Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, Élie-Ami Bétant (Translator), 6.98

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Peu de temps après, il leur arriva d’Égeste trois cents cavaliers, ainsi qu’une centaine de chez les Sicules, de Nazos et de quelques autres endroits. Les deux cent cinquante cavaliers venus d’Athènes se procurèrent des chevaux à Ëgeste, à Catane, ou en achetèrent à prix d’argent; de sorte que l’effectif de la cavalerie se trouva de six cent cinquante hommes. Les Athéniens, après avoir mis garnison au Labdalon, s’avancèrent vers Syka ¹, y prirent position, et élevèrent à la hâte leur retranchement circulaire ². La célérité de ce travail consterna les Syracusains, qui firent une sortie pour l’interrompre. Déjà les armées étaient en présence, lorsque les généraux syracusains, voyant que leurs soldats étaient disséminés et se formaient difficilement, les ramenèrent dans la ville. Ils ne laissèrent qu’un détachement de cavalerie, pour empêcher les Athéniens de transporter des pierres et de se répandre au loin. Une tribu d’hoplites athéniens, soutenue par toute la cavalerie, attaqua et mit en fuite ces cavaliers syracusains, en tua quelques-uns, et dressa un trophée en commémoration de cette victoire.

History of the Peloponnesian War. Thucydides. Élie-Ami Bétant (Translator). Paris. 1863.

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Current edition First1KGreek

Histoire de la Guerre du Péloponnése (French) (Thucydides. Histoire de la Guerre du Péloponnése. Bétant, Élie-Ami, translator. Paris: Librairie de L. Hachette, 1863.)

Editions (1)

Ἱστορίαι Perseus (Thucydides. Historiae, Vol 1-2. Jones, Henry Stuart, editor. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1910. (1942 printing).) — 6.98.1 focus

[1] καὶ οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον αὐτοῖς ἦλθον ἔκ τε Ἐγέστης ἱππῆς τριακόσιοι καὶ Σικελῶν καὶ Ναξίων καὶ ἄλλων τινῶν ὡς ἑκατόν· καὶ Ἀθηναίων ὑπῆρχον πεντήκοντα καὶ διακόσιοι, οἷς ἵππους τοὺς μὲν παρ’ Ἐγεσταίων καὶ Καταναίων ἔλαβον, τοὺς δ’ ἐπρίαντο, καὶ ξύμπαντες πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑξακόσιοι ἱππῆς ξυνελέγησαν.

[2] καὶ καταστήσαντες ἐν τῷ Λαβδάλῳ φυλακὴν ἐχώρουν πρὸς τὴν Συκῆν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι, ἵναπερ καθεζόμενοι ἐτείχισαν τὸν κύκλον διὰ τάχους. καὶ ἔκπληξιν τοῖς Συρακοσίοις παρέσχον τῷ τάχει τῆς οἰκοδομίας· καὶ ἐπεξελθόντες μάχην διενοοῦντο ποιεῖσθαι καὶ μὴ περιορᾶν.

[3] καὶ ἤδη ἀντιπαρατασσομένων ἀλλήλοις οἱ τῶν Συρακοσίων στρατηγοὶ ὡς ἑώρων σφίσι τὸ στράτευμα διεσπασμένον τε καὶ οὐ ῥᾳδίως ξυντασσόμενον, ἀνήγαγον πάλιν ἐς τὴν πόλιν πλὴν μέρους τινὸς τῶν ἱππέων· οὗτοι δὲ ὑπομένοντες ἐκώλυον τοὺς Ἀθηναίους λιθοφορεῖν τε καὶ ἀποσκίδνασθαι μακροτέραν.

[4] καὶ τῶν Ἀθηναίων φυλὴ μία τῶν ὁπλιτῶν καὶ οἱ ἱππῆς μετ’ αὐτῶν πάντες ἐτρέψαντο τοὺς τῶν Συρακοσίων ἱππέας προσβαλόντες, καὶ ἀπέκτεινάν τέ τινας καὶ τροπαῖον τῆς ἱππομαχίας ἔστησαν.

