- 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-grc2:9.33.1-9.33.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
After both armies completed their deployment, the Greeks had the prophet Tisamenus, who had acquired Spartan citizenship, perform the sacrifice. Previously, he had misunderstood an oracle as referring to athletic victories, but the Spartans realized it meant military victories and recruited him and his brother as prophets by granting them citizenship.
ὡς δὲ ἄρα πάντες οἱ ἐτετάχατο κατὰ ἔθνεα καὶ κατὰ τέλεα, ἐνθαῦτα τῇ δευτέρῃ ἐθύοντο καὶ ἀμφότεροι. Ἕλλησι μὲν Τισαμενὸς Ἀντιόχου ἦν ὁ θυόμενος· οὗτος γὰρ δὴ εἵπετο τῷ στρατεύματι τούτῳ μάντις· τὸν ἐόντα Ἠλεῖον καὶ γένεος τοῦ Ἰαμιδέων Λακεδαιμόνιοι ἐποιήσαντο λεωσφέτερον.
Now when indeed they had all been arranged by nations and by divisions, then on the second day both sides offered sacrifice. For the Greeks, Tisamenus, the son of Antiochus, was the one who sacrificed; for indeed he accompanied this army as prophet, whom, being an Elean and of the family of the Iamidae, the Lacedaemonians had made their own fellow-citizen.
Τισαμενῷ γὰρ μαντευομένῳ ἐν Δελφοῖσι περὶ γόνου ἀνεῖλε ἡ Πυθίη ἀγῶνας τοὺς μεγίστους ἀναιρήσεσθαι πέντε. ὃ μὲν δὴ ἁμαρτὼν τοῦ χρηστηρίου προσεῖχε γυμνασίοισι ὡς ἀναιρησόμενος γυμνικοὺς ἀγῶνας, ἀσκέων δὲ πεντάεθλον παρὰ ἓν πάλαισμα ἔδραμε νικᾶν1 Ὀλυμπιάδα, Ἱερωνύμῳ τῷ Ἀνδρίῳ ἐλθὼν ἐς ἔριν.
For when Tisamenus was consulting the oracle at Delphi concerning offspring, the Pythia declared to him that he would win five of the greatest contests. He then, misunderstanding the oracle, devoted himself to gymnastics as if he were to win athletic contests; and practicing the pentathlon, he came within one wrestling match of winning an Olympic victory, having entered into competition with Hieronymus of Andros.
Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ μαθόντες οὐκ ἐς γυμνικοὺς ἀλλʼ ἐς ἀρηίους ἀγῶνας φέρον τὸ Τισαμενοῦ μαντήιον, μισθῷ ἐπειρῶντο πείσαντες Τισαμενὸν ποιέεσθαι ἅμα Ἡρακλειδέων τοῖσι βασιλεῦσι ἡγεμόνα τῶν πολέμων.
But the Lacedaemonians, learning that the oracle of Tisamenus referred not to athletic but to warlike contests, tried by offering a reward to persuade Tisamenus to make himself leader of their wars together with the kings of the Heraclidae.
ὁ δὲ ὁρέων περὶ πολλοῦ ποιευμένους Σπαρτιήτας φίλον αὐτὸν προσθέσθαι, μαθὼν τοῦτο ἀνετίμα,2 σημαίνων σφι ὡς ἤν μιν πολιήτην σφέτερον ποιήσωνται τῶν πάντων μεταδιδόντες,3 ποιήσει ταῦτα, ἐπʼ ἄλλῳ μισθῷ δʼ οὔ.
And he, seeing that the Spartans made of great account his being added to them as a friend, having learned this, raised his price, indicating to them that if they would make him their fellow-citizen, giving him a share of all things, he would do this, but for no other reward.
Σπαρτιῆται δὲ πρῶτα μὲν ἀκούσαντες δεινὰ ἐποιεῦντο καὶ μετίεσαν τῆς χρησμοσύνης τὸ παράπαν, τέλος δὲ δείματος μεγάλου ἐπικρεμαμένου τοῦ Περσικοῦ τούτου στρατεύματος καταίνεον μετιόντες.4 ὁ δὲ γνοὺς τετραμμένους σφέας οὐδʼ οὕτω ἔτι ἔφη ἀρκέεσθαι τούτοισι μούνοισι, ἀλλὰ δεῖν ἔτι τὸν ἀδελφεὸν ἑωυτοῦ Ἡγίην γίνεσθαι Σπαρτιήτην ἐπὶ τοῖσι αὐτοῖσι λόγοισι τοῖσι καὶ αὐτὸς γίνεται.
The Spartans indeed at first, hearing this, thought it outrageous and gave up their request altogether; but at last, when this great terror of the Persian army was hanging over them, they went after him again and agreed. But he, perceiving that they had turned, said that not even so was he yet satisfied with these things alone, but that his brother Hegias must also become a Spartan citizen on the very same terms on which he himself was becoming one.
- 9.33.2παρὰ ἓν πάλαισμα ἔδραμε νικᾶν
The preposition παρά with accusative expresses a narrow margin ("by one match"), while ἔδραμε (aorist of τρέχω) metaphorically indicates coming close to a state. Thus, the phrase means "he came within one wrestling match of winning (νικᾶν) at the Olympic festival (Ὀλυμπιάδα)."
- 9.33.4ἀνετίμα
The verb ἀνατιμάω (imperfect ἀνετίμα) means "to raise the price or demand." It describes how Tisamenus, seeing the Spartan eagerness (περί πολλοῦ ποιευμένους), capitalized on the situation by raising his terms.
- 9.33.4τῶν πάντων μεταδιδόντες
The verb μεταδίδωμι (to give a share of) takes the genitive of the thing shared (τῶν πάντων). Here it refers to sharing all the rights and privileges of citizenship.
- 9.33.5μετιόντες
Present participle of μέτειμι (to go after, seek, apply to). Although it looks and sounds similar to μετίεσαν (imperfect of μεθίημι, meaning "to let go, give up") in the first half of the section, it is a different verb. It forms a contrasting play on words: they had given up (μετίεσαν) the pursuit, but under threat they went back to seek him (μετιόντες).