Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 1.14

[1] These were the greatest navies extant. And yet even these, though many ages after the time of Troy, consisted, as it seems, but of a few galleys, and were made up with vessels of fifty oars and with long boats, as well as those of former times.

[2] And it was but a little before the Medan war and death of Darius, successor of Cambyses in the kingdom of Persia, that the tyrants of Sicily and the Corcyraeans had of galleys any number. For these last were the only navies worth speaking of in all Greece before the invasion of the Medes.

[3] And the people of Aegina and the Athenians had but small ones, and the most of them consisting but of fifty oars apiece; and that so lately as but from the time that the Athenians making war on Aegina, and withal expecting the coming of the barbarian, at the persuasion of Themistocles built those ships which they used in that war. And these also not all had decks.

[1] These were the most powerful navies. And even these, although so many generations had elapsed since the Trojan war, seem to have been principally composed of the old fifty-oars and long-boats, and to have counted few galleys among their ranks.

[2] Indeed it was only shortly before the Persian war and the death of Darius the successor of Cambyses, that the Sicilian tyrants and the Corcyraeans acquired any large number of galleys. For after these there were no navies of any account in Hellas till the expedition of Xerxes;

[3] Aegina , Athens , and others may have possessed a few vessels, but they were principally fifty-oars. It was quite at the end of this period that the war with Aegina and the prospect of the barbarian invasion enabled Themistocles to persuade the Athenians to build the fleet with which they fought at Salamis ; and even these vessels had not complete decks.

Dies waren nämlich die vornehmsten Seemächte. Allein ^{1 2 3 4 5 6}
auch bei diesen, obgleich sie um viele Menscheualter nach dem
Trojanischen Krieg fallen, gab es nur erst wenige Schiffe mit drei Reihen
von Rudern, sondern man führte, wie zu jener Zeit, meist noch
Fünfzigruderer und lange Fahrzeuge. Kurz vor den Perserkriegen aber und
dem Tode des Dareios, welcher dem Kambyfes als König der Perser
gefolgt war, besaßen die sieilischen Tyrannen^) und auch die
Kerkyräer schon eine große Zahl solcher Dreiruderer. Diese beiden waren
nämlich in der letzten Zeit vor dem Heereszuge des Xerxes die
bedeutendsten Seemächte unter den Hellenen; denn die Aegineten und die
Athener nnd die wenigen Andern besaßen nur schwache Flotten und
meist nur Fiinszigruderer; ja selbst später noch, als Themistokles die
Athener beredete, für den Krieg mit den Aegineten und wegen des
erwarteten Barbarenzuges die Schiffe zu bauen, mit denen sie auch
wirklich die Seeschlachten lieferten, hatten selbst diese noch kein
vollständiges Verdeck.

Das waren zu der Zeit die vornehmsten Seemächte. Aber
obgleich damals seit dem Trojanischen Kriege schon viele
Menschenalter vergangen waren, hatten auch sie erst wenig
Trieren, sondern fuhren noch immer mit dem langen Fnnf­
zigruderer wie zur Zeit jenes Krieges. Kurz vor den Perser­
kriegen und dem Tode des Dareios, der nach Kambyses in
Persien regierte, hatten dann aber die Tyrannen in Sizilien
und die Kerkyräer bereits zahlreiche Tricren, und daS waren
in der letzten Zeit vor dem Zuge des Xerxes die bedeutendsten
griechischen Seemächte. Denn waS die Agineten, die Athener
und etwa noch einige andere an Schiffen besaßen, war nicht
der Rede wert, und dazu waren es meist nur Funfzigruderer.
Ja selbst die Schiffe, welche die Athener später Ar den Krieg
mit Agina und den damals auch schon drohenden Perserkrieg
auf Rat des Themistokles bauten und mit denen sie nachher
auch ihre Schlachten schlugen, hatten noch kein volles Verdeck.

