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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §8.34.1

Athenian Fleet Struck by Storm and Move to Lesbos

Passage 842 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian fleet encounters and pursues three Chian warships near Arginus, but is struck by a violent storm. The three leading Athenian ships are destroyed, with their crews captured or killed, while the remaining ships take refuge in the harbor of Phoenicous before moving to Lesbos to prepare for fortification.

§8.34.1ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καὶ ἡ τῶν Ἀθηναίων στρατιὰ ταῖς ναυσὶν ἐκ τοῦ Κωρύκου περιπλέουσα κατ’ Ἀργῖνον ἐπιτυγχάνει τρισὶ ναυσὶ τῶν Χίων μακραῖς, καὶ ὡς εἶδον, ἐδίωκον·
In the meantime, the Athenian force also, sailing round from Corycus with their ships, fell in with three Chian warships near Arginus; and as soon as they saw them, they gave chase.
καὶ χειμών τε μέγας ἐπιγίγνεται καὶ αἱ μὲν τῶν Χίων μόλις καταφεύγουσιν ἐς τὸν λιμένα, αἱ δὲ τῶν Ἀθηναίων αἱ μὲν μάλιστα ὁρμήσασαι τρεῖς διαφθείρονται καὶ ἐκπίπτουσι πρὸς τὴν πόλιν τῶν Χίων, καὶ ἄνδρες οἱ μὲν ἁλίσκονται, οἱ δ’ ἀποθνῄσκουσιν, αἱ δ’ ἄλλαι καταφεύγουσιν ἐς τὸν ὑπὸ τῷ Μίμαντι λιμένα Φοινικοῦντα καλούμενον.
A great storm then came on, and while the Chian ships with difficulty made their escape into their harbor, those of the Athenians—that is, the three which had pursued most eagerly—were destroyed and cast ashore near the city of the Chians; and of the men, some were captured and others perished. The rest of the ships took refuge in the harbor called Phoenicous, which lies under Mount Mimas.
ἐντεῦθεν δ’ ὕστερον ἐς τὴν Λέσβον καθορμισάμενοι παρεσκευάζοντο ἐς τὸν τειχισμόν.
From there they afterwards put in at Lesbos and began preparing for their fortification work.

Notes

  1. §8.34.1αἱ μὲν μάλιστα ὁρμήσασαι τρεῖς — The nominative phrase αἱ μὲν μάλιστα ὁρμήσασαι τρεῖς (the three which had pursued most eagerly) stands in partitive apposition (whole-and-part apposition) to the preceding subject αἱ δὲ τῶν Ἀθηναίων [nees], paired with αἱ δ’ ἄλλαι (the rest). The participle ὁρμήσασαι (from ὁρμάω, used intransitively to mean 'to rush' or 'to dash forward') indicates those ships that had forged ahead of the rest in eager pursuit.
  2. §8.34.1ἄνδρες — The nominative ἄνδρες (the men) functions as the 'whole' in a whole-and-part apposition (σχῆμα καθ’ ὅλον καὶ μέρος), followed by the 'parts' οἱ μὲν ... οἱ δ’ (some... others), instead of being in the genitive case ('of the men').

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §8.34.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.34.1

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