Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §3.54.1-3.54.2

Lacedaemonian Siege of Samos and Assault on the Walls

Passage 458 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The Lacedaemonians arrive at Samos and besiege it, temporarily capturing a seaside tower before being repulsed by Polycrates. Another clash occurs near the upper tower on the mountain ridge.

§3.54.1Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ στόλῳ μεγάλῳ ὡς ἀπίκοντο, ἐπολιόρκεον Σάμον· προσβαλόντες δὲ πρὸς τὸ τεῖχος τοῦ μὲν πρὸς θαλάσσῃ ἑστεῶτος πύργου κατὰ τὸ προάστειον τῆς πόλιος ἐπέβησαν, μετὰ δὲ αὐτοῦ βοηθήσαντος Πολυκράτεος χειρὶ πολλῇ ἀπηλάσθησαν.
The Lacedaemonians, when they arrived with a great fleet, besieged Samos; and making an assault upon the wall, they mounted the tower that stood by the sea at the suburb of the city, but afterwards, when Polycrates himself came to the rescue with a great force, they were driven back.
§3.54.2κατὰ δὲ τὸν ἐπάνω πύργον τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς ῥάχιος τοῦ ὄρεος ἐπεόντα ἐπεξῆλθον οἵ τε ἐπίκουροι καὶ αὐτῶν Σαμίων συχνοί, δεξάμενοι δὲ τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους ἐπʼ ὀλίγον χρόνον ἔφευγον ὀπίσω, οἳ δὲ ἐπισπόμενοι ἔκτεινον.
And at the upper tower which was upon the ridge of the mountain, there sallied forth both the mercenaries and many of the Samians themselves; and having withstood the Lacedaemonians for a short time, they fled back, and the Lacedaemonians, pursuing them, slew them.

Notes

  1. §3.54.1τοῦ μὲν πρὸς θαλάσσῃ ἑστεῶτος πύργου — This genitive phrase serves as the object of the verb ἐπέβησαν (from ἐπιβαίνω), which means 'to mount' or 'to set foot upon'.
  2. §3.54.1αὐτοῦ βοηθήσαντος Πολυκράτεος — A genitive absolute construction where αὐτοῦ functions as an intensive pronoun modifying the proper noun Πολυκράτεος ('Polycrates himself').
  3. §3.54.2οἳ δὲ — The demonstrative pronoun in the nominative plural combined with δέ, indicating a shift in the subject to the object of the preceding clause (the Lacedaemonians).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §3.54.1-3.54.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.54.1-3.54.2

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.