Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 1.11

[1] And the cause hereof was not so much want of men as of wealth. For, for want of victual they carried the lesser army, and no greater than they hoped might both follow the war and also maintain itself. When upon their arrival they had gotten the upper hand in fight (which is manifest, for else they could not have fortified their camp), it appears that from that time forward they employed not there their whole power, but that for want of victual they betook themselves, part of them to the tillage of Chersonesus and part to fetch in booties; whereby divided, the Trojans the more easily made that ten years resistance, as being ever a match for so many as remained at the siege.

[2] Whereas, if they had gone furnished with store of provision and with all their forces, eased of booty-haling and tillage, since they were masters of the field, they had also easily taken the city. But they strove not with their whole power but only with such a portion of their army as at the several occasions chanced to be present; when as, if they had pressed the siege, they had won the place both in less time and with less labour. But through want of money not only they were weak matters, all that preceded this enterprise, but also this, which is of greater name than any before it, appeareth to be in fact beneath the fame and report which, by means of the poets, now goeth of it.

[1] And this was due not so much to scarcity of men as of money. Difficulty of subsistence made the invaders reduce the numbers of the army to a point at which it might live on the country during the prosecution of the war. Even after the victory they obtained on their arrival— and a victory there must have been, or the fortifications of the naval camp could never have been built— there is no indication of their whole force having been employed; on the contrary, they seem to have turned to cultivation of the Chersonese and to piracy from want of supplies. This was what really enabled the Trojans to keep the field for ten years against them; the dispersion of the enemy making them always a match for the detachment left behind.

[2] If they had brought plenty of supplies with them, and had persevered in the war without scattering for piracy and agriculture, they would have easily defeated the Trojans in the field; since they could hold their own against them with the division on service. In short, if they had stuck to the siege, the capture of Troy would have cost them less time and less trouble.

[3] But as want of money proved the weakness of earlier expeditions, so from the same cause even the one in question, more famous than its predecessors, may be pronounced on the evidence of what it effected to have been inferior to its renown and to the current opinion about it formed under the tuition of the poets.

Die Ursache hievon ist aber nicht sowohl im Menschen-
mangel, als vielmehr in Geldarmuth zu suchen, denn wegen der schwie- ¹
rigen Beschaffung der Lebensmittel mußten sie auch die Heereszahl
schwächer nehmen und konnten nur so viel Mann überführen, als sie
hoffen durften, trotz dem Kriege dort erhalten zu können. Nachdem
sie aber gleich nach der Landung eine Schlacht gewonnen hatten^)
— und das muß geschehen sein, denn sonst hätten sie ihr Lager nicht
mit einer festen Mauer umgeben können —, so zeigt sich selbst dann
noch, daß sie nie mit ihrer Gesamtmacht auftraten, sondern sie
beschäftigten sich zugleich auch mit dem Landbau auf dem ^thrakischen^
Chersonnes 38) und mit Seeräuberei, eben aus Mangel an Lebensmitteln.
Wegen dieser Zersplitterung der Kräfte widerstanden die Trojaner um
so leichter die zehn Jahre hindurch, indem sie es mit den jedesmal
Zurückgebliebenen wohl aufnehmen konnten. Hätten jene aber
hinreichende Vorräthe an Lebensmitteln gehabt, und hätten sie, ohne
Seeraub und Landbau zu treiben, beständig mit ihrer ganzen Macht den
Krieg fortgeführt, so wären sie leicht durch einen Sieg in offener
Feldschlacht der Stadt Meister geworden, da sie ja auch, ohne
vollzählig zu sein, mit dem grade anwesenden Theil des Heeres
erfolgreichen Widerstand leisteten; und hätten sie sich zur Belagerung
herbeigelassen, so würden sie in kürzerer Zeit und mit noch weniger
Mühe Troja genommen haben. Allein eben des Geldmangels
wegen war nicht nur Alles früher Geschehene von keiner Bedeutung
gewesen, sondern selbst noch diese Unternehmung, obgleich bei
Weitem namhafter als alle früheren, zeigt sich in der Wirklichkeit viel
unbedeutender, als wozu der Ruf und die in unserer Zeit verbreitete
dichterische Sage sie machen.

