὐτοῖς οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τῆς Πελοποννήσου ὠφελία οὐδεμία ἧκε, τοὺς δὲ λόγους ἔν τε σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ἐποιοῦντο ξυμβατικοὺς καὶ πρὸς τὸν Νικίαν· οὗτος γὰρ δὴ μόνος εἶχε Λαμάχου τεθνεῶτος τὴν ἀρχήν.
For the Syracusans no longer expected that they would prevail in the war, since no aid came to them even from the Peloponnese; and they were making proposals for an agreement both among themselves and to Nicias, since he indeed alone held the command now that Lamachus was dead.
§6.103.4καὶ κύρωσις μὲν οὐδεμία ἐγίγνετο, οἷα δὲ εἰκὸς ἀνθρώπων ἀπορούντων καὶ μᾶλλον ἢ πρὶν πολιορκουμένων, πολλὰ ἐλέγετο πρός τε ἐκεῖνον καὶ πλείω ἔτι κατὰ τὴν πόλιν.
And though no decision was reached, yet, as is natural for men who are in difficulties and besieged more closely than before, many proposals were made to him, and still more were discussed in the city.
καὶ γάρ τινα καὶ ὑποψίαν ὑπὸ τῶν παρόντων κακῶν ἐς ἀλλήλους εἶχον, καὶ τοὺς στρατηγούς τε ἐφ᾽ ὧν αὐτοῖς ταῦτα ξυνέβη ἔπαυσαν, ὡς ἢ δυστυχίᾳ ἢ προδοσίᾳ τῇ ἐκείνων βλαπτόμενοι, καὶ ἄλλους ἀνθείλοντο, Ἡρακλείδην καὶ Εὐκλέα καὶ Τελλίαν.
For they also had some suspicion of one another because of their present misfortunes, and they dismissed the generals under whom these things had happened to them, believing that they were being harmed either by their bad luck or by their treachery, and chose others in their place, namely Heracleides, Eucles, and Tellias.

Notes

  1. §6.103.1τοὺς μετὰ Λαμάχου καὶ αὐτόν — τοὺς μετὰ Λαμάχου refers to "those with Lamachus" (the soldiers who fell alongside him), while αὐτόν refers to "himself" (Lamachus). This denotes the recovery of the bodies of the general Lamachus and the few Athenian soldiers who died with him in the preceding battle (ch. 101).
  2. §6.103.3ἂν περιγενέσθαι — An infinitive construction acting as the object of the verb ἐνόμιζον, accompanied by the particle ἂν. This represents a transition into indirect discourse from the direct ἂν περιγενοίμεθα (optative of potentiality: "we would prevail"), here expressing potentiality or future likelihood: "they would (no longer) prevail."
  3. §6.103.4οἷα δὲ εἰκὸς — οἷα is a neuter plural accusative used adverbially, forming a parenthetical phrase meaning "as is natural / expected in such circumstances." A copula (such as ἐστί) is omitted after εἰκός, and the following genitives (ἀνθρώπων ἀπορούντων...) depend on εἰκός, functioning like "typical of men who are in difficulties."

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §6.103.1-6.103.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.103.1-6.103.4

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