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Herodotus · Histories §5.125.1

Hecataeus Advises Retreat to Leros Island

Passage 901 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

In response to Aristagoras's consultation, the historian Hecataeus advised against colonizing either place, suggesting instead that they build a fort on the island of Leros and wait for an opportunity to return to Miletus.

§5.125.1Ἑκαταίου μέν νυν τοῦ Ἡγησάνδρου, ἀνδρὸς λογοποιοῦ, τουτέων μὲν ἐς οὐδετέρην στέλλειν ἔφερε ἡ γνώμη, ἐν Λέρῳ δὲ τῇ νήσῳ τεῖχος οἰκοδομησάμενον ἡσυχίην ἄγειν, ἢν ἐκπέσῃ ἐκ τῆς Μιλήτου· ἔπειτα δὲ ἐκ ταύτης ὁρμώμενον κατελεύσεσθαι ἐς τὴν Μίλητον.
Now, the opinion of Hecataeus, the son of Hegesander, a writer of prose, inclined toward sending a colony to neither of these places, but rather that Aristagoras should build a stronghold on the island of Leros and remain quiet there if he should be driven out of Miletus, and then, making that his base, return to Miletus.

Notes

  1. 5.125.1Ἑκαταίου ... ἔφερε ἡ γνώμη — The genitive Ἑκαταίου limits ἡ γνώμη ("the opinion of Hecataeus"). The verb ἔφερε is used intransitively to mean "tended" or "inclined toward," taking the infinitive clauses as its complement.
  2. 5.125.1στέλλειν — The infinitive στέλλειν usually means "to send," but here it is used intransitively (or with a reflexive pronoun implied) in the sense of "to set out" or "to depart."
  3. 5.125.1οἰκοδομησάμενον — The accusative participle οἰκοδομησάμενον (as well as ὁρμώμενον) agrees with the implied subject of the infinitive ἡσυχίην ἄγειν (specifically, Aristagoras), which is treated as an accusative in the accusative-and-infinitive construction.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §5.125.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.125.1

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