- 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-grc2:9.96.1-9.96.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
While the Greek fleet advances toward Samos, the Persian fleet decides to avoid a sea battle, retreating to the mainland under the protection of their land army at Mycale to draw up their ships and build a defensive rampart.
τοῖσι δὲ Ἕλλησι ὡς ἐκαλλιέρησε,1 ἀνῆγον τὰς νέας ἐκ τῆς Δήλου πρὸς τὴν Σάμον. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐγένοντο τῆς Σαμίης2 πρὸς Καλαμίσοισι, οἳ μὲν αὐτοῦ ὁρμισάμενοι κατὰ τὸ Ἥραιον τὸ ταύτῃ παρεσκευάζοντο ἐς ναυμαχίην, οἳ δὲ Πέρσαι πυθόμενοι σφέας προσπλέειν ἀνῆγον καὶ αὐτοὶ πρὸς τὴν ἤπειρον τὰς νέας τὰς ἄλλας, τὰς δὲ Φοινίκων ἀπῆκαν ἀποπλέειν. βουλευομένοισι γάρ σφι ἐδόκεε3 ναυμαχίην μὴ ποιέεσθαι·
When the Greeks obtained favorable omens, they put out to sea with their ships from Delos toward Samos. When they arrived at Calamisa in the territory of Samos, they anchored near the Heraion there and made preparations for a sea battle. On the other hand, the Persians, learning that the Greeks were sailing against them, also put out to sea with the rest of their ships toward the mainland, but they dismissed those of the Phoenicians to sail away. For as they deliberated, it seemed best to them not to engage in a sea battle;
οὐ γὰρ ὦν ἐδόκεον ὅμοιοι εἶναι.4 ἐς δὲ τὴν ἤπειρον ἀπέπλεον, ὅκως ἔωσι ὑπὸ τὸν πεζὸν στρατὸν τὸν σφέτερον ἐόντα ἐν τῇ Μυκάλῃ, ὃς κελεύσαντος Ξέρξεω καταλελειμμένος τοῦ ἄλλου στρατοῦ Ἰωνίην ἐφύλασσε· τοῦ πλῆθος μὲν ἦν ἓξ μυριάδες, ἐστρατήγεε δὲ αὐτοῦ Τιγράνης κάλλεϊ καὶ μεγάθεϊ ὑπερφέρων Περσέων.
for indeed they did not think they were a match for them. So they sailed away to the mainland, in order to be under the protection of their own land army which was at Mycale, which, having been left behind from the rest of the army by order of Xerxes, was guarding Ionia; its number was sixty thousand, and it was commanded by Tigranes, who surpassed the other Persians in beauty and stature.
ὑπὸ τοῦτον μὲν δὴ τὸν στρατὸν ἐβουλεύσαντο καταφυγόντες5 οἱ τοῦ ναυτικοῦ στρατηγοὶ ἀνειρύσαι τὰς νέας καὶ περιβαλέσθαι ἕρκος ἔρυμά τε τῶν νεῶν καὶ σφέων αὐτῶν κρησφύγετον.
Under the protection of this army, the commanders of the fleet resolved to flee, draw up their ships on land, and build a rampart around them to serve both as a defense for the ships and as a stronghold for themselves.
- 9.96.1ὡς ἐκαλλιέρησε
Used intransitively (or with 'sacrifices' understood as the subject) meaning 'to obtain favorable omens' or 'when the sacrifices yielded good omens.'
- 9.96.1τῆς Σαμίης
Partitive genitive (or possessive genitive with geographical names) modifying 'πρὸς Καλαμίσοισι' (at Calamisa), meaning 'in the territory of Samos.'
- 9.96.1βουλευομένοισι γάρ σφι ἐδόκεε
The impersonal verb ἐδόκεε ('it seemed good / was resolved') is construed with the dative personal pronoun σφι ('to them') and the agreeing present participle βουλευομένοισι ('deliberating'), meaning 'for as they deliberated, it seemed best to them.'
- 9.96.2ὅμοιοι εἶναι
The adjective ὅμοιος ('like, equal') here means 'a match [for the enemy]' or 'equal in strength.' Since the subject of the infinitive is the same as that of the main verb (ἐδόκεον), it is put in the nominative plural (ὅμοιοι).
- 9.96.3καταφυγόντες
Aorist participle expressing an action prior to or attendant upon the resolution expressed by the main verb ἐβουλεύσαντο; 'having fled [under the protection of this army, they resolved to...].'