Today's Passage
This passage describes the aftermath of the Battle of Delium (424 BCE), a significant Athenian defeat during the Peloponnesian War.
Crawley Translation (1910)
Meanwhile the Boeotians at once sent for darters and slingers from the Malian Gulf, and with two thousand Corinthian heavy infantry who had joined them after the battle, the Peloponnesian garrison which had evacuated Nisaea, and some Megarians with them, marched against Delium, and attacked the fort, and after divers efforts finally succeeded in taking it by an engine of the following description. They sawed in two and scooped out a great beam from end to end, and fitting it nicely together again like a pipe, hung by chains a cauldron at one extremity, with which communicated an iron tube projecting from the beam, which was itself in great part plated with iron. This they brought up from a distance upon carts to the part of the wall principally composed of vines and timber, and when it was near, inserted huge bellows into their end of the beam and blew with them. The blast passing closely confined into the cauldron, which was filled with lighted coals, sulphur and pitch, made a great blaze, and set fire to the wall, which soon became untenable for its defenders, who left it and fled; and in this way the fort was taken. Of the garrison some were killed and two hundred made prisoners; most of the rest got on board their ships and returned home.
Soon after the fall of Delium, which took place seventeen days after the battle, the Athenian herald, without knowing what had happened, came again for the dead, which were now restored by the Boeotians, who no longer answered as at first. Not quite five hundred Boeotians fell in the battle, and nearly one thousand Athenians, including Hippocrates the general, besides a great number of light troops and camp followers.
Soon after this battle Demosthenes, after the failure of his voyage to Siphae and of the plot on the town, availed himself of the Acarnanian and Agraean troops and of the four hundred Athenian heavy infantry which he had on board, to make a descent on the Sicyonian coast. Before however all his ships had come to shore, the Sicyonians came up and routed and chased to their ships those that had landed, killing some and taking others prisoners; after which they set up a trophy, and gave back the dead under truce.
About the same time with the affair of Delium took place the death of Sitalces, king of the Odrysians, who was defeated in battle, in a campaign against the Triballi; Seuthes, son of Sparadocus, his nephew, succeeding to the kingdom of the Odrysians, and of the rest of Thrace ruled by Sitalces.
Modern Translation
The Boeotians immediately summoned javelin-throwers and slingers from the Malian Gulf. Together with two thousand Corinthian heavy infantry who arrived after the battle, the Peloponnesian garrison that had withdrawn from Nisaea, and some Megarians, they marched on Delium and assaulted the fortification. After various attempts, they finally captured it using an ingenious siege engine. They took a massive beam, sawed it lengthwise, hollowed it out completely, then reassembled it like a pipe. At one end, they suspended a cauldron on chains, connected to an iron tube that projected from the beam—the beam itself being largely covered in iron plating. They transported this device on carts from a distance to the section of wall constructed mainly of vines and wood. When close enough, they inserted large bellows into their end of the beam and pumped air through it. The blast, channeled through the confined space into the cauldron filled with burning coals, sulfur, and pitch, created an intense flame that set the wall ablaze. The heat became unbearable for the defenders, who abandoned their positions and fled. Thus the fort fell. Some garrison members were killed, two hundred taken prisoner, while most escaped to their ships and sailed home.
Seventeen days after the battle, Delium fell. The Athenian herald, unaware of this development, returned to request the bodies of their dead. This time the Boeotians complied, no longer giving their previous response. The battle had cost nearly five hundred Boeotian lives and almost a thousand Athenians, including their general Hippocrates, plus numerous light troops and camp followers.
Shortly afterward, Demosthenes, having failed in his expedition to Siphae and the conspiracy against that city, utilized his Acarnanian and Agraean forces along with four hundred Athenian heavy infantry aboard his ships to raid the Sicyonian coast. However, before all his vessels could land, the Sicyonians counterattacked, routing those who had disembarked and driving them back to their ships, killing some and capturing others. They erected a trophy and returned the dead under truce.
Around this same period, Sitalces, king of the Odrysians, died in battle during a campaign against the Triballi. His nephew Seuthes, son of Sparadocus, inherited the kingdom of the Odrysians and the other Thracian territories that Sitalces had ruled.
Historical Context
This passage describes the aftermath of the Battle of Delium (424 BCE), a significant Athenian defeat during the Peloponnesian War. The Boeotians, having won the battle, now besiege the Athenian-held fort at Delium using an innovative flame-throwing siege engine. The passage illustrates the technological innovation in ancient warfare and the diplomatic protocols surrounding the return of war dead. The Athenians suffer another setback when Demosthenes' raid on Sicyon fails. The death of the Thracian king Sitalces, mentioned at the end, removes a potential Athenian ally from the political landscape. This series of events marks a turning point where Athenian expansion is checked on multiple fronts.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Ancient Siege Warfare
The flame-throwing device described here represents one of the earliest recorded uses of a directed incendiary weapon in siege warfare. This precursor to Greek fire demonstrates the technological innovation driven by prolonged conflict and the vulnerability of wooden fortifications.
Learn more →Battle of Delium
The Battle of Delium (424 BCE) was the first major land battle between Athens and Boeotia. The Athenian defeat here, along with failures at Megara and elsewhere, marked the end of their aggressive land strategy under Cleon's influence.
Learn more →Greek Burial Customs
The negotiations over returning the dead illustrate the sacred Greek custom of allowing enemies to retrieve and bury their fallen. Denying this right was considered sacrilege, which explains why the Boeotians eventually comply despite their initial refusal.
Learn more →Thracian Politics
Sitalces had been an important Athenian ally, providing cavalry and light troops. His death and replacement by Seuthes represents a shift in Thracian politics that would affect Athens' northern strategy and access to Thracian military resources.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (12.69-70)
Diodorus provides an account of the Battle of Delium and its aftermath, including details about the siege engine and casualty figures that complement Thucydides' narrative.
Read passage →Plutarch: Life of Nicias (6)
Plutarch mentions the Battle of Delium in context of Socrates' bravery during the Athenian retreat, providing a personal perspective on this military disaster.
Read passage →Xenophon: Hellenica (1.1.33-34)
While focusing on later events, Xenophon references similar siege techniques and the importance of controlling Delium for Boeotian-Athenian relations.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does the innovative siege engine at Delium reflect the relationship between warfare and technological advancement in ancient Greece?
- What does the protocol around returning war dead reveal about Greek values and the 'rules of war' even between bitter enemies?
- How might the series of Athenian failures described here (Delium, Sicyon, loss of Sitalces) have affected public opinion in Athens about continuing the war?
- Compare the Boeotian siege tactics with modern warfare: what principles remain constant despite technological change?