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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §6.26.1-6.26.2

Granting Full Powers to Generals and Preparations

Passage 642 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian assembly votes to grant the generals full powers over the expedition, and preparations proceed rapidly as Athens has recovered its population and financial resources during the peace.

§6.26.1ἀκούσαντες δ’ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐψηφίσαντο εὐθὺς αὐτοκράτορας εἶναι καὶ περὶ στρατιᾶς πλήθους καὶ περὶ τοῦ παντὸς πλοῦ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς πράσσειν ᾗ ἂν αὐτοῖς δοκῇ ἄριστα εἶναι [Ἀθηναίοις ].
On hearing this, the Athenians immediately voted that the generals should have full powers both in regard to the size of the army and in regard to the whole voyage, to act in whatever way seemed best to them [for the Athenians].
§6.26.2καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἡ παρασκευὴ ἐγίγνετο, καὶ ἔς τε τοὺς ξυμμάχους ἔπεμπον καὶ αὐτόθεν καταλόγους ἐποιοῦντο, ἄρτι δ’ ἀνειλήφει ἡ πόλις ἑαυτὴν ἀπὸ τῆς νόσου καὶ τοῦ ξυνεχοῦς πολέμου ἔς τε ἡλικίας πλῆθος ἐπιγεγενημένης καὶ ἐς χρημάτων ἅθροισιν διὰ τὴν ἐκεχειρίαν, ὥστε ῥᾷον πάντα ἐπορίζετο.
And after this the preparation was being made; they both sent to the allies and made levies at home. The city had just recovered itself from the plague and the continuous war, both in respect of the number of young men who had grown up and in respect of the accumulation of money because of the truce, so that everything was provided more easily.
καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐν παρασκευῇ ἦσαν.
And they indeed were in preparation.

Notes

  1. §6.26.1τοὺς στρατηγοὺς — The accusative `τοὺς στρατηγοὺς` is the common subject of the infinitives `εἶναι` and `πράσσειν`. Accordingly, the predicate `αὐτοκράτορας` is also in the accusative plural to agree with it.
  2. §6.26.1[Ἀθηναίοις] — The bracketed `[Ἀθηναίοις]` is a variant reading often suspected of being a later gloss and thus deleted. If retained, it is interpreted as "for the Athenians" to clarify or contrast with `αὐτοῖς` (them, i.e., the generals) in the phrase `ᾗ ἂν αὐτοῖς δοκῇ` ("as should seem best to them").
  3. §6.26.2ἐπιγεγενημένης — The perfect participle `ἐπιγεγενημένης` (genitive feminine singular) modifies `ἡλικίας` ("military age" or "youth of military age"), meaning "having grown up/accumulated additionally" during the peace, forming the noun phrase introduced by the preposition `ἐς`.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §6.26.1-6.26.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.26.1-6.26.2

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