Humanitext Reader

Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §7.22.1-7.22.2

Joint Attack on Plemmyrium and Sea Battle at the Great Harbour

Passage 743 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Gylippus leads the land army while the Syracusan navy launches a coordinated attack from two harbors against the Athenian forts at Plemyrium, resulting in a fierce naval battle at the entrance of the Great Harbour.

§7.22.1ὁ δὲ Γύλιππος ἐπειδὴ παρεσκευάσατο τὸ ναυτικόν, ἀγαγὼν ὑπὸ νύκτα πᾶσαν τὴν στρατιὰν τὴν πεζὴν αὐτὸς μὲν τοῖς ἐν τῷ Πλημμυρίῳ τείχεσι κατὰ γῆν ἔμελλε προσβαλεῖν, αἱ δὲ τριήρεις τῶν Συρακοσίων ἅμα καὶ ἀπὸ ξυνθήματος πέντε μὲν καὶ τριάκοντα ἐκ τοῦ μεγάλου λιμένος ἐπέπλεον, αἱ δὲ πέντε καὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἐκ τοῦ ἐλάσσονος, οὗ ἦν καὶ τὸ νεώριον αὐτοῖς, [καὶ] περιέπλεον βουλόμενοι πρὸς τὰς ἐντὸς προσμεῖξαι καὶ ἅμα ἐπιπλεῖν τῷ Πλημμυρίῳ, ὅπως οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἀμφοτέρωθεν θορυβῶνται.
Gylippus, when he had prepared the navy, led the entire land army under cover of night, intending to make an attack by land himself against the forts on Plemyrium; at the same time, and by preconcerted signal, thirty-five triremes of the Syracusans sailed out from the Great Harbour, while forty-five sailed round from the Lesser Harbour, where their dockyard also was, wishing to join those inside and at the same time sail against Plemyrium, so that the Athenians might be thrown into confusion from both sides.
§7.22.2οἱ δ’ Ἀθηναῖοι διὰ τάχους ἀντιπληρώσαντες ἑξήκοντα ναῦς ταῖς μὲν πέντε καὶ εἴκοσι πρὸς τὰς πέντε καὶ τριάκοντα τῶν Συρακοσίων τὰς ἐν τῷ μεγάλῳ λιμένι ἐναυμάχουν, ταῖς δ’ ἐπιλοίποις ἀπήντων ἐπὶ τὰς ἐκ τοῦ νεωρίου περιπλεούσας.
The Athenians, hastily manning sixty ships in response, with twenty-five of them fought against the thirty-five Syracusan ships in the Great Harbour, and with the remainder went to meet those sailing round from the dockyard.
καὶ εὐθὺς πρὸ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ μεγάλου λιμένος ἐναυμάχουν, καὶ ἀντεῖχον ἀλλήλοις ἐπὶ πολύ, οἱ μὲν βιάσασθαι βουλόμενοι τὸν ἔσπλουν, οἱ δὲ κωλύειν.
And they immediately engaged in battle right in front of the mouth of the Great Harbour, and held out against each other for a long time, the one side wishing to force their entrance, and the other to prevent them.

Notes

  1. §7.22.1πρὸς τὰς ἐντὸς — Meaning "towards those inside." It refers to the thirty-five Syracusan ships that had sailed out from inside the Great Harbour (μέγας λιμήν). The forty-five ships sailing round from the Lesser Harbour aimed to join (προσμεῖξαι) them.
  2. §7.22.1ὅπως οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἀμφοτέρωθεν θορυβῶνται — A purpose clause. Although dependent on past indicative main verbs (ἔμελλε, ἐπέπλεον, περιέπλεον), the subjunctive mood (θορυβῶνται) is used instead of the optative. This retains the vividness of the original perspective (repraesentatio temporis).
  3. §7.22.2οἱ μὲν βιάσασθαι βουλόμενοι τὸν ἔσπλουν, οἱ δὲ κωλύειν — A contrastive structure led by the participle βουλόμενοι. The "entrance" (ἔσπλους) refers to the movement of the Syracusan ships sailing round from the Lesser Harbour into the Great Harbour. Thus, οἱ μὲν (the one side) refers to the Syracusans, and οἱ δὲ (the other side) to the Athenians trying to block them.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §7.22.1-7.22.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.22.1-7.22.2

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.