101-103 | Dickinson College Commentaries

[101] ὡς οὖν ἀπέτυχον οἱ Θηβαῖοι τῆς πείρας καὶ οἱ Πλαταιεῖς τοὺς ἄνδρας οὓς ἔλαβον αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ μάχῃ ζῶντας, ἀπέκτειναν, ὀργισθέντες οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι ἀπροφασίστως ἤδη στρατεύουσιν ἐπὶ τὰς Πλαταιάς, Πελοποννησίοις μὲν ἅπασι πλὴν Ἀργείων τὰ δύο μέρη τῆς στρατιᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν πόλεων ἑκάστων πέμπειν ἐπιτάξαντες, Βοιωτοῖς δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι καὶ Λοκροῖς καὶ Φωκεῦσι καὶ Μαλιεῦσι καὶ Οἰταίοις καὶ Αἰνιᾶσιν πανδημεὶ ἐπαγγείλαντες στρατεύειν.

[102] καὶ περικαθεζόμενοι αὐτῶν τὸ τεῖχος πολλῇ δυνάμει ἐπηγγέλλοντο, εἰ βούλοιντο τὴν μὲν πόλιν αὑτοῖς παραδοῦναι, τὴν δὲ χώραν ἔχειν καὶ καρποῦσθαι τὰ αὑτῶν, ἀφίστασθαι δὲ τῆς Ἀθηναίων συμμαχίας. οὐκ ἐθελησάντων δὲ τῶν Πλαταιέων, ἀλλ᾽ ἀποκριναμένων ὅτι ἄνευ Ἀθηναίων οὐδὲν ἂν πράξειαν, ἐπολιόρκουν αὐτοὺς διπλῷ τείχει περιτειχίσαντες δύο ἔτη, πολλὰς καὶ παντοδαπὰς πείρας προσάγοντες.

[103] ἐπεὶ δ᾽ ἀπειρήκεσαν οἱ Πλαταιεῖς καὶ ἐνδεεῖς ἦσαν ἁπάντων καὶ ἠποροῦντο τῆς σωτηρίας, διακληρωσάμενοι πρὸς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς οἱ μὲν ὑπομείναντες ἐπολιορκοῦντο, οἱ δὲ τηρήσαντες νύκτα καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ ἄνεμον πολύν, ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τῆς πόλεως καὶ ὑπερβάντες τὸ περιτείχισμα τῶν πολεμίων λαθόντες τὴν στρατιάν, ἀποσφάξαντες τοὺς φύλακας διασῴζονται δεῦρο, δεινῶς διακείμενοι καὶ ἀπροσδοκήτως· οἱ δ᾽ ὑπομείναντες αὐτῶν ἁλούσης τῆς πόλεως κατὰ κράτος ἀπεσφάγησαν πάντες οἱ ἡβῶντες, παῖδες δὲ καὶ γυναῖκες ἐξηνδραποδίσθησαν, ὅσοι μὴ αἰσθόμενοι ἐπιόντας τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους ὑπεξῆλθον Ἀθήναζε.

notes

The Spartans responded by marching against Plataia, recruiting troops from a number of other Greek city-states. After the Spartans failed to get the Plataians to abandon their alliance with Athens, they besieged and ultimately captured Plataia. Some Plataians managed to flee to Athens, but those who remained were either killed or enslaved.

101

ἀπέτυχον: “failed in” + gen. < ἀποτυγχάνω

οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι…ἤδη στρατεύουσιν: actually, they made their campaign two years later.

ἀπροφασίστως ἤδη: “now without a pretext,” implying that this had been their intent from the start

Πελοποννησίοις…ἅπασι: dative governed by ἐπιτάξαντες, “ordering”

τὰ δύο μέρη: i.e., two thirds

Λοκροῖς: the Lokrians were a Greek tribe divided between East (Opuntian) and West (Ozolian) Lokris.

Φωκεῦσι: that is, those from the region of Phokis

Μαλιεῦσι καὶ Οἰταίοις καὶ Αἰνιᾶσιν: these were all Greek tribes. Kapparis 1999: 394: “The land of the Malians occupied the area north of Thermopylai at the side of Spercheios down to the sea. The Oeteans lived at the spurs of Oite south of Spercheios towards Atalante, and the Aenianes along Othrys at the upper side of Sperchios.”

102

ἐπηγγέλλοντο: “promised,” “offered”

ἔχειν καὶ καρποῦσθαι...ἀφίστασθαι δέ: “would keep and harvest...but (must) abandon.” Supply the Plataians as subject.

δύο ἔτη: accusative of duration of time. The manuscripts read δέκα ἔτη, but Thucydides says that the Plataians surrendered after a siege of two years (in 427 BCE), not ten.

103

ἀπειρήκεσαν < ἀπεῖπον, “give up,” with the sense of “be worn out” (LSJ IV.3)

διακληρωσάμενοι: Thucydides 3.20.1–2 says that the plan was for everyone to leave, but that some men, out of fear, decided to stay.