XIV. Telles étaient les marines les plus puissantes : on voit assez qu’elles ne se formèrent que plusieurs générations après la guerre de Troie ; les trirèmes y étaient peu en usage. Alors encore, comme au siége de Troie, les flottes ne se composaient que de pentécontores ¹ et de vaisseaux longs. Peu de temps avant la guerre médique et la mort du roi des Perses Darius, successeur de Cambyse, les tyrans de Sicile ² et les Corcyréens eurent de nombreuses trirèmes. Ces flottes sont les dernières qui méritent d’être citées en Grèce, avant l’expédition deXerxès. Car, jusque-là, les Éginètes, les Athéniens et quelques autres peuples, n’avaient qu’une marine sans importance, composée surtout de pentécontores ³ . Ce fut même assez tard que, sur les conseils de Thémistocle, les Athéniens, en guerre avec les Éginètes, et dans l’attente de l’invasion barbare, construisirent des vaisseaux sur lesquels ils combattirent ; et encore ces bâtiments n’étaient-ils pas complétement pontés.

[1] These were the most powerful of the fleets; and even these, we learn, though they were formed many generations later than the Trojan war, were provided with only a few triremes, but were still fitted out with fifty-oared galleys and the ordinary long boats, ¹ like the navies of that earlier time.

[2] Indeed, it was only a little before the Persian war and the death of Darius, ² who became king of the Persians after Cambyses, that triremes were acquired in large numbers, namely by the tyrants in various parts of Sicily and by the Corcyraeans; and these were the last navies worthy of note that were established in Hellas before the expedition of Xerxes.

[3] As for the Athenians and Aeginetans and any other maritime powers, the fleets they had acquired were inconsiderable, consisting mostly of fifty-oared galleys; and it was only quite recently that the Athenians, when they were at war with the Aeginetans and were also expecting the Barbarians, ³ built their fleet, at the instance of Themistocles—the very ships with which they fought at Salamis. And these vessels were still without decks throughout their length.

[1] These were the strongest of their navies. But even these, though many generations after the Trojan war, appear to have used but few triremes, and to have been still fitted out with fifty-oared vessels, and long boats, as that fleet was.

[2] And it was but a short time before the Median war, and the death of Darius, who was king of the Persians after Cambyses, that triremes were possessed in any number by the tyrants of Sicily and the Corcyraeans. For these were the last navies worth mentioning established in Greece before the expedition of Xerxes:

[3] as the Aeginetans and Athenians, and whoever else had any, possessed but small ones, and of those the greater part fifty-oared vessels; and it was only lately that Themistocles persuaded the Athenians, when at war with the aeginetans, and when the barbarian was also expected, to build those very ships with which they fought him by sea; and these were not yet decked throughout.

[1] Horum enim maxima erat in rebus maritimis potentia. Veium tamen hau quoque classes, quae multis post Trojana tempora saeculis exstiterunt, triremibus quidem paucis usae, et adhuc quinquaginta potius remigum longis-que navibus videntur instructae fuisse, ut illis temporibus.

[2] Pauloque ante Medicum bellum et Darei mortem, qui post Cambysem regnum Persarum obtinuit, major triremium copia fuit et tyrannis in Sicilia, et Corcyraeis; hae namque postremae ante Xerxis expeditionem classes memoratu dignae in Graecia exstiterunt.

[3] .Eginetae enim et Athenienses, et ei qui forte alii, exiguas habuerunt classes, easque magnam partem navium quinquaginta remigum, atque id etiam sero ex quo Themistoclee persuasit Atheniensibus, adversus ASgi-netas bellum gerentibus, quum quidem simul etiam barbari adventus expectabatur, ut naves facerent, quibus etiam in navali proelio sunt usi, quae ne ipsae quidem adhuc omnino constratae erant.

Queste erano le flotte più poderose ; pure manifestamente esse furono molte generazioni dopo i fatti di

Troia. Usavansi però poche triremi, ed invece tuttavolta barche a cinquanta rematori, come quelle che andarono contro Troia. E solo poco prima de5 fatti de5 Medi e della morte di Dario, succeduto a Cambise nel regno dei Persiani , ebbero gran numero di triremi i tiranni di Sicilia ed i Coriuotti; perocché queste furono le ultime flotte ragguardevoli nella Grecia prima della spedizione di Serse. Gli Egineti e gli Ateniesi e alcuni altri le ebbero piccole e per la maggior parte composte di navi a cinquanta rematori ; e ciò assai tardi, cioè, da che Temistocle ebbe persuaso agli Ateniesi, che erano in guerra con gli Egineti, e che si aspettavano il barbaro, di fabbricar navi colle quali vennero a battaglia, senza che però avessero ancora intera coverta.