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Histories

§3.59.1-3.59.4

Founding of Cydonia and Defeat of the Samians by Aegina

The Samians found Cydonia in Crete and prospered, but in the sixth year, they are defeated and enslaved by the Aeginetans and Cretans, settling an old score between Aegina and Samos.

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§3.59.1

παρὰ δὲ Ἑρμιονέων νῆσον ἀντὶ χρημάτων παρέλαβον Ὑδρέην τὴν ἐπὶ Πελοποννήσῳ καὶ αὐτὴν Τροιζηνίοισι παρακατέθεντο· αὐτοὶ δὲ Κυδωνίην τὴν ἐν Κρήτῃ ἔκτισαν, οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦτο πλέοντες ἀλλὰ Ζακυνθίους ἐξελῶντες ἐκ τῆς νήσου.1

​From the Hermionians they received the island of Hydrea, which lies off the Peloponnese, in return for money, and they deposited it with the Troezenians; they themselves founded Cydonia in Crete, sailing not for this purpose, but to drive the Zacynthians out of the island.

§3.59.2

ἔμειναν δʼ ἐν ταύτῃ καὶ εὐδαιμόνησαν ἐπʼ ἔτεα πέντε, ὥστε τὰ ἱρὰ τὰ ἐν Κυδωνίῃ ἐόντα νῦν οὗτοι εἰσὶ οἱ ποιήσαντες.

​They remained in this city and prospered for five years, so that the temples now existing in Cydonia are those which they built.

§3.59.3

ἕκτῳ δὲ ἔτεϊ Αἰγινῆται αὐτοὺς ναυμαχίῃ νικήσαντες ἠνδραποδίσαντο μετὰ Κρητῶν, καὶ τῶν νεῶν καπρίους ἐχουσέων τὰς πρῴρας ἠκρωτηρίασαν2 καὶ ἀνέθεσαν ἐς τὸ ἱρὸν τῆς Ἀθηναίης ἐν Αἰγίνῃ.

​But in the sixth year, the Aeginetans, having defeated them in a sea-fight together with the Cretans, reduced them to slavery, and cut off the prows of their ships, which had figureheads of wild boars, and dedicated them in the temple of Athena in Aegina.

§3.59.4

ταῦτα δὲ ἐποίησαν ἔγκοτον ἔχοντες Σαμίοισι Αἰγινῆται· πρότεροι γὰρ Σάμιοι ἐπʼ Ἀμφικράτεος βασιλεύοντος ἐν Σάμῳ στρατευσάμενοι ἐπʼ Αἴγιναν μεγάλα κακὰ ἐποίησαν Αἰγινήτας καὶ ἔπαθον ὑπʼ ἐκείνων. ἡ μὲν αἰτίη αὕτη.

​The Aeginetans did this because they held a grudge against the Samians; for previously, when Amphicrates was king in Samos, the Samians had made an expedition against Aegina and done great damage to the Aeginetans, and had suffered the same from them. This was the cause.

Syntax notes2 items
  1. 3.59.1οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦτο πλέοντες ἀλλὰ Ζακυνθίους ἐξελῶντες ἐκ τῆς νήσου

    The demonstrative pronoun τοῦτο refers to the founding of Cydonia mentioned just before. The future participle ἐξελῶντες (from ἐξελάω) expresses purpose ("in order to drive out"), and τῆς νήσου ("the island") refers to Crete.

  2. 3.59.3τῶν νεῶν καπρίους ἐχουσέων τὰς πρῴρας ἠκρωτηρίασαν

    The verb ἠκρωτηρίασαν ("cut off the extremities of") takes τῶν νεῶν as its object (either as a partitive or ablative genitive, "from the ships"), with which the participle phrase καπρίους ἐχουσέων τὰς πρῴρας ("having wild boars as their prows") agrees. Here καπρίους is used as an adjective modifying τὰς πρῴρας.

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-grc2:3.59.1-3.59.4