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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §7.59.1-7.59.3

Syracusans Blockade the Great Harbour to Trap the Athenians

Passage 780 of 917 · Greek

Summary

With all reinforcements having arrived for both sides, the Syracusans resolve to achieve a complete victory by trapping the entire Athenian army, and they immediately begin large-scale preparations, starting with blocking the entrance of the Great Harbour.

§7.59.1καὶ αἱ μὲν ἑκατέρων ἐπικουρίαι τοσαίδε ξυνελέγησαν, καὶ τότε ἤδη πᾶσαι ἀμφοτέροις παρῆσαν καὶ οὐκέτι οὐδὲν οὐδετέροις ἐπῆλθεν.
Thus the auxiliary forces of both sides were assembled in such numbers, and by this time all of them were already present for both, and no further reinforcements came to either side.
§7.59.2οἱ δ’ οὖν Συρακόσιοι καὶ οἱ ξύμμαχοι εἰκότως ἐνόμισαν καλὸν ἀγώνισμα σφίσιν εἶναι ἐπὶ τῇ γεγενημένῃ νίκῃ τῆς ναυμαχίας ἑλεῖν τε τὸ στρατόπεδον ἅπαν τῶν Ἀθηναίων τοσοῦτον ὄν, καὶ μηδὲ καθ’ ἕτερα αὐτούς, μήτε διὰ θαλάσσης μήτε τῷ πεζῷ, διαφυγεῖν.
So the Syracusans and their allies reasonably thought that, in addition to the victory they had won in the sea-fight, it would be a glorious achievement for them to capture the entire armament of the Athenians, great as it was, and not to let them escape in either way, neither by sea nor by land.
§7.59.3ἔκλῃον οὖν τόν τε λιμένα εὐθὺς τὸν μέγαν, ἔχοντα τὸ στόμα ὀκτὼ σταδίων μάλιστα, τριήρεσι πλαγίαις καὶ πλοίοις καὶ ἀκάτοις ἐπ’ ἀγκυρῶν ὁρμίζοντες, καὶ τἆλλα, ἢν ἔτι ναυμαχεῖν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τολμήσωσι, παρεσκευάζοντο, καὶ ὀλίγον οὐδὲν ἐς οὐδὲν ἐπενόουν.
They therefore immediately began to block up the Great Harbour, which had an entrance of about eight stades, by anchoring triremes broadside on, along with merchantmen and boats, and made other preparations in case the Athenians should still venture to fight at sea; indeed, they planned nothing on a small scale in any respect.

Notes

  1. 7.59.2ἐπὶ τῇ γεγενημένῃ νίκῃ — The preposition ἐπί with the dative. While it could express the basis or cause ("on the strength of the victory won"), in this context it is best understood as "in addition to" (similar to πρός). It highlights the Syracusans' ambition to add the capture of the entire Athenian army to their existing naval victory.
  2. 7.59.2ἑλεῖν τε ... καὶ μηδὲ ... διαφυγεῖν — Both infinitives depend on the main verb ἐνόμισαν and the accusative-infinitive construction (καλὸν ἀγώνισμα σφίσιν εἶναι), but they have different subject accusatives. The implied subject of the first infinitive ἑλεῖν (to capture) is the Syracusans and their allies (implied by σφίσιν), whereas the subject of the second infinitive διαφυγεῖν (to escape) is the explicitly expressed accusative αὐτούς (the Athenians).
  3. 7.59.3ὀλίγον οὐδὲν ἐς οὐδὲν ἐπενόουν — An emphatic expression utilizing multiple negatives. The phrase ὀλίγον οὐδέν (nothing small) combined with the prepositional phrase ἐς οὐδέν (in any respect / toward nothing) means 'they planned nothing on a small scale in any of their designs' (i.e., they conceived grand plans for everything).

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §7.59.1-7.59.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.59.1-7.59.3

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