- 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-grc2:6.108.1-6.108.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
After the conclusion of Hippias's dream interpretation, the Plataeans arrive at Marathon to join the Athenians. The narrative explains the historical background of their alliance and the determination of their borders with the Thebans.
Ἱππίης μὲν δὴ ταύτῃ τὴν ὄψιν συνεβάλετο ἐξεληλυθέναι. Ἀθηναίοισι δὲ τεταγμένοισι ἐν τεμένεϊ Ἡρακλέος ἐπῆλθον βοηθέοντες Πλαταιέες πανδημεί. καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐδεδώκεσαν σφέας αὐτοὺς τοῖσι Ἀθηναίοισι οἱ Πλαταιέες, καὶ πόνους ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι συχνοὺς ἤδη ἀναραιρέατο·1 ἔδοσαν δὲ ὧδε.
Hippias indeed inferred that his vision had been fulfilled in this way. But to the Athenians drawn up in the precinct of Heracles, the Plataeans came to their aid with all their forces. For indeed, the Plataeans had given themselves up to the Athenians, and the Athenians had already undertaken many struggles on their behalf; and they had given themselves up in this manner.
πιεζεύμενοι ὑπὸ Θηβαίων οἱ Πλαταιέες ἐδίδοσαν πρῶτα παρατυχοῦσι Κλεομένεΐ τε τῷ Ἀναξανδρίδεω καὶ Λακεδαιμονίοισι σφέας αὐτούς. οἳ δὲ οὐ δεκόμενοι ἔλεγόν σφι τάδε. ἡμεῖς μὲν ἑκαστέρω τε οἰκέομεν, καὶ ὑμῖν τοιήδε τις γίνοιτʼ ἂν ἐπικουρίη ψυχρή· φθαίητε γὰρ ἂν πολλάκις ἐξανδραποδισθέντες ἤ τινα πυθέσθαι ἡμέων.2
Being hard pressed by the Thebans, the Plataeans first tried to give themselves up to Cleomenes, the son of Anaxandrides, and to the Lacedaemonians who happened to be present. But they, not accepting them, spoke to them as follows: “We live too far away, and such help would turn out to be cold comfort for you; for you might often be enslaved before any of us could even hear of it.
συμβουλεύομεν δὲ ὑμῖν δοῦναι ὑμέας αὐτοὺς Ἀθηναίοισι, πλησιοχώροισι τε ἀνδράσι καὶ τιμωρέειν ἐοῦσι οὐ κακοῖσι. ταῦτα συνεβούλευον οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι οὐ κατὰ τὴν εὐνοίην οὕτω τῶν Πλαταιέων ὡς βουλόμενοι3 τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἔχειν πόνους συνεστεῶτας Βοιωτοῖσι.
But we advise you to give yourselves up to the Athenians, men who are close neighbors and not bad at bringing aid.” The Lacedaemonians gave this advice not so much out of goodwill toward the Plataeans, but because they wished the Athenians to be troubled by being embroiled in conflict with the Boeotians.
Λακεδαιμόνιοι μέν νυν Πλαταιεῦσι ταῦτα συνεβούλευον, οἳ δὲ οὐκ ἠπίστησαν, ἀλλʼ Ἀθηναίων ἱρὰ ποιεύντων τοῖσι δυώδεκα θεοῖσι ἱκέται ἱζόμενοι ἐπὶ τὸν βωμὸν ἐδίδοσαν σφέας αὐτούς. Θηβαῖοι δὲ πυθόμενοι ταῦτα ἐστρατεύοντο ἐπὶ τοὺς Πλαταιέας, Ἀθηναῖοι δέ σφι ἐβοήθεον.
So the Lacedaemonians gave this advice to the Plataeans, and they did not disregard it; but while the Athenians were performing sacrifices to the twelve gods, they sat at the altar as suppliants and gave themselves up. The Thebans, hearing of this, marched against the Plataeans, and the Athenians came to their aid.
