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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §6.51.1-6.51.3

Athenian Infiltration and Catana's Alliance

Passage 667 of 917 · Greek

Summary

While negotiations were ongoing at the assembly in Catana, Athenian soldiers secretly entered the city, causing the pro-Syracusan faction to flee and leading Catana to ally with Athens and receive their entire army.

§6.51.1καὶ ἐκκλησίας γενομένης τὴν μὲν στρατιὰν οὐκ ἐδέχοντο οἱ Καταναῖοι, τοὺς δὲ στρατηγοὺς ἐσελθόντας ἐκέλευον, εἴ τι βούλονται, εἰπεῖν.
And when an assembly was held, the Catanaeans did not receive the army, but they invited the generals, if they wished to say anything, to enter and speak.
καὶ λέγοντος τοῦ Ἀλκιβιάδου, καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει πρὸς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τετραμμένων, οἱ στρατιῶται πυλίδα τινὰ ἐνῳκοδομημένην κακῶς ἔλαθον διελόντες, καὶ ἐσελθόντες ἠγόραζον ἐς τὴν πόλιν. §6.51.2τῶν δὲ Καταναίων οἱ μὲν τὰ τῶν Συρακοσίων φρονοῦντες, ὡς εἶδον τὸ στράτευμα ἔνδον, εὐθὺς περιδεεῖς γενόμενοι ὑπεξῆλθον οὐ πολλοί τινες, οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι ἐψηφίσαντό τε ξυμμαχίαν τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις καὶ τὸ ἄλλο στράτευμα ἐκέλευον ἐκ Ῥηγίου κομίζειν. §6.51.3μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο διαπλεύσαντες οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐς τὸ Ῥήγιον, πάσῃ ἤδη τῇ στρατιᾷ ἄραντες ἐς τὴν Κατάνην, ἐπειδὴ ἀφίκοντο, κατεσκευάζοντο τὸ στρατόπεδον.
While Alcibiades was speaking, and those in the city were intent upon the assembly, the soldiers secretly broke through a small, poorly walled-up postern-gate, and entering the city, began to gather in the marketplace. Of the Catanaeans, those who favored the Syracusan interest, when they saw the army inside, were immediately seized with panic and secretly slipped away, though only a few; but the rest voted for an alliance with the Athenians and invited them to bring the rest of the army from Rhegium. After this, the Athenians sailed over to Rhegium, and now setting out with their entire army for Catana, when they arrived, they established their camp.

Notes

  1. §6.51.1ἔλαθον διελόντες — The verb ἔλαθον (aorist of λανθάνω, 'to escape notice') with the participle διελόντες (from διαιρέω, 'to tear down, break through') forms an idiomatic construction meaning 'they secretly broke through' or 'they broke through without being noticed.'
  2. §6.51.1ἠγόραζον — The imperfect form of the verb ἀγοράζω, which can mean 'to frequent the marketplace, lounge around' or 'to buy.' Here it describes the continuous state of the soldiers entering the city and occupying or gathering in the marketplace (agora), rather than merely making purchases.
  3. §6.51.3ἄραντες — The aorist active participle of αἴρω ('to lift, raise'), used intransitively in military and nautical contexts with the omission of objects like τὰς ναῦς ('ships') or τὸν στρατόν ('army'), meaning 'setting sail' or 'setting out.'

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §6.51.1-6.51.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.51.1-6.51.3

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