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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §8.35.1-8.35.4

Athenian Attack on Knidos and Withdrawal

Passage 843 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Peloponnesian fleet under Hippocrates arrives at Knidos, but the Athenians capture their patrol ships at Triopium and launch an attack on the unfortified city of Knidos, though they are eventually forced to withdraw as the defenses are reinforced.

§8.35.1ἐκ δὲ τῆς Πελοποννήσου τοῦ αὐτοῦ χειμῶνος Ἱπποκράτης ὁ Λακεδαιμόνιος ἐκπλεύσας δέκα μὲν Θουρίαις ναυσίν, ὧν ἦρχε Δωριεὺς ὁ Διαγόρου τρίτος αὐτός, μιᾷ δὲ Λακωνικῇ, μιᾷ δὲ Συρακοσίᾳ, καταπλεῖ ἐς Κνίδον· ἡ δ’ ἀφειστήκει ἤδη ὑπὸ Τισσαφέρνους.
During the same winter, Hippocrates the Lacedaemonian sailed out from the Peloponnese with ten Chian ships, of which Dorieus, the son of Diagoras, was in command with two others (himself the third), one Laconian, and one Syracusan, and put in at Knidos, which had already revolted at the instigation of Tissaphernes.
§8.35.2καὶ αὐτοὺς οἱ ἐν τῇ Μιλήτῳ, ὡς ᾔσθοντο, ἐκέλευον ταῖς μὲν ἡμισείαις τῶν νεῶν Κνίδον φυλάσσειν, ταῖς δὲ περὶ Τριόπιον οὔσαις τὰς ἀπ’ Αἰγύπτου ὁλκάδας προσβαλλούσας ξυλλαμβάνειν·
And those in Miletus, when they heard of their arrival, ordered them to guard Knidos with half of their ships, and with the other half, stationed around Triopium, to seize the merchant vessels approaching from Egypt.
ἔστι δὲ τὸ Τριόπιον ἄκρα τῆς Κνιδίας προύχουσα, Ἀπόλλωνος ἱερόν.
Now Triopium is a projecting promontory of the Knidian territory, where there is a temple of Apollo.
§8.35.3πυθόμενοι δὲ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ πλεύσαντες ἐκ τῆς Σάμου λαμβάνουσι τὰς ἐπὶ τῷ Τριοπίῳ φρουρούσας ἓξ ναῦς· οἱ δ’ ἄνδρες ἀποφεύγουσιν ἐξ αὐτῶν.
When the Athenians heard of this, they sailed from Samos and captured the six ships keeping guard at Triopium; but the crews escaped from them.
καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἐς τὴν Κνίδον καταπλεύσαντες καὶ προσβαλόντες τῇ πόλει ἀτειχίστῳ οὔσῃ ὀλίγου εἷλον.
After this, sailing to Knidos and attacking the city, which was unfortified, they came within a little of capturing it.
§8.35.4τῇ δ’ ὑστεραίᾳ αὖθις προσέβαλλον, καὶ ὡς ἄμεινον φαρξαμένων αὐτῶν ὑπὸ νύκτα καὶ ἐπεσελθόντων αὐτοῖς τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ Τριοπίου ἐκ τῶν νεῶν διαφυγόντων οὐκέθ’ ὁμοίως ἔβλαπτον, ἀπελθόντες καὶ δῃώσαντες τὴν τῶν Κνιδίων γῆν ἐς τὴν Σάμον ἀπέπλευσαν.
On the next day they attacked again; but as the inhabitants had fortified their position better during the night, and those who had escaped from the ships at Triopium had entered the town to reinforce them, they could no longer do the same damage, so they withdrew, and after ravaging the territory of the Knidians, sailed back to Samos.

Notes

  1. 8.35.1τρίτος αὐτός — Literally 'himself the third,' an idiomatic Greek expression meaning that Dorieus was in command along with two colleagues.
  2. 8.35.1ὑπὸ Τισσαφέρνους — The preposition ὑπό with the genitive marks Tissaphernes as the agent or instigator behind the defection (ἀφειστήκει), which is an intransitive pluperfect verb.
  3. 8.35.3ὀλίγου εἷλον — The genitive ὀλίγου used with an indicative aorist verb (εἷλον) forms an idiom meaning 'they came within a little of capturing,' indicating an action almost accomplished.
  4. 8.35.4ὡς ἄμεινον φαρξαμένων αὐτῶν — A genitive absolute construction introduced by ὡς, indicating the perceived reason (from the Athenians' standpoint) for their failure: that the Knidians (αὐτῶν) had better fortified their defenses.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §8.35.1-8.35.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.35.1-8.35.4

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