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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §8.22.1-8.22.2

Chian Expedition to Lesbos and Revolts of the Cities

Passage 830 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Chians, without waiting for the main Peloponnesian force, launched an expedition to Lesbos and succeeded in causing Methymna and Mytilene to revolt, while their land forces also advanced towards Clazomenae and Cyme.

§8.22.1μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τοῦ αὐτοῦ θέρους οἱ Χῖοι, ὥσπερ ἤρξαντο, οὐδὲν ἀπολείποντες προθυμίας, ἄνευ τε Πελοποννησίων πλήθει παρόντες ἀποστῆσαι τὰς πόλεις καὶ βουλόμενοι ἅμα ὡς πλείστους σφίσι ξυγκινδυνεύειν, στρατεύονται αὐτοί τε τρισκαίδεκα ναυσὶν ἐπὶ τὴν Λέσβον, ὥσπερ εἴρητο ὑπὸ τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων δεύτερον ἐπ᾽ αὐτὴν ἰέναι καὶ ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον, καὶ ὁ πεζὸς ἅμα Πελοποννησίων τε τῶν παρόντων καὶ τῶν αὐτόθεν ξυμμάχων παρῄει ἐπὶ Κλαζομενῶν τε καὶ Κύμης·
After this, in the course of the same summer, the Chians, showing no lack of zeal just as when they began, and even without the Peloponnesians being present in force, wishing to make the cities revolt and at the same time desiring that as many as possible should share the danger with them, themselves campaigned with thirteen ships against Lesbos, just as it had been directed by the Lacedaemonians that they should go to it second and from there to the Hellespont; and at the same time the land force, consisting of both the Peloponnesians present and the allies from that region, advanced along the coast towards Clazomenae and Cyme.
ἦρχε δ’ αὐτοῦ Εὐάλας Σπαρτιάτης, τῶν δὲ νεῶν Δεινιάδας περίοικος.
Eualas, a Spartan, commanded this force, and Deiniadas, a perioecus, commanded the ships.
§8.22.2καὶ αἱ μὲν νῆες καταπλεύσασαι Μήθυμναν πρῶτον ἀφιστᾶσι, καὶ καταλείπονται τέσσαρες νῆες ἐν αὐτῇ· καὶ αὖθις αἱ λοιπαὶ Μυτιλήνην ἀφιστᾶσιν.
And the ships, having sailed in, first caused Methymna to revolt, and four ships were left behind in it; and then the remaining ships caused Mytilene to revolt.

Notes

  1. §8.22.1ἄνευ τε Πελοποννησίων πλήθει παρόντες — The participle `παρόντες` (nominative plural masculine) agrees with the subject `οἱ Χῖοι` (the Chians), meaning 'the Chians being present [at Lesbos]'. Coupled with `ἄνευ Πελοποννησίων` (without the Peloponnesians) and the dative `πλήθει` (in force / in large numbers), it expresses that the Chians acted even though the Peloponnesians had not arrived in force.
  2. §8.22.1ὥσπερ εἴρητο ὑπὸ τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων δεύτερον ἐπ᾽ αὐτὴν ἰέναι — The verb `εἴρητο` is used as an impersonal passive ('it had been directed/ordered'), with the infinitive `ἰέναι` ('to go') serving as its subject. The feminine accusative pronoun `αὐτήν` refers back to `τὴν Λέσβον` (Lesbos).
  3. §8.22.1ἦρχε δ’ αὐτοῦ — The genitive `αὐτοῦ` governed by the verb `ἦρχε` ('commanded') is a masculine singular pronoun referring back to the preceding masculine noun `ὁ πεζός` (the land force).

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §8.22.1-8.22.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.22.1-8.22.2

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