Humanitext Reader

Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §8.107.1-8.107.2

Athenian Recovery of Cyzicus and Fleet Regrouping

Passage 915 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenians quickly repaired their fleet to bring the revolted Cyzicus back to submission, capturing Byzantian ships on the way, while the Peloponnesians sailed to Elaeus to recover their captured ships and sent commanders to Euboea to bring back their fleet.

§8.107.1μετὰ δὲ τὴν ναυμαχίαν ἡμέρᾳ τετάρτῃ ὑπὸ σπουδῆς ἐπισκευάσαντες τὰς ναῦς οἱ ἐν τῇ Σηστῷ Ἀθηναῖοι ἔπλεον ἐπὶ Κύζικον ἀφεστηκυῖαν·
On the fourth day after the sea-fight, the Athenians at Sestos, having repaired their ships in haste, sailed against Cyzicus, which had revolted.
καὶ κατιδόντες κατὰ Ἁρπάγιον καὶ Πρίαπον τὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ Βυζαντίου ὀκτὼ ναῦς ὁρμούσας, ἐπιπλεύσαντες καὶ μάχῃ κρατήσαντες τοὺς ἐν τῇ γῇ ἔλαβον τὰς ναῦς.
And having descried the eight ships from Byzantium lying at anchor near Harpagium and Priapus, they sailed against them, overcame those on land in battle, and captured the ships.
ἀφικόμενοι δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν Κύζικον ἀτείχιστον οὖσαν προσηγάγοντο πάλιν καὶ χρήματα ἀνέπραξαν.
Arriving also at Cyzicus, which was unfortified, they brought it back to their alliance and exacted a sum of money.
§8.107.2ἔπλευσαν δὲ ἐν τούτῳ καὶ οἱ Πελοποννήσιοι ἐκ τῆς Ἀβύδου ἐπὶ τὸν Ἐλαιοῦντα καὶ τῶν σφετέρων νεῶν τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ὅσαι ἦσαν ὑγιεῖς ἐκομίσαντο (τὰς δὲ ἄλλας Ἐλαιούσιοι κατέκαυσαν), καὶ ἐς τὴν Εὔβοιαν ἀπέπεμψαν Ἱπποκράτη καὶ Ἐπικλέα κομιοῦντας τὰς ἐκεῖθεν ναῦς.
Meanwhile, the Peloponnesians also sailed from Abydos to Elaeus, and recovered as many of their captured ships as were undamaged (the rest having been burnt by the inhabitants of Elaeus); and they dispatched Hippocrates and Epicles to Euboea to bring away the ships from there.

Notes

  1. 8.107.1τοὺς ἐν τῇ γῇ — The object of the participle `κρατήσαντες` ('having overcome'). It refers to the enemy crews who had fled to the shore ('those on land'); having defeated them, the Athenians were able to capture the abandoned ships (`τὰς ναῦς`).
  2. 8.107.2τῶν σφετέρων νεῶν τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ὅσαι ἦσαν ὑγιεῖς — The noun phrase `τῶν σφετέρων νεῶν τῶν αἰχμαλώτων`, which serves as the antecedent of the relative pronoun `ὅσαι`, is placed beforehand as a partitive genitive. The entire structure means 'as many of their captured ships as were undamaged' and functions as the object of the verb `ἐκομίσαντο`.
  3. 8.107.2κομιοῦντας — Future active participle of `κομίζω` in the accusative plural, expressing purpose ('in order to bring'). It modifies the direct objects `Ἱπποκράτη καὶ Ἐπικλέα` of the verb `ἀπέπεμψαν`.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §8.107.1-8.107.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.107.1-8.107.2

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.