- 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-grc2:7.206.1-7.206.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
The passage explains how the Spartans and other allies sent advance guards to Thermopylae first, while delaying their main forces due to religious festivals.
τούτους μὲν τοὺς ἀμφὶ Λεωνίδην πρώτους ἀπέπεμψαν Σπαρτιῆται, ἵνα τούτους ὁρῶντες οἱ ἄλλοι σύμμαχοι στρατεύωνται μηδὲ καὶ οὗτοι μηδίσωσι, ἢν αὐτοὺς πυνθάνωνται ὑπερβαλλομένους·1 μετὰ δέ,2 Κάρνεια γάρ σφι ἦν ἐμποδών, ἔμελλον ὁρτάσαντες καὶ φυλακὰς λιπόντες ἐν τῇ Σπάρτῃ κατὰ τάχος βοηθέειν πανδημεί.
The Spartans sent these men under Leonidas first, so that the other allies, seeing them, might take the field, and might not themselves also medize if they should learn that they (the Spartans) were delaying. After this, however, for the Carneia was in their way, they intended, once they had celebrated the festival and left guards in Sparta, to bring help quickly with their entire force.
ὣς δὲ καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν συμμάχων ἐνένωντο καὶ αὐτοὶ ἕτερα τοιαῦτα3 ποιήσειν· ἦν γὰρ κατὰ τὠυτὸ Ὀλυμπιὰς τούτοισι τοῖσι πρήγμασι συμπεσοῦσα· οὔκων δοκέοντες κατὰ τάχος οὕτω διακριθήσεσθαι τὸν ἐν Θερμοπύλῃσι πόλεμον ἔπεμπον τοὺς προδρόμους.
And in like manner the rest of the allies also had intended themselves to do other such things; for the Olympic festival happened to coincide with these events at the very same time; thinking therefore that the war at Thermopylae would not be decided so quickly, they sent their advance guards.
- 7.206.1αὐτοὺς πυνθάνωνται ὑπερβαλλομένους
αὐτούς refers to the Spartans as the subject of the participle, and ὑπερβαλλομένους is the present participle of ὑπερβάλλομαι meaning "to delay" or "to put off". The phrase forms a conditional clause with ἢν + subjunctive: "if they (the other allies) should learn that they (the Spartans) are delaying." οὗτοι refers to the other allies.
- 7.206.1μετὰ δέ
μετά is used adverbially here, meaning "afterward" or "later", without governing a noun.
- 7.206.2ἕτερα τοιαῦτα
Literally "other such things," referring to taking a similar course of action as the Spartans, i.e., sending an advance guard first and the main force later after the festival.