Hyroiades Scales the Cliff and the Fall of Sardis — Herodotus, Histories Book 1 (1.84.1–1.84.5), Greek & English

§1.84.1

Σάρδιες δὲ ἥλωσαν ὧδε. ἐπειδὴ τεσσερεσκαιδεκάτη ἐγένετο ἡμέρη πολιορκεομένῳ Κροίσῳ,¹ Κῦρος τῇ στρατιῇ τῇ ἑωυτοῦ διαπέμψας ἱππέας προεῖπε τῷ πρώτῳ ἐπιβάντι τοῦ τείχεος δῶρα δώσειν.

Sardis was taken in this manner. When the fourteenth day of the siege had come for Croesus, Cyrus sent horsemen throughout his army and proclaimed that he would give gifts to the first man who should mount the wall.

§1.84.2

μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο πειρησαμένης τῆς στρατιῆς ὡς οὐ προεχώρεε, ἐνθαῦτα τῶν ἄλλων πεπαυμένων ἀνὴρ Μάρδος ἐπειρᾶτο προσβαίνων, τῷ οὔνομα ἦν Ὑροιάδης, κατὰ τοῦτο τῆς ἀκροπόλιος τῇ οὐδεὶς ἐτέτακτο φύλακος· οὐ γὰρ ἦν δεινὸν κατὰ τοῦτο μὴ ἁλῷ² κοτέ.

After this, when the army had made the attempt and it did not succeed, and when all the others had ceased, a certain Mardian named Hyroiades tried to climb up by that part of the acropolis where no guard had been set; for there was no fear that it would ever be taken at this point.

§1.84.3

ἀπότομός τε γὰρ ἐστὶ ταύτῃ ἡ ἀκρόπολις καὶ ἄμαχος· τῇ οὐδὲ Μήλης ὁ πρότερον βασιλεὺς Σαρδίων μούνῃ οὐ περιήνεικε³ τὸν λέοντα τὸν οἱ ἡ παλλακὴ ἔτεκε, Τελμησσέων δικασάντων ὡς περιενειχθέντος τοῦ λέοντος τὸ τεῖχος ἔσονται Σάρδιες ἀνάλωτοι. ὁ δὲ Μήλης κατὰ τὸ ἄλλο τεῖχος περιενείκας, τῇ ἦν ἐπίμαχον τὸ χωρίον τῆς ἀκροπόλιος, κατηλόγησε τοῦτο ὡς ἐὸν ἄμαχόν τε καὶ ἀπότομον· ἔστι δὲ πρὸς τοῦ Τμώλου τετραμμένον τῆς πόλιος.

Indeed, at this point the acropolis is sheer and impregnable; this was the only part around which Meles, the former king of Sardis, had not carried the lion which his concubine had borne him, when the diviners of Telmessos judged that if the lion were carried round the wall Sardis would be untakeable. But Meles, having carried it round the rest of the wall where the acropolis was open to attack, neglected this part as being impregnable and sheer; and it is the part of the city facing towards Tmolus.

§1.84.4

ὁ ὦν δὴ Ὑροιάδης οὗτος ὁ Μάρδος ἰδὼν τῇ προτεραίῃ τῶν τινα Λυδῶν κατὰ τοῦτο τῆς ἀκροπόλιος καταβάντα ἐπὶ κυνέην ἄνωθεν κατακυλισθεῖσαν καὶ ἀνελόμενον, ἐφράσθη καὶ ἐς θυμὸν ἐβάλετο·⁴

This Mardian, Hyroiades, having seen on the previous day one of the Lydians come down at this part of the acropolis to fetch a helmet which had rolled down from above, and carry it back up, observed this and laid it to heart.

§1.84.5

τότε δὲ δὴ αὐτός τε ἀναβεβήκεε καὶ κατʼ αὐτὸν ἄλλοι Περσέων ἀνέβαινον· προσβάντων δὲ συχνῶν οὕτω δὴ Σάρδιές τε ἡλώκεσαν καὶ πᾶν τὸ ἄστυ ἐπορθέετο.

At that time, therefore, he himself climbed up, and after him others of the Persians went up; and when many had mounted, thus indeed Sardis was taken and the whole city was plundered.

Syntax notes4 items

1.84.1πολιορκεομένῳ Κροίσῳ
Dative of reference or interest, used with a temporal expression to denote 'for Croesus as he was being besieged, it became the fourteenth day'.
1.84.2οὐ γὰρ ἦν δεινὸν ... μὴ ἁλῷ
The construction of μή + subjunctive (ἁλῷ is the aorist subjunctive of ἁλίσκομαι) depending on the adjective of fear or apprehension δεινόν. Combined with the negative οὐ in the main clause, it expresses 'there was no fear that it would be captured'.
1.84.3τῇ οὐδὲ Μήλης ... μούνῃ οὐ περιήνεικε
An emphatic double negative. οὐδέ and οὐ do not cancel each other but strengthen the negation, meaning 'not even Meles carried [the lion] round this place alone'. τῇ ... μούνῃ functions as a dative of place ('at this place alone').
1.84.4ἐς θυμὸν ἐβάλετο
An idiomatic expression characteristic of Herodotus and Ionic prose, meaning 'to take to heart' or 'to consider deeply'.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — note 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.84.1-1.84.5