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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §8.25.1-8.25.5

Athenian Victory at Miletus and Preparations for Siege

Passage 833 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian and Argive allied forces land at Miletus via Samos, defeat the Milesian forces and their Persian allies in battle, and prepare to blockade the city.

§8.25.1ἐκ δὲ τῶν Ἀθηνῶν τοῦ αὐτοῦ θέρους τελευτῶντος χίλιοι ὁπλῖται Ἀθηναίων καὶ πεντακόσιοι καὶ χίλιοι Ἀργείων (τοὺς γὰρ πεντακοσίους τῶν Ἀργείων ψιλοὺς ὄντας ὥπλισαν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι) καὶ χίλιοι τῶν ξυμμάχων ναυσὶ δυοῖν δεούσαις πεντήκοντα, ὧν ἦσαν καὶ ὁπλιταγωγοί, Φρυνίχου καὶ Ὀνομακλέους καὶ Σκιρωνίδου στρατηγούντων κατέπλευσαν ἐς Σάμον, καὶ διαβάντες ἐς Μίλητον ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο.
At the end of the same summer, there sailed down from Athens one thousand Athenian hoplites, fifteen hundred Argives (for the Athenians had equipped five hundred of the Argives who were light-armed as hoplites), and one thousand of the allies, with forty-eight ships, some of which were troop-transports, under the command of Phrynichus, Onomacles, and Scironides; they came to anchor at Samos, and crossing over to Miletus, encamped there.
§8.25.2Μιλήσιοι δὲ ἐξελθόντες αὐτοί τε, ὀκτακόσιοι ὁπλῖται, καὶ οἱ μετὰ Χαλκιδέως ἐλθόντες Πελοποννήσιοι καὶ Τισσαφέρνους τι [ξενικὸν] ἐπικουρικόν, καὶ αὐτὸς Τισσαφέρνης παρὼν καὶ ἡ ἵππος αὐτοῦ, ξυνέβαλον τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις καὶ τοῖς ξυμμάχοις.
The Milesians themselves also marched out, to the number of eight hundred hoplites, together with the Peloponnesians who had come with Chalcideus, a certain mercenary force of Tissaphernes, and Tissaphernes himself present in person with his cavalry, and joined battle with the Athenians and their allies.
§8.25.3καὶ οἱ μὲν Ἀργεῖοι τῷ σφετέρῳ αὐτῶν κέρᾳ προεξᾴξαντες καὶ καταφρονήσαντες, ὡς ἐπ᾽ Ἴωνάς τε καὶ οὐ δεξομένους ἀτακτότερον χωροῦντες, νικῶνται ὑπὸ τῶν Μιλησίων καὶ διαφθείρονται αὐτῶν ὀλίγῳ ἐλάσσους τριακοσίων ἀνδρῶν·
And the Argives, having rushed forward ahead of their own wing and holding the enemy in contempt, marching in rather loose order as if against Ionians who would not withstand their attack, were defeated by the Milesians, and a little fewer than three hundred of them were slain.
§8.25.4Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ τούς τε Πελοποννησίους πρώτους νικήσαντες καὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους καὶ τὸν ἄλλον ὄχλον ὠσάμενοι, τοῖς Μιλησίοις οὐ ξυμμείξαντες, ἀλλ’ ὑποχωρησάντων αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν Ἀργείων τροπῆς ἐς τὴν πόλιν ὡς ἑώρων τὸ ἄλλο σφῶν ἡσσώμενον, πρὸς αὐτὴν τὴν πόλιν τῶν Μιλησίων κρατοῦντες ἤδη τὰ ὅπλα τίθενται.
But the Athenians, having first defeated the Peloponnesians and routed the barbarians and the rest of the crowd, did not engage with the Milesians; for the latter, after the rout of the Argives, when they saw that the rest of their own army was being defeated, retreated into the city. The Athenians, being now victorious, stacked their arms close to the city of Miletus itself.
§8.25.5καὶ ξυνέβη ἐν τῇ μάχῃ ταύτῃ τοὺς Ἴωνας ἀμφοτέρωθεν τῶν Δωριῶν κρατῆσαι· τούς τε γὰρ κατὰ σφᾶς Πελοποννησίους οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐνίκων καὶ τοὺς Ἀργείους οἱ Μιλήσιοι.
And it happened in this battle that the Ionians on both sides conquered the Dorians; for the Athenians defeated the Peloponnesians opposed to them, and the Milesians defeated the Argives.
στήσαντες δὲ τροπαῖον τὸν περιτειχισμὸν ἰσθμώδους ὄντος τοῦ χωρίου οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι παρεσκευάζοντο, νομίζοντες, εἰ προσαγάγοιντο Μίλητον, ῥᾳδίως ἂν σφίσι καὶ τἆλλα προσχωρῆσαι.
After erecting a trophy, the Athenians prepared to build a wall of circumvallation, as the place was an isthmus, thinking that if they could win over Miletus, the rest of the places would also easily come over to them.

Notes

  1. §8.25.1ναυσὶ δυοῖν δεούσαις πεντήκοντα — A Greek subtraction idiom meaning "with forty-eight ships" (literally "with ships wanting two of fifty"). The participle δεούσαις (from δέω, "to lack," feminine dative plural) modifies ναυσί and governs the dative δυοῖν ("by two").
  2. §8.25.3ὡς ἐπ᾽ Ἴωνάς τε καὶ οὐ δεξομένους — The particle ὡς combined with the prepositional phrase (ἐπ᾽ Ἴωνας) and the participle (οὐ δεξομένους) expresses the subjective reason or expectation of the subject (the Argives): "thinking that they were marching against Ionians who would not withstand them." The negative οὐ (rather than μή) is used with the participle to emphasize a direct, objective denial of willingness or ability ("absolutely not going to receive the attack").
  3. §8.25.4ἀλλ’ ὑποχωρησάντων αὐτῶν — The conjunction ἀλλά following the negative participle οὐ ξυμμείξαντες ("did not engage") introduces an elliptical explanation: "[they did not engage] but [the battle ceased] because they had retreated." The genitive absolute ὑποχωρησάντων αὐτῶν functions temporally and causally, explaining why the Athenians did not fight the Milesians directly.
  4. §8.25.5εἰ προσαγάγοιντο... ἂν ... προσχωρῆσαι — A conditional sentence in indirect discourse dependent on the participle νομίζοντες ("thinking"). The protasis contains the optative εἰ προσαγάγοιντο (second aorist middle optative), and the apodosis contains the infinitive with ἂν (ἂν προσχωρῆσαι), representing a potential optative (ῥᾳδίως ἂν προσχωρήσειε) in the direct discourse.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §8.25.1-8.25.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.25.1-8.25.5

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