Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 1.15

[1] Such were then the navies of the Greeks, both ancient and modern. Nevertheless, such as applied themselves to naval business gained by them no small power, both in revenue of money and in dominion over other people. For with their navies (especially those men that had not sufficient land, where they inhabited, to maintain themselves) they subdued the islands.

[2] But as for war by land, such as any state might acquire power by, there was none at all; and such as were, were only between borderer and borderer. For the Grecians had never yet gone out with any army to conquer any nation far from home, because the lesser cities neither brought in their forces to the great ones as subjects nor concurred as equals in any common enterprise; but such as were neighbours warred against each other hand to hand.

[3] For the war of old between the Chalcideans and the Eretrians was it wherein the rest of Greece was most divided and in league with either party.

[1] The navies, then, of the Hellenes during the period we have traversed were what I have described. All their insignificance did not prevent their being an element of the greatest power to those who cultivated them, alike in revenue and in dominion. They were the means by which the islands were reached and reduced, those of the smallest area falling the easiest prey.

[2] Wars by land there were none, none at least by which power was acquired; we have the usual border contests, but of distant expeditions with conquest for object we hear nothing among the Hellenes. There was no union of subject cities round a great state, no spontaneous combination of equals for confederate expeditions; what fighting there was consisted merely of local warfare between rival neighbors.

[3] The nearest approach to a coalition took place in the old war between Chalcis and Eretria ; this was a quarrel in which the rest of the Hellenic name did to some extent take sides.

Das also war der Zustand des Hellenischen Seewesens in
den ältesten und den folgenden Zeiten; gleichwohl erwarben die, welche
ihm oblagen, theils durch deu Geldzufluß, theils auch durch
Ausbreitung ihrer Herrschaft keine geringe Macht. Sie griffen nämlich die
Inseln an und unterwarfen sie, besonders wenn das eigne Gebiet sie
nicht mehr ausreichend nährte. Zu Lande aber ereignete sich kein Krieg,
welcher eine Vergrößerung der Macht hätte zur Folge haben können,
und wenn solche etwa vorkamen, so wurden sie immer nur gegen die
eigenen Gränznachbarn geführt; aus weite Heereszüge in fremde
Länder aber und zur Unterwerfung Anderer gingen die Hellenen nicht aus,
denn es gab weder Unterworfene, welche den mächtigen Städten ^durch
gezwungene Beistandleistung^ solche Unternehmungen hätten erleichtern
können, noch auch wurden gemeinsame Heereszüge mit gleichem Recht
für Alle unternommen. Unter einander ^d. h. ohne Bundesgenossen^
aber führten sie wohl Krieg, ein Jeder mit seinem Nachbar. Am
meisten noch fand eine allgemeinere Parteinahme in dem alten Kriege
zwischen den Chalkidiern und Eretriern Statt, wo auch das übrige
Griechenland auf der einen oder der andern Seite mitkämpfte^). ^{1 2}

XV. Telles étaient les forces maritimes des Grecs dans les temps anciens et à une époque plus rapprochée. Elles suffirent du reste pour procurer une notable prépondérance à ceux qui les possédaient ; car elles augmentaient leurs revenus et assuraient leur domination sur les autres peuples ; à l’aide de leurs vaisseaux ils allaient soumettre les îles, surtout lorsque leur propre territoire était insuffisant.

Sur terre, il n’y eut aucune expédition d’où pût résulter un grand accroissement de puissance : toutes les guerres qui curent lieu n’étaient que de voisins à voisins ; les Grecs n’envoyaient pas au dehors d’expéditions lointaines en vue des conquêtes ; on ne voyait point alors les villes d’un rang inférieur s’allier aux plus puissantes et accepter leur commandement ; il n’y avait pas davantage d’alliance sur le pied de l’égalité pour des entreprises en commun ; chacun restait isolé et ne faisait la guerre qu’à ses voisins. Dans une seule guerre, celle qui eut lieu autrefois entre les Chalcidéens et les Érétriens ¹ , le reste de la Grèce se divisa et prit parti pour l’un ou l’autre des deux peuples.

