← Herodotus

Histories

§7.42.1-7.42.2

March to Ilium and Storm at Mount Ida

The Persian army marches from Lydia through the Caicus and Mysia toward the territory of Ilium, but while spending the night at the foot of Mount Ida, they are struck by a violent thunderstorm that destroys part of their force.

View ▾
View
Translation
Typeface
AI ↗
← PrevNext →
§7.42.1

ἐποιέετο δὲ τὴν ὁδὸν ἐκ τῆς Λυδίης ὁ στρατὸς ἐπί τε ποταμὸν Κάικον καὶ γῆν τὴν Μυσίην, ἀπὸ δὲ Καΐκου ὁρμώμενος, Κάνης ὄρος ἔχων ἐν ἀριστερῇ, διὰ τοῦ Ἀταρνέος ἐς Καρήνην πόλιν· ἀπὸ δὲ ταύτης διὰ Θήβης πεδίου ἐπορεύετο, Ἀδραμύττειόν τε πόλιν καὶ Ἄντανδρον τὴν Πελασγίδα παραμειβόμενος.

​The army made its way from Lydia toward the river Caicus and the land of Mysia, and starting from the Caicus, keeping Mount Cane on the left, it went through Atarneus to the city of Carene; and from this city it marched through the plain of Thebe, passing by the city of Adramyttium and Pelasgian Antandrus.

§7.42.2

τὴν Ἴδην δὲ λαβὼν ἐς ἀριστερὴν χεῖρα1 ἤιε ἐς τὴν Ἰλιάδα γῆν. καὶ πρῶτα μέν οἱ ὑπὸ τῇ Ἴδῃ νύκτα ἀναμείναντι2 βρονταί τε καὶ πρηστῆρες ἐπεσπίπτουσι καί τινα αὐτοῦ ταύτῃ συχνὸν ὅμιλον διέφθειραν.

​And keeping Mount Ida on his left hand, he went into the territory of Ilium. And first, as he waited through the night under Ida, thunder and violent storms fell upon him, and destroyed a considerable number of his company there.

Syntax notes2 items
  1. 7.42.2λαβὼν ἐς ἀριστερὴν χεῖρα

    An expression parallel to ἔχων ἐν ἀριστερῇ (keeping on the left) in the preceding section (7.42.1). The aorist participle λαβών (having taken) indicates taking a direction in the march, meaning "keeping the mountain on his left hand" as he proceeded.

  2. 7.42.2οἱ ... ἀναμείναντι

    A construction consisting of the dative pronoun οἱ (referring to Xerxes) and the agreeing dative aorist participle ἀναμείναντι. It functions as the indirect object of the verb ἐπεσπίπτουσι (fall upon), describing the circumstance: "when he had waited through the night, ... fell upon him."

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
  • 2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1
urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.42.1-7.42.2