Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides Book 6

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After Hipparchus had shamefully insulted the sister of Harmodius, Aristogeiton and Harmodius determine to carry out, with their fellow conspirators, at the great Panathenaea, their purpose to overthrow the tyranny.— 1. δ᾽ οὖν: after the digression resumes the narrative interrupted at 54. § 4. See on 1. 3. 19.—ἀπαρνηθέντα: cf. 54. § 4.— ὥσπερ διενοεῖτο: i.e. ἐν τρόπῳ τινὶ ἀφανεῖ (54. 16).

ἀδελφὴν κόρην: maiden sister. Cf. θυγάτηρπαρθένος Xen. Mem. 1. 5. 2; Cyrop. 4. 6. 9.—ἐπαγγείλαντες...ἀπήλασαν : transition from Hipparchus alone to himself and Hippias as arrangers of the procession. πομπή τις cannot refer to the Panathenaea since some time elapsed before that: περιέμενον Παναθήναια τὰ μεγάλα (8). Aristotle (18. § 2 f.) places both the insult to the maiden and the murder of Hipparchus at the Panathenaea.— 3. κανοῦν οἴσουσαν: this service at a festival was a great distinction, so that the rejection of the maiden was regarded as a bitter insult to the family. See E. Curtius, Arch. Zeitg., 1880, p. 27, = Gesam. Abhandlungen H, 286.— 4. οὐδὲ τὴν ἀρχήν: not at all. See on 2. 74. 10. Schol. wrongly τοὺς ἄρχοντας.

διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀξίαν εἶναι : αἱ γὰρ κανηφόροι τῶν ἀστῶν καὶ τῶν εὐγενῶν ἦσαν, Phot. s.v. κανηφόροι.

πολλῷ δὴ μᾶλλον: as 8. 89. 8. Cf. 61. 3.

αὐτοῖς...ἐπέπρακτο : the other arrangements had been made by them with their fellow conspirators. For πρὸς τοὺς ξυνεπιθησομένους πράσσειν, see on 1. 131. 7. For dat. with pass., see on 1. 125. 6; 3. 64. 15.

πρὸς τοὺς ξυνεπιθησομένους τῷ ἔργῳ: cf. ἐπιθέσθαι τῇ πείρᾳ 7. 42. 33; τοῖς τοιούτοις τῶν ἔργων ἐπιτίθεσθαι Xen. Mem. 2. 8. 3.

Παναθήναια τὰ μεγάλα: celebrated in the last third of the montli Hekatombaion (July-August) of the third year of the Olympiad. See A. Mommsen, Feste der Stadt Athen, pp. 47 ff., 148 ff.; A. Willauer, Étude sur les Panathénées (Lausanne diss., 1899), pp. 20 ff.; Busolt, Gr. Gesch.^{2} H, 344 ff. The festival in question was that of Ol. 66, 3 = 514 B. C.—ἐν ᾗ...ἡμέρᾳ : manifestly the chief day of the several days' festival, i.e. Hekatombaion 28, when the great procession occurred. This day is called ἡ ἑορτή in 57. 1.

ἐν ὅπλοις: i.e. μετ᾽ ἀσπίδος καὶ δόρατος (58. 8). For the expression, cf. 61. 13, 74. 7; 8. 69. 13.

πέμψοντας: though of slight Mss. authority, required by the context for πέμψαντος.

ἄρξαι μὲν αὐτούς : that they (i.e. Aristogeiton and Harmodius) begin the attack upon Hippias and the lifeguard. ἐκείνους = τοὺς ξυνεπιθησομένους τῷ ἔργῳ.

ξυνεπαμύνειν : elsewhere only in late writers. —τὰ πρὸς τοὺς δορυφόρους: as to matters against the bodyguard. Schol. ἐς τὰ πρὸς τοὺς δορυφόρους. Cf. 4. 85. 23.

οὐ πολλοί: cf. Arist. 18. § 2 συνέβη . . . τὸν Ἁρμόδιον καὶ τὸν Ἀριστογείτονα πράττειν τὴν πρᾶξιν μετεχόντων πολλῶν, but Thuc.'s testimony is preferable.—ἕνεκα: the Mss. have οὕνεκα, found nowhere else in Thuc.

εἰ καὶ ὁποσοιοῦν τολμήσειαν: if even ever so few dared the attack. Cf. ὁποσονοῦν 4. 37. 2.

ἐκ τοῦ παραχρῆμα: at once, without long reflection or preparation.—ἐθελήσειν: will resolve.