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Dative: companion as satellite
Ἀλκιβιάδης κατέπλευσεν εἰς Πάρον ναυσὶν εἴκοσιν
‘Alkibiades sailed to Paros with twenty ships.’ (Xen. Hell. 1.4.11)
The dative signals a companion as a satellite. The word in the dative is invariably an army or a part of an army (troops, ships, etc.) by which a leader is accompanied.
Syntactic usage
The dative of the military companion is used interchangeably with σύν + dative.
καὶ τὰ μὲν νικώντων, τὰ δὲ νικωμένων, Ἀλκιβιάδης ἐπεισπλεῖ δυοῖν δεούσαις εἴκοσι ναυσίν
Sometimes they were victorious, sometimes they were defeated, when Alcibiades sailed into [the Hellespont] with eighteen ships.
κατεφαίνετο πάντα αὐτόθεν ὥστε οὐκ ἂν ἔλαθεν αὐτὸν ὁρμώμενος ὁ Κλέων τῷ στρατῷ.
Everything was visible from that location, so that he would not fail to observe Cleon advancing with his army. ֍
καὶ πεντήκοντα μὲν ναυσί, στρατιώταις δὲ μυρίοις καὶ τετρακισχιλίοις ἐπιβαλοῦντες αὐτοῖς κατελάβοντο τὰς περὶ τὴν Γεράνειαν παρόδους .
Intending to overwhelm them with fifty ships and fourteen thousand soldiers they took control of the passes around mount Geraneia.