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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §8.16.1-8.16.3

Retreat of Strombichides and revolt of Teos

Passage 824 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian general Strombichides sails to Teos but retreats to Samos as the Peloponnesian fleet and land forces approach. The Teians then admit the Peloponnesian land force and Tissaphernes' lieutenant Stages, and together they demolish the wall built by the Athenians.

§8.16.1ἐν δὲ τούτῳ Στρομβιχίδης ταῖς ὀκτὼ ναυσὶν ἀφικνεῖται ἐς Σάμον, καὶ προσλαβὼν Σαμίαν μίαν ἔπλευσεν ἐς Τέων καὶ ἡσυχάζειν ἠξίου αὐτούς.
Meanwhile, Strombichides arrived at Samos with his eight ships, and having taken one Samian ship in addition, he sailed to Teos and urged them to remain quiet.
ἐκ δὲ τῆς Χίου ἐς τὴν Τέων καὶ ὁ Χαλκιδεὺς μετὰ τριῶν καὶ εἴκοσι νεῶν ἐπέπλει καὶ ὁ πεζὸς ἅμα ὁ τῶν Κλαζομενίων καὶ Ἐρυθραίων παρῄει.
But from Chios, Chalcideus also was sailing to Teos with twenty-three ships, and at the same time the land force of the Clazomenians and Erythraeans was advancing by land.
§8.16.2προαισθόμενος δὲ ὁ Στρομβιχίδης ἐξανήγετο καὶ μετεωρισθεὶς ἐν τῷ πελάγει ὡς ἑώρα τὰς ναῦς πολλὰς τὰς ἀπὸ τῆς Χίου, φυγὴν ἐποιεῖτο ἐπὶ τῆς Σάμου· αἱ δὲ ἐδίωκον.
Strombichides, perceiving this beforehand, put out to sea; and when, having reached the open sea, he saw that the ships from Chios were numerous, he fled towards Samos; and they pursued him.
§8.16.3τὸν δὲ πεζὸν οἱ Τήιοι τὸ πρῶτον οὐκ ἐσδεχόμενοι, ὡς ἔφυγον οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι, ἐσηγάγοντο.
The Teians, who at first did not admit the land force, let them in when the Athenians had fled.
καὶ ἐπέσχον μὲν οἱ πεζοὶ καὶ Χαλκιδέα ἐκ τῆς διώξεως περιμένοντες· ὡς δὲ ἐχρόνιζε, καθῄρουν αὐτοί τε τὸ τεῖχος ὃ ἀνῳκοδόμησαν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τῆς Τηίων πόλεως τὸ πρὸς ἤπειρον, ξυγκαθῄρουν δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων ἐπελθόντες οὐ πολλοί, ὧν ἦρχε Στάγης ὕπαρχος Τισσαφέρνους.
And the land force waited for a while, expecting Chalcideus to return from the pursuit; but as he delayed, they themselves began to demolish the wall which the Athenians had built for the city of Teos on the landward side, and they were joined in this demolition by a few of the barbarians who had come up, commanded by Stages, a lieutenant of Tissaphernes.

Notes

  1. §8.16.1αὐτούς — The pronoun `αὐτούς` refers to the inhabitants of Teos, implied by the preceding prepositional phrase `ἐς Τέων` (to Teos). This is a construction according to sense (ad sensum), where the singular feminine place name refers to its plural masculine population.
  2. §8.16.2τὰς ναῦς πολλάς — The adjective `πολλάς` is in the predicative position (outside the article `τάς`), meaning "saw that the ships were numerous" rather than simply "saw the many ships" (which would require the attributive position).
  3. §8.16.3τὸν δὲ πεζὸν οἱ Τήιοι τὸ πρῶτον οὐκ ἐσδεχόμενοι — The object `τὸν πεζόν` (the land force) is placed at the very beginning of the sentence for emphasis, before the subject `οἱ Τήιοι`. The participle `οὐκ ἐσδεχόμενοι` functions temporally ("at first not admitting") or concessively ("although at first they did not admit them"), leading to the main verb `ἐσηγάγοντο` (admitted them) once the Athenians had fled (`ὡς ἔφυγον`).

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §8.16.1-8.16.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.16.1-8.16.3

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