E.C. Marchant, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 6

Μεγάρων, οὕς—for the change from place-name to inhabitants, which is very common, cf. cc. 48; 74, 1; 75, 2. Observe that unless gender and number are in agreement with the antecedent, attraction of rel. is impossible. Cf. c. 20, 3 Νάξου καὶ Κατάνης, ἂς ἤλπιζον.

ὥσπερ καὶ κτλ—at c. 4, 2.

ἐδῄωσαν τούς [τε] ἀγρούς—for the wrong insertion of τε see on c. 6, 2. It is improbable that Thuc. would write such a sentence as ἐδῄωσαν τούς τε ἀγροὺς καὶ . . τὸ πεδίον ἐδῄουν for ἐδῄωσάν τε τοὺς ἀ. καὶ ἐδῄουν τὸ πέδιον, for in all other places where τε is misplaced the verb in the second clause is different; the second clause refers to the return journey and should not be joined to the first by τε . . καί: if so joined τὸ πεδίον ought to refer to a plain at Megara. Herbst, who brackets τοὺς ἀγρούς as well, says that there is no passage in Thuc. in which τε is a real parallel to this. His objections to τοὺς ἀγρούς are, however, less forcible. By these words we are to understand estates about Megara that were held by Syracusans; cf. II. 13 τοὺς ἀγροὺς τοὺς αὑτοῦ, of Pericles' estates.

ἔρυμα—‘Thuc. had already twice mentioned Megara as a φρούριον of Syr. in cc. 49, 75. . . This ἔρυμα is surely something smaller than τὰ Μἐγαρα φρούριον in c. 75’ (Freeman).

αὖθις—refers to ἐδῄουν, in the sense of ‘next’; cf. c. 90, 2.

παρακομισθέντες—this goes with πεζῇ and ναυσί: all returned along the coast, some by sea, some by land. The Terias forms the boundary between Syracusan and Catanean territory.

τό τε πεδίον—i.e. τὸ τοῦ Τηρίου πεδίον. ἀναβάντες applies only to the land forces. Notice the three participles, ἑλόντες, παρακομισθέντες, ἀναβάντες. Cf. c. 97, 4.

Κεντόριπα—Centorbi, one of the Sicel towns that refused to join the A. It is close to Inessa and Geleatic Hybla.

τῶν Ἰνησσαίων—the exact site of Inessa is unknown. In III. 103 it is τὸ Σικελικὸν πόλισμα. In 426 the Athenians tried to take it and failed. For the attempt to take Hybla see c. 62, 5. Both were overlooked by Centuripa. Freeman notices that the article is wanting to Centuripa, as also to Hyccara c. 62, 3, and thinks that they were much less well-known places than Inessa, which was a famous place in the time of Ducetius.

τοὺς ἱππέας—see c. 93, 4.

τῶν ἵππων—‘the required horses’ were to be got in Sicily.