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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §8.32.1-8.32.3

Astyochus' Return to Chios and the Arrival of Pedaritus

Passage 840 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Astyochus receives a request from the Lesbians to revolt again but abandons the plan due to opposition from his allies, returning to Chios after a storm. Meanwhile, Pedaritus arrives in Chios from Miletus by land with his army and refuses Astyochus's proposal to campaign against Lesbos.

§8.32.1ὄντος δ’ αὐτοῦ ἐνταῦθα Λεσβίων ἀφικνοῦνται πρέσβεις βουλόμενοι αὖθις ἀποστῆναι· καὶ αὐτὸν μὲν πείθουσιν, ὡς δ’ οἵ τε Κορίνθιοι καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ξύμμαχοι ἀπρόθυμοι ἦσαν διὰ τὸ πρότερον σφάλμα, ἄρας ἔπλει ἐπὶ τῆς Χίου.
While he was there, ambassadors of the Lesbians arrived wishing to revolt again; and they persuaded him, but since the Corinthians and the other allies were reluctant because of the former failure, he set sail and steered for Chios.
καὶ χειμασθεισῶν τῶν νεῶν ὕστερον ἀφικνοῦνται ἄλλαι ἄλλοθεν ἐς τὴν Χίον. §8.32.2καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο Πεδάριτος, τότε παριὼν πεζῇ ἐκ τῆς Μιλήτου, γενόμενος ἐν Ἐρυθραῖς διαπεραιοῦται αὐτός τε καὶ ἡ στρατιὰ ἐς Χίον· ὑπῆρχον δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ἐκ τῶν πέντε νεῶν στρατιῶται ὑπὸ Χαλκιδέως ἐς πεντακοσίους ξὺν ὅπλοις καταλειφθέντες. §8.32.3ἐπαγγελλομένων δέ τινων Λεσβίων τὴν ἀπόστασιν, προσφέρει τῷ τε Πεδαρίτῳ καὶ τοῖς Χίοις ὁ Ἀστύοχος τὸν λόγον ὡς χρὴ παραγενομένους ταῖς ναυσὶν ἀποστῆσαι τὴν λέσβον· ἢ γὰρ ξυμμάχους πλείους σφᾶς ἕξειν, ἢ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους, ἤν τι σφάλλωνται,κακώσειν.
Later, after the ships had been scattered by a storm, they arrived at Chios, some from one place and some from another. After this, Pedaritus, who was at that time marching by land from Miletus, arrived at Erythrae and crossed over to Chios with his army; there were also available to him about five hundred armed soldiers who had been left behind by Chalcideus from the five ships. Since some Lesbians were offering to revolt, Astyochus proposed to Pedaritus and the Chians that they ought to go with their ships and bring about the revolt of Lesbos; for, he argued, they would either gain more allies, or, if the Athenians met with any failure, they would inflict damage upon them.
οἱ δ᾽ οὐκ ἐσήκουον, οὐδὲ τὰς ναῦς ὁ Πεδάριτος ἔφη τῶν Χίων αὐτῷ προήσειν.
But they would not listen, and Pedaritus said he would not surrender the Chian ships to him.

Notes

  1. §8.32.1ὄντος δ’ αὐτοῦ ἐνταῦθα — Genitive absolute. The pronoun αὐτοῦ refers to Astyochus, and the adverb ἐνταῦθα refers to the area of Phocaea and Cyme where he had retreated in the previous chapter (§8.31.3-4).
  2. §8.32.1ὡς δ’ οἵ τε Κορίνθιοι καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ξύμμαχοι ἀπρόθυμοι ἦσαν — The conjunction ὡς functions causally ("since" or "because"), explaining the reason why Astyochus had to sail for Chios despite having been persuaded (πείθουσιν) by the Lesbians.
  3. §8.32.2ὑπῆρχον δὲ αὐτῷ — The verb ὑπάρχω with the dative (αὐτῷ, referring to Pedaritus) means "to be at someone's disposal" or "to be available to someone." It indicates that the forces left behind by Chalcideus were now under Pedaritus's command.
  4. §8.32.3ὡς χρὴ παραγενομένους ταῖς ναυσὶν ἀποστῆσαι τὴν λέσβον — The ὡς clause explains the content of the proposal (τὸν λόγον). The accusative plural participle παραγενομένους serves as the subject of the infinitive ἀποστῆσαι and refers to Pedaritus and the Chians. The dative ταῖς ναυσὶν denotes accompaniment ("with the ships").
  5. §8.32.3ἢ γὰρ ξυμμάχους πλείους σφᾶς ἕξειν — Following the conjunction γάρ, the infinitives ἕξειν and κακώσειν are in indirect discourse, representing the reasons urged by Astyochus. The pronoun σφᾶς is the indirect reflexive in the accusative acting as the subject of ἕξειν, referring to the Peloponnesians.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §8.32.1-8.32.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.32.1-8.32.3

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