E.C. Marchant, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 7

Θούριοι καὶ Μ.—see c. 33.5.

ἐν τοιαύταις κ.τ.λ.—who, when the Athenians came, had been reduced to such straits by a rcvolution. With ἐν ἀνάγκαις cf. ἀνάγκαις ταῖσδ᾽ ἐνέζευγμαι Aesch. PB 109. τοιαύταις means such as induced them to join the A. τότε refers to c. 33.5, where we found that Thurii had to be persuaded, while Metapontum in addition had passed through a crisis (καιροί). Now we find that Thurii also had suffered in the same way. (τοιαύταις was first explained thus by Bauer. It is obscure. Did Thuc. write ταῖς αὐταῖς; or did he mean by τοιαύταις that the στασιωτικοἰ καιροὶ of Thurii ‘were such as I have described in the case of Metapontum’?)

κατειλημμένοι—depreliensi, sc. ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων.

Νάξιοι καὶ Κ.—c. 14.2.

Ἐγεσταῖοι—Segesta, as its coins and the Romans call it, was chief city of the Elymians, who were thought to be Trojans. It was perpetually at war with Selinus. Life was difficult in the W. corner of Sicily owing to the constant rivalry of the Carthaginians and the Greeks there. In 409 Segesta joined Carthage in an attack on Selinus which destroyed for ever the greatness of that city.

οἵπερ ἐπηγάγοντο—it is indicative of the falling off of high sentiment at Athens that she had consented to aid the barbarian against a Greek town.

Σικελῶν τὸ πλέον—it is easy to see why the majority of the Sicels joined A. They did so early in the campaign of 414, about June, when the 2nd Syracusan counter-wall had failed to check the A. circumvallation and the besieging fleet had command of the Great Harbour, when Syr. was in terror and peace was being discussed there. See also on c. 1.4. The Sicels hoped to use Athens as a means for diminishing Greek influence in Sicily, and ever since A. had first interfered in Sicily, they had shown a strong tendency to support her.

Τυρσηνῶν—cf. c. 53.2.

τοσάδε . . . ἔθνη—it must have been very hard to get all these different elements to work with a common will.