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Herodotus · Histories §5.63.1-5.63.4

Spartan Expedition to Athens and Defeat of Anchimolius

Passage 832 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The Alcmaeonidae bribe the Pythia to prompt Sparta to liberate Athens, leading to the dispatch of a Spartan expedition under Anchimolius, which is defeated by the Peisistratidae with the aid of Thessalian cavalry.

§5.63.1ὡς ὦν δὴ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι λέγουσι, οὗτοι οἱ ἄνδρες ἐν Δελφοῖσι κατήμενοι ἀνέπειθον τὴν Πυθίην χρήμασι, ὅκως ἔλθοιεν Σπαρτιητέων ἄνδρες εἴτε ἰδίῳ στόλῳ εἴτε δημοσίῳ χρησόμενοι, προφέρειν σφι τὰς Ἀθήνας ἐλευθεροῦν.
Now, as the Athenians say, these men, while staying at Delphi, persuaded the Pythia with money that, whenever Spartan men should come to consult the oracle, whether on a private or a public mission, she should propose to them to liberate Athens.
§5.63.2Λακεδαιμόνιοι δέ, ὥς σφι αἰεὶ τὠυτὸ πρόφαντον ἐγίνετο, πέμπουσι Ἀγχιμόλιον τὸν Ἀστέρος, ἐόντα τῶν ἀστῶν ἄνδρα δόκιμον, σὺν στρατῷ ἐξελῶντα Πεισιστρατίδας ἐξ Ἀθηνέων ὅμως καὶ ξεινίους σφι ἐόντας τὰ μάλιστα· τὰ γὰρ τοῦ θεοῦ πρεσβύτερα ἐποιεῦντο ἢ τὰ τῶν ἀνδρῶν·
And the Lacedaemonians, since the same oracle was always delivered to them, sent Anchimolius the son of Aster, who was a man of high repute among the citizens, with an army to expel the Peisistratidae from Athens, although they were in the highest degree their guest-friends; for they held the matters of the god of more importance than those of men.
πέμπουσι δὲ τούτους κατὰ θάλασσαν πλοίοισι.
And they sent these by sea in ships.
§5.63.3ὃ μὲν δὴ προσσχὼν ἐς Φάληρον τὴν στρατιὴν ἀπέβησε, οἱ δὲ Πεισιστρατίδαι προπυνθανόμενοι ταῦτα ἐπεκαλέοντο ἐκ Θεσσαλίης ἐπικουρίην· ἐπεποίητο γάρ σφι συμμαχίη πρὸς αὐτούς.
He, having put in at Phalerum, disembarked his army, but the Peisistratidae, having prior knowledge of this, called for help from Thessaly, for an alliance had been made by them with them.
Θεσσαλοὶ δέ σφι δεομένοισι ἀπέπεμψαν κοινῇ γνώμῃ χρεώμενοι χιλίην τε ἵππον καὶ τὸν βασιλέα τὸν σφέτερον Κινέην ἄνδρα Κονιαῖον· τοὺς ἐπείτε ἔσχον συμμάχους οἱ Πεισιστρατίδαι, ἐμηχανῶντο τοιάδε·
And the Thessalians, at their request, sent by common consent a thousand cavalry and their own king, Cineas, a man of Conion.
§5.63.4κείραντες τῶν Φαληρέων τὸ πεδίον καὶ ἱππάσιμον ποιήσαντες τοῦτον τὸν χῶρον ἐπῆκαν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ τὴν ἵππον· ἐμπεσοῦσα δὲ διέφθειρε ἄλλους τε πολλοὺς τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸν Ἀγχιμόλιον· τοὺς δὲ περιγενομένους αὐτῶν ἐς τὰς νέας κατεῖρξαν.
When the Peisistratidae had obtained these as allies, they devised the following plan: clearing the plain of Phalerum and making this area fit for cavalry, they let loose their horsemen upon the camp; and these falling upon them destroyed many others of the Lacedaemonians and especially Anchimolius himself, while those who survived they shut up in their ships.
ὁ μὲν δὴ πρῶτος στόλος ἐκ Λακεδαίμονος οὕτω ἀπήλλαξε, καὶ Ἀγχιμολίου εἰσὶ ταφαὶ τῆς Ἀττικῆς Ἀλωπεκῆσι, ἀγχοῦ τοῦ Ἡρακλείου τοῦ ἐν Κυνοσάργεϊ.
The first expedition from Lacedaemon thus got away, and the tomb of Anchimolius is at Alopece in Attica, near the Heracleium at Cynosarges.

Notes

  1. §5.63.1χρησόμενοι — Future participle of the verb χράομαι (to consult an oracle) expressing purpose. It describes the recurring purpose of the Spartan visits introduced by ὅκως with the optative (ἔλθοιεν).
  2. §5.63.1προφέρειν — Infinitive serving as the object or result of the main verb ἀνέπειθον (persuaded), expressing the content of what they induced the Pythia to do (namely, to deliver or propose the oracle).
  3. §5.63.2ἐόντας — Accusative participle modifying the accusative object Πεισιστρατίδας. Combined with the preceding adverb ὅμως, it expresses a concessive meaning ('although they were').

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §5.63.1-5.63.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.63.1-5.63.4

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