οἱ μέν…οἱ δέ: “some…others”

τηρήσαντες: “watching and waiting for” < τηρέω

ὕδωρ: “rain”

ἀπεσφάγησαν aor. pass. 3 pl. < ἀποσφάζω, “had their throats cut”

οἱ ἡβῶντες: “the adult males”

ὅσοι μή: “as many as did not,” i.e., except for those who

vocabulary

101

ἀποτυγχάνω: to fail in (+ gen.)

Θηβαῖος –η/–α –ον: Theban

πεῖρα –ας ἡ: attempt; assault

Πλαταιεῖς: Plataians

ἀποκτείνω ἀποκτενῶ ἀπέκτεινα ἀπέκτονα: kill

ὀργίζω ὀργιῶ ὤργισα ––– ὤργισμαι ὠργίσθην: to make angry, (mid.) become angry

Λακεδαιμόνιος –α –ον: Spartan

ἀπροφάσιστος: offering no excuse, unhesitating

στρατεύω στρατεύσω ἐστράτευσα ἐστράτευκα ἐστράτευμαι ἐστρατεύθην: serve in war; march against

Πλαταιαί: Plataia

Πελοποννήσιος: Peloponnesian (of people)

Ἀργεῖος –η –ον: Argive, of or from Argos (Greece)

ἐπιτάσσω ἐπισκέψομαι ἐπεσεψάμην ––– ἐπέσκεμμαι ἐπεσεψαμήθην: to put upon one as a duty, to enjoin

Βοιωτός –ή –όν: a Boiotian

Λοκρός: Lokrian

Φωκεύς –έως ὁ: a Phokian

Μαλιεύς: Malian

Οἰταῖος: of Mount Oite

Αἰνιάν: of the Aenianes, a Thessalian tribe

πανδημεί: in full force

ἐπαγγέλλω ἐπαγγελῶ ἐπήγγειλα ἐπήγγελκα ἐπήγγελμαι ἐπηγγέλθην: tell, proclaim, command

102

περικαθέζομαι: to sit down round; besiege (a walled city)

καρπόω καρπώσω ἐκάρπωσα ––– κεκάρπωμαι ἐκαρπώθην: harvest crops from, use, enjoy

ἀφίστημι ἀποστήσω ἀπέστησα (or ἀπέστην) ἀπέστηκα ἀπέσταμαι ἀπεστάθην: remove, abandon

Ἀθηναῖος –α –ον: Athenian

συμμαχία –ας ἡ: alliance

Πλαταιεύς: of Plataia, Plataian

πολιορκέω πολιορκήσω ἐπολιόρκησα πεπολιόρκηκα πεπολιόρκημαι ἐπολιορκήθην: besiege

διπλοος –η –ον: twofold, double

περιτειχίζω: to wall all round

παντοδαπός –ή –όν: of every kind, of all sorts, manifold

πεῖρα -ας ἡ: attempt; assault

προσάγω προσάξω προσήγαγον προσῆχα προσῆγμαι προσήχθην: supply, add, bring to, apply

103

ἀπαγορεύω ἀπηγόρευσα: to forbid

ἐνδεής –ές: in need of; deficient

ἀπορέω ἀπορήσω ἡπόρησα ἠπόρηκα ἠπόρημαι ἠπορήθην: (pass.) be left unprovided for

διακληρόω: to assign by lot, allot

σφεῖς: they

ὑπομένω ὑπομενῶ ὑπέμεινα ὑπομεμένηκα ––– –––: stay behind, survive, abide

τηρέω τηρήσω ἐτήρησα τετήρηκα τετήρημαι ἐτηρήθην: to look out, watch for

ἄνεμος –ου ὁ: wind, spirit

ἐξέρχομαι ἐξελεύσομαι ἐξῆλθον ἐξελήλυθα ––– –––: go/come out, go forth

ὑπερβαίνω ὑπερβήσομαι ὑπερέβην ὑπερβέβηκα ––– –––: to step over, mount, scale

περιτείχισμα: a fortification wall

ἀποσφάζω: to cut the throat of

φύλαξ –ακος ὁ: watchman

διασῴζω διασώσω διέσωσα διασέσωκα διασέσωμαι/διασέσωσμαι διεσώθην: to preserve through

δεῦρο: (to) here

διάκειμαι διάκείσομαι: to be in a certain state, to be disposed

ἀπροσδόκητος –ον: unexpected, unlooked for

κράτος –ους τό: might, power

ἡβάω ἡβήσω ἥβησα ἥβηκα: to be at man's estate, to be in the prime of youth

ἐξανδραποδίζω ἐξηνδραπόδισα: enslave

ἔπειμι: (go) come upon, approach, attack

ὑπεξέρχομαι ὑπεξῆλθον ὑπεξελήλυθα: to go out secretly, escape

Ἀθήναζε: to Athens

Suggested Citation