XI. La cause en était moins dans la faiblesse de la population que dans l’exiguité des ressources. Faute de subsistances, on ne leva qu’une armée peu considérable, de telle sorte qu’on pùt espérer la faire vivre chez l’ennemi en combattant. En arrivant, les Grecs gagnèrent une bataille ; cela est évident, car autrement leur armée n’aurait pu se retrancher dans un camp fortifié ; mais, à partir de ce moment, il ne parait pas qu’ils aient fait usage de toutes leurs forces réunies. Faute de vivres, ils se mirent à cultiver la Chersonèse et à faire le brigandage ; et cette dispersion facilita aux Troyens, toujours égaux en forces à ceux qui restaient sous les armes, cette résistance de dix années. Si, au contraire, les Grecs étaient venus avec d’abondantes provisions ; si, au lieu de se livrer à la piraterie et à l’a- griculture, ils étaient restés constamment réunis et en armes, après leur première victoire ils auraient facilement emporté la ville, puisque, dispersés, ils purent cependant soutenir la lutte avec la seule fraction de leurs forces qui restait en face de l’ennemi. Tout entiers au siége de Troie, ils s’en seraient emparés en moins de temps et avec moins de peine. Ainsi, faute de ressources, les entreprises qui ont précédé n’ont eu qu’une médiocre importance, et celle-ci même, — les faits le prouvent, — a été de beaucoup au-dessous de sa renommée et des récits aujourd’hui accrédités par les chants des poëtes.

C’était moins le manque d’hommes que le manque d’argent qui en était la cause. Faute d’approvisionnements, on n’amena qu’une armée médiocre, proportionnée aux ressources que Ton espérait trouver sur le territoire ennemi. Arrivés devant Troie et vainqueurs dans un premier combat ¹ (autrement ils n’auraient pu s’établir dans un camp retranché), les Grecs n’usèrent pas même alors de la totalité de leurs forces; mais la nécessité de se procurer des vivres les contraignit de cultiver la Chersonêse et de courir le pays. Leur dispersion permit aux Troyens de tenir tête à ceux qui se succédaient autour de leurs murs et d’endurer un siège de dix années. Si au contraire les Grecs fussent partis bien approvisionnés, et que, sans recourir au brigandage et à l’agriculture, ils eussent poussé la guerre avec vigueur, nul doute qu’ils n’eussent emporté la ville, puisque, tout disséminés qu’ils étaient et n’ayant devant Troie qu’une partie de leur monde, ils ne laissèrent pas de se maintenir. En l’assiégeant avec plus de suite,.ils l’auraient prise en moins de temps et avec moins de difficulté.

C’est ainsi que, faute d’argent, les entreprises antérieures à cette expédition n’eurent qu’une faible importance, et que, à juger par les faits, la guerre de Troie elle-même, quoique plus célèbre comparativement, ne répond pas à sa renommée et à l’opinion que les poètes nous en ont transmise.

[1] The cause was not so much lack of men as lack of money. For it was a want of supplies that caused them to take out a comparatively small force, only so large as could be expected to live on the country while at war. And when they arrived and had prevailed in battle—as evidently they did, for otherwise they could not have built the defence around their camp—even then they seem not to have used their whole force, but to have resorted to farming in the Chersonese and to pillaging, through lack of supplies. Wherefore, since they were scattered, the Trojans found it easier to hold the field against them during those ten years, being a match for those who from time to time were left in camp.

[2] But if they had taken with them an abundant supply of food, and, in a body, without resorting to foraging and agriculture, had carried on the war continuously, they would easily have prevailed in battle and taken the city, since even with their forces not united, but with only such part as was from time to time on the spot, they yet held out; whereas, if they could have sat down and laid siege to Troy, they would have taken it in less time and with less trouble. But because of lack of money not only were the undertakings before the Trojan war insignificant, but even this expedition itself, though far more noteworthy than any before, is shown by the facts to have been inferior to its fame and to the tradition about it that now, through the influence of the poets, obtains.

