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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §7.35.1-7.35.2

Athenian Reinforcements Advance and Arrive at Petra

Passage 756 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Demosthenes and Eurymedon, after obtaining reinforcements from Thurii, march by land but are refused passage by the Crotoniats, prompting them to embark their army and sail to Petra in Rhegian territory.

§7.35.1ὁ δὲ Δημοσθένης καὶ Εὐρυμέδων, ἐπειδὴ ξυστρατεύειν αὐτοῖς οἱ Θούριοι παρεσκευάσθησαν ἑπτακοσίοις μὲν ὁπλίταις, τριακοσίοις δὲ ἀκοντισταῖς, τὰς μὲν ναῦς παραπλεῖν ἐκέλευον ἐπὶ τῆς Κροτωνιάτιδος, αὐτοὶ δὲ τὸν πεζὸν πάντα ἐξετάσαντες πρῶτον ἐπὶ τῷ Συβάρει ποταμῷ ἦγον διὰ τῆς Θουριάδος γῆς.
Demosthenes and Eurymedon, when the Thurians had made ready to join them in the campaign with seven hundred hoplites and three hundred javelin-throwers, ordered the ships to sail along the coast of the territory of Croton, while they themselves, having first reviewed the entire land force at the river Sybaris, led them through the Thurian territory.
§7.35.2καὶ ὡς ἐγένοντο ἐπὶ τῷ Ὑλίᾳ ποταμῷ καὶ αὐτοῖς οἱ Κροτωνιᾶται προσπέμψαντες εἶπον οὐκ ἂν σφίσι βουλομένοις εἶναι διὰ τῆς γῆς σφῶν τὸν στρατὸν ἰέναι, ἐπικαταβάντες ηὐλίσαντο πρὸς τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ τὴν ἐκβολὴν τοῦ Ὑλίου· καὶ αἱ νῆες αὐτοῖς ἐς τὸ αὐτὸ ἀπήντων.
And when they arrived at the river Hylias and the Crotoniats sent a message to them saying that it would not be according to their wish for the army to pass through their territory, they marched down and encamped near the sea and the mouth of the Hylias; and the ships met them at the same place.
τῇ δ’ ὑστεραίᾳ ἀναβιβασάμενοι παρέπλεον, ἴσχοντες πρὸς ταῖς πόλεσι πλὴν Λοκρῶν, ἕως ἀφίκοντο ἐπὶ Πέτραν τῆς Ῥηγίνης.
On the following day, having embarked their forces, they sailed along the coast, touching at the cities, except that of the Locrians, until they arrived at Petra in the territory of Rhegium.

Notes

  1. 7.35.1ἑπτακοσίοις μὲν ὁπλίταις, τριακοσίοις δὲ ἀκοντισταῖς — Dative of military accompaniment.
  2. 7.35.2οὐκ ἂν σφίσι βουλομένοις εἶναι — An idiomatic construction of εἰμί with a dative and the participle βουλόμενος, meaning 'to be in accordance with one's wish'. In indirect discourse, οὐκ ἂν ... εἶναι represents an original optative with ἄν (οὐκ ἂν ... εἴη), expressing a conditional potentiality.
  3. 7.35.2ἀναβιβασάμενοι — A middle participle from the verb ἀναβιβάζω, meaning 'having embarked' (transitive here, referring to making the land forces embark).

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §7.35.1-7.35.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.35.1-7.35.2

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