previous next


τοῖς . . . Ἀθηναίοις. Grammatically the dative depends on προσαφιγμέναι ἦσαν. Jowett's opinion that it depends on some such intended expression as ἔδοξεν ἐφορμεῖν, with the construction subsequently changed, is disproved by such instances as i. 72 (init.), τῶν δὲ Ἀθηναίων ἔτυχε γὰρ πρεσβεία πρότερον ἐν τῇ Λακεδαίμονι περὶ ἄλλων παροῦσα, καὶ ὡς ᾔσθοντο τῶν λόγων ἔδοξεν αὐτοῖς κ.τ.λ., where Shilleto renders ‘as there was an embassy . . . so, etc.’ Cf. i. 115, τῶν δὲ Σαμίων ἦσαν γάρ τινες οἳ οὐχ ὑπέμενον ἀλλ᾽ ἔφυγον εἰς τὴν ἤπειρον. ξυνθέμενοι κ.τ.λ. Nor is such syntax confined to Thucydides; cf. Hdt. ix. 109, τῇ δὲ κακῶς γὰρ ἔδεε γενέσθαι, εἶπε κ.τ.λ. γὰρ in such sentences takes the force of ἐπεὶ, as so commonly in ἀλλὰ . . . γὰρ: ‘During the following winter, as the Athenians had received reinforcements, they were of a mind, etc.’ (= ἐπεὶ τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις προσαφιγμέναι ἦσαν . . ., ἐβούλοντο). Accepting this idiom as sufficiently common, we find the chief difficulty in the καὶ before τὰς ἀπὸ Χίου. The passage quoted from i. 72 is almost precisely similar, but Shilleto's rendering cannot disguise the fact that it is anacoluthic. Here καὶ ξυναγαγόντες is written as if the previous clause had run οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι προσαφιγμένας ἔχοντες κ.τ.λ., ‘having reinforcements and having gathered . . .’ But καὶ οἴκοθεν also helps and answers to καὶ τὰς ἀπὸ Χίου, the words καὶ στρατηγοὶ . . . Εὐκτήμων being parenthetical (as the otherwise impossible omission of ναῦς with τὰς ἀπὸ Χίου shows). The whole literally = ‘as there had arrived additional ships from home to the number of thirty-five (Charminus, etc., being in command of them), and having collected those from Chios and all the rest . . .’ [No alteration of the passage should be attempted by a critic familiar with Thucydides, but, if logical ease is desired at the expense of other considerations, it might be most natural to emend γὰρ ἦσαν to παρῆσαν, which would make the sentence normal by the smallest possible change.]

στρατηγοὶ The Athenians had no special term for admirals as distinguished from land-officers.

Στρομβιχίδης If this is the same as the Σ. of c. 15, § 1, and c. 17, we have not been told when or why he left the blockading forces at Lade for Athens.

τὰς ἀπὸ Χίου which had been making descents on Chios under Leon and Diomedon, c. 24, § 2.

τὰς ἄλλας πάσας e.g. from Lesbos, c. 24, § 2.

διακληρωσάμενοι a sortitio for the division of labour or sphere of operation. Kruger compares vi. 42, τρία μέρη νείμαντες ἓν ἑκάστῳ ἐκλήρωσαν, and vi. 62, δύο μέρη ποήσαντες καὶ λαχὼν ἑκάτερος.


τῶν ἐς Μίλητον ἐλθόντων χ. ., c. 25, § 1.

λαχόντες Cf. διακληρωσάμενοι, sup. § 1.

οἱ δ᾽ ἄλλοι viz. Phrynichus, Scironides (c. 25, § 1), and Charminus (c. 30, § 1), who are all called στρατηγοί. Thrasycles (c. 17, § 3), Diomedon (c. 19, § 2), and Leon (c. 23, § 1) are not directly called στρατηγοί by Thucydides. Including these, however, there would be six chief officers remaining, as against three sent to Chios. This distribution would be in fair proportion to the respective forces.

ἐπίπλουν ἐποιοῦντο ‘proceeded to make descent upon.’ Kruger's ἐπίπλους gives a different force to ἐποιοῦντο. [The accuracy of Thucydides in details may be gathered from his enumeration of these ships. In c. 15 there are eight ships under Strombichides and twelve under Thrasycles. In c. 19 Diomedon arrives with sixteen ships, in c. 23 Leon with ten more. In c. 25 there come forty-eight ships including transports. In c. 30 these are all collected and thirty-five more ships arrive from Athens. The total with no deductions should be 8+12+16+10+35+48 (including ὁπλιταγωγοί), i.e. 129. Here we find 104 ships and some transports. The difference of twenty-five is to be aceounted for by the ὁπλιταγωγοί, and by the number required to take back the 1500 Argives (c. 27, fin.)].

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.

hide References (15 total)
  • Commentary references from this page (15):
    • Herodotus, Histories, 9.109
    • Thucydides, Histories, 1.115
    • Thucydides, Histories, 1.72
    • Thucydides, Histories, 6.42
    • Thucydides, Histories, 6.62
    • Thucydides, Histories, 8.15.1
    • Thucydides, Histories, 8.17.1
    • Thucydides, Histories, 8.17.3
    • Thucydides, Histories, 8.19.1
    • Thucydides, Histories, 8.19.2
    • Thucydides, Histories, 8.23.1
    • Thucydides, Histories, 8.24.2
    • Thucydides, Histories, 8.25.1
    • Thucydides, Histories, 8.27.1
    • Thucydides, Histories, 8.30.1
hide Display Preferences
Greek Display:
Arabic Display:
View by Default:
Browse Bar: