History of the Peloponnesian War

The Athenians having made this reply, the Corinthians began to prepare for their voyage homewards, and erected a trophy at Sybota on the continent: while the Corcyraeans took up the wrecks and dead bodies which had been carried to them by the current and the wind, which had risen in the night, and scattered them in all directions; and erected a counter-trophy at Sybota on the island, considering that they had been victorious.

It was on the following view of the case that each side claimed the victory.—The Corinthians erected a trophy, as having had the advantage in the battle until night, so that they got possession of most wrecks and dead bodies; as having no less than a thousand prisoners; and as having sunk more than seventy ships. The Corcyraeans erected a trophy for these reasons;—because they had destroyed about thirty ships; and after the Athenians were come, had taken up the wrecks and dead on their side; and because the Corinthians the day before had rowed sternwards and retreated from them, on seeing the Athenian ships; and after they were come, [*]( Arnold repeats the οἱ ʼαθηναῖοι with ἦλθον, and refers to chap. 52. 2, which, he thinks, decides that the words are rightly inserted, and that the Athenians are the real subject of the verb ἦλθον, Poppo puts the words in brackets, and Göller omits them altogether.) did not sail out from Sybota to oppose them. Thus each side claimed to be victorious.

As the Corinthians were sailing away homeward, they took by treachery Anactorium, which is situated at the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf, and was possessed in common by the Corcyraeans and them; and after establishing in it a Corinthian population [only], [*]( i. e. to the exclusion of the Corcyraeans, who had before had joint possession of the town with them.) they retired homewards; and of the Corcyraeans, eight hundred who were slaves they sold, but two hundred and fifty they kept in custody, and treated with great attention, that on their return they might win over Corcyra to them. For most of them happened to be the first men of the city in power.

Corcyra then in this way outlived the war [*]( Or, as Göller interprets it, had the better of the war. ) with the Corinthians; and the ships of the Athenians returned from it. This was the first ground the Corinthians had for their war against the Athenians, namely, that in time of peace they had fought with them by sea in conjunction with the Corcyraeans.

Immediately after this the following disagreements arose between the Athenians and Peloponnesians, to lead them to war.

While the Corinthians were contriving how to avenge themselves on them, the Athenians, suspecting their hostility, ordered the Potidaeans, who live on the isthmus of Pallene, being colonists of the Corinthians, but their own subjects and tributaries, to throw down the wall towards Pallene, and give hostages; and to dismiss, and not receive in future, the magistrates [*]( The term δημιουργοί, or δαμιουργοί, was a title applied to the chief magistrates of the Peloponnesians, expressive of their doing 'the service of the people.'—Asclepiades, as quoted by the Scholiast, considers the preposition ἐπί superfluous. Göller understands it to express an additional or extra magistrate, sent by the mother country to act as a colleague to the demiurgi appointed by the colonists themselves. —Arnold.) whom the Corinthians used to send every year; being afraid that they might revolt at the instigation of Perdiccas and the Corinthians, and lead the rest of their allies Thrace-ward [*]( A general term appalled to the Greek states which lined the northern, coast of the Aegean from Thessaly to the Hellespont. —Arnold.) to revolt with them.