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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §7.7.1-7.7.4

Arrival of Allied Ships and Syracusan Calls for Reinforcements

Passage 728 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The remaining ships from Corinth and other cities slip past the Athenian guard to reach Syracuse and help complete the wall. Gylippus and Syracusan embassies seek further reinforcements from Sicily and the Peloponnese, while the Syracusans prepare their navy.

§7.7.1μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο αἵ τε τῶν Κορινθίων νῆες καὶ Ἀμπρακιωτῶν καὶ Λευκαδίων ἐσέπλευσαν αἱ ὑπόλοιποι δώδεκα, λαθοῦσαι τὴν τῶν Ἀθηναίων φυλακήν (ἦρχε δ’ αὐτῶν Ἐρασινίδης Κορίνθιος), καὶ ξυνετείχισαν τὸ λοιπὸν τοῖς Συρακοσίοις μέχρι τοῦ ἐγκαρσίου τείχους.
After this, the remaining twelve ships of the Corinthians, Ambraciots, and Leucadians sailed in, eluding the guard of the Athenians (Erasinides, a Corinthian, was in command of them), and they helped the Syracusans build the rest of the wall as far as the cross-wall.
§7.7.2καὶ ὁ Γύλιππος ἐς τὴν ἄλλην Σικελίαν ἐπὶ στρατιάν τε ᾤχετο, καὶ ναυτικὴν καὶ πεζὴν ξυλλέξων, καὶ τῶν πόλεων ἅμα προσαξόμενος εἴ τις ἢ μὴ πρόθυμος ἦν ἢ παντάπασιν ἔτι ἀφειστήκει τοῦ πολέμου.
Gylippus also went to the rest of Sicily to collect both land and naval forces, and at the same time to win over any of the cities that were either not zealous or had hitherto stood aloof entirely from the war.
§7.7.3πρέσβεις τε ἄλλοι τῶν Συρακοσίων καὶ Κορινθίων ἐς Λακεδαίμονα καὶ Κόρινθον ἀπεστάλησαν, ὅπως στρατιὰ ἔτι περαιωθῇ τρόπῳ ᾧ ἂν ἐν ὁλκάσιν ἢ πλοίοις ἢ ἄλλως ὅπως ἂν προχωρῇ, ὡς καὶ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἐπιμεταπεμπομένων.
Other ambassadors from the Syracusans and Corinthians were dispatched to Lacedaemon and Corinth, so that a further force might be transported in whatever way possible, whether in merchantmen or boats or in any other manner that might succeed, as the Athenians also were sending for reinforcements.
§7.7.4οἵ τε Συρακόσιοι ναυτικὸν ἐπλήρουν καὶ ἀνεπειρῶντο ὡς καὶ τούτῳ ἐπιχειρήσοντες, καὶ ἐς τἆλλα πολὺ ἐπέρρωντο.
And the Syracusans manned their fleet and trained, with the intention of making an attempt in this quarter also, and in other respects they were greatly encouraged.

Notes

  1. §7.7.1λαθοῦσαι — The aorist active participle (nominative feminine plural) of the verb λανθάνω, agreeing with the subject of the main clause, 'ships' (νῆες). It takes the accusative object φυλακήν and expresses the idea of 'eluding' or 'escaping the notice of' the Athenian guard.
  2. §7.7.2ξυλλέξων ... προσαξόμενος — Future participles of ξυλλέγω (to collect) and προσάγω (to bring over / win over) respectively, used with the main verb of motion ᾤχετο (went) to express purpose ('in order to...').
  3. §7.7.3ὡς καὶ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἐπιμεταπεμπομένων — A genitive absolute construction introduced by ὡς, which expresses a subjective reason or pretext ('on the ground that...', 'seeing that...'). Here, it indicates that the Athenians were also sending for reinforcements (ἐπιμεταπέμπω), which motivated the Syracusans and Corinthians to dispatch their own embassies to secure prompt aid.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §7.7.1-7.7.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.7.1-7.7.4

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