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§7.100.1-7.100.3

Xerxes' Review and Inspection of the Army and Fleet

Xerxes completed the inspection and recording of his land forces from a chariot. He then boarded a Sidonian vessel to inspect the fleet, which was stationed in a line abreast close to the shore, sailing through the gap between the prows and the land.

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§7.100.1

Ξέρξης δέ, ἐπεὶ ἠριθμήθη τε καὶ διετάχθη ὁ στρατός, ἐπεθύμησε αὐτός σφεας διεξελάσας θεήσασθαι· μετὰ δὲ1 ἐποίεε ταῦτα, καὶ διεξελαύνων ἐπὶ ἅρματος παρὰ ἔθνος ἓν ἕκαστον ἐπυνθάνετο. καὶ ἀπέγραφον οἱ γραμματισταί, ἕως ἐξ ἐσχάτων ἐς ἔσχατα ἀπίκετο καὶ τῆς ἵππου καὶ τοῦ πεζοῦ.

​And Xerxes, when the army had been numbered and marshaled, desired to drive through them himself and inspect them. After this he did so, and driving in a chariot past each nation, he made inquiries. And the scribes wrote it down, until he had gone from one end to the other of both the cavalry and the infantry.

§7.100.2

ὡς δὲ ταῦτά οἱ ἐπεποίητο,2 τῶν νεῶν κατελκυσθεισέων ἐς θάλασσαν, ἐνθαῦτα ὁ Ξέρξης μετεκβὰς ἐκ τοῦ ἅρματος ἐς νέα Σιδωνίην ἵζετο ὑπὸ σκηνῇ χρυσέῃ καὶ παρέπλεε παρὰ τὰς πρῴρας τῶν νεῶν, ἐπειρωτῶν τε ἑκάστας ὁμοίως καὶ τὸν πεζὸν καὶ ἀπογραφόμενος.

​And when these things had been done for him, the ships having been launched into the sea, then Xerxes, changing from his chariot, seated himself in a Sidonian ship under a golden canopy, and sailed past the prows of the ships, inquiring about each one in the same manner as with the infantry, and having the answers written down.

§7.100.3

τὰς δὲ νέας οἱ ναύαρχοι ἀναγαγόντες ὅσον τε3 τέσσερα πλέθρα ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰγιαλοῦ ἀνεκώχευον, τὰς πρῴρας ἐς γῆν τρέψαντες πάντες μετωπηδόν, καὶ ἐξοπλίσαντες τοὺς ἐπιβάτας ὡς ἐς πόλεμον. ὃ δʼ ἐντὸς τῶν πρωρέων πλέων ἐθηεῖτο καὶ τοῦ αἰγιαλοῦ.4

​The commanders had launched the ships and held them stationary about four plethra from the shore, with all the prows turned toward the land in a single line, and they had armed the marines as if for war. And he, sailing between the prows and the shore, inspected them.

Syntax notes4 items
  1. 7.100.1μετὰ δὲ

    Here μετὰ is used adverbially rather than as a preposition, meaning 'afterward' or 'then', and introduces the clause along with the particle δὲ.

  2. 7.100.2ταῦτά οἱ ἐπεποίητο

    The pronoun οἱ is a dative of agent (or dative of interest/advantage) used with the pluperfect passive verb ἐπεποίητο, meaning 'when these things had been done by (or for) him.'

  3. 7.100.3ὅσον τε

    This expression is used before measurements to mean 'about' or 'approximately.' The particle τε is characteristic of the Ionic dialect, functioning here as a generalizing or emphasizing particle.

  4. 7.100.3ἐντὸς τῶν πρωρέων ... καὶ τοῦ αἰγιαλοῦ

    The preposition ἐντός is used here in the sense of 'between,' governing the two genitives τῶν πρωρέων (the prows) and τοῦ αἰγιαλοῦ (the shore), which are connected by καί.

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-grc2:7.100.1-7.100.3