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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §8.17.1-8.17.4

Revolt of Miletus and the First Spartan-Persian Treaty

Passage 825 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Chalcideus and Alcibiades succeed in bringing about the revolt of Miletus before the Athenian fleet can prevent it, which immediately leads to the first treaty of alliance between the Lacedaemonians and the Persian King.

§8.17.1Χαλκιδεὺς δὲ καὶ Ἀλκιβιάδης ὡς κατεδίωξαν ἐς Σάμον Στρομβιχίδην, ἐκ μὲν τῶν ἐκ Πελοποννήσου νεῶν τοὺς ναύτας ὁπλίσαντες ἐν Χίῳ καταλιμπάνουσιν, ἀντιπληρώσαντες δὲ ταύτας τε ἐκ Χίου καὶ ἄλλας εἴκοσιν ἔπλεον ἐς Μίλητον ὡς ἀποστήσοντες·
Chalcideus and Alcibiades, having pursued Strombichides to Samos, armed the sailors from the Peloponnesian ships and left them in Chios; then, having manned these same ships with crews from Chios and taking twenty others besides, they sailed to Miletus to cause its revolt.
§8.17.2ἐβούλετο γὰρ ὁ Ἀλκιβιάδης, ὢν ἐπιτήδειος τοῖς προεστῶσι τῶν Μιλησίων, φθάσαι τάς τε ἀπὸ τῆς Πελοποννήσου ναῦς προσαγαγόμενος αὐτοὺς καὶ τοῖς Χίοις καὶ ἑαυτῷ καὶ Χαλκιδεῖ καὶ τῷ ἀποστείλαντι Ἐνδίῳ, ὥσπερ ὑπέσχετο, τὸ ἀγώνισμα προσθεῖναι, ὅτι πλείστας τῶν πόλεων μετὰ τῆς Χίων δυνάμεως καὶ Χαλκιδέως ἀποστήσας.
For Alcibiades, being on friendly terms with the leading men of the Milesians, wished to forestall the arrival of the ships from the Peloponnese, and by bringing them over, to win the credit of this achievement for the Chians, himself, Chalcideus, and Endius who had sent him out, just as he had promised, by causing the revolt of as many cities as possible with the forces of the Chians and Chalcideus.
§8.17.3λαθόντες οὖν τὸ πλεῖστον τοῦ πλοῦ καὶ φθάσαντες οὐ πολὺ τόν τε Στρομβιχίδην καὶ τὸν Θρασυκλέα, ὃς ἔτυχεν ἐκ τῶν Ἀθηνῶν δώδεκα ναυσὶν ἄρτι παρὼν καὶ ξυνδιώκων, ἀφιστᾶσι τὴν Μίλητον.
Having therefore eluded observation during the greater part of their voyage, and having anticipated by only a little both Strombichides and Thrasycles—the latter of whom happened to have just arrived from Athens with twelve ships and was joining in the pursuit—they brought about the revolt of Miletus.
καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι κατὰ πόδας μιᾶς δεούσαις εἴκοσι ναυσὶν ἐπιπλεύσαντες, ὡς αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἐδέχοντο οἱ Μιλήσιοι, ἐν Λάδῃ τῇ ἐπικειμένῃ νήσῳ ἐφώρμουν.
The Athenians, sailing up immediately after them with nineteen ships, since the Milesians would not receive them, anchored at Lade, the island lying off the city.
§8.17.4καὶ ἡ πρὸς βασιλέα ξυμμαχία Λακεδαιμονίοις ἡ πρώτη Μιλησίων εὐθὺς ἀποστάντων διὰ Τισσαφέρνους καὶ Χαλκιδέως ἐγένετο ἥδε.
And the first alliance between the Lacedaemonians and the King was made through Tissaphernes and Chalcideus immediately after the revolt of Miletus, as follows.

Notes

  1. §8.17.2φθάσαι τάς τε ἀπὸ τῆς Πελοποννήσου ναῦς προσαγαγόμενος αὐτοὺς καὶ τοῖς Χίοις καὶ ἑαυτῷ καὶ Χαλκιδεῖ καὶ τῷ ἀποστείλαντι Ἐνδίῳ, ὥσπερ ὑπέσχετο, τὸ ἀγώνισμα προσθεῖναι — Both infinitives φθάσαι ('to forestall') and προσθεῖναι ('to attribute/win') depend on the main verb ἐβούλετο ('wished'). φθάσαι takes the accusative τάς τε ἀπὸ τῆς Πελοποννήσου ναῦς as its object, meaning 'to arrive before the Peloponnesian ships.' This action is followed by the participle προσαγαγόμενος ('bringing over [the Milesians]'), leading to the second infinitive προσθεῖναι which governs the dative indirect objects (τοῖς Χίοις...) and the direct object τὸ ἀγώνισμα.
  2. §8.17.3λαθόντες οὖν τὸ πλεῖστον τοῦ πλοῦ — λαθόντες is the aorist active participle of λανθάνω ('to escape notice'), here used without an accompanying participle. The accusative phrase τὸ πλεῖστον τοῦ πλοῦ serves as an accusative of extent of time or space ('during most of the voyage').
  3. §8.17.3μιᾶς δεούσαις εἴκοσι ναυσὶν — A characteristic Greek idiom for 'with nineteen ships' (literally, 'with twenty ships wanting one'). μιᾶς (genitive singular feminine of 'one') depends on δεούσαις (present participle dative plural feminine, agreeing with ναυσὶν), meaning 'lacking one.'

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §8.17.1-8.17.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.17.1-8.17.4

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