- 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-grc2:8.22.1-8.22.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Themistocles carves inscriptions at drinking-water sites calling on the Ionians to defect to the Greek side, stay neutral, or deliberately underperform in battle. He aimed either to win over the Ionians or to sow distrust between them and King Xerxes.
Ἀθηναίων δὲ νέας τὰς ἄριστα πλεούσας ἐπιλεξάμενος Θεμιστοκλέης ἐπορεύετο περὶ τὰ πότιμα ὕδατα, ἐντάμνων ἐν τοῖσι λίθοισι γράμματα. τὰ Ἴωνες ἐπελθόντες τῇ ὑστεραίῃ ἡμέρῃ ἐπὶ τὸ Ἀρτεμίσιον ἐπελέξαντο. τὰ δὲ γράμματα τάδε ἔλεγε. ἄνδρες Ἴωνες, οὐ ποιέετε δίκαια ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας στρατευόμενοι καὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα καταδουλούμενοι.
Themistocles, having selected the best-sailing ships of the Athenians, went about the places with drinking water, carving letters into the stones. The Ionians, arriving on the next day at Artemision, read them. The inscription said this: ‘Men of Ionia, you do not act justly in marching against your fathers and trying to enslave Greece.
ἀλλὰ μάλιστα μὲν πρὸς ἡμέων γίνεσθε· εἰ δὲ ὑμῖν ἐστι τοῦτο μὴ δυνατὸν ποιῆσαι, ὑμεῖς δὲ ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἐκ τοῦ μέσου ἡμῖν ἕζεσθε1 καὶ αὐτοὶ καὶ τῶν Καρῶν δέεσθε τὰ αὐτὰ ὑμῖν ποιέειν. εἰ δὲ μηδέτερον τούτων οἷόν τε γίνεσθαι, ἀλλʼ ὑπʼ ἀναγκαίης μέζονος κατέζευχθε ἢ ὥστε ἀπίστασθαι,2 ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ, ἐπεὰν συμμίσγωμεν, ἐθελοκακέετε μεμνημένοι ὅτι ἀπʼ ἡμέων γεγόνατε καὶ ὅτι ἀρχῆθεν ἡ ἔχθρη πρὸς τὸν βάρβαρον ἀπʼ ὑμέων ἡμῖν γέγονε.
Rather, if possible, come over to our side; but if this is impossible for you to do, even now stand aside from the conflict for our sake, both yourselves and ask the Carians to do the same as you. If, however, neither of these is possible, but you are bound under a constraint too great for you to revolt, then in the action, when we join battle, play the coward on purpose, remembering that you are descended from us, and that our enmity with the barbarian arose in the beginning from you.’
Θεμιστοκλέης δὲ ταῦτα ἔγραφε, δοκέειν ἐμοί,3 ἐπʼ ἀμφότερα νοέων, ἵνα ἢ λαθόντα τὰ γράμματα βασιλέα4 Ἴωνας ποιήσῃ μεταβαλεῖν καὶ γενέσθαι πρὸς ἑωυτῶν, ἢ ἐπείτε ἀνενειχθῇ καὶ διαβληθῇ πρὸς Ξέρξην, ἀπίστους ποιήσῃ τοὺς Ἴωνας καὶ τῶν ναυμαχιέων αὐτοὺς ἀπόσχῃ.
Themistocles wrote this, in my opinion, with a double purpose: so that either, if the letters remained unnoticed by the King, he might make the Ionians change sides and join them, or, if they were reported and denounced to Xerxes, he might make the Ionians untrustworthy to him and keep them out of the sea-fights.
- 8.22.2ἐκ τοῦ μέσου ἡμῖν ἕζεσθε
The phrase ἐκ τοῦ μέσου ἕζεσθαι (literally 'to sit out of the middle') is an idiom meaning 'to remain neutral' or 'to stand aside.' The dative ἡμῖν is a dative of advantage (for our sake), indicating that their neutrality would benefit the Greeks.
- 8.22.2ἢ ὥστε ἀπίστασθαι
The construction ἤ ὥστε with the infinitive after a comparative adjective/adverb expresses a result or limit: 'too... to...' Here, connected with 'bound under a greater constraint' (ὑπʼ ἀναγκαίης μέζονος κατέζευχθε), it means 'bound under a constraint too great to revolt' (ἀπίστασθαι).
- 8.22.3δοκέειν ἐμοί
An absolute infinitive usage, functions as a parenthetical expression meaning 'in my opinion' or 'as it seems to me,' inserting the author's subjective view without grammatical dependence on the main verb.
- 8.22.3λαθόντα τὰ γράμματα βασιλέα
The participle λαθόντα (aorist participle of λανθάνω) takes the accusative noun βασιλέα (the King) as its direct object, meaning 'if the letters remained unnoticed by the King.' The verb λανθάνω meaning 'to escape the notice of' regularly governs the accusative.