Translations (9)

The History of the Grecian War Perseus (Thucydides. The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury. Hobbes, Thomas. translator. London: John Bohn, 1843.) — 6.98.1 focus

[1] Not long after, there came unto them from Egesta three hundred horsemen, and from the Siculi, namely the Naxians and some others, about one hundred; and the Athenians had of their own two hundred and fifty for which they had horses, part from the Egestaeans and Catanaeans, and part they bought. So that they had together in the whole, six hundred and fifty horsemen.

[2] Having put a guard into Labdalum, the Athenians went down to Syca and raised there a wall in circle very quickly, so that they struck a terror into the Syracusians with the celerity of the work. Who, therefore, coming forth, intended to have given them battle and no longer to have neglected the matter.

[3] But when the armies were one set against the other, the Syracusian generals, perceiving their own to be in disarray and not easily to be embattled, led them again into the city, save only a certain part of their horsemen; which staying, kept the Athenians from carrying of stone and straggling far abroad from their camp.

[4] But the Athenians with one squadron of men of arms, together with their whole number of horse, charged the horsemen of the Syracusians and put them to flight, of whom they slew a part, and erected a trophy for this battle of horse.

History of the Peloponnesian War Perseus (Thucydides. History of the Peloponnesian War. Crawley, Richard, translator. London and Toronto: J. M. Dent and Sons Ltd.; New York: E. P. Dutton and Co., 1914.) — 6.98.1 focus

[1] Not long afterwards three hundred cavalry came to them from Egesta , and about a hundred from the Sicels, Naxians, and others; and thus, with the two hundred and fifty from Athens , for whom they had got horses from the Egestaeans and Catanians, besides others that they bought, they now mustered six hundred and fifty cavalry in all.

[2] After posting a garrison in Labdalum , they advanced to Syca, where they sate down and quickly built the Circle or centre of their wall of circumvallation. The Syracusans, appalled at the rapidity with which the work advanced, determined to go out against them and give battle and interrupt it;

[3] and the two armies were already in battle array, when the Syracusan generals observed that their troops found such difficulty in getting into line, and were in such disorder, that they led them back into the town, except part of the cavalry. These remained and hindered the Athenians from carrying stones or dispersing to any great distance,

[4] until a tribe of the Athenian heavy infantry, with all the cavalry, charged and routed the Syracusan horse with some loss; after which they set up a trophy for the cavalry action.

Geschichte des Peloponnesischen Kriegs First1KGreek (Thucydides. Geschichte des Peloponnesischen Kriegs. Wahrmund, Adolf, translator. Stuttgart: Krais and Hoffmann, 1864.) — 6.98 focus

Nicht lange danach stießen aus Egesta dreihundert Reiter
zu ihnen, und von den Sikulern und Naxiern und einigen Andern
gegen-hundert. Die Athener hatten deren bereits zweihundert und
fünfzig, für welche sie die Pferde theils von den Egestanern und
Katanäern nahmen, theils kauften. Im Ganzen waren also
sechshundert und fünfzig Reiter zusammengekommen.. Die Athener
ließen nun im Labdalon.eine Besatzung zurück und rückten vor gegen
Syke ^), vor welchem Stadttheil sie sich festsetzten und die
kreisförmige Einschließungsmaner rasch aufbauten. Die Schnelligkeit dieses
Baues erregte Bestürzung bei den Syrakusanern und sie faßten
deßhalb den Entschluß, dagegen auszurücken, und nicht ruhig zuzusehen.
Als nun schon beide Theile einander in Schlachtlinie gegenüber tsan- l ¹
den, da sahen die Syrakusanischen Feldherren, daß ihre Streithaufen ²
sich von einander abgerissen hatten und nicht leicht wieder m
Ordnung gestellt werden könnten, und deßhalb führten sie ihre Truppen
wieder in die Stadt zurück, ausgenommen einen kleinen Theil der
Reiter. Diese blieben außerhalb und hinderten die Athener, Steine
herbeizuholen und sich aus weitere Entfernung zu zerstreuen. ^ Eine
Stammabtheilung Es der Athenischen Schwerbewaffneten aber, von
der gesammten Reiterei unterstützt, griffen die Syrakusanischen Reiter
an und schlugen sie in die Flucht, auch tödteten sie einige derselben
und stellten für dieß Reitergefecht ein Siegeszeichen auf. > > ? .

