Edgar Carew Marchant, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 7, 7.1.1

[1] Ὁ —the art. added because this is a continuation of the narrative from VI. 104 . Contrast c. 2.1 , where the art. is omitted because there is a transition to new points.

Γύλιππος —son of Cleandridas, who had settled at Thurii, on which see c. 33.6 note. His appointment to command in Sicily was the immediate result of Alcibiades' advice. Nothing is known of his previous history. (

His character is in some points not Spartan. He is quick, enterprising, full of resource, able to adapt himself to all men and to all circumstances.

Freeman . This character reminds us of the description which Pericles gave of the Athenians.)

ὁ —the art. again because the persons are thought of separately. Contrast c. 80.1 τῷ Ν καὶ Δ ἐδόκει.

Πυθὴν —Corinthian captain. Syr. envoys had gone to Corinth in the winter of 415, and Corinth had at once resolved to assist her colony.

τοῦ Τ —T. has been all genders. In Attic it is masc., on the analogy of all nouns in ‐ρας; in Alexandrine writers it became fem.; the Romans made it neut.

Τάραντος —Gyl. had been driven by foul weather to seek shelter there. T.— regnata Laconi rura Phalanto—was founded circ. 705 B.C. after the first Messenian war.

ἐπεσκεύασαν — VI. 104 τὰς ναῦς ἐπεσκεύαζεν. Diod. X III. 1 τὰς ναῦς ἐπεσκεύασαν . . . τριήρεις κατεσκεύασαν . . . . τοῦ στόλου παρεσκευασμένου. To the Latin sense of apparatus παρασκευὴ corresponds; while κατασκευὴ has the English sense of the same word.

Λοκροὺς —founded about 690 B.C. on land belonging to the Sicels. Now Gerace.

ἤδη —they had received several false reports that Syr. was entirely shut in.

κατὰ τὰς Ἐ. — via: cf. II. 76.4 κατὰ χῶμα προσάγειν. Epipolae includes all the high ground west of Achradina which was not inclosed in the fortifications of the city.

στρατιᾷ —dat. of accompaniment, only used in naval and military expressions.

ἐβουλεύοντο —because before they had supposed that the only chance of getting into Syr. was by eluding the A. fleet.

ἐν δεξιᾷ λαβόντες —except here Thuc. always uses ἔχειν ἐν δ., ἐν ἀριστερᾷ.

διακινδυνεύσωσιν —so II. 4 ἐβουλεύοντο εἴτε κατακαύσωσιν εἴτε τι ἄλλο χρήσωνται. Thuc. does not use πότερον . . ἤ. He uses πότερον twice, VIZ. I. 80 πῶς χρὴ . . ἐπειχθῆναι : πότερον ταῖς ναυσίν ; and VI. 38 τί καὶ βούλεσθε; πότερον ἄρχειν ; In both cases ἀλλὰ follows ( ὑποφορά), as in Andoc. I. 148 τίνα γὰρ άναβιβάσωμαι; τὸν πατέρα; ἀλλὰ τέθνηκεν. ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἀδελφούς; ἀλλ’ οὐκ εἰσίν.

διακινδυνεύσωσιν ἐσπλεῦσαι —of the compounds of κινδυνεύω, ἀνα‐, ἀπο‐, δια‐, παρα‐ are found with infin.; ἐπι‐, προ‐, συγ‐ are not.

Ἱμέραν —founded 646 B.C. from Zancle, to be a stronghold against Phoenician Panormus. It was destroyed for ever by the Carthaginians in 408.

αὐτούς — τοὺς Ἱμεραίους, the name of the people implied in the name of their city, as constantly.

οὓς —after the collective στρατιάν.

Edgar Carew Marchant Commentary on Thucydides: Book 7 7.1.1

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