History of the Peloponnesian War

Certain it is at any rate that after many had fallen on both sides and night had cut short the action, the issue of battle being still undecided, the Tegeans bivouacked on the field and set up a trophy at once, while the Mantineans retreated to Bucolion, and afterwards set up a rival trophy.

Toward the close of the same winter, when spring was near at hand, Brasidas made an attempt on Potidaea. He came up by night and placed a ladder against the wall, up to this point escaping detection; for the ladder was planted precisely at the interval of time after the bell had been carried by and before the patrol who passed it on had come back.[*](It appears that the bell was passed from one sentinel to the next. Another, and probably more common, way of testing the watchfulness of the sentinels was to have a patrol with a bell make the round, each sentinel having to answer the signal.) The guards, however, discovered it immediately, before an ascent could be made, and Brasidas made haste to lead his army back again, not waiting for day to come.

So ended the winter and with it the ninth year of this war of which Thucydides wrote the history.

The next summer the one-year's truce con-[*](422 B.C.) tinued till, and ended with, the Pythian games.[*](The truce had really expired, according to 4.118.12, the 14th of the Attic month Elaphebolion (about the end of March), but hostilities were not renewed till after the Pythian games, which were celebrated in the Attic month Metageitnion (latter half of August and first of September). This seems the most natural interpretation of Thucydides' language, but many editors render “The next summer the one-year's truce was ended and war was renewed till the Pythian games.”) During the suspension of arms the Athenians expelled the Delians from Delos, thinking that they had been consecrated[*](Referring to their purification and consecration to Apollo four years before (iii. 107).) while in a state of pollution from some ancient crime, and besides, that they themselves had been responsible for this defect in the purification, in which, as I have before related, they believed they had acted rightly in removing the coffins of the dead. And the Delians settled, according as each man chose,[*](Or, “was inclined” (etc. οἰκῆσαι).) in Atramytteum in Asia, which had been given them by Pharnaces.