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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §8.64.1-8.64.5

Establishment of Oligarchies and Defection of Thasos

Passage 872 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian envoys disperse to establish oligarchies in Athens and the subject cities, with Dieitrephes overthrowing the democracy in Thasos. However, the Thasians reject the hollow order offered by Athens and immediately seek outright freedom with Lacedaemonian help.

§8.64.1παρακελευσάμενοι οὖν τοιαῦτα τὸν μὲν Πείσανδρον εὐθὺς τότε καὶ τῶν πρέσβεων τοὺς ἡμίσεις ἀπέστελλον ἐπ’ οἴκου πράξοντας τἀκεῖ, καὶ εἴρητο αὐτοῖς τῶν ὑπηκόων πόλεων αἷς ἂν προσσχῶσιν ὀλιγαρχίαν καθιστάναι· τοὺς δ’ ἡμίσεις ἐς τἆλλα τὰ ὑπήκοα χωρία ἄλλους ἄλλῃ διέπεμπον, §8.64.2καὶ Διειτρέφη ὄντα περὶ Χίον, ᾑρημένον δὲ ἐς τὰ ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης ἄρχειν, ἀπέστελλον ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχήν.
Having thus encouraged one another, they immediately sent Pisander and half of the envoys back home to manage affairs there, and instructions were given to them to establish oligarchies in whatever subject cities they might touch at on their voyage; the other half they dispatched to different places among the other subject territories. They also sent Dieitrephes, who was in the neighborhood of Chios and had been chosen to hold command in the Thracian region, to his post.
καὶ ἀφικόμενος ἐς τὴν Θάσον τὸν δῆμον κατέλυσεν. §8.64.3καὶ ἀπελθόντος αὐτοῦ οἱ Θάσιοι δευτέρῳ μηνὶ μάλιστα τὴν πόλιν ἐτείχιζον, ὡς τῆς μὲν μετ’ Ἀθηναίων ἀριστοκρατίας οὐδὲν ἔτι προσδεόμενοι, τὴν δ’ ἀπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων ἐλευθερίαν ὁσημέραι προσδεχόμενοι· §8.64.4καὶ γὰρ καὶ φυγὴ αὐτῶν ἔξω ἦν ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων παρὰ τοῖς Πελοποννησίοις, καὶ αὕτη μετὰ τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐπιτηδείων κατὰ κράτος ἔπρασσε ναῦς τε κομίσαι καὶ τὴν Θάσον ἀποστῆσαι.
On arriving at Thasos, he overthrew the democracy. After his departure, the Thasians, in about the second month, began to fortify their city, feeling that they no longer needed the aristocracy offered by the Athenians, but were daily expecting freedom from Lacedaemon. For indeed their exiles, who had been expelled by the Athenians, were with the Peloponnesians, and these, in concert with their friends in the city, were working with all their might to bring a fleet and make Thasos revolt.
ξυνέβη οὖν αὐτοῖς μάλιστα ἃ ἐβούλοντο, τὴν πόλιν τε ἀκινδύνως ὀρθοῦσθαι καὶ τὸν ἐναντιωσόμενον δῆμον καταλελύσθαι. §8.64.5περὶ μὲν οὖν τὴν Θάσον τἀναντία τοῖς τὴν ὀλιγαρχίαν καθιστᾶσι τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἐγένετο, δοκεῖν δέ μοι καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις πολλοῖς τῶν ὑπηκόων· σωφροσύνην γὰρ λαβοῦσαι αἱ πόλεις καὶ ἄδειαν τῶν πρασσομένων ἐχώρησαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄντικρυς ἐλευθερίαν τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ὑπούλου εὐνομίας οὐ προτιμήσαντες.
It therefore turned out for them exactly as they wished—their city was set on a secure footing without danger, and the opposing democracy was overthrown. Thus, in the case of Thasos, the result was the very opposite of what the Athenians who were establishing the oligarchy had intended, and, as it seems to me, the same was true in many other of the subject states; for the cities, having obtained moderate government and security in their actions, proceeded to downright freedom, not preferring the hollow "good order" offered by the Athenians.

Notes

  1. 8.64.1εἴρητο αὐτοῖς τῶν ὑπηκόων πόλεων αἷς ἂν προσσχῶσιν ὀλιγαρχίαν καθιστάναι — The subject of the impersonal passive εἴρητο ("instructions had been given") is the infinitive clause ὀλιγαρχίαν καθιστάναι ("to establish oligarchy"). τῶν ὑπηκόων πόλεων is attracted into the genitive case by the relative clause αἷς ἂν προσσχῶσιν, functioning equivalent to ἐν ταῖς ὑπηκόοις πόλεσιν αἷς ἂν προσσχῶσιν ("in those of the subject cities at which they might touch").
  2. 8.64.3ὡς τῆς μὲν μετ’ Ἀθηναίων ἀριστοκρατίας οὐδὲν ἔτι προσδεόμενοι — The particle ὡς with the participles (προσδεόμενοι and προσδεχόμενοι) expresses the subjective motive or ground of the Thasians ("on the ground that they..."). οὐδὲν is used adverbially, meaning "not at all."
  3. 8.64.5δοκεῖν δέ μοι — The infinitive δοκεῖν is used as an absolute infinitive (infinitive of parenthetical limitation), meaning "as it seems to me" or "in my opinion."
  4. 8.64.5ὑπούλου εὐνομίας — The adjective ὕπουλος originally means "festering under a scarred surface" in medical terminology. Here, it is used metaphorically to describe the "good order" (εὐνομία) imposed by the Athenians as a deceitful, hollow appearance that concealed their actual subjugation of the subject states.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §8.64.1-8.64.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.64.1-8.64.5

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