- 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-grc2:5.71.1-5.71.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The passage explains the origin of the "accursed" in Athens, recounting Cylon's failed coup attempt and how the Alcmaeonidae were blamed for murdering the conspirators despite a promise of safety.
οἱ δʼ ἐναγέες Ἀθηναίων ὧδε ὠνομάσθησαν. ἦν Κύλων τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἀνὴρ Ὀλυμπιονίκης· οὗτος ἐπὶ τυραννίδι ἐκόμησε,1 προσποιησάμενος δὲ ἑταιρηίην τῶν ἡλικιωτέων καταλαβεῖν τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἐπειρήθη, οὐ δυνάμενος δὲ ἐπικρατῆσαι ἱκέτης ἵζετο πρὸς τὸ ἄγαλμα.
The “accursed” among the Athenians were so named in the following way. There was an Athenian named Cylon, a victor at the Olympic games. This man grew ambitious for tyranny, and having associated to himself a band of companions of his own age, he attempted to seize the acropolis; but being unable to prevail, he seated himself as a suppliant before the statue.
τούτους ἀνιστᾶσι μὲν οἱ πρυτάνιες τῶν ναυκράρων, οἵ περ ἔνεμον τότε τὰς Ἀθήνας, ὑπεγγύους πλὴν θανάτου·2 φονεῦσαι δὲ αὐτοὺς αἰτίη ἔχει Ἀλκμεωνίδας.3 ταῦτα πρὸ τῆς Πεισιστράτου ἡλικίης ἐγένετο.
The prytaneis of the naucrari, who then governed Athens, made these men rise under a pledge that they should be safe from death; but the blame for murdering them lies upon the Alcmaeonidae. These events occurred before the time of Pisistratus.
- 5.71.1ἐκόμησε
The past tense of the verb κομάω (literally, "to wear long hair"). Here it is used metaphorically to mean "to grow arrogant" or "to aspire to, long for (tyranny)."
- 5.71.2ὑπεγγύους πλὴν θανάτου
ὑπεγγύους is the accusative plural of the adjective ὑπέγγυος ("under pledge" or "secured"). The phrase ὑπεγγύους πλὴν θανάτου ("secured except for death") means that they were induced to leave under a guarantee that their lives would be spared (i.e., exempted from the penalty of death).
- 5.71.2αἰτίη ἔχει Ἀλκμεωνίδας
The expression αἰτίη ἔχει ("blame holds [someone]") means "the blame or responsibility falls upon." The subject is αἰτίη (blame), and Ἀλκμεωνίδας (the Alcmaeonidae) is the accusative object. The infinitive φονεῦσαι ("to murder") specifies the nature of the accusation.