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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §7.1.1-7.1.5

Gylippus's Landing at Himera and Gathering of Allies

Passage 722 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Gylippus and his fleet, learning that Syracuse is not yet completely blockaded, decide to sail to Himera. Having evaded the Athenian naval guard, Gylippus arrives at Himera, where he rallies the Himeraeans, Sicels, and other allies, and begins his march toward Syracuse by land.

§7.1.1ὁ δὲ Γύλιππος καὶ ὁ Πυθὴν ἐκ τοῦ Τάραντος, ἐπεὶ ἐπεσκεύασαν τὰς ναῦς, παρέπλευσαν ἐς Λοκροὺς τοὺς Ἐπιζεφυρίους·
Gylippus and Pythen, after refitting their ships, sailed from Tarentum along the coast to Epizephyrian Locri.
καὶ πυνθανόμενοι σαφέστερον ἤδη ὅτι οὐ παντελῶς πω ἀποτετειχισμέναι αἱ Συράκουσαί εἰσιν, ἀλλ’ ἔτι οἷόν τε κατὰ τὰς Ἐπιπολὰς στρατιᾷ ἀφικομένους ἐσελθεῖν, ἐβουλεύοντο εἴτ’ ἐν δεξιᾷ λαβόντες τὴν Σικελίαν διακινδυνεύσωσιν ἐσπλεῦσαι, εἴτ’ ἐν ἀριστερᾷ ἐς Ἱμέραν πρῶτον πλεύσαντες καὶ αὐτούς τε ἐκείνους καὶ στρατιὰν ἄλλην προσλαβόντες, οὓς ἂν πείθωσι, κατὰ γῆν ἔλθωσιν.
Having now received more definite information that Syracuse was not yet completely walled off, but that it was still possible to enter by coming with an army via Epipolae, they consulted whether they should run the risk of sailing in, keeping Sicily on their right, or keep it on their left and sail first to Himera, and then, after taking with them both the Himeraeans themselves and any other forces they could persuade, proceed by land.
§7.1.2καὶ ἔδοξεν αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς Ἱμέρας πλεῖν, ἄλλως τε καὶ τῶν Ἀττικῶν τεσσάρων νεῶν οὔπω παρουσῶν ἐν τῷ Ῥηγίῳ, ἃς ὁ Νικίας ὅμως πυνθανόμενος αὐτοὺς ἐν Λοκροῖς εἶναι ἀπέστειλεν.
And they decided to sail to Himera, especially as the four Athenian ships had not yet arrived at Rhegium, which Nicias, although hearing that they were at Locri, had nevertheless sent.
φθάσαντες δὲ τὴν φυλακὴν ταύτην περαιοῦνται διὰ τοῦ πορθμοῦ, καὶ σχόντες Ῥηγίῳ καὶ Μεσσήνῃ ἀφικνοῦνται ἐς Ἱμέραν.
Anticipating this guard, they crossed the strait and, after touching at Rhegium and Messene, arrived at Himera.
§7.1.3ἐκεῖ δὲ ὄντες τούς τε Ἱμεραίους ἔπεισαν ξυμπολεμεῖν καὶ αὐτούς τε ἕπεσθαι καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τῶν νεῶν τῶν σφετέρων ναύταις ὅσοι μὴ εἶχον ὅπλα παρασχεῖν (τὰς γὰρ ναῦς ἀνείλκυσαν ἐν Ἱμέρᾳ), καὶ τοὺς Σελινουντίους πέμψαντες ἐκέλευον ἀπαντᾶν πανστρατιᾷ ἔς τι χωρίον.
While there, they persuaded the Himeraeans to join them in the war, and not only to follow them themselves, but also to provide arms for those of their own sailors from the ships who had none (for they had hauled up their ships at Himera); they also sent to the Selinuntians, ordering them to meet them at a certain place with all their forces.
§7.1.4πέμψειν δέ τινα αὐτοῖς ὑπέσχοντο στρατιὰν οὐ πολλὴν καὶ οἱ Γελῷοι καὶ τῶν Σικελῶν τινές, οἳ πολὺ προθυμότερον προσχωρεῖν ἑτοῖμοι ἦσαν τοῦ τε Ἀρχωνίδου νεωστὶ τεθνηκότος, ὃς τῶν ταύτῃ Σικελῶν βασιλεύων τινῶν καὶ ὢν οὐκ ἀδύνατος τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις φίλος ἦν,καὶ τοῦ Γυλίππου ἐκ Λακεδαίμονος προθύμως δοκοῦντος ἥκειν.
The Geloans also, and some of the Sicels, promised to send them a small force; the latter were ready to join them much more zealously both because of the recent death of Archonides, who, ruling over some of the Sicels in those parts and being a man of influence, had been a friend of the Athenians, and because Gylippus seemed to have come from Lacedaemon with great enthusiasm.
§7.1.5καὶ ὁ μὲν Γύλιππος ἀναλαβὼν τῶν τε σφετέρων ναυτῶν καὶ ἐπιβατῶν τοὺς ὡπλισμένους ἑπτακοσίους μάλιστα, Ἱμεραίους δὲ ὁπλίτας καὶ ψιλοὺς ξυναμφοτέρους χιλίους καὶ ἱππέας ἑκατὸν καὶ Σελινουντίων τέ τινας ψιλοὺς καὶ ἱππέας καὶ Γελῴων ὀλίγους, Σικελῶν τε ἐς χιλίους τοὺς πάντας, ἐχώρει πρὸς τὰς Συρακούσας·
And Gylippus, taking with him about seven hundred of his own sailors and marines who were armed, and of Himeraean hoplites and light-armed troops together one thousand, with one hundred cavalry, and some light-armed troops and cavalry of the Selinuntians, a few Geloans, and of the Sicels in all about one thousand, marched towards Syracuse.

Notes

  1. §7.1.1ἐν δεξιᾷ λαβόντες τὴν Σικελίαν — To take Sicily 'on the right' refers to the route sailing south along the eastern coast of Sicily (the Ionian Sea) directly to Syracuse, whereas taking it 'on the left' (ἐν ἀριστερᾷ) means sailing west along the northern coast (the Tyrrhenian Sea) toward Himera.
  2. §7.1.2ἃς ὁ Νικίας ὅμως πυνθανόμενος αὐτοὺς ἐν Λοκροῖς εἶναι ἀπέστειλεν — The adverb `ὅμως` (nevertheless) qualifies the participle `πυνθανόμενος`, emphasizing that Nicias sent the ships despite having already received the news that Gylippus and his men were at Locri—highlighting the belatedness and hesitation of his decision.
  3. §7.1.3καὶ αὐτούς τε ἕπεσθαι καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τῶν νεῶν τῶν σφετέρων ναύταις ὅσοι μὴ εἶχον ὅπλα παρασχεῖν — An infinitive construction governed by `ἔπεισαν`. `αὐτούς` (referring to the Himeraeans themselves) is the accusative subject of `ἕπεσθαι`. The Himeraeans are also the implied subject of the coordinate infinitive `παρασχεῖν`, where `τοῖς... ναύταις` acts as the dative indirect object to whom they are to provide arms (the omitted direct object).
  4. §7.1.4τοῦ τε Ἀρχωνίδου νεωστὶ τεθνηκότος... καὶ τοῦ Γυλίππου... δοκοῦντος ἥκειν — Two genitive absolute clauses expressing cause are coordinated by `τε... καί`, explaining the reasons why the Sicels were ready to join them with much greater zeal (`προθυμότερον προσχωρεῖν ἑτοῖμοι ἦσαν`).

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §7.1.1-7.1.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.1.1-7.1.5

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