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Herodotus · Histories §5.28.1

Affairs in Naxos and Miletus and New Ionian Troubles

Passage 797 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

After the general's campaigns ended, trouble began to brew again for the Ionians through Naxos and Miletus. Although Miletus was then at its height of prosperity, it had previously suffered from severe civil strife for two generations until the Parians arbitrated and restored order.

§5.28.1οὗτος δὲ τοσαῦτα ἐξεργάσατο στρατηγήσας.
This man, then, accomplished so many things during his command.
μετὰ δὲ οὐ πολλὸν χρόνον ἄνεσις κακῶν ἦν, καὶ ἤρχετο τὸ δεύτερον ἐκ Νάξου τε καὶ Μιλήτου Ἴωσι γίνεσθαι κακά.
After no long time, there was a respite from evils, and for the second time evils began to arise for the Ionians from Naxos and Miletus.
τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ ἡ Νάξος εὐδαιμονίῃ τῶν νήσων προέφερε, τοῦτο δὲ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον ἡ Μίλητος αὐτή τε ἑωυτῆς μάλιστα δὴ τότε ἀκμάσασα καὶ δὴ καὶ τῆς Ἰωνίης ἦν πρόσχημα, κατύπερθε δὲ τούτων ἐπὶ δύο γενεὰς ἀνδρῶν νοσήσασα ἐς τὰ μάλιστα στάσι, μέχρι οὗ μιν Πάριοι κατήρτισαν·
For on the one hand, Naxos excelled the other islands in prosperity, and on the other hand, Miletus itself at this same time had reached its highest peak of prosperity compared to any other period of its history, and was indeed the ornament of Ionia; although prior to this, it had been grievously sick with civil strife for two generations of men, until the Parians restored order for them.
τούτους γὰρ καταρτιστῆρας ἐκ πάντων Ἑλλήνων εἵλοντο οἱ Μιλήσιοι.
For the Milesians had chosen these men as arbiters out of all the Greeks.

Notes

  1. 5.28.1τοῦτο μὲν ... τοῦτο δὲ — A correlative adverbial accusative construction meaning "on the one hand ... on the other hand ...". Similar to τῇ μὲν ... τῇ δὲ ..., it is used here to contrast the situations of Naxos and Miletus.
  2. 5.28.1αὐτή τε ἑωυτῆς μάλιστα — A construction of self-comparison using the genitive of the reflexive pronoun ἑωυτῆς. It means "itself compared with itself (at other times) most of all," indicating that Miletus had reached its absolute peak of prosperity in its own history at that very time.
  3. 5.28.1μιν — The accusative of the third-person singular pronoun in the Ionic dialect (corresponding to Attic αὐτόν, αὐτήν, αὐτό). Here, it is feminine singular, referring to the preceding feminine noun Miletus.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §5.28.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.28.1

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