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Histories

§4.153.1

Theraean Decree to Send Colonists to Platea under Battus

Upon receiving the report of the settlement on Platea, the Theraeans decreed to send one brother from every family and men from all seven districts by lot under the leadership of Battus, and dispatched two fifty-oared ships.

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§4.153.1

οἱ δὲ Θηραῖοι ἐπείτε τὸν Κορώβιον λιπόντες ἐν τῇ νήσῳ ἀπίκοντο ἐς τὴν Θήρην, ἀπήγγελλον ὥς σφι εἴη νῆσος ἐπὶ Λιβύῃ ἐκτισμένη.1 Θηραίοισι δὲ ἕαδε2 ἀδελφεόν τε ἀπʼ ἀδελφεοῦ3 πέμπειν πάλῳ λαγχάνοντα καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν χώρων ἁπάντων ἑπτὰ ἐόντων ἄνδρας, εἶναι δὲ σφέων καὶ ἡγεμόνα καὶ βασιλέα Βάττον. οὕτω δὴ στέλλουσι δύο πεντηκοντέρους ἐς τὴν Πλατέαν.

​And the Theraeans, when they had left Corobius on the island and arrived at Thera, reported that they had an island settled off the coast of Libya. Then it pleased the Theraeans to send one brother from every pair of brothers, chosen by lot, and men from all their districts, which were seven in number, and that Battus should be their leader and king. Thus they dispatched two fifty-oared ships to Platea.

Syntax notes3 items
  1. 4.153.1εἴη ... ἐκτισμένη

    Perfect passive optative. It is used in indirect discourse after the secondary tense of the main verb (imperfect ἀπήγγελλον) to represent the Theraeans' report. The dative σφι functions as a dative of agent or dative of interest.

  2. 4.153.1ἕαδε

    Third-person singular of the unaspirated aorist of ἁνδάνω (to please) in the Ionic dialect (equivalent to Attic ἥδε). It is used impersonally with the infinitives πέμπειν and εἶναι as its subjects, meaning "it pleased the Theraeans to..." (i.e., "they decreed to...").

  3. 4.153.1ἀδελφεόν τε ἀπʼ ἀδελφεοῦ

    Literally "a brother from a brother," meaning one brother from every pair of brothers, to be chosen by lot (πάλῳ).

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.153.1