Geschichte des Peloponnesischen Kriegs First1KGreek (Thucydides. Geschichte des Peloponnesischen Kriegs. Braun, Theodor, translator. Leipzig: Insel-Verlag, 1917.) — 6.98 focus

Nicht lange nachher trafen aus Egesta dreihundert und
etwa hundert von Sikelern, Naxiern und anderen Orten ge
stellte Reiter bei ihnen ein; die Athener selbst hatten zwei
hundertfunfzig, für die sie Pferde teils von Egesta und Ka
tana erhalten, teils angekauft, im ganzen also jetzt sechs
hundert Reiter zur Stelle. Nun rückten sie, während sie in
Labdalon eine Besatzung ließen, gegen Syke vor, wo sie sich
festsetzten und sogleich damit begannen, eine Mauer rings
um die Stadt zu erbauen, und die Syrakuser sahen mit
Schrecken, wie schnell der Bau fortschritt. Um das zu ver
hindern, entschlossen sie sich zu einem Ausfall, um den Athenern
eine Schlacht zu liefern. Aber schon bald, nachdem sie an
einander geraten, sahen die Feldherren der Syrakuser, daß
ihre Reihen durchbrochen und nicht leicht wieder zu schließen
waren, und führten deshalb ihr Heer bis auf eine Anzahl
Reiter wieder in die Stadt zurück. Die blieben draußen und
suchten die Athener daran zu hindern, Steine zusammenzu
tragen und sich dazu einzeln weiter vom Heere zu entfernen.
Nun aber warf sich eine einzelne Abteilung des schweren
Fußvolks der Athener und ihre ganze Reiterei auf die syra
kusischen Reiter, schlug sie in die Flucht und machte eine
Anzahl nieder. Auch wegen dieses Reitergefechts errichteten
die Athener ein Siegeszeichen.

Histoire de la Guerre du Péloponèse First1KGreek (Thucydides. Histoire de la Guerre du Péloponnése, Vol. 1-2. Zévort, Marie Charles, translator. Paris: Charpentier, 1852.) — 6.98 focus

XCVIII. Peu de temps après, il leur vint d’Égeste trois cents cavaliers; les Sicèles, Naxos et quelques autres villes en envoyèrent une centaine. Les Athéniens avaient eux-mêmes deux cent cinquante cavaliers pour lesquels ils se procurèrent des chevaux à Égeste et à Catane, ou à prix d’argent. Le tout réuni formait un corps de six cent cinquante cavaliers. Après avoir mis garnison à Labdalos, les Athéniens se dirigèrent vers Syké¹, où ils s’établirent, et se mirent à élever en ² toute hâte un retranchement circulaire. La célérité du travail frappa de terreur les Syracusains; ils sortirent avec l’intention de combattre et de s’y opposer : déjà même les deux armées étaient en présence, lorsque les généraux syracusains, voyant leurs troupes disséminées et les rangs difficiles à former, les ramenèrent dans la ville, à l’exception d’une partie des cavaliers. Ceux-ci tinrent ferme et empêchèrent les Athéniens d’apporter des pierres et de s’écarter au loin, jusqu’à ce qu’une tribu³ d’hoplites athéniens attaqua, de concert avec toute la cavalerie, les cavaliers syracusains et les mit en déroute. Les Athéniens en tuèrent quelques-uns et dressèrent un trophée pour ce combat de cavalerie.

History of the Peloponnesian War First1KGreek (Thucydides, Vol. 1-4. Smith, Charles Foster, translator. London and Cambridge, MA: Heinemann and Harvard University Press, 1919-1923.) — 6.98.1 focus

[1] Not long afterwards there came from Egesta three hundred horsemen, and from the Sicels, Naxians, and some others about one hundred; and the Athenians had already two hundred and fifty, for whom they received some horses from the Egestaeans and Catanaeans and purchased others; so that altogether six hundred and fifty cavalry were mustered.