Telle était la marine des Grecs dans l’antiquité et à des époques plus rapprochées de nous. Néanmoins les villes qui avaient des flottes se rendirent doublement puissantes, et par les revenus qu’elles en tiraient, et par leur supériorité sur les autres cités; au moyen de leurs vaisseaux, elles subjuguaient les îles, surtout quand leur propre territoire ne suffisait pas à leurs besoins. Sur terre il ne s’alluma aucune guerre d’où pût résulter quelque agrandissement. Parfois des voisins en vinrent aux mains les uns avec les autres ; mais les Grecs ne formèrent aucune expédition lointaine dans un esprit de conquête. On ne voyait point les petits États se grouper sous la sujétion des plus grands ni se réunir pour former des entreprises communes; il n’y avait que des luttes partielles et de voisinage. Une seule fois la Grèce se partagea en deux camps opposés : ce fut dans la guerre que se firent jadis les Chalcidéens et les Érétriens ¹ .

[1] Such were the navies of the Hellenes, both those of early and those of later times; nevertheless those who gave attention to such matters acquired not a little strength by reason both of revenue of money and of sway over others. For they—and especially the peoples whose own territory was insufficient—made expeditions against the islands and subjugated them.

[2] But by land no wars arose from which any considerable accession of power resulted; on the contrary, all that did occur were border wars with their several neighbours, and foreign expeditions far from their own country for the subjugation of others were not undertaken by the Hellenes. For they had not yet been brought into union as subjects of the most powerful states, nor, on the other hand, did they of their own accord make expeditions in common as equal allies; it was rather against one another that the neighbouring peoples severally made war.

[3] But it was chiefly in the war that arose a long time ago between the Chalcidians and the Eretrians, ¹ that all the rest of Hellas took sides in alliance with the one side or the other.

[1] Of such a [deficient] character then were the navies of the Greeks, both the ancient ones and those which were built afterwards. And yet those who paid attention to them obtained the greatest power, both by income of money and dominion over others: for they sailed against the islands, and subdued them; especially those who had not sufficient extent of country.

[2] But as for war by land, from which any power ¹ was acquired, there was none. Such as did arise, were all against their several neighbours; and the Greeks did not go out in any foreign expeditions far from their country for the subjugation of others. For they had not ranged themselves with the chief states as subjects; nor, on the other hand, did they of their own accord, on fair and equal terms, make common expeditions; but it was rather neighbouring states that separately waged war upon each other.

[3] But it was for the war carried on at an early period between the Chalcidians and Eretrians, that the rest of Greece also was most generally divided in alliance with one side or the other.

[1] Navales igitur res Graecorum, et vetustae, et recen-tiores, tales fuerunt. Qui tamen illis operam dederunt, ingentem potentiam sibi compararunt, tam ipso pecuniarum reditu, quam imperio in alios. Nam infesta navigantes classe insulas subigebant, et illi praecipue, qui agrum minus uberem habebant.

[2] Terrestre vero bellum, ex quo aliquid potentiae accesserit, nullum conflatum est, sed quaecumque fuerunt, contra suos quique finitimos gesserunt, et peregrinas expeditiones longe a finibus suis aliorum subigendorum causa nullas faciebant Graeci; non enim adjunxe- rant se maximis civitatibus socii illarum imperio parentes, nec magis ipsi iidem ex aequo communes expeditiones faciebant, sed inter se potius singuli vicini bella gerebant.

[3] Praecipue vero in illo pervetusto bello, quod inter Chalcidenses et Eretrienses gestum est, reliqui quoque Graeci sese diviserunt, alii aliis auxilium ferentes.

Tali dunque erano le flotte antiche dei Greci e dei tempi appresso ; pure quelli che vi posero cura si acquistarono grandissima potenza per entrate di denaro e per dominio sovr? altri : perchè , specialmente coloro che non avevano sufficiente territorio, investivano colle navi le isole e le soggiogavano. Ma per terra non ebbevi veruna guerra che portasse notabile accrescimento di potenza , e quante ne sorsero erano di luoghi particolari coi confinanti : spedizioni al di fuori a molta distanza dal loro territorio per soggiogare altrui, i Greci allora non ne intraprendevano ) perchè le città ora suddite non avean fatto un sol corpo con le più potenti, e nemmeno da per sè facevano in comune spedizioni contribuendo alla pari. Si facevano piuttosto guerra tra loro i confinanti secondo le particolari occorrenze : e più che altro nella guerra dei Calcideesi e degli Eritreesi, avvenuta già nei tempi antichi, il rimanente della Grecia si divise a soccorso di una delle due parti.