Herodotus · Histories §1.62.1-1.62.4

Landing at Marathon and Amphilytus' Oracle at Pallene

Passage 62 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Pisistratus and his forces land at Marathon in Attica and gather supporters. The Athenian army from the city marches out to confront them at Pallene, where the seer Amphilytus delivers an oracle promising him victory.

§1.62.1ἐξ Ἐρετρίης δὲ ὁρμηθέντες διὰ ἑνδεκάτου ἔτεος ἀπίκοντο ὀπίσω, καὶ πρῶτον τῆς Ἀττικῆς ἴσχουσι Μαραθῶνα.

Setting out from Eretria, they returned in the eleventh year, and first of all in Attica they occupied Marathon.

ἐν δὲ τούτῳ τῷ χώρῳ σφι στρατοπεδευομένοισι οἵ τε ἐκ τοῦ ἄστεος στασιῶται ἀπίκοντο ἄλλοι τε ἐκ τῶν δήμων προσέρρεον, τοῖσι ἡ τυραννὶς πρὸ ἐλευθερίης ἦν ἀσπαστότερον.

While they were encamped in this place, their partisans from the city arrived, and others streamed in from the demes, to whom tyranny was more welcome than freedom.

§1.62.2οὗτοι μὲν δὴ συνηλίζοντο, Ἀθηναίων δὲ οἱ ἐκ τοῦ ἄστεος, ἕως μὲν Πεισίστρατος τὰ χρήματα ἤγειρε, καὶ μεταῦτις ὡς ἔσχε Μαραθῶνα, λόγον οὐδένα εἶχον·

These, then, were assembling; but the Athenians from the city, as long as Pisistratus was collecting the money, and afterward when he held Marathon, paid no attention.

ἐπείτε δὲ ἐπύθοντο ἐκ τοῦ Μαραθῶνος αὐτὸν πορεύεσθαι ἐπὶ τὸ ἄστυ, οὕτω δὴ βοηθέουσι ἐπʼ αὐτόν.

But when they learned that he was marching from Marathon against the city, only then did they march out to defend themselves against him.

§1.62.3καὶ οὗτοί τε πανστρατιῇ ἤισαν ἐπὶ τοὺς κατιόντας καὶ οἱ ἀμφὶ Πεισίστρατον, ὡς ὁρμηθέντες ἐκ Μαραθῶνος ἤισαν ἐπὶ τὸ ἄστυ, ἐς τὠυτὸ συνιόντες ἀπικνέονται ἐπὶ Παλληνίδος Ἀθηναίης ἱρόν, καὶ ἀντία ἔθεντο τὰ ὅπλα.

And these went with their whole army against those who were returning, and those around Pisistratus, having set out from Marathon, were marching against the city; coming together at the same place, they arrived at the temple of Athena of Pallene, and drew up their arms opposite each other.

§1.62.4ἐνθαῦτα θείῃ πομπῇ χρεώμενος παρίσταται Πεισιστράτῳ Ἀμφίλυτος ὁ Ἀκαρνὰν χρησμολόγος ἀνήρ, ὅς οἱ προσιὼν χρᾷ ἐν ἑξαμέτρῳ τόνῳ τάδε λέγων· " ἔρριπται δʼ ὁ βόλος, τὸ δὲ δίκτυον ἐκπεπέτασται, θύννοι δʼ οἰμήσουσι σεληναίης διὰ νυκτός.

There, guided by a divine impulse, Amphilytus the Acarnanian, a seer, presented himself before Pisistratus, and approaching him, pronounced an oracle in hexameter verse, saying thus: "The cast has been made, and the net has been spread, and the tunnies will dart through the moonlit night.

Notes

1.62.1διὰ ἑνδεκάτου ἔτεος — The preposition `διὰ` with a genitive of time interval means "in the eleventh year" or "after an interval of eleven years," indicating that they returned in the eleventh year after ten full years of exile.
1.62.1σφι στρατοπεδευομένοισι — Although functioning semantically like a genitive absolute ("while they were encamped..."), grammatically it is a dative of interest (or reference) agreeing with the pronoun `σφι`, modifying the main verbs `ἀπίκοντο` and `προσέρρεον`.
1.62.1ἀσπαστότερον — Although the subject `ἡ τυραννὶς` is feminine, the predicate adjective `ἀσπαστότερον` is in the neuter singular comparative. This construction presents the subject as a general class or concept ("tyranny as a thing is more acceptable than freedom").
1.62.3ἔθεντο τὰ ὅπλα — Literally "they put down their arms," which does not mean disarming but is a Greek military idiom meaning "to ground arms," "to take up a position," or "to draw up in battle array."
1.62.4θύννοι δʼ οἰμήσουσι — A metaphorical expression in the oracle. The `θύννοι` (tunnies) represent the unsuspecting Athenian citizens who are about to be caught. The verb `οἰμάω` (to rush, dart) describes the fish rushing blindly into the spread net.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.62.1-1.62.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.62.1-1.62.4

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