Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §1.190.1-1.190.2

Cyrus' March on Babylon and the Protracted Siege

Passage 190 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

After taking revenge on the river, Cyrus marches against Babylon in the following spring, defeating the inhabitants in battle and cornering them within their city, but the siege stalls as the prepared citizens ignore it.

§1.190.1ὡς δὲ τὸν Γύνδην ποταμὸν ἐτίσατο Κῦρος ἐς τριηκοσίας καὶ ἑξήκοντα διώρυχάς μιν διαλαβών, καὶ τὸ δεύτερον ἔαρ ὑπέλαμπε, οὕτω δὴ ἤλαυνε ἐπὶ τὴν Βαβυλῶνα.
When Cyrus had taken his revenge on the river Gyndes by dividing it into three hundred and sixty canals, and the second spring was beginning to shine forth, he finally marched against Babylon.
οἱ δὲ Βαβυλώνιοι ἐκστρατευσάμενοι ἔμενον αὐτόν.
The Babylonians, having marched out, awaited him.
ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐγένετο ἐλαύνων ἀγχοῦ τῆς πόλιος, συνέβαλόν τε οἱ Βαβυλώνιοι καὶ ἑσσωθέντες τῇ μάχῃ κατειλήθησαν ἐς τὸ ἄστυ.
When in his march he came near the city, the Babylonians joined battle with him, but being defeated in the fight, they were shut up within their walls.
§1.190.2οἷα δὲ ἐξεπιστάμενοι ἔτι πρότερον τὸν Κῦρον οὐκ ἀτρεμίζοντα, ἀλλʼ ὁρέοντες αὐτὸν παντὶ ἔθνεϊ ὁμοίως ἐπιχειρέοντα, προεσάξαντο σιτία ἐτέων κάρτα πολλῶν.
Since they knew well even beforehand that Cyrus was never at rest, and saw him attacking every nation alike, they had provisioned themselves with food for very many years.
ἐνθαῦτα οὗτοι μὲν λόγον εἶχον τῆς πολιορκίης οὐδένα, Κῦρος δὲ ἀπορίῃσι ἐνείχετο, ἅτε χρόνου τε ἐγγινομένου συχνοῦ ἀνωτέρω τε οὐδὲν τῶν πρηγμάτων προκοπτομένων.
Thereupon, they took no account of the siege, but Cyrus was beset with difficulties, inasmuch as a long time was passing and his affairs made no progress at all.

Notes

  1. §1.190.1ὡς δὲ ... ἐτίσατο — The temporal conjunction ὡς (when) governs both the verb ἐτίσατο and, after καὶ, the verb ὑπέλαμπε. The main clause is οὕτω δὴ ἤλαυνε, indicating that the march resumed once both conditions—the completion of the revenge and the arrival of spring—were met.
  2. §1.190.1ἐγένετο ἐλαύνων — A periphrastic-like expression combining the aorist ἐγένετο with the present participle ἐλαύνων, dynamically expressing the process and completion of the movement ('he came marching' or 'he arrived in his march').
  3. §1.190.2οἷα δὲ ἐξεπιστάμενοι — The particle οἷα is used with participles (here ἐξεπιστάμενοι and ὁρέοντες) to express an objective reason or cause ('inasmuch as they knew well'). It emphasizes the background reason for the Babylonians' prior stocking of provisions.
  4. §1.190.2ἅτε χρόνου τε ἐγγινομένου ... προκοπτομένων — Two parallel (marked by τε... τε...) genitive absolute constructions introduced by the causal particle ἅτε. The subject of the first is χρόνου, and the subject of the second is οὐδὲν τῶν πρηγμάτων. This explains the reason for Cyrus's state of helplessness.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.190.1-1.190.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.190.1-1.190.2

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.