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τὸν Τεμενἰτην—(1) the wall was built so as to en close the T., or precinct of Apollo's temple, which was part of the Neapolis; (2) it was πρὸς τῇ πόλει, adjoining the city wall; (3) it was παρὰ πᾶν τὸ πρὸς τὰς Ἐπιπολὰς ὁρῶν, ‘running all along the ground that looks towards Epipolae.’ This is not clear; but it implies (a) a wall of considerable length, (b) a wall that did not project far to the west. 3

ἐντὸς ποιησάμενοι—‘taking into it.’

δι᾽ ἐλάσσονος—‘that the shorter distance (at which the A. would otherwise be able to build) might not render it easy to invest them in case of a defeat’; i.e. the object of the new outwork was to increase the length of wall that the A. would have to build if they attempted to invest Syr. With δι᾽ ἐλάσσονος ‘at a less distance’ cf. διὰ πολλοῦ, δι᾽ ὀλίγου, διὰ τοσούτου. It was esp. from the cliff to the harbour that the distance was increased; and from c. 103, 1 it appears that the A. had to cover a distance of some eight stadia in this direction.

τὰ Μέγαρα φρούριον—‘as an ontpost,’ sc. ἐτείχιζον. Cf. II. 32 ἐτειχίσθη Ἀταλάντη φρούριον. Megara was before deserted; see c. 49, 4 and c. 4, 1 n. It now becomes a northern outpost of Syr.: Poppo explains that the object was to prevent the A. from making Megara a naval station.

ἐν τῷ .—see c. 70, 4. The palisades were not constructed at Leon and Thapsus (c. 97, 1), and so must have been chiefly for the great harbour (Poppo).


αὐτῶντῶν Καταναίων. The camp was of course empty, and the Athenians apparently did not think it worth while to hinder the Syr., though why they allowed the land of Catana to be ravaged is not clear.


τὴν ἐπὶ Λάχητος—sec c. 1, 1 n., and cf. c. 6, 1. From c. 52, 1 it appears that Camarina held that this treaty had been superseded by the treaty of Gela in 424 B.C., and in c. 67, 2 we hear of Camarina sending some slight help to Syr. But now Camarina acts with caution. The treaty of 424 was only σπονδαί (IV. 65), a cessation of hostilities, whereas the treaty of 427 between Cam. and Athens was ξυμμαχία. In 422 Cam. had sided with Athens. In c. 78, 4 Hermocrates exaggerates the importance of the σπονδαί of 424 in the words μὴ μαλακῶς ὥσπερ νῦν ξυμμαχεῖν: and in c. 79, 1 he mmimises the importance of the ξυμμαχία of 427 by treating it as an ἐπιμαχία, or defensive alliance—which it was not. The resnlt of the debate that follows is that Cam. remains nentral. She joined Syr. in 413 (VII. 33).

πέμψαι ἔπεμψαν—expressive of blame or contempt; cf. Herod. II. 49 ποιεῦσι τὰ ποιεῦσι. μὴ οὐκέτι β.—ὕποπτοι has the construction of a verb of fearing, as also have ὑποτοπῆσαι, ὑποπτεύειν, ὑπόνοια.

προσχωρῶσι—sc. μή. κατά = ‘owing to.’


προδιαβάλλειν—‘prejudice them against the A.’

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hide References (4 total)
  • Commentary references from this page (4):
    • Thucydides, Histories, 2.32
    • Thucydides, Histories, 2.49
    • Thucydides, Histories, 4.65
    • Thucydides, Histories, 7.33
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