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§6.36.1-6.36.2

Miltiades in the Chersonese and the Wall on the Isthmus

With the oracle's approval, Miltiades sailed to the Chersonese with Athenian volunteers, became its tyrant, and fortified the isthmus with a wall to protect the land from Apsinthian raids.

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§6.36.1

κελευούσης δὲ καὶ τῆς Πυθίης, οὕτω δὴ Μιλτιάδης ὁ Κυψέλου, Ὀλύμπια ἀναραιρηκὼς1 πρότερον τούτων τεθρίππῳ, τότε παραλαβὼν Ἀθηναίων πάντα τὸν βουλόμενον μετέχειν τοῦ στόλου ἔπλεε ἅμα τοῖσι Δολόγκοισι, καὶ ἔσχε τὴν χώρην· καί μιν οἱ ἐπαγαγόμενοι τύραννον κατεστήσαντο.

​Since the Pythia also urged him, Miltiades the son of Cypselus, who had previously won an Olympic victory with a four-horse chariot, then took with him all those Athenians who wished to join the expedition and sailed with the Dolonci, and he took possession of the country; and those who had brought him in established him as tyrant.

§6.36.2

ὁ δὲ πρῶτον μὲν ἀπετείχισε τὸν ἰσθμὸν τῆς Χερσονήσου ἐκ Καρδίης πόλιος ἐς Πακτύην, ἵνα μὴ ἔχοιεν σφέας οἱ Ἀψίνθιοι δηλέεσθαι2 ἐσβάλλοντες ἐς τὴν χώρην. εἰσὶ δὲ οὗτοι στάδιοι ἕξ τε καὶ τριήκοντα τοῦ ἰσθμοῦ· ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ἰσθμοῦ τούτου ἡ Χερσόνησος ἔσω πᾶσα ἐστὶ σταδίων εἴκοσι καὶ τετρακοσίων τὸ μῆκος.3

​He first of all built a wall across the isthmus of the Chersonese from the city of Cardia to Pactye, so that the Apsinthians might not be able to harm them by invading their land. This isthmus is thirty-six stades wide; and from this isthmus inward, the Chersonese is in all four hundred and twenty stades in length.

Syntax notes3 items
  1. 6.36.1Ὀλύμπια ἀναραιρηκὼς

    The perfect active participle ἀναραιρηκὼς (Ionic form of ἀναιρηκώς, from ἀναιρέω) with the cognate accusative Ὀλύμπια, meaning 'having won an Olympic victory'. The perfect tense emphasizes that he already possessed this high prestigious status at the time of the expedition.

  2. 6.36.2ἵνα μὴ ἔχοιεν σφέας οἱ Ἀψίνθιοι δηλέεσθαι

    A purpose clause introduced by ἵνα. The verb ἔχω with an infinitive (δηλέεσθαι) means 'to be able to' (frequently used in negative or limiting contexts). The pronoun σφέας ('them') is the object of the infinitive δηλέεσθαι, referring to the inhabitants of the Chersonese. The optative mood ἔχοιεν is due to the secondary sequence after the historical main verb ἀπετείχισε.

  3. 6.36.2σταδίων εἴκοσι καὶ τετρακοσίων τὸ μῆκος

    The genitive σταδίων εἴκοσι καὶ τετρακοσίων is a genitive of quality (or measure) describing the attribute of the subject ἡ Χερσόνησος. τὸ μῆκος is an accusative of respect (or specification), defining 'in length'.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
  • 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1
urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.36.1-6.36.2