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κατ᾽ ἀρχάς: probably 481 B. C., autumn. For the embassy cf. vii. 157, and for Athenian recognition of Spartan hegemony vii. 161.

ὀρθὰ νοεῦντες. Verrall (Cl. Rev. xvii. 99) points out that H. has consciously or unconsciously reproduced two hexameters from a gnomic poet (cf. ix. 16. 5 n.) running ὀρθὰ νοεῦντες: εἰρήνης γὰρ ὅσῳ πόλεμος, τοσσῷδε κάκιον ἔμφυλος πολέμου στάσις ἐστὶν ὁμοφρονέοντος. Thus only can we account for the poetic style and vocabulary, e. g. ὀρθὰ νοεῦντες.


μέχρι ὅσου, ‘so long as the Athenians stood in sore need of the Peloponnesians’ they gave up all claim to leadership to secure their help. This implies that Athens was actuated in part by selfish motives.

τῆς ἐκείνου: i. e. the coastland of Asia subject to Persia.

ἡγεμονίην. For the change of hegemony cf. Thuc. i. 95; Diod. xi. 45 f. The date is 478-477 (Ath. Pol. 23. 5), probably 477 B. C., early spring (Busolt, iii. 69). H. implies that he did not mean to carry his work so far (Introd. p. 16).

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  • Commentary references from this page (2):
    • Aristotle, Constitution of the Athenians, 23
    • Thucydides, Histories, 1.95
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