- 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-grc2:9.13.1-9.13.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Upon learning that peace with the Athenians was impossible and that the Spartan army was approaching, Mardonius thoroughly destroyed Athens and decided to retreat to Thebes, which was suitable for cavalry and offered better escape routes.
ὃ μὲν δὴ εἴπας ταῦτα ἀπαλλάσσετο ὀπίσω, Μαρδόνιος δὲ οὐδαμῶς ἔτι πρόθυμος ἦν μένειν ἐν τῇ Ἀττικῇ, ὡς ἤκουσε ταῦτα. πρὶν μέν νυν ἢ πυθέσθαι1 ἀνεκώχευε, θέλων εἰδέναι τὸ παρʼ Ἀθηναίων, ὁκοῖόν τι ποιήσουσι, καὶ οὔτε ἐπήμαινε οὔτε ἐσίνετο γῆν τὴν Ἀττικήν, ἐλπίζων διὰ παντὸς τοῦ χρόνου ὁμολογήσειν σφέας·
Having said these things, he departed back again. As for Mardonius, when he heard this, he was no longer at all eager to remain in Attica. Before he learned this, indeed, he had held back, wishing to know what the Athenians would do, and he neither harmed nor ravaged the land of Attica, hoping that they would come to terms through all this time.
ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐκ ἔπειθε, πυθόμενος πάντα λόγον, πρὶν ἢ τοὺς μετὰ Παυσανίεω ἐς τὸν Ἰσθμὸν ἐσβαλεῖν, ὑπεξεχώρεε ἐμπρήσας τε τὰς Ἀθήνας, καὶ εἴ κού τι ὀρθὸν ἦν2 τῶν τειχέων ἢ τῶν οἰκημάτων ἢ τῶν ἱρῶν, πάντα καταβαλὼν καὶ συγχώσας.
But since he could not persuade them, having learned the whole story, before those with Pausanias entered the Isthmus, he withdrew, having set fire to Athens, and if any part of the walls or houses or temples was standing upright, having thrown down and demolished everything.
ἐξήλαυνε δὲ τῶνδε εἵνεκεν, ὅτι οὔτε ἱππασίμη ἡ χώρη ἦν ἡ Ἀττική, εἴ τε νικῷτο συμβαλών,3 ἀπάλλαξις οὐκ ἦν ὅτι μὴ κατὰ στεινόν,4 ὥστε ὀλίγους σφέας ἀνθρώπους ἴσχειν.5 ἐβουλεύετο ὦν ἐπαναχωρήσας ἐς τὰς Θήβας συμβαλεῖν πρὸς πόλι τε φιλίῃ καὶ χώρῃ ἱππασίμῳ.
He marched out for these reasons: because the land of Attica was not fit for cavalry, and if he should be defeated in battle, there was no retreat except through a narrow pass, so that a few men could hold them back. Therefore, he resolved to retreat to Thebes and fight near a friendly city and in a country suitable for cavalry.
- 9.13.1πρὶν μέν νυν ἢ πυθέσθαι
The conjunction πρὶν ... ἤ is used with the infinitive πυθέσθαι, meaning "before learning". The object of the infinitive is understood from the context to be the movements of the Spartan army mentioned in the previous chapter.
- 9.13.2εἴ κού τι ὀρθὸν ἦν
The conditional particle εἰ is followed by the imperfect indicative ἦν. It supposes the existence of an objective fact in the past ("if anything was standing upright").
- 9.13.3εἴ τε νικῷτο συμβαλών
The conditional particle εἰ is followed by the present optative νικῷτο (passive, "if he should be defeated"). It expresses a future possibility viewed from a past perspective. The participle συμβαλών ("having joined battle") modifies νικῷτο.
- 9.13.3ὅτι μὴ κατὰ στεινόν
The phrase ὅτι μή is an idiomatic expression meaning "except", here modifying the prepositional phrase κατὰ στεινόν ("through a narrow place").
- 9.13.3ὥστε ὀλίγους σφέας ἀνθρώπους ἴσχειν
The conjunction ὥστε introduces a result clause with the infinitive ἴσχειν ("to hold back"). The subject of the infinitive is the accusative ὀλίγους ἀνθρώπους ("a few men"), and the object is the pronoun σφέας ("them", acting as an indirect reflexive referring to the Persian forces).