Today's Passage
This passage occurs during the Delium campaign of 424 BCE, a significant Athenian attempt to invade Boeotia.
Crawley Translation (1910)
During the days thus employed the Boeotians were mustering at Tanagra, and by the time that they had come in from all the towns, found the Athenians already on their way home. The rest of the eleven Boeotarchs were against giving battle, as the enemy was no longer in Boeotia, the Athenians being just over the Oropian border, when they halted; but Pagondas, son of Aeolidas, one of the Boeotarchs of Thebes (Arianthides, son of Lysimachidas, being the other), and then commander-in-chief, thought it best to hazard a battle. He accordingly called the men to him, company after company, to prevent their all leaving their arms at once, and urged them to attack the Athenians, and stand the issue of a battle, speaking as follows:
Modern Translation
During this period, the Boeotians were assembling at Tanagra. By the time contingents from all their cities had arrived, they discovered the Athenians were already retreating homeward. The other eleven Boeotarchs opposed engaging in battle, since the enemy had withdrawn from Boeotian territory—the Athenians had halted just beyond the Oropian frontier. However, Pagondas son of Aeolidas, one of the two Theban Boeotarchs (the other being Arianthides son of Lysimachidas) and currently serving as commander-in-chief, believed they should risk battle. He summoned the troops company by company, ensuring they didn't all abandon their positions simultaneously, and exhorted them to attack the Athenians and accept the hazards of combat, addressing them as follows:
Historical Context
This passage occurs during the Delium campaign of 424 BCE, a significant Athenian attempt to invade Boeotia. The Athenians had fortified the temple of Apollo at Delium and were withdrawing when the Boeotian confederate army assembled. The eleven Boeotarchs (federal magistrates) were divided on whether to pursue battle outside their territory. Pagondas, representing Thebes—the dominant Boeotian city—advocates for immediate action despite the technical violation of defensive principles. This moment illustrates the complex federal structure of Boeotia, where multiple cities shared rotating command through the Boeotarch system. The ensuing Battle of Delium would become one of the first major hoplite battles of the Peloponnesian War, resulting in a devastating Athenian defeat and demonstrating Theban military innovations.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Boeotarchs
The Boeotarchs were the federal magistrates of the Boeotian League, with each major city contributing officials. Thebes, as the dominant power, provided two of the eleven Boeotarchs. They rotated supreme command and represented an early example of federal government in ancient Greece.
Learn more →Battle of Delium
The Battle of Delium (424 BCE) was a major engagement where innovative Theban tactics, including deepened phalanx formations, defeated the Athenians. It marked a turning point in hoplite warfare and demonstrated the effectiveness of Boeotian military organization against Athenian imperial ambitions.
Learn more →Tanagra
Tanagra was a significant Boeotian city located strategically between Thebes and the Attic border. It served as a natural mustering point for Boeotian forces and had been the site of an earlier important battle between Athens and Sparta in 457 BCE.
Learn more →Greek Military Decision-Making
This passage illustrates the democratic elements in Greek military command, where even in oligarchic Boeotia, commanders needed to persuade their colleagues and troops rather than simply ordering them. The debate among the Boeotarchs reflects typical Greek concerns about defensive versus offensive warfare.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.69-70)
Diodorus provides an account of the Delium campaign and battle, offering additional details about Boeotian preparations and the innovative tactical formations used by Pagondas, including the twenty-five deep phalanx.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Alcibiades (7.1-3)
Plutarch mentions Socrates' participation in the Battle of Delium and his brave conduct during the Athenian retreat, providing a personal perspective on the engagement that Pagondas is here preparing to initiate.
Read passage →Xenophon: Hellenica (5.4.46-55)
Though describing later events, Xenophon's account of Theban military organization and the role of the Boeotarchs in the 370s BCE shows the continuity of the federal system that Pagondas represents in Thucydides' narrative.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does the federal structure of the Boeotian League, with its multiple commanders, compare to the unified Athenian command structure? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each system?
- Why might Pagondas have been willing to fight outside Boeotian territory when the other commanders were not? Consider both strategic and political motivations.
- What does this passage reveal about the importance of persuasion and rhetoric in Greek military leadership, even in supposedly oligarchic states?
- How does the principle of defensive warfare (only fighting within one's own territory) reflect Greek concepts of justice in war?