Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §6.45.1

Syracusan Preparations for War on News of the Fleet

Passage 661 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Receiving definite reports of the Athenian fleet's arrival at Rhegium, the Syracusans cease to doubt and begin full preparations, dispatching guards and envoys to the Sicels, garrisoning forts, and inspecting their military readiness.

§6.45.1τοῖς δὲ Συρακοσίοις ἐν τούτῳ πολλαχόθεν τε ἤδη καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν κατασκόπων σαφῆ ἠγγέλλετο ὅτι ἐν Ῥηγίῳ αἱ νῆές εἰσι, καὶ ὡς ἐπὶ τούτοις παρεσκευάζοντο πάσῃ τῇ γνώμῃ καὶ οὐκέτι ἠπίστουν.

Meanwhile, definite reports reached the Syracusans from many quarters and from their own scouts that the ships were at Rhegium; and so they prepared themselves with the utmost resolve in anticipation of this, and no longer disbelieved it.

καὶ ἔς τε τοὺς Σικελοὺς περιέπεμπον, ἔνθα μὲν φύλακας, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς πρέσβεις, καὶ ἐς τὰ περιπόλια τὰ ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ φρουρὰς ἐσεκόμιζον, τά τε ἐν τῇ πόλει ὅπλων ἐξετάσει καὶ ἵππων ἐσκόπουν εἰ ἐντελῆ ἐστί, καὶ τἆλλα ὡς ἐπὶ ταχεῖ πολέμῳ καὶ ὅσον οὐ παρόντι καθίσταντο.

They sent round to the Sicels, dispatching guards to some places and envoys to others; they also introduced garrisons into the forts in their territory, inspected the arms and horses in the city to see if they were complete, and in all other respects set things in order as for a war that was swift and almost present.

Notes

6.45.1ἔνθα μὲν φύλακας, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς πρέσβεις — The verb περιέπεμπον ("sent round") is understood in these coordinate clauses. The phrase ἔνθα μὲν ("to some places") is contrasted with πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ("and to others"), where τοὺς functions as a demonstrative pronoun. The structure means "sending guards to some places, and envoys to other people."
6.45.1ὡς ἐπὶ ταχεῖ πολέμῳ — The preposition ἐπί with the dative case expresses expectation or preparation, and when combined with the conjunction ὡς ("as if", "on the assumption that"), it forms an adverbial phrase meaning "in anticipation of a swift war" or "as though preparing for a sudden war."
6.45.1ὅσον οὐ — The phrase ὅσον οὐ (literally "as much as not") is an idiomatic adverbial expression meaning "almost" or "all but", here modifying the participle παρόντι ("present" or "imminent").

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §6.45.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.45.1

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