Today's Passage
This passage details the Greek colonization of Sicily during the 8th century BCE, part of Thucydides' archaeological digression before discussing the Athenian expedition to Sicily (415-413 BCE).
Crawley Translation (1910)
These were the barbarians in Sicily, settled as I have said. Of the Hellenes, the first to arrive were Chalcidians from Euboea with Thucles, their founder. They founded Naxos and built the altar to Apollo Archegetes, which now stands outside the town, and upon which the deputies for the games sacrifice before sailing from Sicily. Syracuse was founded the year afterwards by Archias, one of the Heraclids from Corinth, who began by driving out the Sicels from the island upon which the inner city now stands, though it is no longer surrounded by water: in process of time the outer town also was taken within the walls and became populous. Meanwhile Thucles and the Chalcidians set out from Naxos in the fifth year after the foundation of Syracuse, and drove out the Sicels by arms and founded Leontini and afterwards Catana; the Catanians themselves choosing Evarchus as their founder.
Modern Translation
These were the barbarian peoples of Sicily, distributed as I have described. As for the Greeks, the first to arrive were Chalcidians from Euboea, led by their founder Thucles. They established Naxos and erected the altar of Apollo Archegetes, which still stands outside the city and where sacred envoys offer sacrifice before departing Sicily for the games. Syracuse was founded the following year by Archias, a Heraclid from Corinth, who first expelled the native Sicels from what is now the inner city's island—though it has since been joined to the mainland. Over time, the outer city was also enclosed within the walls and grew populous. Five years after Syracuse's founding, Thucles and the Chalcidians marched from Naxos, forcibly expelled the Sicels, and established Leontini, then Catana—the Catanians selecting Evarchus as their own founder.
Historical Context
This passage details the Greek colonization of Sicily during the 8th century BCE, part of Thucydides' archaeological digression before discussing the Athenian expedition to Sicily (415-413 BCE). He systematically describes how various Greek city-states established colonies on the island, beginning with the Chalcidians founding Naxos (734 BCE) and the Corinthians establishing Syracuse (733 BCE). The colonization process involved displacing indigenous Sicel populations through military force. This historical background is crucial for understanding the complex political landscape of Sicily that Athens would later attempt to conquer. Thucydides emphasizes the chronological sequence and the role of specific founders (oikists), reflecting Greek cultural emphasis on foundation myths and the religious sanctification of colonial enterprises through altars and rituals. This colonization narrative sets up the later conflict between these established Greek cities and Athens's imperial ambitions.
Key Themes
Annotations & References
Greek Colonization
The 8th-7th centuries BCE saw extensive Greek colonization across the Mediterranean. Cities like Chalcis and Corinth sent out expeditions to establish new settlements, driven by population pressure, trade opportunities, and political conflicts. Colonists typically consulted Delphi before departure and appointed an oikist (founder) to lead the expedition.
Learn more →Apollo Archegetes
Apollo Archegetes ('Apollo the Founder') was worshipped as the divine patron of colonization. The altar at Naxos served as a pan-Sicilian shrine where all Greek colonists would sacrifice before major undertakings, emphasizing the religious unity of Sicilian Greeks despite their political divisions.
Learn more →Syracuse Foundation
Syracuse became the most powerful Greek city in the western Mediterranean. Founded on the island of Ortygia, it expanded to the mainland, eventually rivaling Athens itself. The Corinthian foundation and its Dorian character would later influence its opposition to Athenian expansion.
Learn more →Sicels
The Sicels were one of three indigenous peoples of Sicily (along with Sicani and Elymi). Their displacement by Greek colonists represents a pattern of ancient colonization involving the subjugation or expulsion of native populations, though some Sicels were later incorporated into Greek cities as subordinate populations.
Learn more →Parallel Ancient Sources
Strabo: Geography (6.2.4)
Strabo provides additional details about the foundation of Syracuse and other Sicilian cities, including the role of the Delphic oracle in sanctioning colonial expeditions and the specific locations chosen by the founders.
Read passage →Diodorus Siculus: Library of History (14.13)
Diodorus, himself Sicilian, offers local traditions about these foundations and provides additional chronological details that sometimes differ from Thucydides, showing how foundation stories could vary.
Read passage →Pindar: Pythian Odes (1.60-66)
Pindar celebrates the foundation of Syracuse by Archias in his ode for Hieron, providing a poetic account that emphasizes the divine favor and the Corinthian origins of the city.
Read passage →Discussion Questions
- How does Thucydides' matter-of-fact description of displacing the Sicels reflect Greek attitudes toward indigenous peoples? What parallels exist with later colonial movements?
- Why might Thucydides include this detailed colonization history before narrating the Athenian expedition? How does it serve his historical method?
- What role does religious authority (Apollo Archegetes) play in legitimizing colonial violence and displacement?
- How do the different origins of these cities (Chalcidian vs. Corinthian) continue to influence Sicilian politics in Thucydides' own time?