Pausanias Analysis

Passage 1.20.6

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Passage 1.20.6: Sulla's siege of Athens and the execution of one in ten at the Kerameikos

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

Ἀθηναίοις μὲν δὴ πολιορκία καθειστήκει, Ταξίλος δὲ Μιθριδάτου στρατηγὸς ἐτύγχανε μὲν περικαθήμενος Ἐλάτειαν τὴν ἐν τῇ Φωκίδι, ἀφικομένων δὲ ἀγγέλων ἀναστήσας τὸν στρατὸν ἐς τὴν Ἀττικὴν ἦγεν. ἃ πυνθανόμενος ὁ στρατηγὸς τῶν Ῥωμαίων Ἀθήνας μὲν τοῦ στρατοῦ μέρει πολιορκεῖν ἀφῆκεν, αὐτὸς δὲ Ταξίλῳ τὸ πολὺ τῆς δυνάμεως ἔχων ἐς Βοιωτοὺς ἀπαντᾷ. τρίτῃ δὲ ὕστερον ἡμέρᾳ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἦλθον ἐπʼ ἀμφότερα τὰ στρατόπεδα ἄγγελοι, Σύλλᾳ μὲν ὡς Ἀθηναίοις εἴη τὸ τεῖχος ἑαλωκός, τοῖς δὲ Ἀθήνας πολιορκήσασι Ταξίλον κεκρατῆσθαι μάχῃ περὶ Χαιρώνειαν. Σύλλας δὲ ὡς ἐς τὴν Ἀττικὴν ἐπανῆλθε, τοὺς ἐναντιωθέντας Ἀθηναίων καθείρξας ἐς τὸν Κεραμεικὸν τὸν λαχόντα σφῶν ἐκ δεκάδος ἑκάστης ἐκέλευσεν ἄγεσθαι τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ.

English Translation

The Athenians were under siege, and Taxilus, a general of Mithridates, was at that time besieging Elateia in Phocis. But upon the arrival of messengers, he withdrew his forces from there and began leading them toward Attica. Learning of these events, the Roman general left part of his army to continue the siege of Athens, while he himself, commanding the greater strength of his forces, advanced into Boeotia to confront Taxilus. On the third day afterward, messengers reached both Roman camps: to Sulla came the news that the Athenians' wall had fallen, and to those besieging Athens word came that Taxilus had been defeated in a battle near Chaeronea. When Sulla returned to Attica, he imprisoned those Athenians who had resisted him in the Cerameicus, and then ordered one from every ten of them, drawn by lot, to be led away to execution.

Proper Nouns

Boeotians (Βοιωτοί) person
Mithridates (Μιθριδάτης) person
Sulla (Σύλλας) person
Taxilus (Ταξίλος) person
Also in: 9.40.7 10.34.4
Athenians (Ἀθηναῖοι) person
Romans (Ῥωμαῖοι) person
Kerameikos (Κεραμεικός) place Q630974 Pleiades
Phocis (Φωκίς) place Q2637650
Chaeronea (Χαιρώνεια) place Q13574678
Athens (Ἀθῆναι) place Q844930
Attica (Ἀττική) place Q122443
Elateia (Ἐλάτεια) place Q1235347
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