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Herodotus · Histories §4.89.1-4.89.3

Bridging of the Ister and Darius's March to the Tearus

Passage 653 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Darius crosses into Europe and orders the allied fleet to build a bridge over the Ister. The fleet sails up the river to construct it, while Darius marches through Thrace to the Tearus river.

§4.89.1ταῦτα μέν νυν τοῦ ζεύξαντος τὴν γέφυραν μνημόσυνα ἐγένετο.
These, then, became the memorials of the man who bridged the bridge.
Δαρεῖος δὲ δωρησάμενος Μανδροκλέα διέβαινε ἐς τὴν Εὐρώπην, τοῖσι Ἴωσι παραγγείλας πλέειν ἐς τὸν Πόντον μέχρι Ἴστρου ποταμοῦ, ἐπεὰν δὲ ἀπίκωνται ἐς τὸν Ἴστρον, ἐνθαῦτα αὐτὸν περιμένειν ζευγνύντας τὸν ποταμόν.
Darius, after rewarding Mandrokles, crossed over into Europe, having ordered the Ionians to sail into the Pontus as far as the river Ister, and when they should arrive at the Ister, to wait there for him, bridging the river.
τὸ γὰρ δὴ ναυτικὸν ἦγον Ἴωνές τε καὶ Αἰολέες καὶ Ἑλλησπόντιοι.
For the fleet was led by the Ionians, Aeolians, and Hellespontians.
§4.89.2ὁ μὲν δὴ ναυτικὸς στρατὸς Κυανέας διεκπλώσας ἔπλεε ἰθὺ τοῦ Ἴστρου, ἀναπλώσας δὲ ἀνὰ ποταμὸν δυῶν ἡμερέων πλόον ἀπὸ θαλάσσης, τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὸν αὐχένα, ἔκ τοῦ σχίζεται τὰ στόματα τοῦ Ἴστρου, ἐζεύγνυε.
So the naval force, having sailed through the Cyanean rocks, sailed straight for the Ister, and having sailed up the river a two days' voyage from the sea, they bridged the neck of the river, from where the mouths of the Ister branch off.
§4.89.3Δαρεῖος δὲ ὡς διέβη τὸν Βόσπορον κατὰ τὴν σχεδίην, ἐπορεύετο διὰ τῆς Θρηίκης, ἀπικόμενος δὲ ἐπὶ Τεάρου ποταμοῦ τὰς πηγὰς ἐστρατοπεδεύσατο ἡμέρας τρεῖς.
Darius, when he had crossed the Bosporus by the bridge of boats, marched through Thrace, and having arrived at the sources of the river Tearus, he encamped for three days.

Notes

  1. §4.89.1παραγγείλας... περιμένειν — The participle παραγγείλας modifies the main verb διέβαινε, expressing a circumstantial action (command). The infinitives πλέειν and περιμένειν depend on this participle, with their logical subject implied in the dative τοῖσι Ἴωσι.
  2. §4.89.2δυῶν ἡμερέων πλόον — πλόον is an accusative of extent of space (functioning cognately with the participle ἀναπλώσας) indicating the distance sailed up the river. δυῶν ἡμερέων is a genitive of time or measure qualifying πλόον.
  3. §4.89.2ἔκ τοῦ — This is an Ionic dialectal form of the preposition and relative pronoun ἐξ οὗ, where τοῦ functions as the genitive of the relative pronoun ὅς. Its antecedent is the preceding phrase τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὸν αὐχένα.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.89.1-4.89.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.89.1-4.89.3

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