[2] Placing a garrison at Labdalum, the Athenians advanced to Syce, where they took position and built the round fort¹ with all speed. The Syracusans were struck with consternation by the rapidity of their building; and they went out against them, determined to give battle and not look on idly.

[3] And when they were already drawing up for the conflict the generals of the Syracusans, seeing that their own army had become disordered and did not readily get into line, led them back to the city, all save a part of the cavalry. These remained behind and tried to prevent the Athenians from bringing stones and scattering to any great distance.

[4] But one tribal² division of the Athenian hoplites, and with these all their cavalry, attacked and routed the Syracusan cavalry, killed some, and set up a trophy of the cavalry fight.

History of the Peloponnesian War First1KGreek (Thucydides. The history of the Peloponnesian War, Volume 1-2. Dale, Henry, translator. London: Heinemann and Henry G. Bohn, 1851-1852.) — 6.98.1 focus

[1] Not long after, there came to them from Segesta three hundred cavalry, and about a hundred from the Sicels, Naxians, and some others, while there were already two hundred and fifty from Athens, for whom they had received some horses from the Segestans and Catanaeans, and had bought others; so that altogether a body of six hundred and fifty cavalry was mustered.

[2] Having established a garrison in Labdalum, the Athenians advanced to Syca, where they posted themselves. and built with all speed ¹ the central point of their wall of circumvallation. They struck the Syracusans with consternation by the rapidity of their building; and consequently they resolved to march out against them and give them battle, and not allow them to proceed with the work.

[3] When they were now being drawn up in battle-array against each other, the Syracusan generals, perceiving that their forces were broken, and did not easily fall into line, led them back again into the city, excepting some part of their cavalry.

[4] These, staying behind, prevented the Athenians from carrying their stones, or dispersing to any great distance; until ² One tribe of the Athenian heavy-armed, with all their cavalry, charged and routed the Syracusan horse, killed some of them, and erected a trophy for this cavalry action.

Historia Belli Peloponnesiaci First1KGreek (Historia Belli Peloponnesiaci. Haase, Friedrich, translator. Paris: Firmin Didot, 1869.) — 6.98.1 focus

[1] Nec multo post ad eos venerunt cum ex Egesta trecenti equites, tum Siculorum et Naxiorum et aliorum quorumdam circiter centum; et Atheniensium aderant ducenti et quinquaginta, quibus partim ab Egestaeis et Cata-nacis equos sumptos dederunt, partim vero coemerunt, et universorum equitum, qui collecti erant, summa exstitit sexcentorum et quinquaginta.

[2] Athenienses igitur quum praesidium in Labdalo collocassent, adversus Sycam iverunt, ubi considentes murorum ambitum celeriter aedificarunt. Hac autem aedificationis celeritate terrorem Syracusanis incusserunt; qui adversus hostem progressi proelium committere neque rem negligere in animo habebant.

[3] Et quum utrinque acies inter se adversae jam instruerentur, Syracusanorum duces animadvertentes, suum exercitum esse distractum nec in ordinem facile redigi posse, eum in urbem reduxerunt excepta quadam equitum parte; hi vero remanentes impediebant Athenienses, ne lapides ferrent neve longius vagarentur.

[4] Sed Atheniensium una gravis armaturae cohors et cum ea omnes equites impressione in Syracusanorum equitatum facta, eum in fugam verterunt, et nonnullos interfecerunt, equeslrisque prodii tropamm statuerunt.

