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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §7.37.1-7.37.3

Syracusan Combined Land and Sea Attack and Athenian Response

Passage 758 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Syracusans launch a coordinated land and sea attack based on their new tactical confidence, and the Athenians, though caught off guard and thrown into confusion, quickly organize their defenses and launch their fleet to counter the assault.

§7.37.1τοιαῦτα οἱ Συρακόσιοι πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἐπιστήμην τε καὶ δύναμιν ἐπινοήσαντες καὶ ἅμα τεθαρσηκότες μᾶλλον ἤδη ἀπὸ τῆς προτέρας ναυμαχίας, ἐπεχείρουν τῷ τε πεζῷ ἅμα καὶ ταῖς ναυσίν.
The Syracusans, having devised such plans in adaptation to their own skill and power, and at the same time having already become more confident from the former sea-fight, began their attack with both the land force and the ships at the same time.
§7.37.2καὶ τὸν μὲν πεζὸν ὀλίγῳ πρότερον τὸν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως Γύλιππος προεξαγαγὼν προσῆγε τῷ τείχει τῶν Ἀθηναίων, καθ’ ὅσον πρὸς τὴν πόλιν αὐτοῦ ἑώρα· καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ὀλυμπιείου, οἵ τε ὁπλῖται ὅσοι ἐκεῖ ἦσαν καὶ οἱ ἱππῆς καὶ ἡ γυμνητεία τῶν Συρακοσίων ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ θάτερα προσῄει τῷ τείχει· αἱ δὲ νῆες μετὰ τοῦτο εὐθὺς ἐπεξέπλεον τῶν Συρακοσίων καὶ ξυμμάχων.
And on one hand, Gylippus, having led out the land force from the city a little earlier, led them against the Athenian wall, at the part of it which looked towards the city; and those from the Olympieion, both all the hoplites who were there and the cavalry and the light-armed troops of the Syracusans, approached the wall from the other side; and on the other hand, the ships of the Syracusans and their allies sailed out immediately after this.
§7.37.3καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τὸ πρῶτον αὐτοὺς οἰόμενοι τῷ πεζῷ μόνῳ πειράσειν, ὁρῶντες δὲ καὶ τὰς ναῦς ἐπιφερομένας ἄφνω, ἐθορυβοῦντο, καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τὰ τείχη καὶ πρὸ τῶν τειχῶν τοῖς προσιοῦσιν ἀντιπαρετάσσοντο, οἱ δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ Ὀλυμπιείου καὶ τῶν ἔξω κατὰ τάχος χωροῦντας ἱππέας τε πολλοὺς καὶ ἀκοντιστὰς ἀντεπεξῇσαν, ἄλλοι δὲ τὰς ναῦς ἐπλήρουν καὶ ἅμα ἐπὶ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν παρεβοήθουν, καὶ ἐπειδὴ πλήρεις ἦσαν, ἀντανῆγον πέντε καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα ναῦς· καὶ τῶν Συρακοσίων ἦσαν ὀγδοήκοντα μάλιστα.
And the Athenians, at first thinking that they would make the attempt with the land force alone, but seeing also the ships suddenly bearing down upon them, were thrown into confusion; and some of them drew up in opposition to those who were approaching on the walls and in front of the walls, while others went out to oppose those from the Olympieion and the numerous cavalry and javelin-men who were advancing rapidly from outside, and others manned the ships and at the same time ran to support on the shore, and when they were fully manned, they launched seventy-five ships against them; and those of the Syracusans were about eighty.

Notes

  1. §7.37.1πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἐπιστήμην — The preposition πρός with the accusative here expresses conformity or adaptation ('in accordance with', 'suited to'), rather than purpose or physical direction.
  2. §7.37.2αὐτοῦ ἑώρα — The genitive pronoun αὐτοῦ is neuter singular, referring back to the Athenian wall (τῷ τείχει τῶν Ἀθηναίων). The verb ἑώρα (imperfect of ὁράω) is used intransitively here to mean 'faced' or 'looked towards', with the wall as its subject.
  3. §7.37.2οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ὀλυμπιείου — This phrase with the article is in apposition to the following οἵ τε ὁπλῖται... and οἱ ἱππῆς..., specifying the composition of the force from the Olympieion. The main verb προσῄει is singular either because it is attracted to the nearest singular subject (ἡ γυμνητεία) or because the collective subjects are treated as a single unit.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §7.37.1-7.37.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.37.1-7.37.3

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