[1] And the reason was not so much scarcity of men as want of money. For owing to difficulty of subsistence, they took their army the smaller, and such only as they hoped would live on the country itself while carrying on the war; and when on their arrival they were superior in battle, (and that they were so is evident, for they would not else have built the fortification for their camp,) they appear not even then to have employed all their force, but to have turned to the cultivation of the Chersonese, and to piracy, for want of food. And in this way the Trojans, owing to their being scattered, the more easily held out ¹ by open force those ten years;

[2] being a match for those who successively were left behind. But if they had gone with abundance of food, and in a body had continuously carried through the war, without foraging and agriculture, they would easily have conquered them in battle, and taken the place; since even though not united, but only with the part that was successively present, they held out against them. Now by pressing the siege, [I say,] they would have taken Troy both in less time and with less trouble; but through want of money both the undertakings before this ² were weak, and this itself, though more famous than the former, is shown by facts ³ to have been inferior to its fame, and to the present report of it, which has prevailed by means of the poets.

[1] Hujus vero rei causa fuitnon tam ipsa hominum quam pecuniarum penuria. Nam propter commeatus inopiam copias minores duxerunt,'et eas tantum, quas ex ipsa belli sede pugnando victum sibi paraturas sperabant; et postquam in terram egressi proelio vicerunt (hoc autem est manifestum , nec enim munimentum circa castra exstruxissent), apparet ne hic quidem eos omnibus copiis usos esse, sed ad Chersonesi culturam et ad latrocinium propter commeatus inopiam sese convertisse. Quamobrem etiam facilius ipsis dispersis Trojani per decem annos restiterunt, quod illis, qui relinquebantur, semper erant pares viribus.

[2] Sed si cum magna commeatus abundantia venissent, unaque frequentes sine latrocinio et agricultura bellum continenter gessissent, Trojam proelio superiores facile cepissent, siquidem vel numero non frequenti sed aliqua exercitus parte, quae quoque tempore praesto erat, Trojanos sustinebant. Quod si Trojam assidua obsidione pressissent, et citius et minori cum labore eam expugnassent.

[3] Sed propter rerum inopiam , et quae ante hoc bellum gesta sunt, invalida fuerunt, et haec ipsa, quae omnium superiorum sunt celeberrima, re-ipsa comperiuntur inferiora fama, et opinione ea, quae nunc de illis propter poetas invaluit.

Causa ne fu, più che la scarsità d’uomini, quella di danaro : perocché per mancanza di vettovaglia vi condussero gente in poco numero, e quanta speravano che dal luogo stesso della guerra potrebbe ritrarre il vitto. E sebbene appena arrivati nel territorio troiano vincessero la battaglia, come é chiaro ( perchè altrimenti non avrebbero potuto accamparsi con riparo di forte trincea ) pure apparisce che nemmeno colà fecero valere tutta la gente, ma si volsero alla coltivazione della penisola, e al ladroneccio per penuria di vitto. Onde, stando essi sparsi qua c là, più facilmente poterono per dieci anni resistere loro i Troiani, forti bastantemente per far fronte a quei che successivamente rimanevano al corpo dell’ esercito. Ma se andativi con munizioni da vivere, e tenendosi riuniti, lungi dal ladroneccio e dall’agricoltura, avessero senza interrompimento tirata avanti la guerra, riportando su loro vittoria , li avrebbero agevolmente soggiogati : giacché, sebbene non tutti insieme, ina colla porzione che di mano in mano rimaneva resistevano ai Troiani ; laddove stando fermi all' assedio avrebbero anche con minor tempo e fatica espugnato Troia. Deboli insomma per mancanza di denaro furono le imprese anteriori ; e questa medesima più rinomata di tutte le precedenti è certamente chiaro essere stata al disotto della fama e della voce che di lei ora ha preso piede per opera dei poeti.