E.C. Marchant, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3

ὅν—see c. 17, 1.

Μήθυμναν—see c. 2, 1.

ὡς προδιδομένην—‘in the belief that it was going to be betrayed’; cf. Aristoph. Pax 408 προδίδοτον τὴν Ἑλλάδα. MT. § 32.

ἐπίκουροι—for these mercenaries see c. 2, 2.

καταστησάμενοι . . βεβαιότερα—cf. I. 118 τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐγκρατεστέραν κατεστήσαντο.

πληγέντες—in an old poetical meaning, found several times in Thuc.

ταῦτα . . κρατοῦντας . . ἱκανοὺς ὄντας—the partic. phrase in apposition to ταῦτα, as in Soph. Antig. 17

οὐδὲν οἶδ᾽ ὑπέρτερον | οὔτ᾽ εὐτυχοῦσα μᾶλλον οὔτ᾽ ἀτωμένη, Philoc. 1355 πῶς ταῦτ᾽ έξανασχήσεσθε, τοῖσιν Ἄτρεως | έμὲ ξυνόντα παισίν;

εἴργειν—‘isolate.’

αὐτερέται—it was unusual in Thuc.'s day for fighting men to serve as rowers: in Homeric times it was usual; cf. Il. 2.719 ἐρέται δ᾽ ἐν ἑκαστῃ πεντήκοντα
ἐπεμβάσαν, τόξων εὖ εἰδότες ἶφι μάχεσθαι.

ἐγκατῳκοδόμηται—see crit. note. The verb means to build into a wall. Clearly the forts were built at the same time as the wall at the points strong by natnre. If the perf. is right, we must take it as historic, like the presents, and render ‘there are forts built in at various points,’ so that the perf. points to the condition of the wall and forts when completed. But as no parallel to such a use of the perf. is known, the plup. should probably be read (I do not think ἧ̣ for οἷ necessary; but these forms are often confused in MSS.).

ἀμφοτέρωθεν is explained by καὶ ἐκ γῆς καὶ ἐκ θαλάττης.