- 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-grc2:9.17.1-9.17.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
While Mardonius is encamped in Boeotia, a thousand Phocian hoplites arrive and are stationed separately on the plain. Surrounded by the Persian cavalry under rumors of being slaughtered, their general Harmocydes exhorts his men to fight bravely rather than suffer a shameful death.
Μαρδονίου δὲ ἐν τῇ Βοιωτίῃ στρατοπεδευομένου οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι παρείχοντο ἅπαντες στρατιὴν καὶ συνεσέβαλον ἐς Ἀθήνας, ὅσοι περ ἐμήδιζον Ἑλλήνων τῶν ταύτῃ οἰκημένων, μοῦνοι δὲ Φωκέες οὐ συνεσέβαλον (ἐμήδιζον γὰρ δὴ σφόδρα καὶ οὗτοι) οὐκ ἑκόντες ἀλλʼ ὑπʼ ἀναγκαίης.1
While Mardonius was encamped in Boeotia, all the other Greeks who dwelt in those parts and favored the Persians provided troops and joined in the invasion of Athens; only the Phocians did not join in the invasion (for they too indeed strongly favored the Persians, yet not willingly but by necessity).
ἡμέρῃσι δὲ οὐ πολλῇσι μετὰ τὴν ἄπιξιν τὴν ἐς Θήβας ὕστερον ἦλθον αὐτῶν ὁπλῖται χίλιοι, ἦγε δὲ αὐτοὺς Ἁρμοκύδης ἀνὴρ τῶν ἀστῶν δοκιμώτατος. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀπίκατο καὶ οὗτοι ἐς Θήβας, πέμψας ὁ Μαρδόνιος ἱππέας ἐκέλευσε σφέας ἐπʼ ἑωυτῶν ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ ἵζεσθαι.
And not many days after the arrival at Thebes, there came later a thousand of their hoplites, and Harmocydes, a man of the greatest distinction among the citizens, was leading them. When these too had arrived at Thebes, Mardonius sent horsemen and ordered them to station themselves by themselves on the plain.
ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐποίησαν ταῦτα, αὐτίκα παρῆν ἵππος ἡ ἅπασα. μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα διεξῆλθε μὲν διὰ τοῦ στρατοπέδου τοῦ Ἑλληνικοῦ τοῦ μετὰ Μήδων ἐόντος φήμη ὡς κατακοντιεῖ σφεας,2 διεξῆλθε δὲ διʼ αὐτῶν Φωκέων τὠυτὸ τοῦτο.
When they had done this, immediately the entire cavalry was present. After this, a rumor went through the Greek camp that was with the Medes that the cavalry would shoot them down with javelins, and this same rumor went through the Phocians themselves.
ἔνθα δή σφι ὁ στρατηγὸς Ἁρμοκύδης παραίνεε λέγων τοιάδε. ὦ Φωκέες, πρόδηλα γὰρ ὅτι3 ἡμέας οὗτοι οἱ ἄνθρωποι μέλλουσι προόπτῳ θανάτῳ δώσειν, διαβεβλημένους ὑπὸ Θεσσαλῶν, ὡς ἐγὼ εἰκάζω· νῦν ἄνδρα πάντα τινὰ ὑμέων χρεόν ἐστι γενέσθαι ἀγαθόν· κρέσσον γὰρ ποιεῦντάς τι καὶ ἀμυνομένους τελευτῆσαι τὸν αἰῶνα ἤ περ παρέχοντας4 διαφθαρῆναι αἰσχίστῳ μόρῳ. ἀλλὰ μαθέτω τις αὐτῶν ὅτι ἐόντες βάρβαροι ἐπʼ Ἕλλησι ἀνδράσι φόνον ἔρραψαν.
Then indeed their general Harmocydes encouraged them, saying these words: “O Phocians, for it is clear that these men are going to give us over to an open death, we having been slandered by the Thessalians, as I conjecture. Now it is necessary for every single man of you to prove himself brave; for it is better to end our life doing something and defending ourselves, than to be destroyed by the most shameful death, offering ourselves up passively. Rather, let some one of them learn that, being barbarians, they plotted slaughter against Greek men.”
- 9.17.1οὐκ ἑκόντες ἀλλʼ ὑπʼ ἀναγκαίης
This phrase modifies the verb ἐμήδιζον (they favored the Persians) in the immediately preceding parenthesis. It explains that the Phocians' alignment with the Persians was not of their own free will, but forced upon them by their geographical and political circumstances.
- 9.17.3ὡς κατακοντιεῖ σφεας
The verb κατακοντιεῖ in the ὡς clause is the future indicative active third-person singular of κατακοντίζω (to shoot down with javelins). Its semantic subject is understood to be either ἵππος (the cavalry, a singular collective noun) or Μαρδόνιος (Mardonius) from the preceding sentence. The pronoun σφέας (them) refers to the isolated Phocians.
- 9.17.4πρόδηλα γὰρ ὅτι
Although πρόδηλα is neuter plural, it functions equivalently to the impersonal expression πρόδηλόν ἐστιν (it is clear/manifest) and introduces the ὅτι clause. The postpositive γάρ emphasizes the statement, presenting a strong reason ("for it is clear that...").
- 9.17.4παρέχοντας
The present participle παρέχοντας is used idiomatically with the omission of the reflexive pronoun ἑωυτούς, meaning "offering oneself up" or "surrendering passively." It stands in contrast to the preceding ἀμυνομένους (defending themselves), representing a passive attitude of doing nothing.