Today's Passage
This passage describes an ambitious Athenian plot to overthrow the Boeotian oligarchy in 424 BCE during the Archidamian War phase of the Peloponnesian War.
Crawley Translation (1910)
The same summer the Athenian general, Demosthenes, arrived at Naupactus with forty ships immediately after the return from the Megarid. Hippocrates and himself had had overtures made to them by certain men in the cities in Boeotia, who wished to change the constitution and introduce a democracy as at Athens; Ptoeodorus, a Theban exile, being the chief mover in this intrigue. The seaport town of Siphae, in the bay of Crisae, in the Thespian territory, was to be betrayed to them by one party; Chaeronea (a dependency of what was formerly called the Minyan, now the Boeotian, Orchomenus) to be put into their hands by another from that town, whose exiles were very active in the business, hiring men in Peloponnese. Some Phocians also were in the plot, Chaeronea being the frontier town of Boeotia and close to Phanotis in Phocia. Meanwhile the Athenians were to seize Delium, the sanctuary of Apollo, in the territory of Tanagra looking towards Euboea; and all these events were to take place simultaneously upon a day appointed, in order that the Boeotians might be unable to unite to oppose them at Delium, being everywhere detained by disturbances at home. Should the enterprise succeed, and Delium be fortified, its authors confidently expected that even if no revolution should immediately follow in Boeotia, yet with these places in their hands, and the country being harassed by incursions, and a refuge in each instance near for the partisans engaged in them, things would not remain as they were, but that the rebels being supported by the Athenians and the forces of the oligarchs divided, it would be possible after a while to settle matters according to their wishes.
Such was the plot in contemplation. Hippocrates with a force raised at home awaited the proper moment to take the field against the Boeotians; while he sent on Demosthenes with the forty ships above mentioned to Naupactus, to raise in those parts an army of Acarnanians and of the other allies, and sail and receive Siphae from the conspirators; a day having been agreed on for the simultaneous execution of both these operations. Demosthenes on his arrival found Oeniadae already compelled by the united Acarnanians to join the Athenian confederacy, and himself raising all the allies in those countries marched against and subdued Salynthius and the Agraeans; after which he devoted himself to the preparations necessary to enable him to be at Siphae by the time appointed.
Modern Translation
That same summer, the Athenian general Demosthenes arrived at Naupactus with forty ships, immediately following his return from Megara. Both Hippocrates and Demosthenes had been approached by certain individuals in the Boeotian cities who desired to overthrow their government and establish a democracy modeled after Athens. The primary architect of this conspiracy was Ptoeodorus, a Theban living in exile. The plan involved multiple simultaneous actions: one faction would betray the coastal town of Siphae, located in the bay of Crisa within Thespian territory, while another group from Chaeronea—a dependency of Orchomenus (formerly known as Minyan Orchomenus, now called Boeotian)—would deliver their city to the Athenians. The exiles from Chaeronea were particularly active in organizing this plot, even recruiting mercenaries from the Peloponnese. Several Phocians were also involved in the conspiracy, as Chaeronea sat on the Boeotian frontier, adjacent to Phanotis in Phocis. According to the plan, the Athenians would simultaneously seize Delium, Apollo's sanctuary in Tanagran territory facing Euboea. All these operations were to occur on the same day, preventing the Boeotians from concentrating their forces at Delium, as they would be occupied with domestic upheavals everywhere. The conspirators were confident that if they succeeded and fortified Delium, even if Boeotia didn't immediately undergo revolution, their control of these strategic positions would enable them to harass the countryside through raids. With nearby refuges available for their supporters and Athenian backing for the rebels while oligarchic forces remained divided, they believed they could eventually reshape the political landscape to their advantage. This was the conspiracy taking shape. Hippocrates assembled a domestic force and waited for the optimal moment to march against Boeotia, while dispatching Demosthenes with the aforementioned forty ships to Naupactus. There, Demosthenes was to recruit an army from the Acarnanians and other allies, then sail to receive Siphae from the conspirators. They had agreed upon a specific day for executing both operations simultaneously. Upon reaching his destination, Demosthenes discovered that the united Acarnanians had already forced Oeniadae to join the Athenian alliance. After mustering all available allies from the region, he marched against and conquered both Salynthius and the Agraeans. Having accomplished this, he dedicated himself to the preparations necessary to ensure his arrival at Siphae at the appointed time.
Historical Context
This passage describes an ambitious Athenian plot to overthrow the Boeotian oligarchy in 424 BCE during the Archidamian War phase of the Peloponnesian War. The plan involved coordinated attacks on multiple Boeotian cities with help from pro-democratic conspirators within Boeotia itself. Demosthenes, fresh from operations at Megara, was tasked with the western component while Hippocrates prepared for the main assault. The strategy reflected Athens' ongoing efforts to weaken Sparta's allies through internal subversion rather than direct military confrontation. This complex operation would culminate in the Battle of Delium, one of the war's major engagements, representing a significant escalation in Athens' attempts to export democracy by force.