Harold North Fowler, Commentary on Thucydides Book 5

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Alcibiades places three hundred Argives of the oligarchical party under custody upon the neighbouring islands. The Athenians send an expedition against the island of Melos, but try negotiations before proceeding to actual hostilities.

Ἀλκιβιάδης τε, καὶ ἐπὶ Μῆλον: the doings of Alcibiades at Argos and the expedition against Melos are thus (by τε and καί) brought together as the two most important events of the summer.

ἔτι: still, after τοὺς μὲν ἀπέκτειναν, τοὺς δὲ ἐξήλασαν, as mentioned in c. 82. 7.—τὰ Λακεδαιμονίων φρονεῖν: cf. iii. 68. 18; vi. 51. 7; viii. 31. 7.

κατέθεντο: deposited. The mid. is always used in the sense of “place under custody.” See on iii. 72. 2.

ἐς τὰς ἐγγὺς νήσους: so they had once before confined the suspected Corcyreans on Aegina. See iii. 72. 1 ff.—ἐπὶ Μῆλον: a previous attempt under Nicias to subjugate the island had been unsuccessful. See iii. 91. § 1 f. and 94. 2. Yet from Ol. 88, 3 (426 B.C.) on, the Melians are found, and the amount of their tribute is specified, on the lists of tributaries of Athens. See U. Köhler, zur Geschichte des delischattischen Bundes in Abhh. d. Berl. Akad. 1869, p. 146.

Λεσβίαιν: these were ships of the Methymnaeans, for the rest of Lesbos was now held by Athenian Cleruchs to whom the Lesbians paid rent in lieu of tribute. See iii. 50. 5 ff.; vi. 85. 8. Wecklein, cur. epigr. p. 16, shows from inscriptions that this reading is preferable to Λεσβίαις of most Mss.

ξυμμάχων καὶ νησιωτῶν: cf. vi. 85. 6 ff., καὶ γὰρ τοῖς ἐκεῖ ξυμμάχοις ὡς ἕκαστοι χρήσιμοι ἐξηγούμεθα, Χίους μὲν καὶ Μηθυμναίους νεῶν παροκωχῇ αὐτονόμους, τοὺς δὲ πολλοὺς χρημάτων βιαιότερον φορᾷ, ἄλλους δὲ καὶ πάνυ ἐλευθέρως ξυμμαχοῦντας, καίπερ νησιώτας ὄντας καὶ εὐλήπτους, διότι ἐν χωρίοις ἐπικαίροις εἰσὶ περὶ τὴν Πελοπόννησον. From this it appears, as Herbst (Philol. 42, p. 724) observes, that the “islanders” here mentioned are different from the ξύμμαχοι. Cf. vii. 57. 32 ff., where Cephallenians and Zacynthians are mentioned as νησιῶται and αὐτόνομοι.

Λακεδαιμονίων ἄποικοι: see Hdt.viii. 48. 3.

οὐδετέρων ὄντες: γράφεται μεθ᾽ ἑτέρων, Schol. This means οὐδὲ μεθ᾽ ἑτέρων. Thuc. uses, however, both forms. Cf. ξυμμάχους μηδετέρων, c. 94. 2; μηδετέρων ὄντας, i. 35. 2; τοὺς μηδὲ μεθ᾽ ἑτέρων, ii. 67. 34; ἔστε μηδὲ μεθ᾽ ἑτέρων, ii. 72. 11.

ἐς πόλεμον φανερὸν κατέστησαν: so also in c. 25. 15.

στρατοπεδευσάμενοι ἐς τὴν γῆν: is elliptical for ἐσβαλόντες ἐς τὴν γῆν καὶ στρατοπεδευσάμενοι.

Τισίας ὁ Τισιμάχου : see App.

τοῖς ὀλίγοις: the ὀλίγοι appear here and in c. 85. 4 as the chief governing body, a small senate or assembly, to which the holders of important offices (αἱ ἀρχαί, cf. c. 28. 2; 47. 52 and 55; i. 90. 27) belong.