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Herodotus · Histories §1.176.1-1.176.3

Self-Destruction of Xanthos and Caunus against Harpagus

Passage 176 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Faced with Harpagus' invasion, the Xanthians of Lycia burned down their own acropolis and died fighting to the last man. Most modern Xanthians are immigrants except for eighty households that were away, and Caunus suffered a similar fate.

§1.176.1Πηδασέες μέν νυν χρόνῳ ἐξαιρέθησαν.
The Pedasians, then, were in time subdued.
Λύκιοι δέ, ὡς ἐς τὸ Ξάνθιον πεδίον ἤλασε ὁ Ἅρπαγος τὸν στρατόν, ἐπεξιόντες καὶ μαχόμενοι ὀλίγοι πρὸς πολλοὺς ἀρετᾶς ἀπεδείκνυντο, ἑσσωθέντες δὲ καὶ κατειληθέντες ἐς τὸ ἄστυ συνήλισαν ἐς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν τάς τε γυναῖκας καὶ τὰ τέκνα καὶ τὰ χρήματα καὶ τοὺς οἰκέτας, καὶ ἔπειτα ὑπῆψαν τὴν ἀκρόπολιν πᾶσαν ταύτην καίεσθαι.
But the Lycians, when Harpagus marched his army into the Xanthian plain, went out to meet him and, fighting few against many, displayed great valor; but being defeated and hemmed into their city, they gathered their wives, children, property, and servants into the acropolis, and then set fire to this entire acropolis to burn it down.
§1.176.2ταῦτα δὲ ποιήσαντες καὶ συνομόσαντες ὅρκους δεινούς, ἐπεξελθόντες ἀπέθανον πάντες Ξάνθιοι μαχόμενοι.
Having done this and bound themselves by terrible oaths, all the Xanthians went out and died fighting.
§1.176.3τῶν δὲ νῦν Λυκίων φαμένων Ξανθίων εἶναι οἱ πολλοί, πλὴν ὀγδώκοντα ἱστιέων, εἰσὶ ἐπήλυδες· αἱ δὲ ὀγδώκοντα ἱστίαι αὗται ἔτυχον τηνικαῦτα ἐκδημέουσι καὶ οὕτω περιεγένοντο.
Of those Lycians who now claim to be Xanthians, the majority, except for eighty households, are immigrants; these eighty households happened to be away from home at that time, and so survived.
τὴν μὲν δὴ Ξάνθον οὕτω ἔσχε ὁ Ἅρπαγος, παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ τὴν Καῦνον ἔσχε· καὶ γὰρ οἱ Καύνιοι τοὺς Λυκίους ἐμιμήσαντο τὰ πλέω.
In this way, indeed, Harpagus took Xanthos, and in a similar manner he also took Caunus; for the Caunians also imitated the Lycians in most respects.

Notes

  1. §1.176.1καίεσθαι — An epexegetical infinitive indicating the purpose or result of the verb ὑπῆψαν ("set fire to"), meaning "so that it should burn" or "to be burned."
  2. §1.176.3τῶν δὲ νῦν Λυκίων φαμένων — τῶν νῦν Λυκίων is a partitive genitive dependent on the main subject οἱ πολλοί. The participle φαμένων ("claiming") agrees with the genitive Λυκίων, and the predicate noun of the infinitive εἶναι, namely Ξανθίων, is attracted into the genitive to agree with the subject of the participle.
  3. §1.176.3ἔτυχον... ἐκδημέουσι — A construction where the verb τυγχάνω (ἔτυχον) is accompanied by a supplementary participle to mean "happen to be." Here, `ἐκδημέουσι` (read as the feminine plural nominative participle `ἐκδημέουσαι` in some manuscripts to agree with αὗται) functions as this supplementary participle.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.176.1-1.176.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.176.1-1.176.3

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