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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §8.83.1-8.83.3

Grievances of Peloponnesian Troops against Astyochus

Passage 891 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The news of Alcibiades' return drives the Peloponnesians' distrust of Tissaphernes to its height, leading soldiers and officers to voice grievances over unpaid wages and blame their commander Astyochus.

§8.83.1οἱ δὲ Πελοποννήσιοι ἐν τῇ Μιλήτῳ πυνθανόμενοι τὴν τοῦ Ἀλκιβιάδου κάθοδον, καὶ πρότερον τῷ Τισσαφέρνει ἀπιστοῦντες πολλῷ δὴ μᾶλλον ἔτι διεβέβληντο.
Meanwhile, the Peloponnesians at Miletus, on hearing of the return of Alcibiades, and having already distrusted Tissaphernes before, became now far more exasperated against him than ever.
§8.83.2ξυνηνέχθη γὰρ αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὸν ἐπὶ τὴν Μίλητον τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἐπίπλουν, ὡς οὐκ ἠθέλησαν ἀνταναγαγόντες ναυμαχῆσαι, πολλῷ ἐς τὴν μισθοδοσίαν τὸν Τισσαφέρνην ἀρρωστότερον γενόμενον καὶ ἐς τὸ μισεῖσθαι ὑπ’ αὐτῶν πρότερον ἔτι τούτων διὰ τὸν Ἀλκιβιάδην ἐπιδεδωκέναι.
For it happened to them, at the time of the Athenians' sailing against Miletus, when they refused to go out and fight them, that Tissaphernes became much more remiss in paying their wages, and that even before this, his unpopularity with them had increased because of Alcibiades.
§8.83.3καὶ ξυνιστάμενοι κατ’ ἀλλήλους οἷάπερ καὶ πρότερον οἱ στρατιῶται ἀνελογίζοντο καί τινες καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν ἀξίων λόγου ἀνθρώπων καὶ οὐ μόνον τὸ στρατιωτικόν, ὡς οὔτε μισθὸν ἐντελῆ πώποτε λάβοιεν, τό τε διδόμενον βραχὺ καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο ξυνεχῶς· καὶ εἰ μή τις ἢ διαναυμαχήσει ἢ ἀπαλλάξεται ὅθεν τροφὴν ἕξει, ἀπολείψειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τὰς ναῦς· πάντων τε Ἀστύοχον εἶναι αἴτιον ἐπιφέροντα ὀργὰς Τισσαφέρνει διὰ ἴδια κέρδη.
And assembling together in groups, as they had done before, the soldiers began to reckon up their grievances, and some of the other men of note as well, and not only the common soldiers: how they had never received their full pay, and what was given was small and even this not paid regularly; and that unless someone either fought a decisive battle or removed them to a place where they could get provisions, the men would desert the ships; and they laid the blame for all this on Astyochus, who, for his own private gain, put up with Tissaphernes' whims.

Notes

  1. §8.83.2ξυνηνέχθη γὰρ αὐτοῖς ... — The real subject of the impersonally used verb `ξυνηνέχθη` (aorist passive of `ξυμφέρω`, 'it happened' or 'it coincided') is the accusative and infinitive construction `τὸν Τισσαφέρνην ... ἐπιδεδωκέναι`. Within this main framework, the temporal clause `ὡς οὐκ ἠθέλησαν...` ('when they did not wish to go out and fight') is inserted. The participle `γενόμενον` modifies `Τισσαφέρνην`, describing his state of becoming remiss.
  2. §8.83.3ἀνελογίζοντο ... ὡς ... — The indirect discourse dependent on the main verb `ἀνελογίζοντο` ('reckon up, discuss') begins with the `ὡς` clause (using the optative `λάβοιεν` due to the historic tense of the main verb), then transitions into an accusative and infinitive construction with `ἀπολείψειν` (future infinitive representing the apodosis of a conditional clause: 'that the men would desert') and finally connects to the infinitive `εἶναι` with `Ἀστύοχον` as its subject.
  3. §8.83.3ἐπιφέροντα ὀργὰς Τισσαφέρνει — A participle modifying `Ἀστύοχον`. The phrase `ἐπιφέρω ὀργάς` means 'to bring or bear anger.' In this context, it censures Astyochus for tolerating or yielding to Tissaphernes' capricious anger and whims, rather than resisting them, for the sake of his own private gain (`διὰ ἴδια κέρδη`).

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §8.83.1-8.83.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.83.1-8.83.3

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