μελλόντων δὲ συνάπτειν μάχην Κορίνθιοι οὐ περιεῖδον, παρατυχόντες δὲ καὶ καταλλάξαντες ἐπιτρεψάντων ἀμφοτέρων οὔρισαν τὴν χώρην ἐπὶ τοῖσιδε, ἐᾶν4 Θηβαίους Βοιωτῶν τοὺς μὴ βουλομένους ἐς Βοιωτοὺς τελέειν. Κορίνθιοι μὲν δὴ ταῦτα γνόντες ἀπαλλάσσοντο, Ἀθηναίοισι δὲ ἀπιοῦσι ἐπεθήκαντο Βοιωτοί, ἐπιθέμενοι δὲ ἑσσώθησαν τῇ μάχῃ.
But when they were about to join battle, the Corinthians did not allow it; being present and having reconciled them, since both sides submitted the matter to them, they bounded the territory on these conditions: that the Thebans should leave alone those of the Boeotians who did not wish to belong to the Boeotian league. The Corinthians, having made this decision, departed; but as the Athenians were withdrawing, the Boeotians attacked them; but having attacked, they were defeated in the battle.
ὑπερβάντες δὲ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τοὺς οἱ Κορίνθιοι ἔθηκαν Πλαταιεῦσι εἶναι οὔρους,5 τούτους ὑπερβάντες τὸν Ἀσωπὸν αὐτὸν ἐποιήσαντο οὖρον Θηβαίοισι πρὸς Πλαταιέας εἶναι καὶ Ὑσιάς. ἔδοσαν μὲν δὴ οἱ Πλαταιέες σφέας αὐτοὺς Ἀθηναίοισι τρόπῳ τῷ εἰρημένῳ, ἧκον δὲ τότε ἐς Μαραθῶνα βοηθέοντες.
The Athenians, passing beyond the boundaries which the Corinthians had set for the Plataeans, and passing beyond these, made the Asopus river itself the boundary for the Thebans towards the Plataeans and Hysiae. In the manner described, then, the Plataeans had given themselves up to the Athenians, and they had come at that time to Marathon to bring aid.
- 6.108.1ἀναραιρέατο
The 3rd person plural pluperfect middle/passive of ἀναιρέω. In the Ionic dialect, -ατο is used instead of -ντο in the 3rd person plural of the perfect and pluperfect (corresponding to Attic ἀνῄρηντο), meaning "had undertaken".
- 6.108.2φθαίητε γὰρ ἂν πολλάκις ἐξανδραποδισθέντες ἤ τινα πυθέσθαι ἡμέων
A construction combining the verb φθάνω with a participle (ἐξανδραποδισθέντες) to express "doing something before another", followed by the conjunction ἤ and an infinitive (πυθέσθαι) to form a comparison: "you would be enslaved long before any of us could hear of it". πολλάκις here adds the sense of "often" or "likely".
- 6.108.3οὐ κατὰ τὴν εὐνοίην οὕτω τῶν Πλαταιέων ὡς βουλόμενοι...
A non-symmetrical juxtaposition of a prepositional phrase (κατὰ τὴν εὐνοίην) and a participle (βουλόμενοι) connected by οὐκ οὕτω... ὡς... ("not so much ... as ..."), contrasting the Lacedaemonians' nominal motive with their actual desire.
- 6.108.5ἐᾶν
Present infinitive of ἐάω. It functions as an explanatory infinitive of purpose, result, or command, defining the specific terms of the agreement introduced by ἐπὶ τοῖσιδε ("on these conditions").
- 6.108.6τοὺς οἱ Κορίνθιοι ἔθηκαν Πλαταιεῦσι εἶναι οὔρους
A relative clause where the antecedent (οὔρους) is attracted into the relative clause itself, functioning as a predicate ("boundaries which the Corinthians set for the Plataeans to be").