- 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-grc2:6.30.1-6.30.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
The author's speculation that Histiaeus would have been pardoned if sent to Darius, and the account of his execution by Artaphrenes and the honorable burial of his head by Darius.
εἰ μέν νυν, ὡς ἐζωγρήθη, ἄχθη ἀγόμενος παρὰ βασιλέα Δαρεῖον, ὁ δὲ οὔτʼ ἂν ἔπαθε κακὸν οὐδὲν1 δοκέειν ἐμοί,2 ἀπῆκέ τʼ ἂν αὐτῷ τὴν αἰτίην· νῦν δέ μιν αὐτῶν τε τούτων εἵνεκα καὶ ἵνα μὴ διαφυγὼν αὖτις μέγας παρὰ βασιλέι γένηται, Ἀρταφρένης τε ὁ Σαρδίων ὕπαρχος καὶ ὁ λαβὼν Ἅρπαγος, ὡς ἀπίκετο ἀγόμενος ἐς Σάρδις, τὸ μὲν αὐτοῦ σῶμα αὐτοῦ3 ταύτῃ ἀνεσταύρωσαν, τὴν δὲ κεφαλὴν ταριχεύσαντες ἀνήνεικαν παρὰ βασιλέα Δαρεῖον ἐς Σοῦσα.
Now, if, when he was taken alive, he had been brought as a prisoner to King Darius, he would have suffered no harm, in my opinion, and the King would have forgiven him his offense. But as it was, both for these very reasons and lest he should escape again and become powerful with the King, Artaphrenes, the governor of Sardis, and Harpagus, who had captured him, as soon as he was brought to Sardis, crucified his body there on the spot, and having embalmed his head, they carried it to King Darius at Susa.
Δαρεῖος δὲ πυθόμενος ταῦτα καὶ ἐπαιτιησάμενος τοὺς ταῦτα ποιήσαντας ὅτι μιν οὐ ζώοντα ἀνήγαγον ἐς ὄψιν τὴν ἑωυτοῦ, τὴν κεφαλὴν τὴν Ἱστιαίου λούσαντάς τε καὶ περιστείλαντας εὖ ἐνετείλατο θάψαι ὡς ἀνδρὸς μεγάλως ἑωυτῷ τε καὶ Πέρσῃσι εὐεργέτεω.
Darius, when he learned of this, blamed those who had done this because they had not brought him alive into his presence, and after ordering Histiaeus’ head to be washed and properly prepared for burial, he commanded that it be buried as that of a man who had been a great benefactor to himself and to the Persians.
- 6.30.1ὁ δὲ οὔτʼ ἂν ἔπαθε κακὸν οὐδὲν
The apodosis (past contrary-to-fact) corresponding to the condition εἰ ... ἄχθη. The subject of the first main clause ὁ δὲ refers to Histiaeus, who would have suffered nothing, while the king becomes the subject of the subsequent clause ἀπῆκέ τʼ ἂν.
- 6.30.1δοκέειν ἐμοί
An absolute infinitive used parenthetically, meaning 'in my opinion' or 'as it seems to me'.
- 6.30.1αὐτοῦ σῶμα αὐτοῦ
The first αὐτοῦ is the genitive of the personal pronoun referring to Histiaeus ('his body'), whereas the second αὐτοῦ is a demonstrative adverb of place meaning 'there' or 'on the spot' (i.e., in Sardis).