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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §7.41.1-7.41.4

Athenian Retreat Behind Merchant Ships and Syracusan Triumph

Passage 762 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Syracusans win the naval battle, forcing the Athenians to retreat behind their defensive barrier of merchant ships. The Syracusans erect trophies and grow confident of their superiority at sea and prospects on land.

§7.41.1τέλος δὲ τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ κατὰ κράτος ναυμαχοῦντες οἱ Συρακόσιοι ἐνίκησαν, καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τραπόμενοι διὰ τῶν ὁλκάδων τὴν κατάφευξιν ἐποιοῦντο ἐς τὸν ἑαυτῶν ὅρμον.
At last, fighting with all their might in this manner, the Syracusans won the victory, and the Athenians, having turned to flight, made their escape through the merchantmen into their own anchorage.
§7.41.2αἱ δὲ τῶν Συρακοσίων νῆες μέχρι μὲν τῶν ὁλκάδων ἐπεδίωκον· ἔπειτα αὐτοὺς αἱ κεραῖαι ὑπὲρ τῶν ἔσπλων αἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ὁλκάδων δελφινοφόροι ἠρμέναι ἐκώλυον.
The Syracusan ships pursued them as far as the merchantmen; but then they were prevented from going further by the dolphin-bearing yards which were raised from the merchantmen over the passages between them.
§7.41.3δύο δὲ νῆες τῶν Συρακοσίων ἐπαιρόμεναι τῇ νίκῃ προσέμειξαν αὐτῶν ἐγγὺς καὶ διεφθάρησαν, καὶ ἡ ἑτέρα αὐτοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἑάλω.
But two Syracusan ships, elated by the victory, approached close to them and were destroyed, and one of them was captured together with its crew.
§7.41.4καταδύσαντες δ’ οἱ Συρακόσιοι τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἑπτὰ ναῦς καὶ κατατραυματίσαντες πολλὰς ἄνδρας τε τοὺς μὲν πολλοὺς ζωγρήσαντες, τοὺς δὲ ἀποκτείναντες ἀπεχώρησαν, καὶ τροπαῖά τε ἀμφοτέρων τῶν ναυμαχιῶν ἔστησαν, καὶ τὴν ἐλπίδα ἤδη ἐχυρὰν εἶχον ταῖς μὲν ναυσὶ καὶ πολὺ κρείσσους εἶναι, ἐδόκουν δὲ καὶ τὸν πεζὸν χειρώσεσθαι.
The Syracusans, having sunk seven Athenian ships and damaged many others, and having taken many of the men alive and killed others, withdrew; and they erected trophies for both the sea-fights, and now held a firm hope that they were far superior with their fleet, and they believed that they would also defeat the land-forces.

Notes

  1. §7.41.2ἠρμέναι — Perfect passive participle, nominative feminine plural, from the verb ἀείρω (to raise, lift), modifying the subject αἱ κεραῖαι. It means '(yards) raised' or 'suspended (from the merchantmen).'
  2. §7.41.3αὐτοῖς ἀνδράσιν — Dative of accompaniment or association with the pronoun αὐτός. The phrase αὐτοῖς ἀνδράσιν is an idiomatic expression meaning 'men and all' or 'together with their crews,' where the preposition σύν is omitted.
  3. §7.41.4ταῖς μὲν ναυσὶ καὶ πολὺ κρείσσους εἶναι — The infinitive εἶναι depends on τὴν ἐλπίδα εἶχον. Since the subject of the infinitive is the same as that of the main clause (the Syracusans), the predicate adjective κρείσσους (contracted nominative plural of κρείσσονες) is in the nominative, not the accusative. ταῖς ναυσὶ is a dative of respect ('with respect to their ships/fleet').

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §7.41.1-7.41.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.41.1-7.41.4

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