CHAPTER LIV
δισχιλίοις—Classen suspects an error in the number, as so large a Milesian force seems improbable. Possibly
Μιλησίων ought to be omitted. Scandeia seems to have been the chief fortress of the island, and would be attacked by the main body.
Σκάνδειαν—Pausanias calls Scandeia the arsenal (
ἐπίνειον) of Cythera, and says that it is ten stadia from the city of Cythera itself. The latter appears from Thucydides to have consisted of the harbour (
ἡ ἐπὶ θαλάσσῃ πόλις, line 7) and the upper city (
ἠ ἄνω πόλις, line 11).
ὑπέστησαν—‘stood the attack’: ch. 59, 12,
κινδύνους ὺφίστασθαι: cf. note on ch. 28, 17.
ξυνέβησαν—‘they agreed’, with
ἐπιτρἐψαι: so ch. 69, 22,
ξυνέβησαν ἕκαστον ἀπολυθῆναι.
ἦσαν δέ τινες καὶ γενόμενοι—‘and some communications had actually passed between Nicias and some of the inhabitants’.
ἐπιτηδειότερον—‘on more favourable terms’:
i. 58,
οὐδὲν εὕροντο ἐπιτήδειον:
i. 144,
τοἴς Λακεδαιμονίοις ἐπιτηδείως, ‘in the interests of’.
τό τε παραυτίκα κ.τ.λ.—some MSS. read
τὰ τῆς ὀμολογίας, but the best are without
τά. τὸ παραυτίκα τῆς ὁμολογίας then means the terms now granted, and
τὸ ἔπειτα the arrangements afterwards concluded by the Athenians (ch. 57).
ἀνέστησαν γὰρ ἄν—‘for otherwise the Athenians, etc.’ i.e. but for the understanding with Nicias: so
i. 102,
βίᾳ γὰρ ἂν εἷλον τὸ χωρίον, ‘else they wonld have stormed the town’.
οὕτως ἐπικειμένης—referring to the situation of Cythera described in the previous chapter. This is the only instance in Thuc. of
ἐπικεῖσθαι with
έπί:
Hdt. vii. 235,
ἐπ᾽ αὑτῇ νῆσος ἐπικειμένη.
παραλαβόντες—‘taking into their own hands’:
i. 19,
ναῦς τῶν πόλεων παραλαβόντες. The Athenians occupied Scandeia completely and probably garrisoned other points in the island.
ἕς τε—τε and
καί here couple the two clauses of which
ἔπλευσαν aud
έδῄουν are the verbs.
ἐναυλιζόμενοι...εἴη—imperfect and opt. of repeated action.
τῶν χωρίων—part. gen. after
οὗ, ‘on such spots as were favourable from time to time’. For
καιρός of place, cf. ch. 90, 14.
