- Source
- Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, editor. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.63.1-5.63.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The Alcmaeonidae bribe the Pythia to prompt Sparta to liberate Athens, leading to the dispatch of a Spartan expedition under Anchimolius, which is defeated by the Peisistratidae with the aid of Thessalian cavalry.
ὡς ὦν δὴ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι λέγουσι, οὗτοι οἱ ἄνδρες ἐν Δελφοῖσι κατήμενοι ἀνέπειθον τὴν Πυθίην χρήμασι, ὅκως ἔλθοιεν Σπαρτιητέων ἄνδρες εἴτε ἰδίῳ στόλῳ εἴτε δημοσίῳ χρησόμενοι,1 προφέρειν2 σφι τὰς Ἀθήνας ἐλευθεροῦν.
Now, as the Athenians say, these men, while staying at Delphi, persuaded the Pythia with money that, whenever Spartan men should come to consult the oracle, whether on a private or a public mission, she should propose to them to liberate Athens.
Λακεδαιμόνιοι δέ, ὥς σφι αἰεὶ τὠυτὸ πρόφαντον ἐγίνετο, πέμπουσι Ἀγχιμόλιον τὸν Ἀστέρος, ἐόντα τῶν ἀστῶν ἄνδρα δόκιμον, σὺν στρατῷ ἐξελῶντα Πεισιστρατίδας ἐξ Ἀθηνέων ὅμως καὶ ξεινίους σφι ἐόντας3 τὰ μάλιστα· τὰ γὰρ τοῦ θεοῦ πρεσβύτερα ἐποιεῦντο ἢ τὰ τῶν ἀνδρῶν· πέμπουσι δὲ τούτους κατὰ θάλασσαν πλοίοισι.
And the Lacedaemonians, since the same oracle was always delivered to them, sent Anchimolius the son of Aster, who was a man of high repute among the citizens, with an army to expel the Peisistratidae from Athens, although they were in the highest degree their guest-friends; for they held the matters of the god of more importance than those of men. And they sent these by sea in ships.
ὃ μὲν δὴ προσσχὼν ἐς Φάληρον τὴν στρατιὴν ἀπέβησε, οἱ δὲ Πεισιστρατίδαι προπυνθανόμενοι ταῦτα ἐπεκαλέοντο ἐκ Θεσσαλίης ἐπικουρίην· ἐπεποίητο γάρ σφι συμμαχίη πρὸς αὐτούς. Θεσσαλοὶ δέ σφι δεομένοισι ἀπέπεμψαν κοινῇ γνώμῃ χρεώμενοι χιλίην τε ἵππον καὶ τὸν βασιλέα τὸν σφέτερον Κινέην ἄνδρα Κονιαῖον· τοὺς ἐπείτε ἔσχον συμμάχους οἱ Πεισιστρατίδαι, ἐμηχανῶντο τοιάδε·
He, having put in at Phalerum, disembarked his army, but the Peisistratidae, having prior knowledge of this, called for help from Thessaly, for an alliance had been made by them with them. And the Thessalians, at their request, sent by common consent a thousand cavalry and their own king, Cineas, a man of Conion. When the Peisistratidae had obtained these as allies, they devised the following plan:
κείραντες τῶν Φαληρέων τὸ πεδίον καὶ ἱππάσιμον ποιήσαντες τοῦτον τὸν χῶρον ἐπῆκαν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ τὴν ἵππον· ἐμπεσοῦσα δὲ διέφθειρε ἄλλους τε πολλοὺς τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸν Ἀγχιμόλιον· τοὺς δὲ περιγενομένους αὐτῶν ἐς τὰς νέας κατεῖρξαν. ὁ μὲν δὴ πρῶτος στόλος ἐκ Λακεδαίμονος οὕτω ἀπήλλαξε, καὶ Ἀγχιμολίου εἰσὶ ταφαὶ τῆς Ἀττικῆς Ἀλωπεκῆσι, ἀγχοῦ τοῦ Ἡρακλείου τοῦ ἐν Κυνοσάργεϊ.
clearing the plain of Phalerum and making this area fit for cavalry, they let loose their horsemen upon the camp; and these falling upon them destroyed many others of the Lacedaemonians and especially Anchimolius himself, while those who survived they shut up in their ships. The first expedition from Lacedaemon thus got away, and the tomb of Anchimolius is at Alopece in Attica, near the Heracleium at Cynosarges.
- 5.63.1χρησόμενοι
Future participle of the verb χράομαι (to consult an oracle) expressing purpose. It describes the recurring purpose of the Spartan visits introduced by ὅκως with the optative (ἔλθοιεν).
- 5.63.1προφέρειν
Infinitive serving as the object or result of the main verb ἀνέπειθον (persuaded), expressing the content of what they induced the Pythia to do (namely, to deliver or propose the oracle).
- 5.63.2ἐόντας
Accusative participle modifying the accusative object Πεισιστρατίδας. Combined with the preceding adverb ὅμως, it expresses a concessive meaning ('although they were').