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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §8.10.1-8.10.4

Athenian pursuit of the Peloponnesian fleet to Speiraeum

Passage 818 of 917 · Greek

Summary

During the Isthmian games, the Athenians discovered the designs of the Chians, and after the festival, they pursued the Peloponnesian fleet, cornering them at the Corinthian harbor of Speiraeum and inflicting heavy damage.

§8.10.1ἐν δὲ τούτῳ τὰ Ἴσθμια ἐγίγνετο, καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι (ἐπηγγέλθησαν γάρ) ἐθεώρουν ἐς αὐτά, καὶ κατάδηλα μᾶλλον αὐτοῖς τὰ τῶν Χίων ἐφάνη.
In the meantime, the Isthmian games were being held, and the Athenians, since the truce had been officially announced, sent deputies to attend them, and the designs of the Chians became more clearly apparent to them.
καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἀνεχώρησαν, παρεσκευάζοντο εὐθὺς ὅπως μὴ λήσουσιν αὐτοὺς αἱ νῆες ἐκ τῶν Κεγχρειῶν ἀφορμηθεῖσαι.
When they returned, they immediately prepared themselves so that the ships sailing from Cenchreae should not escape their notice.
§8.10.2οἱ δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἑορτὴν ἀνήγοντο μιᾷ καὶ εἴκοσι ναυσὶν ἐς τὴν Χίον, ἄρχοντα Ἀλκαμένη ἔχοντες.
After the festival, the Peloponnesians put to sea with twenty-one ships for Chios, having Alcamenes as their commander.
καὶ αὐτοῖς οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τὸ πρῶτον ἴσαις ναυσὶ προσπλεύσαντες ὑπῆγον ἐς τὸ πέλαγος.
The Athenians first sailed against them with an equal number of ships, trying to draw them out into the open sea.
ὡς δ’ ἐπὶ πολὺ οὐκ ἐπηκολούθησαν οἱ Πελοποννήσιοι, ἀλλ’ ἀπετράποντο, ἐπανεχώρησαν καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι· τὰς γὰρ τῶν Χίων ἑπτὰ ναῦς ἐν τῷ ἀριθμῷ μετὰ σφῶν ἔχοντες οὐ πιστὰς ἐνόμιζον,
But when the Peloponnesians did not follow them far, but turned back, the Athenians also withdrew; for they did not consider the seven ships of the Chians, which they had with them in their number, to be trustworthy.
§8.10.3ἀλλ’ ὕστερον ἄλλας προσπληρώσαντες ἐς ἑπτὰ καὶ τριάκοντα παραπλέοντας αὐτοὺς καταδιώκουσιν ἐς Σπείραιον τῆς Κορινθίας· ἔστι δὲ λιμὴν ἐρῆμος καὶ ἔσχατος πρὸς τὰ μεθόρια τῆς Ἐπιδαυρίας.
But later, having manned other ships to the total of thirty-seven, they pursued them as they were coasting along and drove them into Speiraeum, a port of Corinth; this is a deserted harbor at the furthest edge towards the borders of Epidauria.
καὶ μίαν μὲν ναῦν ἀπολλύασι μετέωρον οἱ Πελοποννήσιοι, τὰς δὲ ἄλλας ξυναγαγόντες ὁρμίζουσιν.
The Peloponnesians lost one ship out at sea, but they brought the rest together and anchored them.
§8.10.4καὶ προσβαλόντων τῶν Ἀθηναίων καὶ κατὰ θάλασσαν ταῖς ναυσὶ καὶ ἐς τὴν γῆν ἀποβάντων θόρυβός τε ἐγένετο πολὺς καὶ ἄτακτος, καὶ τῶν τε νεῶν τὰς πλείους κατατραυματίζουσιν ἐν τῇ γῇ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ τὸν ἄρχοντα Ἀλκαμένη ἀποκτείνουσιν· καὶ αὐτῶν τινὲς ἀπέθανον.
When the Athenians attacked both by sea with their ships and by landing on the shore, a great and disorderly tumult arose; and the Athenians damaged most of the ships on the land and killed Alcamenes, the commander; and some of their own men also died.

Notes

  1. 8.10.1ἐπηγγέλθησαν γάρ — Third-person plural aorist passive of ἐπαγγέλλω ('to announce', 'to proclaim'). Although the subject is not explicitly stated, it refers to the games (τὰ Ἴσθμια) or the sacred truce (σπονδαί) being officially proclaimed to the Athenians by the Corinthians, which allowed them safe passage to the festival despite the ongoing war.
  2. 8.10.1ὅπως μὴ λήσουσιν αὐτοὺς αἱ νῆες ἐκ τῶν Κεγχρειῶν ἀφορμηθεῖσαι — The construction consists of ὅπως μή with the future indicative (λησουσιν), expressing precaution. The verb λανθάνω ('to escape notice') takes an accusative (αὐτοὺς, 'the Athenians') and a participle (ἀφορμηθεῖσαι, 'having set sail') to mean 'so that the ships, having set sail from Cenchreae, should not escape their notice' (i.e., should not slip away undetected).
  3. 8.10.2ὑπῆγον ἐς τὸ πέλαγος — Imperfect of ὑπάγω. Here it is used intransitively, meaning 'to withdraw slowly' or 'to edge away' (the Athenians retired slowly towards the open sea, perhaps to draw the enemy out or to keep their distance). Although it could be interpreted transitively as 'they led them (the Peloponnesians) out into the open sea,' the intransitive interpretation of slowly withdrawing is more suitable given the Athenians' distrust of the Chian ships.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §8.10.1-8.10.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.10.1-8.10.4

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