- 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-grc2:6.112.1-6.112.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Once the Athenians draw up their line and receive favorable omens, they charge the Persians at a run over a distance of several stades. The Persians mistake this for suicidal madness, but the Athenians close ranks and fight courageously, overcoming their fear of the Persians.
ὡς δέ σφι διετέτακτο καὶ τὰ σφάγια ἐγίνετο καλά, ἐνθαῦτα ὡς ἀπείθησαν1 οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι δρόμῳ ἵεντο ἐς τοὺς βαρβάρους. ἦσαν δὲ στάδιοι οὐκ ἐλάσσονες τὸ μεταίχμιον αὐτῶν2 ἢ ὀκτώ.
And when they had been arrayed and the sacrifices turned out to be favorable, then indeed, as they were let go, the Athenians charged at a run against the barbarians. The space between them was not less than eight stades.
οἱ δὲ Πέρσαι ὁρέοντες δρόμῳ ἐπιόντας παρεσκευάζοντο ὡς δεξόμενοι,3 μανίην τε τοῖσι Ἀθηναίοισι ἐπέφερον καὶ πάγχυ ὀλεθρίην, ὁρέοντες αὐτοὺς ὀλίγους καὶ τούτους δρόμῳ ἐπειγομένους, οὔτε ἵππου ὑπαρχούσης σφι οὔτε τοξευμάτων.4
The Persians, seeing them attacking at a run, prepared to receive them, and imputed madness to the Athenians, and that utterly destructive, seeing that they were few and even these rushing at a run, although they had neither cavalry nor archers.
ταῦτα μέν νυν οἱ βάρβαροι κατείκαζον· Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ ἐπείτε ἀθρόοι προσέμιξαν τοῖσι βαρβάροισι, ἐμάχοντο ἀξίως λόγου. πρῶτοι μὲν γὰρ Ἑλλήνων πάντων τῶν ἡμεῖς ἴδμεν δρόμῳ ἐς πολεμίους ἐχρήσαντο, πρῶτοι δὲ ἀνέσχοντο ἐσθῆτά τε Μηδικὴν ὁρέοντες5 καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας ταύτην ἐσθημένους· τέως δὲ ἦν τοῖσι Ἕλλησι καὶ τὸ οὔνομα τὸ Μήδων φόβος ἀκοῦσαι.6
Thus indeed the barbarians conjectured; but the Athenians, when they closed with the barbarians in a body, fought in a manner worthy of mention. For they were the first of all the Greeks whom we know to charge the enemy at a run, and the first to endure seeing Median dress and the men clothed in it; for until then, even to hear the name of the Medes was a terror to the Greeks.
- 6.112.1ἀπείθησαν
Third-person plural aorist passive of ἀπίημι, meaning "they were let go" or "released," referring to the moment they were ordered or allowed to charge.
- 6.112.1τὸ μεταίχμιον αὐτῶν
Meaning "the space between them." Grammatically, it functions as an accusative of specification or extent of space, specifying the area measured by the subject "ἦσαν στάδιοι...".
- 6.112.2ὡς δεξόμενοι
The conjunction ὡς combined with the future participle δεξόμενοι (from δέχομαι) to express the subjective intention or purpose of the subject ("with the intention of receiving/welcoming them").
- 6.112.2οὔτε ἵππου ὑπαρχούσης σφι οὔτε τοξευμάτων
Genitive absolute construction, where ἵππου and τοξευμάτων act as the subjects in the genitive, and the participle ὑπαρχούσης (from ὑπάρχω) agrees with them. σφι is a dative of possession referring to the Athenians.
- 6.112.3ἀνέσχοντο ... ὁρέοντες
The verb ἀνέσχοντο (aorist middle of ἀνέχομαι, to endure) is construed with the supplementary participle ὁρέοντες (from ὁράω), meaning "they endured seeing."
- 6.112.3φόβος ἀκοῦσαι
The infinitive ἀκοῦσαι (aorist active of ἀκούω) is an epexegetical (explanatory) infinitive modifying the noun φόβος, meaning "a terror to hear" or "dreadful even to hear" (with minor typo in the original text representation).