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Herodotus · Histories §4.83.1-4.83.2

Artabanus' Warning and Darius' Departure from Susa

Passage 647 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

As Darius prepares for his Scythian expedition, his brother Artabanus strongly advises against it due to the inaccessibility of the land; however, failing to persuade Darius, Artabanus desists and Darius marches from Susa.

§4.83.1παρασκευαζομένου Δαρείου ἐπὶ τοὺς Σκύθας καὶ ἐπιπέμποντος ἀγγέλους ἐπιτάξοντας τοῖσι μὲν πεζὸν στρατόν, τοῖσι δὲ νέας παρέχειν, τοῖσι δὲ ζεύγνυσθαι τὸν Θρηίκιον Βόσπορον Ἀρτάβανος ὁ Ὑστάσπεος, ἀδελφεὸς ἐὼν Δαρείου, ἐχρήιζε μηδαμῶς αὐτὸν στρατηίην ἐπὶ Σκύθας ποιέεσθαι, καταλέγων τῶν Σκυθέων τὴν ἀπορίην.
While Darius was preparing against the Scythians and sending messengers to bid some to provide a land army, others ships, and others to bridge the Thracian Bosphorus, Artabanus the son of Hystaspes, who was the brother of Darius, urged him by no means to make an expedition against the Scythians, recounting the inaccessibility of the Scythians.
§4.83.2ἀλλʼ οὐ γὰρ ἔπειθε συμβουλεύων οἱ χρηστά, ὃ μὲν ἐπέπαυτο, ὁ δέ, ἐπειδή οἱ τὰ ἅπαντα παρεσκεύαστο, ἐξήλαυνε τὸν στρατὸν ἐκ Σούσων.
But since he could not persuade him, though advising him what was good, the former desisted, and the latter, when all things had been prepared for him, marched his army out of Susa.

Notes

  1. §4.83.1ἐπιτάξοντας — Future active participle in the accusative plural, modifying the preceding ἀγγέλους, expressing purpose ('in order to bid/enjoin').
  2. §4.83.1τοῖσι μὲν ... τοῖσι δὲ ... τοῖσι δὲ — Dative plurals of the relative/demonstrative pronoun in the Ionic dialect. They function as the indirect objects or dative subjects of the following infinitive clauses (παρέχειν and ζεύγνυσθαι), distributing the commands: 'to some... to others... to others...'.
  3. §4.83.1τὴν ἀπορίην — Literally 'lack of means' or 'difficulty'. In this context, it refers to the inaccessibility, lack of resources, and general difficulty of invading and traversing the Scythian territory.
  4. §4.83.2ὃ μὲν ... ὁ δέ — The articles used as demonstrative pronouns. The former (ὃ μὲν) refers back to Artabanus, while the latter (ὁ δέ) refers to Darius.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.83.1-4.83.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.83.1-4.83.2

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