La storia di Tucidide First1KGreek (Thucydides. Della storia di Tucidide volgarizzata libri otto. Anonymous translator. Florence: Tipografia Galileiana, 1835.) — 6.98 focus

E poco dopo arrivarono ad essi trecento cavalieri da Egesta, e cento incirca tra de' Siculi, de’ Nassii e ,d’alcuni altri; e dugento cinquanta vi erano degli Ateniesi che aveano ricevuto parte de’cavalli dagli Egestei e da!Catanesi, parte gli avevano comprati : talché ebbero accolti in tutti seicentocinquanta cavalieri. Gli Ateniesi adunque collocato il corpo di guardia in Labdalo andarono verso Sica, ove fermatisi alzarono prontamente il muro all’ intorno. La prestezza loro nel fabbricare atterri i Siracusani, che però uscirono fuori con animo di far battaglia e non lasciar correre la cosa. E già i due eserciti si schieravano di fronte ; quando i generali dei Siracusani vedendo sbandate le proprie genti e non facili a potersi riordinare, le ricondussero in città , salvo una parte dei cavalli che ivi rimasero per impedire agli Ateniesi di trasportare i sassi e di spargersi più lontano. E gli Ateniesi con una squadra di soldati gravi e insieme con tutta la cavalleria, azzuffatisi coi cavalli siracusani li misero in fuga ed alcuni ne uccisero ; ed alzarono il trofeo per questo equestre conflitto.

Notes on the current edition

History of the Peloponnesian War

Faubourg situé au N. E. de l’Acbradine, et nommé aussi Tycha, à cause fl’un temple delà Fortune qui s’y trouvait. (Cicéron, Ferr., IV, liii.)

Il paraît, d’après les ch. xcix, a et eu, que c’était un ouvrage préliminaire, une sorte de camp retranché ou de réduit, distinct de la circonvallation proprement dite, à laquelle il servait de centre et de point d’appui. M. Didot est le premier qui ait donné à ce terme sa véritable valeur. Avant lui, on prenait le κύκλος pour l’ensemble des lignes obsidionales élevées par les Athéniens. L’emploi de l’article montre qu’il s’agit d’un travail connu et usité dans les sièges.

Commentary

Commentary on Thucydides: Book 6 (Thucydides, Book VI. Marchant, Edgar C., editor. London: Macmillan and Company, 1909.) focus

καὶ οὐ πολλῷ κτλ —though expressed paratactically, the section consists of two causes and a result—each introduced by καί—so that καὶ ξύμπαντες=‘and thus in all.’

Συκῆν —this name is found only in Thuc., and the position is unknown. Arnold, Grote, Stahl, Holm, and Freeman place it on the middle of the slope of Epipolae. But Leake and Conradt place it farther south, and this view is probably correct. See c. 101, 1 on ἐτείχιζον τὸν κρημνόν.

ἐτείχισαν τὸν κύκλον —recent authorities agree that this means ‘built (and completed) the (necessary, cf. c. 100, 1) fort,’ and not ‘built the (whole) circle of walls,’ which was never completed. This fort was to be the central point of walls running north to Trogilus and south to the Great Harbour, and from it the A. subsequently established communication with the harbour. (The only recent writer who supports the sense ‘circumvallation’ is Conradt in N. Jahrb. fur Phil. '84 p. 534. The passages in which the κύκλος is referred to are cc. 99, 1, 3; 101, 1; 102, 2; VII. 2 , 4. Conradt's only strong point is that in VII. 2 τῷ δὲ ἄλλῳ τοῦ κύκλου πρὸς τὸν Τρώγιλον the sense ‘on the other side of the fortress’ or ‘for the other portion running from the fortress’ cannot be got from the Greek. I read there τῷ δὲ ἄλλῳ < ἄνω> τοῦ κύκλου. But in all the other passages ‘fortress’ is much more suitable. Heitland shows that the sense ‘circumvallation’ belongs to κύκλος when it is used either ( a) of defences. ( b) offensive works that run all round a place. The reasons appended to Jowett's translation for preferring ‘circumvallation’ have been refuted by Freeman and Heitland.)

ἀντιπαρατασσομένων —with ἑώρων. διεσπασμένον, opposite of ξυντασσόμενον.

μακροτέραν —sc. ὁδόν. All degrees of μακρός are found thus in the fem. accus.

σκίδνασθαι is an Ionic form

φυλή = τάξις. Gardner and Jevons, p. 637. ἓν τάγμα ἀπὸ φυλῆς μιᾶς, Schol.

Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 6.98

Élie-Ami Bétant (Translator)

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