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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §7.2.1-7.2.4

Gylippus Joins Syracuse and Advances on the Athenian Walls

Passage 723 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The arrival of the Corinthian ships and Gongylus's report hearten the Syracusans, who abort their assembly and march out to join Gylippus. Gylippus ascends Epipolae to approach the Athenian lines, which were on the verge of enclosing Syracuse completely.

§7.2.1οἱ δ’ ἐκ τῆς Λευκάδος Κορίνθιοι ταῖς τε ἄλλαις ναυσὶν ὡς εἶχον τάχους ἐβοήθουν καὶ Γογγύλος, εἷς τῶν Κορινθίων ἀρχόντων, μιᾷ νηὶ τελευταῖος ὁρμηθεὶς πρῶτος μὲν ἀφικνεῖται ἐς τὰς Συρακούσας, ὀλίγον δὲ πρὸ Γυλίππου, καὶ καταλαβὼν αὐτοὺς περὶ ἀπαλλαγῆς τοῦ πολέμου μέλλοντας ἐκκλησιάσειν διεκώλυσέ τε καὶ παρεθάρσυνε, λέγων ὅτι νῆές τε ἄλλαι ἔτι προσπλέουσι καὶ Γύλιππος ὁ Κλεανδρίδου Λακεδαιμονίων ἀποστειλάντων ἄρχων.
The Corinthians from Leucas were hastening to the rescue with their other ships as fast as they could, and Gongylus, one of the Corinthian commanders, who had set out last with a single ship, arrived first at Syracuse, shortly before Gylippus. Finding them on the point of holding an assembly to discuss the termination of the war, he prevented them and encouraged them, saying that other ships were still sailing to join them, and that Gylippus, the son of Cleandridas, was coming as commander, sent by the Lacedaemonians.
§7.2.2καὶ οἱ μὲν Συρακόσιοι ἐπερρώσθησάν τε καὶ τῷ Γυλίππῳ εὐθὺς πανστρατιᾷ ὡς ἀπαντησόμενοι ἐξῆλθον· ἤδη γὰρ καὶ ἐγγὺς ὄντα ᾐσθάνοντο αὐτόν.
And the Syracusans were heartened and immediately went out with their entire force to meet Gylippus, for they already perceived that he was near.
§7.2.3ὁ δὲ Ἰέτας τότε τι τεῖχος ἐν τῇ παρόδῳ τῶν Σικελῶν ἑλὼν καὶ ξυνταξάμενος ὡς ἐς μάχην ἀφικνεῖται ἐς τὰς Ἐπιπολάς· καὶ ἀναβὰς κατὰ τὸν Εὐρύηλον, ᾗπερ καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τὸ πρῶτον, ἐχώρει μετὰ τῶν Συρακοσίων ἐπὶ τὸ τείχισμα τῶν Ἀθηναίων.
Meanwhile, Gylippus, having captured Ietae, a fortress of the Sicels, on his way, and having marshaled his troops as if for battle, arrived at Epipolae; and ascending by Euryelus, just as the Athenians had done at first, he advanced with the Syracusans against the Athenian fortification.
§7.2.4ἔτυχε δὲ κατὰ τοῦτο τοῦ καιροῦ ἐλθὼν ἐν ᾧ ἑπτὰ μὲν ἢ ὀκτὼ σταδίων ἤδη ἀπετετέλεστο τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις ἐς τὸν μέγαν λιμένα διπλοῦν τεῖχος, πλὴν κατὰ βραχύ τι τὸ πρὸς τὴν θάλασσαν (τοῦτο δ’ ἔτι ᾠκοδόμουν), τῷ δὲ ἄλλῳ τοῦ κύκλου πρὸς τὸν Τρωγίλον ἐπὶ τὴν ἑτέραν θάλασσαν λίθοι τε παραβεβλημένοι τῷ πλέονι ἤδη ἦσαν, καὶ ἔστιν ἃ καὶ ἡμίεργα, τὰ δὲ καὶ ἐξειργασμένα κατελέλειπτο.
He happened to arrive at the very moment when a double wall of seven or eight stades had already been completed by the Athenians down to the Great Harbor, except for a small part near the sea, which they were still building; and as for the rest of the circle towards Trogilus on the other sea, stones had already been laid along the greater part of it, and some parts were left half-finished, while others were entirely completed.
παρὰ τοσοῦτον μὲν αἱ Συράκουσαι ἦλθον κινδύνου.
To such an extremity of danger did Syracuse come.

Notes

  1. 7.2.1ὡς εἶχον τάχους — An idiomatic expression combining the conjunction ὡς with the imperfect of ἔχω and the partitive genitive τάχους ("speed"), meaning "as fast as they could."
  2. 7.2.3Ἰέτας — The subject of ὁ δὲ is Gylippus. Ἰέτας is generally understood as the accusative plural of the proper noun referring to the Sicel fortress "Ietae," in apposition with or modifying τι τεῖχος ("a certain fortress").
  3. 7.2.4ἔτυχε ... ἐλθὼν — The verb τυγχάνω ("happen to") takes the supplementary participle ἐλθὼν ("having arrived"), meaning "he happened to arrive." In κατὰ τοῦτο τοῦ καιροῦ, καιροῦ is a partitive genitive depending on the demonstrative τοῦτο.
  4. 7.2.4ἔστιν ἃ — An idiomatic pronominal expression ("some things," "some parts") functioning here as a nominal subject. It contrasts with the subsequent τὰ δὲ to describe the state of completion of different sections of the wall.
  5. 7.2.4παρὰ τοσοῦτον ... κινδύνου — An idiomatic expression combining the preposition παρά with the accusative τοσοῦτον ("by so little") and the partitive genitive κινδύνου ("of danger"), meaning "Syracuse came within such a narrow margin of danger," i.e., "came to such an extremity of danger."

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §7.2.1-7.2.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.2.1-7.2.4

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