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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §8.4.1

Athenian defensive preparations and fiscal retrenchment

Passage 812 of 917 · Greek

Summary

During the same winter, the Athenians also make defensive preparations, including securing shipbuilding timber, fortifying Sunium for safe grain transport, abandoning a fort in Laconia, cutting down unnecessary expenses, and closely monitoring their allies to prevent revolt.

§8.4.1παρεσκευάζοντο δὲ καὶ Ἀθηναῖοι, ὥσπερ διενοήθησαν, ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ χειμῶνι τούτῳ τήν τε ναυπηγίαν, ξύλα ξυμπορισάμενοι, καὶ Σούνιον τειχίσαντες, ὅπως αὐτοῖς ἀσφάλεια ταῖς σιταγωγοῖς ναυσὶν εἴη τοῦ περίπλου, καὶ τό τε ἐν τῇ Λακωνικῇ τείχισμα ἐκλιπόντες ὃ ἐνῳκοδόμησαν παραπλέοντες ἐς Σικελίαν, καὶ τἆλλα, εἴ πού τι ἐδόκει ἀχρεῖον ἀναλίσκεσθαι, ξυστελλόμενοι ἐς εὐτέλειαν, μάλιστα δὲ τὰ τῶν ξυμμάχων διασκοποῦντες ὅπως μὴ σφῶν ἀποστήσονται.
The Athenians also, during this same winter, made preparations as they had intended: securing timber for their shipbuilding, and fortifying Sunium so that there might be safety for their grain-ships sailing round, and abandoning the fort in Laconia which they had built on their voyage to Sicily, and, if any expense anywhere seemed useless, cutting down other expenditures for the sake of economy, and especially keeping a close watch on their allies so that they would not revolt from them.

Notes

  1. 8.4.1τήν τε ναυπηγίαν — The noun τήν τε ναυπηγίαν and the subsequent participle clauses (Σούνιον τειχίσαντες, ἐκλιπόντες, ξυστελλόμενοι, διασκοποῦντες) are connected coordinately by τε ... καὶ ... The participle phrase ξύλα ξυμπορισάμενοι functions subordinately in relation to ναυπηγίαν.
  2. 8.4.1αὐτοῖς ἀσφάλεια ταῖς σιταγωγοῖς ναυσὶν — αὐτοῖς is a dative of advantage referring to the Athenians ('for them'), while ταῖς σιταγωγοῖς ναυσὶν is a specific dative ('for the grain-ships'), functioning together as a double dative.
  3. 8.4.1ὅπως μὴ σφῶν ἀποστήσονται — This is a construction of ὅπως μὴ with the future indicative (ἀποστήσονται) after a verb of effort or care (here the participle διασκοποῦντες), representing the object of precaution ('lest they should revolt').

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §8.4.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.4.1

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