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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §6.67.1-6.67.3

Battle Formations and Beginning of Nicias' Speech

Passage 683 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenians and their allies draw up their army eight deep while the Syracusans prepare theirs sixteen deep, and Nicias begins to address his troops before the battle.

§6.67.1τῇ δ’ ὑστεραίᾳ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ οἱ ξύμμαχοι παρεσκευάζοντο ὡς ἐς μάχην, καὶ ξυνετάξαντο ὧδε.
On the following day, the Athenians and their allies prepared for battle and drew up their forces in the following manner.
δεξιὸν μὲν κέρας Ἀργεῖοι εἶχον καὶ Μαντινῆς, Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ τὸ μέσον, τὸ δὲ ἄλλο οἱ ξύμμαχοι οἱ ἄλλοι.
The Argives and Mantineans held the right wing, the Athenians the center, and the rest of the allies the other part.
καὶ τὸ μὲν ἥμισυ αὐτοῖς τοῦ στρατεύματος ἐν τῷ πρόσθεν ἦν τεταγμένον ἐπὶ ὀκτώ, τὸ δὲ ἥμισυ ἐπὶ ταῖς εὐναῖς ἐν πλαισίῳ, ἐπὶ ὀκτὼ καὶ τοῦτο τεταγμένον· οἷς εἴρητο, ᾗ ἂν τοῦ στρατεύματός τι πονῇ μάλιστα, ἐφορῶντας παραγίγνεσθαι.
Half of their army was drawn up in the front, eight deep, while the other half was posted near their sleeping-places in a hollow square, also drawn up eight deep; these latter had orders to watch and bring assistance wherever any part of the army might be hardest pressed.
καὶ τοὺς σκευοφόρους ἐντὸς τούτων τῶν ἐπιτάκτων ἐποιήσαντο.
And they placed the baggage-carriers inside these reserves.
§6.67.2οἱ δὲ Συρακόσιοι ἔταξαν τοὺς μὲν ὁπλίτας πάντας ἐφ’ ἑκκαίδεκα, ὄντας πανδημεὶ Συρακοσίους καὶ ὅσοι ξύμμαχοι παρῆσαν (ἐβοήθησαν δὲ αὐτοῖς Σελινούντιοι μὲν μάλιστα, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ Γελῴων ἱππῆς, τὸ ξύμπαν ἐς διακοσίους, καὶ Καμαριναίων ἱππῆς ὅσον εἴκοσι καὶ τοξόται ὡς πεντήκοντα), τοὺς δὲ ἱππέας ἐπετάξαντο ἐπὶ τῷ δεξιῷ, οὐκ ἔλασσον ὄντας ἢ διακοσίους καὶ χιλίους, παρὰ δ’ αὐτοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἀκοντιστάς.
The Syracusans drew up all their hoplites sixteen deep, consisting of the whole force of the Syracusans and all the allies who were present (the Selinuntines had come to their aid in the greatest numbers, and after them the Gelaean cavalry, about two hundred in all, and about twenty Camarinaean cavalry with about fifty archers); and they posted their cavalry, numbering no fewer than twelve hundred, on the right wing, and beside them the darters.
§6.67.3μέλλουσι δὲ τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις προτέροις ἐπιχειρήσειν ὁ Νικίας κατά τε ἔθνη ἐπιπαριὼν ἕκαστα καὶ ξύμπασι τοιάδε παρεκελεύετο.
When the Athenians were about to make the first attack, Nicias went along the lines, addressing each nation separately and all of them together as follows.

Notes

  1. 6.67.1ἐπὶ ὀκτώ — "eight deep". The preposition ἐπί with the genitive case is an idiomatic military expression indicating the depth of a line of battle (number of ranks). The same construction appears in section 2 with ἐφ’ ἑκκαίδεκα ("sixteen deep").
  2. 6.67.1οἷς εἴρητο... ἐφορῶντας παραγίγνεσθαι — εἴρητο ("it had been ordered") is an impersonal passive verb. Although the recipients of the command are indicated by the dative relative pronoun οἷς ("to whom"), the subject of the following infinitive παραγίγνεσθαι ("to come to assistance") is expressed by the accusative participle ἐφορῶντας ("watching") rather than the expected dative. This is an instance where the general tendency of the accusative-and-infinitive construction overrides the attraction of the preceding dative.
  3. 6.67.3μέλλουσι δὲ τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις προτέροις ἐπιχειρήσειν — The dative noun phrase τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις and the present participle μέλλουσι ("when the Athenians were about to...") might at first glance resemble a "dative absolute" construction independent of the main clause, but grammatically it functions as the indirect object of the main verb παρεκελεύετο ("addressed", "encouraged").

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §6.67.1-6.67.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.67.1-6.67.3

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