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Herodotus · Histories §3.55.1-3.55.2

Valiant Deaths of Archias and Lycopes and Honors by Samians

Passage 459 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Herodotus relates how the Lacedaemonians Archias and Lycopes bravely died after rushing into the enemy's city, and explains why the grandson of Archias, whom the author met in Pitane, highly honored the Samians.

§3.55.1εἰ μέν νυν οἱ παρεόντες Λακεδαιμονίων ὅμοιοι ἐγένοντο ταύτην τὴν ἡμέρην Ἀρχίῃ τε καὶ Λυκώπῃ, αἱρέθη ἂν Σάμος·
If the Lacedaemonians who were present on that day had been like Archias and Lycopes, Samos would have been taken.
Ἀρχίης γὰρ καὶ Λυκώπης μοῦνοι συνεσπεσόντες φεύγουσι ἐς τὸ τεῖχος τοῖσι Σαμίοισι καὶ ἀποκληισθέντες τῆς ὀπίσω ὁδοῦ ἀπέθανον ἐν τῇ πόλι τῇ Σαμίων.
For Archias and Lycopes alone, having rushed in together with the fleeing Samians inside the wall and being cut off from their way back, died in the city of the Samians.
§3.55.2τρίτῳ δέ ἀπʼ Ἀρχίεω τούτου γεγονότι ἄλλῳ Ἀρχίῃ τῷ Σαμίου τοῦ Ἀρχίεω αὐτὸς ἐν Πιτάνῃ συνεγενόμην (δήμου γὰρ τούτου ἦν), ὃς ξείνων πάντων μάλιστα ἐτίμα τε Σαμίους καί οἱ τῷ πατρὶ ἔφη Σάμιον τοὔνομα τεθῆναι, ὅτι οἱ ὁ πατὴρ Ἀρχίης ἐν Σάμῳ ἀριστεύσας ἐτελεύτησε·
I myself met in Pitane (for he belonged to this deme) another Archias, who was the third generation from this Archias, being the son of Samios, the son of Archias, who of all strangers honored the Samians most, and said that the name of Samios had been given to his father because his own father, Archias, had died fighting gallantly in Samos.
τιμᾶν δὲ Σαμίους ἔφη, διότι ταφῆναί οἱ τὸν πάππον δημοσίῃ ὑπὸ Σαμίων.
And he said he honored the Samians because his grandfather had been buried publicly by the Samians.

Notes

  1. 3.55.1εἰ μέν νυν οἱ παρεόντες Λακεδαιμονίων ὅμοιοι ἐγένοντο ... αἱρέθη ἂν — A conditional sentence expressing a past contrary-to-fact situation. The protasis uses εἰ + indicative past (ἐγένοντο), and the apodosis uses ἂν + indicative past (αἱρέθη ἂν).
  2. 3.55.2τρίτῳ δέ ἀπʼ Ἀρχίεω τούτου γεγονότι — Meaning 'one who was born as the third generation from this Archias.' Since Greek counting is inclusive, 'third (τρίτῳ)' refers to the grandson (Archias I → Samios II → Archias III). The dative γεγονότι is in apposition to ἄλλῳ Ἀρχίῃ, the object of the main verb συνεγενόμην.
  3. 3.55.2διότι ταφῆναί — In the causal clause (διότι) within indirect speech, an infinitive (ταφῆναι) is used instead of an indicative. This is due to the influence of the main verb of saying (ἔφη) extending into the subordinate clause, a syntax characteristic of Herodotus' prose.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §3.55.1-3.55.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.55.1-3.55.2

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