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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §8.103.1-8.103.3

Athenian Fleet Assembles at Elaeus for Battle

Passage 911 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Peloponnesians failed to capture Elaeus and retreated to Abydos. Meanwhile, the main Athenian fleet rushed from Eresus to the Hellespont, captured two Peloponnesian ships on the way, assembled at Elaeus, and prepared for battle.

§8.103.1μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο ταῖς τε ἐξ Ἀβύδου ξυμμιγείσαις καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις ξυμπάσαις ἓξ καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα πολιορκήσαντες Ἐλαιοῦντα ταύτην τὴν ἡμέραν, ὡς οὐ προσεχώρει, ἀπέπλευσαν ἐς Ἄβυδον.
After this, having besieged Elaeus for that day with eighty-six ships in all—both those from Abydos which had joined them and all the rest—since it did not surrender, they sailed back to Abydos.
§8.103.2οἱ δ’ Ἀθηναῖοι ψευσθέντες τῶν σκοπῶν καὶ οὐκ ἂν οἰόμενοι σφᾶς λαθεῖν τὸν παράπλουν τῶν πολεμίων νεῶν, ἀλλὰ καθ’ ἡσυχίαν τειχομαχοῦντες, ὡς ᾔσθοντο, εὐθὺς ἀπολιπόντες τὴν Ἔρεσον κατὰ τάχος ἐβοήθουν ἐς τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον· §8.103.3καὶ δύο τε ναῦς τῶν Πελοποννησίων αἱροῦσιν, αἳ πρὸς τὸ πέλαγος τότε θρασύτερον ἐν τῇ διώξει ἀπάρασαι περιέπεσον αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἡμέρᾳ ὕστερον ἀφικόμενοι ὁρμίζονται ἐς τὸν Ἐλαιοῦντα καὶ τὰς ἐκ τῆς Ἴμβρου ὅσαι κατέφυγον κομίζονται καὶ ἐς τὴν ναυμαχίαν πέντε ἡμέρας παρεσκευάζοντο.
But the Athenians, having been deceived by their scouts and not thinking that the coastal passage of the enemy ships could escape their notice, but quietly carrying on their siege of the wall, as soon as they perceived the truth, immediately abandoned Eresus and hastened to the Hellespont; and they captured two Peloponnesian ships which, having put out too boldly into the open sea during the pursuit, fell in with them; and arriving a day later, they came to anchor at Elaeus, recovered as many of their ships as had fled to Imbros, and for five days made preparations for the sea-fight.

Notes

  1. 8.103.1ὡς οὐ προσεχώρει — The verb προσχωρέω means 'to surrender, come over to'. The subject is third-person singular, referring to the town of Elaeus (Ἐλαιοῦντα, masculine), meaning 'since it (Elaeus) did not surrender'.
  2. 8.103.2ψευσθέντες τῶν σκοπῶν — The passive of the verb ψεύδομαι with the genitive means 'to be deceived in' or 'to be disappointed in'. Here it means 'having been deceived by their scouts' (or 'disappointed in their expectations from the scouts').
  3. 8.103.2οὐκ ἂν οἰόμενοι σφᾶς λαθεῖν τὸν παράπλουν — The particle ἄν goes with the infinitive λαθεῖν, representing a potential construction (corresponding to direct οὐκ ἂν λάθοι, 'would not escape notice'). The subject of the infinitive λαθεῖν is the accusative τὸν παράπλουν (the coastal passage), while σφᾶς (themselves) is the direct object of the verb λανθάνω.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §8.103.1-8.103.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.103.1-8.103.3

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