Charles F. Smith, Commentary on Thucydides Book 7

---

But gradually nearly all the Greek cities in Sicily declare for Syracuse, except Agrigentum, which remains neutral. Demosthenes and Eurymedon continue their voyage toward Sicily, and stop some time at Thurii.

2. οἱ Καμαριναῖοι: they had decided in the negotiations of the preceding year, ἐν τῷ παρόντι μηδετέροις ἀμύνειν, vi.88.14.

οἱ Γελῷοι: as to their zeal for Syracuse before this time, cf. c. 1. 21; vi.67.13.

ἐς πέντε ναῦς: appos. to ναυτικόν.

6. σχεδόν τι ἅπασα: almost all. Naxus and Catana were still wanting. ἅπασα is adopted from Vat. as stronger than the vulgate πᾶσα. Cf. c. 15. 4. σχεδόν τι, as in iii.68.27; v.66.16.

οὐδὲ μεθ᾽ ἑτέρων: neutral, as in ii.67.34; 72. 11; vi.44.20.—οἱ δ᾽ ἄλλοι: resumes ἅπασα ἡ Σικελία after οὗτοι δ᾽ . . . ἦσαν, which on account of its influence on the const. of the remainder of the sent. is not to be put in parenthesis.

οἱ πρότερον περιορώμενοι: supplementary attrib. explanation referring to the Camarinaeans. περιορώμενοι, exspectantes eventum, as in iv.73.5; vi.93.3; 103. 10.

11. ἐπέσχον τὸ ἐπιχειρεῖν: cf. ii.81.19; Soph. Phil. 881, μηδ᾽ ἐπίσχωμεν τὸ πλεῖν; Dem. XXI. 12, τὸ λαμβάνειν δίκην ἐνέσχετε. See on ii.76.4. ἐπέχειν is not used in the mid. in Thuc., and in the sense “refrain from” perhaps only in aor.

ἔκ τε τῆς Κερκύρας καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἠπείρου: cf. c. 31. § 5.

τὸν Ἰόνιον: without κόλπον, as in vi.30.6; 34. 24; 104. 10. See on iii.107.4.

ἄκραν Ἰαπυγίαν: the promontory on the northern side of the bay of Tarentum. Cf. vi.30.5; 34. 22; 44. 9.

16. Χοιράδας: in the inner recess of the Tarentine bay before the harbour of Tarentum, inhabited by Iapygians (νήσους Ἰαπυγίας), to which people the tribe of the Messapians belonged. See Niebuhr, Rom. Hist. I. p. 146.

τινας: about, belonging to πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατόν. Kr. Spr. 51, 16, 4. Cf. c. 34. 19; 87. 15; iii.68.16; 111. 17; viii.21.4.

Ἄρτᾳ: a prince of the Messapians, who was hostile to the Tarentines. See Niebuhr, ibid. p. 150. He is mentioned in Athenacus, iii. p. 108 f. (who cites this passage) as Μεσσαπίων βασιλεὺς τῶν ἐν Ἰαπυγίᾳ.

δυνάστης : used in Thuc. only here of a barbarian prince.

τινα: it is implied perhaps that Thuc. did not know the particulars.

τῆς Ἰταλίας: added because at this point the boundary of ancient Italy begins. See on c. 25. 6.

22. κατὰ τὸ ξυμμαχικόν: the treaty has not been mentioned before.

ἀναλαβόντες: taking with them, as in c. 86. 3; v.64.20. ταῦτα refers to ἀκοντιστάς and τριήρεις together. Vat. reads αὐτάς, which is perhaps preferable, since the 300 javelin-men were no doubt on the triremes.

ἐς Θουρίαν: the city, not the country, must be meant here, as in vi.61.36; 104. 13, for the country is called ἡ Θου- ριάς in c. 35. 6. Steph. Byz. says that the name was written Θουρία and Θούριον, as well as Θούριοι, and Eckhel describes a coin with the inscription ΘΟΥΠΙΑ. (Arn.) Thuc. uses Θούριοι only of the inhabitants (below, 27; 35. 2; 57. 58; vi.104.22; viii.84.3). —καταλαμβάνουσι...ἐκπεπτωκότας : see on c. 30. 1.

26. εἴ τις ὑπελέλειπτο: to be connected, Cl. thinks, with ἐξετάσαι. A final muster is meant, such as was called ἐπεξέτασις in vi.42.2. They wished, after bringing together all the gradually enlisted military forces, once more to examine closely whether all were present, no one left behind. St., claiming that with Cl.'s view the pf. is necessary, connects it with ἀθροίσαντες, which seems preferable, though the plpf. in indir. disc. might be admissible.

ἐν τούτῳ τύχης: i.e. freed from the anti-Attic party. For const. see on c. 2. 16.

ἔπρασσον ταῦτα: i.e. they were occupied with negotiations concerning a full alliance.