Today's Passage
This passage occurs after the Battle of Delium (424 BCE), where the Boeotians defeated an invading Athenian army.
Crawley Translation (1910)
The Boeotians set up a trophy, took up their own dead, and stripped those of the enemy, and leaving a guard over them retired to Tanagra, there to take measures for attacking Delium. Meanwhile a herald came from the Athenians to ask for the dead, but was met and turned back by a Boeotian herald, who told him that he would effect nothing until the return of himself the Boeotian herald, and who then went on to the Athenians, and told them on the part of the Boeotians that they had done wrong in transgressing the law of the Hellenes. Of what use was the universal custom protecting the temples in an invaded country, if the Athenians were to fortify Delium and live there, acting exactly as if they were on unconsecrated ground, and drawing and using for their purposes the water which they, the Boeotians, never touched except for sacred uses? Accordingly for the god as well as for themselves, in the name of the deities concerned, and of Apollo, the Boeotians invited them first to evacuate the temple, if they wished to take up the dead that belonged to them.
Modern Translation
The Boeotians erected a trophy, retrieved their own fallen soldiers, and stripped the enemy dead. Leaving guards to watch over the battlefield, they withdrew to Tanagra to plan their assault on Delium. Meanwhile, an Athenian herald arrived to request the return of their dead, but a Boeotian herald intercepted him and sent him back, saying no agreement could be reached until he himself returned from the Athenian camp. This Boeotian herald then proceeded to the Athenians and delivered the following message from the Boeotians: they had violated the sacred laws observed by all Greeks. What was the point of the universal custom that protected temples in enemy territory if the Athenians were going to fortify Delium and occupy it, treating consecrated ground as if it were ordinary territory, and drawing water that the Boeotians themselves never used except for religious ceremonies? Therefore, both for the god's sake and their own, invoking the local deities and Apollo, the Boeotians demanded that the Athenians first evacuate the temple if they wanted to recover their dead.
Historical Context
This passage occurs after the Battle of Delium (424 BCE), where the Boeotians defeated an invading Athenian army. The Athenians had previously seized and fortified the temple of Apollo at Delium, converting it into a military base. Now, following their defeat, they seek to recover their dead under the traditional Greek custom of post-battle truces. The Boeotians refuse this request unless the Athenians first abandon the sacred site they've occupied. This confrontation reveals the tension between military necessity and religious law in Greek warfare. The Boeotians cleverly use religious arguments to maintain their strategic advantage, linking the return of the dead to the evacuation of Delium. This episode demonstrates how religious customs could be weaponized in diplomatic negotiations during the Peloponnesian War.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Greek Religious Law
Greek warfare operated under sacred laws (nomoi) that protected temples and holy sites even in enemy territory. Violating these customs was considered impious and could alienate both gods and allies. The Boeotians invoke these laws to pressure Athens.
Learn more →Battle of Delium
One of the largest hoplite battles of the Peloponnesian War (424 BCE), where innovative Theban tactics defeated Athens. The dispute over the temple and the dead became a significant diplomatic incident following the military engagement.
Learn more →Treatment of War Dead
Greek custom demanded that victors allow the defeated to recover their dead under truce. This sacred duty was rarely refused, making the Boeotian linkage of this right to the Delium evacuation particularly provocative.
Learn more →Herald System
Heralds (kerykes) were sacred officials who conducted diplomatic communications between warring states. Their persons were inviolable, and they operated under divine protection, making them essential for negotiations during conflicts.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.69-70)
Diodorus provides an alternative account of the Battle of Delium and its aftermath, including details about the Athenian fortification of the temple and the subsequent negotiations.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Alcibiades (7.2-3)
Mentions Socrates' participation in the Battle of Delium and the retreat, providing personal details that complement Thucydides' strategic narrative.
Read passage →Pausanias: Description of Greece (9.2.1)
Describes the temple of Apollo at Delium and its religious significance, helping explain why its occupation by Athens was particularly offensive to the Boeotians.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How do the Boeotians use religious law to achieve military and political objectives? Is their position genuinely pious or strategically motivated?
- What does this incident reveal about the relationship between sacred and secular authority in ancient Greek warfare?
- Compare the Athenian occupation of Delium with modern examples of military forces occupying religious sites. How have the ethics of such actions evolved?
- Why might Thucydides include such detailed accounts of diplomatic exchanges over seemingly minor issues like burial rights?