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§7.144.1-7.144.3

Fleet Built with Laurium Silver and the Decision to Fight at Sea

Themistocles' previous proposal to build two hundred ships with the Laurium mine revenues instead of distributing them saved Greece, and the Athenians now resolve to meet the Persian invader by sea with their entire force.

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§7.144.1

ἑτέρη τε Θεμιστοκλέι γνώμη ἔμπροσθε ταύτης ἐς καιρὸν ἠρίστευσε, ὅτε Ἀθηναίοισι γενομένων χρημάτων μεγάλων ἐν τῷ κοινῷ, τὰ ἐκ τῶν μετάλλων σφι προσῆλθε τῶν ἀπὸ Λαυρείου, ἔμελλον λάξεσθαι ὀρχηδὸν ἕκαστος δέκα δραχμάς· τότε Θεμιστοκλέης ἀνέγνωσε1 Ἀθηναίους τῆς διαιρέσιος ταύτης παυσαμένους νέας τούτων τῶν χρημάτων2 ποιήσασθαι διηκοσίας ἐς τὸν πόλεμον, τὸν πρὸς Αἰγινήτας λέγων.

​Another opinion of Themistocles had previously, at an opportune moment, proved to be of the highest excellence, when, a large sum of money having accrued to the Athenians in their public treasury from the mines at Laurium, they were about to share it out, each receiving ten drachmas in turn. At that time Themistocles persuaded the Athenians to abandon this distribution and to build two hundred ships with this money, speaking of the war against the Aeginetans.

§7.144.2

οὗτος γὰρ ὁ πόλεμος συστὰς ἔσωσε ἐς τὸ τότε τὴν Ἑλλάδα, ἀναγκάσας θαλασσίους γενέσθαι Ἀθηναίους. αἳ δὲ ἐς τὸ μὲν ἐποιήθησαν οὐκ ἐχρήσθησαν, ἐς δέον δὲ οὕτω τῇ Ἑλλάδι ἐγένοντο. αὗταί τε δὴ αἱ νέες τοῖσι Ἀθηναίοισι προποιηθεῖσαι ὑπῆρχον,3 ἑτέρας τε ἔδεε προσναυπηγέεσθαι.

​For this war, having broken out, saved Greece at that time by forcing the Athenians to become a seafaring people. And these ships were not used for the purpose for which they had been built, but in this way they came in useful for Greece in her hour of need. Thus these ships were already built and available for the Athenians, and it was necessary to build others in addition.

§7.144.3

ἔδοξέ τέ σφι μετὰ τὸ χρηστήριον βουλευομένοισι4 ἐπιόντα ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα τὸν βάρβαρον δέκεσθαι τῇσι νηυσὶ πανδημεί, τῷ θεῷ πειθομένους, ἅμα Ἑλλήνων τοῖσι βουλομένοισι.

​And it was resolved by them, as they took counsel after receiving the oracle, to meet the barbarian who was invading Greece with their ships, with their whole force, obeying the god, together with those of the Greeks who wished to join them.

Syntax notes4 items
  1. 7.144.1ἀνέγνωσε

    The verb ἀναγινώσκω, which usually means 'to read' or 'to recognize', is used here in its Ionic (and Herodotean) sense of 'to persuade' or 'to induce'. It governs the accusative Ἀθηναίους and the infinitive ποιήσασθαι.

  2. 7.144.1τούτων τῶν χρημάτων

    Genitive of material or cost/price with the infinitive ποιήσασθαι, indicating the source of funding with which the ships were to be built.

  3. 7.144.2προποιηθεῖσαι ὑπῆρχον

    The verb ὑπάρχω combined with the perfect passive participle προποιηθεῖσαι (having been made beforehand) functions as an emphatic periphrastic construction, highlighting the state of readiness or the pre-existing availability of the ships.

  4. 7.144.3ἔδοξέ τέ σφι μετὰ τὸ χρηστήριον βουλευομένοισι

    The impersonal verb ἔδοξε (it was resolved) is followed by the dative pronoun σφι (by them) and the agreeing participle βουλευομένοισι (as they deliberated), which express the agents of the decision. The core structure is 'it was resolved by them... to receive/meet (the infinitive δέκεσθαι)...'

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.144.1-7.144.3