Today's Passage
This passage describes the aftermath of a devastating double defeat of Ambraciot forces near Olpae in 426 BCE.
Crawley Translation (1910)
The next day arrived a herald from the Ambraciots who had fled from Olpae to the Agraeans, to ask leave to take up the dead that had fallen after the first engagement, when they left the camp with the Mantineans and their companions, without, like them, having had permission to do so. At the sight of the arms of the Ambraciots from the city, the herald was astonished at their number, knowing nothing of the disaster and fancying that they were those of their own party. Some one asked him what he was so astonished at, and how many of them had been killed, fancying in his turn that this was the herald from the troops at Idomene. He replied: “About two hundred”; upon which his interrogator took him up, saying: “Why, the arms you see here are of more than a thousand.” The herald replied: “Then they are not the arms of those who fought with us?” The other answered: “Yes, they are, if at least you fought at Idomene yesterday.” “But we fought with no one yesterday; but the day before in the retreat.” “However that may be, we fought yesterday with those who came to reinforce you from the city of the Ambraciots.” When the herald heard this and knew that the reinforcement from the city had been destroyed, he broke into wailing and, stunned at the magnitude of the present evils, went away at once without having performed his errand, or again asking for the dead bodies. Indeed, this was by far the greatest disaster that befell any one Hellenic city in an equal number of days during this war; and I have not set down the number of the dead, because the amount stated seems so out of proportion to the size of the city as to be incredible. In any case I know that if the Acarnanians and Amphilochians had wished to take Ambracia as the Athenians and Demosthenes advised, they would have done so without a blow; as it was, they feared that if the Athenians had it they would be worse neighbours to them than the present.
Modern Translation
The following day, a herald arrived from those Ambraciots who had escaped from Olpae to the Agraeans. He came to request permission to retrieve the bodies of those who had died in the initial battle, when they had departed the camp alongside the Mantineans and their allies without formal authorization to do so. Upon seeing the weapons of the Ambraciots from the city itself, the herald was struck with amazement at their sheer quantity, for he knew nothing of the catastrophe and assumed these were the arms of his own companions. Someone inquired why he appeared so shocked and asked how many of his people had perished, mistakenly believing this herald had come from the forces stationed at Idomene. The herald answered: 'Approximately two hundred.' His questioner responded: 'But the weapons you see here belong to more than a thousand men.' The herald replied: 'Then these cannot be the arms of those who fought alongside us?' The other answered: 'Indeed they are, assuming you fought at Idomene yesterday.' 'But we engaged no one yesterday; our battle was the day before, during our withdrawal.' 'Nevertheless, we fought yesterday against reinforcements arriving from the city of Ambracia.' When the herald grasped this truth and understood that the relief force from his city had been annihilated, he burst into lamentation. Overwhelmed by the scale of this catastrophe, he departed immediately without completing his mission or requesting the bodies. This was unquestionably the most devastating blow suffered by any single Greek city within such a brief span during this entire conflict. I have deliberately omitted the casualty figures, as the numbers reported appear so disproportionate to the city's size as to strain credibility. I am certain, however, that had the Acarnanians and Amphilochians chosen to capture Ambracia as Demosthenes and the Athenians urged, they could have taken it without resistance. Instead, they refrained, fearing that Athenian control of the city would make them more troublesome neighbors than their current ones.
Historical Context
This passage describes the aftermath of a devastating double defeat of Ambraciot forces near Olpae in 426 BCE. The Ambraciots, allies of Sparta, had invaded Amphilochia but were defeated by Athenian forces under Demosthenes working with local Acarnanians and Amphilochians. Unknown to the first group of survivors, a relief force from Ambracia itself was ambushed and destroyed at Idomene. The dramatic revelation occurs when a herald from the first group encounters evidence of the second massacre. Thucydides emphasizes this as one of the war's greatest single disasters for any Greek city, though he questions the reported casualty figures. The passage concludes by noting that local allies prevented Athens from capitalizing fully on the victory, fearing Athenian expansion more than Ambraciot hostility.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Greek Herald System
Heralds (kerykes) were sacred officials protected by religious custom who could travel safely between hostile forces. They managed truces for burial of the dead, a crucial religious duty in Greek warfare. This scene shows the system breaking down under the shock of catastrophic loss.
Learn more →Ambraciot Disaster
The battle at Idomene (426 BCE) was one of the most complete defeats in the Peloponnesian War. Demosthenes used superior knowledge of terrain and night ambush tactics to destroy an entire relief force, demonstrating evolving military tactics beyond traditional hoplite warfare.
Learn more →Burial Rights in Greek Warfare
Recovery and burial of war dead was a sacred obligation in Greek culture. Denial of burial was considered impious and could bring divine punishment. The herald's inability to complete his mission emphasizes the totality of the Ambraciot catastrophe.
Learn more →Regional Power Dynamics
The Acarnanians' refusal to let Athens capture Ambracia reveals the complex dynamics of the war. Local powers often preferred weak neighbors they could dominate over strong allies who might become oppressors, showing limits to Athenian imperial expansion.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.60)
Diodorus provides a brief account of the Ambraciot campaign, though with less dramatic detail than Thucydides. He confirms the magnitude of the disaster but gives different casualty figures.
Read passage →Pausanias: Description of Greece (1.29.13)
Pausanias mentions monuments at Athens commemorating Demosthenes' victories in Aetolia and Ambracia, providing archaeological evidence for the historical importance of these campaigns.
Read passage →Xenophon: Hellenica (1.2.18)
Xenophon describes a similar scene where heralds discover unexpected disasters through encountering evidence of defeats, showing this as a recurring tragic motif in Greek historical writing.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- Why does Thucydides refuse to report the exact casualty figures? What does this tell us about his historical method and the challenges of ancient historiography?
- How does the herald's emotional breakdown challenge traditional Greek ideals of masculine self-control? What does this suggest about the limits of cultural norms in extreme circumstances?
- Why did the Acarnanians fear Athenian control of Ambracia more than Ambraciot hostility? What does this reveal about the nature of alliance systems in the Peloponnesian War?
- How does this passage illustrate the 'fog of war' and the fragmentation of information in ancient warfare? What modern parallels might we draw?