Pausanias Analysis

Passage 8.50.5

← 8.50.4 8.50.6 →

Passage 8.50.5: Nabis seizes Messene by night, then withdraws after Philopoemen's arrival.

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

ἐν δὲ Λακεδαίμονι αὖθις ἐπανέστη τύραννος Νάβις, ὃς Πελοποννησίων πρώτοις ἐπέθετο Μεσσηνίοις· ἐπελθὼν δέ σφισιν ἐν νυκτὶ καὶ οὐδαμῶς τὴν ἔφοδον ἐλπίζουσιν εἷλε μὲν πλὴν τῆς ἀκροπόλεως τὸ ἄστυ, ἀφικομένου δὲ ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίαν στρατιᾷ Φιλοποίμενος ἐξέπεσεν ὑπόσπονδος ἐκ Μεσσήνης.

English Translation

In Lacedaemon, however, Nabis again arose as a tyrant, who was the first among the Peloponnesians to attack the Messenians. He fell upon them by night, capturing their city—except the acropolis—while they were completely unprepared and unsuspecting of the assault. But on the following day, when Philopoemen arrived with an army, Nabis was forced by treaty to withdraw from Messene.

Proper Nouns

Nabis (Νάβις) person
Philopoemen (Φιλοποίμην) person
Lacedaemon (Λακεδαίμων) place Q5690 Pleiades
Messene (Μεσσήνη) place Q1022117
Messenia (Μεσσηνία) place Q1247159
Peloponnese (Πελοπόννησος) place Q78967
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