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Herodotus · Histories §5.32.1

Darius's Approval and the Dispatch of Megabates

Passage 801 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Aristagoras returns to Miletus, and Artaphernes, after securing the approval of King Darius, prepares a large force under the command of Megabates and dispatches them to Aristagoras.

§5.32.1ὁ μὲν δὴ Ἀρισταγόρης ὡς ταῦτα ἤκουσε, περιχαρὴς ἐὼν ἀπήιε ἐς Μίλητον.
Aristagoras, when he heard this, being overjoyed, went back to Miletus.
ὁ δὲ Ἀρταφρένης, ὥς οἱ πέμψαντι ἐς Σοῦσα καὶ ὑπερθέντι τὰ ἐκ τοῦ Ἀρισταγόρεω λεγόμενα συνέπαινος καὶ αὐτὸς Δαρεῖος ἐγένετο, παρεσκευάσατο μὲν διηκοσίας τριήρεας, πολλὸν δὲ κάρτα ὅμιλον Περσέων τε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων συμμάχων, στρατηγὸν δὲ τούτων ἀπέδεξε Μεγαβάτην ἄνδρα Πέρσην τῶν Ἀχαιμενιδέων, ἑωυτοῦ τε καὶ Δαρείου ἀνεψιόν, τοῦ Παυσανίης ὁ Κλεομβρότου Λακεδαιμόνιος, εἰ δὴ ἀληθής γε ἐστὶ ὁ λόγος, ὑστέρῳ χρόνῳ τούτων ἡρμόσατο θυγατέρα, ἔρωτα σχὼν τῆς Ἑλλάδος τύραννος γενέσθαι.
And Artaphernes, when Darius himself also gave his consent after he had sent messengers to Susa and reported the proposals of Aristagoras, prepared two hundred triremes and a very large multitude of Persians and other allies, and appointed as their general Megabates, a Persian of the Achaemenid family, a cousin of both himself and Darius, whose daughter Pausanias the Lacedaemonian, son of Cleombrotus, at a later time betrothed to himself (if indeed the story is true), having conceived a passion to become tyrant of Greece.
ἀποδέξας δὲ Μεγαβάτην στρατηγὸν Ἀρταφρένης ἀπέστειλε τὸν στρατὸν παρὰ τὸν Ἀρισταγόρεα.
And having appointed Megabates as general, Artaphernes sent the army to Aristagoras.

Notes

  1. §5.32.1οἱ πέμψαντι... καὶ ὑπερθέντι — The dative pronoun οἱ refers to Artaphernes (the subject of the main clause) and agrees with the participles πέμψαντι and ὑπερθέντι. It functions as a dative of reference or agent in relation to Δαρεῖος (the subject of the ὡς-clause): "when, upon his sending to Susa and reporting..., Darius himself also agreed."
  2. §5.32.1τοῦ... ἡρμόσατο θυγατέρα — The genitive relative pronoun τοῦ refers to the antecedent Megabates (Μεγαβάτην) and modifies θυγατέρα (daughter). The verb ἡρμόσατο is the third-person singular aorist middle of ἁρμόζω; while the active voice means 'to give in marriage', the middle voice with a male subject means 'to betroth to oneself' or 'to take as a wife'.
  3. §5.32.1ἔρωτα σχὼν — The aorist participle σχὼν (having conceived) of ἔχω modifies the subject Pausanias, governing the noun ἔρωτα (passion, ambition), which in turn takes the infinitive phrase τῆς Ἑλλάδος τύραννος γενέσθαι (to become tyrant of Greece), expressing the motive for his action.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §5.32.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.32.1

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