- 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-grc2:6.91.1-6.91.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The wealthy oligarchs of Aegina suppressed the rebellion of the common people allied with Nicodromus and slaughtered them. During this, they cut off the hands of a man seeking sanctuary in a temple, bringing a curse upon themselves that eventually led to their expulsion from the island.
ταῦτα μὲν δὴ ὕστερον ἐγίνετο. Αἰγινητέων δὲ οἱ παχέες ἐπαναστάντος τοῦ δήμου σφι ἅμα Νικοδρόμῳ ἐπεκράτησαν, καὶ ἔπειτα σφέας χειρωσάμενοι ἐξῆγον ἀπολέοντες. ἀπὸ τούτου δὲ καὶ ἄγος σφι ἐγένετο, τὸ ἐκθύσασθαι1 οὐκ οἶοί τε ἐγένοντο ἐπιμηχανώμενοι, ἀλλʼ ἔφθησαν ἐκπεσόντες πρότερον ἐκ τῆς νήσου ἤ σφι ἵλεον γενέσθαι τὴν θεόν.2
These things, indeed, happened later. But the wealthy of the Aeginetans, when the common people rose up against them together with Nicodromus, gained the upper hand over them, and then, having subdued them, led them out to be put to death. From this also a curse fell upon them, which they were unable to expiate by any device, but they were driven out of the island before the goddess could become propitious to them.
ἑπτακοσίους γὰρ δὴ τοῦ δήμου ζωγρήσαντες ἐξῆγον ὡς ἀπολέοντες, εἷς δέ τις τούτων ἐκφυγὼν τὰ δεσμὰ καταφεύγει πρὸς πρόθυρα Δήμητρος θεσμοφόρου, ἐπιλαμβανόμενος δὲ τῶν ἐπισπαστήρων εἴχετο·3 οἳ δὲ ἐπείτε μιν ἀποσπάσαι οὐκ οἷοί τε ἀπέλκοντες ἐγίνοντο, ἀποκόψαντες αὐτοῦ τὰς χεῖρας ἦγον οὕτω, αἱ χεῖρες δὲ ἐκεῖναι ἐμπεφυκυῖαι ἦσαν τοῖσι ἐπισπαστῆρσι.
For they had taken seven hundred of the common people alive and were leading them out to be put to death, when one of these escaped from his bonds and fled to the vestibule of Demeter Thesmophoros, and grasping the door-handles, he clung to them. When they were unable to drag him away by pulling him, they cut off his hands and so led him off, and those hands remained clinging to the door-handles.
- 6.91.1τὸ ἐκθύσασθαι
This is an articular infinitive acting in apposition to the preceding noun ἄγος (curse/pollution), explaining its nature. It serves as the nominal object or reference for οὐκ οἶοί τε ἐγένοντο (they were unable), meaning 'which [pollution], namely, to expiate it fully, they were unable to do'.
- 6.91.1ἔφθησαν ἐκπεσόντες πρότερον ἐκ τῆς νήσου ἤ σφι ἵλεον γενέσθαι τὴν θεόν
The verb ἔφθησαν (3rd person plural aorist of φθάνω, 'to anticipate') is combined with the participle ἐκπεσόντες to form the construction 'they anticipated in being cast out' (i.e., they were cast out first). This is further reinforced by πρότερον ... ἤ ('earlier than / before') followed by the infinitive clause ἵλεον γενέσθαι, meaning 'they were cast out of the island before the goddess could become propitious to them'.
- 6.91.2ἐπιλαμβανόμενος δὲ τῶν ἐπισπαστήρων εἴχετο
The middle verb εἴχετο (imperfect of ἔχω, 'to hold') takes the genitive τῶν ἐπισπαστήρων ('the door-handles') in the sense of 'clinging to' or 'holding fast to'. The repetition of similar ideas with the preceding participle ἐπιλαμβανόμενος ('grasping') emphasizes the desperation with which he held onto the handles.