Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War

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Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War

Editions and translations: Greek | English
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III. There is also another circumstance that contributes not a little to my conviction of the weakness of ancient times. Before the Trojan war there is no indication of any common action in Hellas, [2] nor indeed of the universal prevalence of the name; on the contrary, before the time of Hellen, son of Deucalion, no such appellation existed, but the country went by the names of the different tribes, in particular of the Pelasgian. It was not till Hellen and his sons grew strong in Phthiotis, and were invited as allies into the other cities, that one by one they gradually acquired from the connection the name of Hellenes; though a long time elapsed before that name could fasten itself upon all. [3] The best proof of this is furnished by Homer. Born long after the Trojan war, he nowhere calls all of them by that name, nor indeed any of them except the followers of Achilles from Phthiotis, who were the original Hellenes: in his poems they are called Danaans, Argives, and Achaeans. He does not even use the term barbarian, probably because the Hellenes had not yet been marked off from the rest of the world by one distinctive appellation. [4] It appears therefore that the several Hellenic communities, comprising not only those who first acquired the name, city by city, as they came to understand each other, but also those who assumed it afterwards as the name of the whole people, were before the Trojan war prevented by their want of strength and the absence of mutual intercourse from displaying any collective action.

Indeed, they could not unite for this expedition till they had gained increased familiarity with the sea.

There are a total of 64 comments on and cross references to this page.

Further comments from Charles D. Morris, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1:
book 1 (general note)
book 1, chapter 3: tôn palaiôn
book 1, chapter 3: astheneian
book 1, chapter 3: ouch hêkista
book 1, chapter 3: dokei de moi
book 1, chapter 3: oude pô
book 1, chapter 3: kai panu oude...hautê
book 1, chapter 3: kata ethnê
book 1, chapter 3: tôn paidôn
book 1, chapter 3: ischusantôn
book 1, chapter 3: epagomenôn
book 1, chapter 3: kath hekastous...eknikêsai
book 1, chapter 3: tekmêrioi
book 1, chapter 3: kai tôn Trôikôn
book 1, chapter 3: tous xumpantas ônomasen
book 1, chapter 3: tous met Achilleôs
book 1, chapter 3: anakalei
book 1, chapter 3: tois epesi
book 1, chapter 3: ou mên oude
book 1, chapter 3: barbarous
book 1, chapter 3: eirêke
book 1, chapter 3: antipalon
book 1, chapter 3: apokekristhai
book 1, chapter 3: hoi d oun...klêthentes
book 1, chapter 3: amixian allêlôn
book 1, chapter 3: pleiô

Cross references from Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges:
1361 [THE PARTITIVE GENITIVE]: hosoi allêlôn xuniesan
1872 [THE TENSES OUTSIDE OF THE INDICATIVE]: hoi Hellênes husteron klêthentes ouden pro tôn Trôïkôn hathrooi epraxan
2768 [SOME NEGATIVE PHRASES]: ou mên oude barbarous eirêke
2959 [oun]

Cross references from Raphael Kühner, Bernhard Gerth, Ausführliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache (ed. Ildar Ibraguimov):
386 [e) Aoristus.]
403 [Ellipse des durch das Attributiv näher zu bestimmenden Substantivs.]
417 [Fortsetzung.]
423 [Der eigentliche Dativ.]
454 [I. Personalpronomen und Reflexivpronomen.]

Cross references from Raphael Kühner, Bernhard Gerth, Ausführliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache (ed. Ildar Ibraguimov):
502 [Konfirmatives mên [man]).]
503 [Konfirmatives men. — men dê. — mentoi. — men oun).]
514 [Häufung der Negationen. — Überflüssige Negation.]
545 [b) Grund. Gar.]
548 [a) Vertauschung der Sätze. — b) Verkärzung der Nebensätze. — c) Parenthese.]

Cross references from Sir Richard Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Ajax:
* [1185-1222]

Cross references from Sir Richard Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Philoctetes:
* [730-826]

Cross references from Sir Richard Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Trachiniae:
* [971-1278]

Cross references from W. W. How, J. Wells, A Commentary on Herodotus:
1, 56, 2 [I. Evidence for reality of Dorian Invasion.]

Cross references from E.C. Marchant, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 2:
2, 21, 2 [Commentary on Book 2]

Cross references from E.C. Marchant, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 3:
3, 34, 3

Cross references from T. G. Tucker, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 8:
8, 8, 2
8, 44, 1

Cross references from C.E. Graves, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 4:
4, 62
4, 62
4, 82
4, 89

Cross references from C.E. Graves, Commentary on Thucydides: Book 5:
5, 4
5, 38
5, 38
5, 47
5, 58
5, 89

Cross references from W. Walter Merry, James Riddell, D. B. Monro, Commentary on the Odyssey (1886):
15, 78 [Book 15 (o)]

Cross references from Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898):
deucalion [Deucalion]

Cross references from William Watson Goodwin, Syntax of the Moods and Tenses of the Greek Verb:
156 [Gnomic and Iterative tenses: Gnomic Aorist and Perfect.]
613 [Temporal Particles signifying Until and Before.: heôs, ophra, eis ho or eisoke, este, achri, mechri, until.]
669 [Simple Sentences in Indirect Discourse: Indicative and Optative after hoti and hôs, and in Indirect Questions.]
669 [Simple Sentences in Indirect Discourse: Indicative and Optative after hoti and hôs, and in Indirect Questions.]
747 [Object Infinitive not in Indirect Discourse.]
747 [Object Infinitive not in Indirect Discourse.]
749 [Object Infinitive not in Indirect Discourse.]
795 [Infinitive with to, after Adjectives and Nouns.]
881 [I. Not in Indirect Discourse.]
887 [I. Not in Indirect Discourse.]
119 [Present Infinitive.]: Ta men pro Hellênos oude einai hê epiklêsis hautê
848 [Genitive Absolute.]

Cross references from Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve, Syntax of Classical Greek:
36 [Adjectives]: pollôi . . . husteron . . . tôn Trôikôn

Cross references from E. C. Marchant, Commentary on Thucydides Book 1:
1, 50, 5
1, 82, 1
1, 129, 1
1, 48, 3

Preferred URL for linking to this page: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Thuc.+1.3.1

This text is based on the following book(s):
Thucydides. The Peloponnesian War. London, J. M. Dent; New York, E. P. Dutton. 1910.