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Herodotus · Histories §5.98.1-5.98.4

The Escape and Return of the Paeonians

Passage 874 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

To annoy King Darius, Aristagoras incites the relocated Paeonians in Phrygia to escape, and they successfully return to their homeland via Chios and Lesbos while evading the Persian pursuit.

§5.98.1Ἀρισταγόρης δὲ προπλώσας καὶ ἀπικόμενος ἐς τὴν Μίλητον, ἐξευρὼν βούλευμα ἀπʼ οὗ Ἴωσι μὲν οὐδεμία ἔμελλε ὠφελίη ἔσεσθαι, οὐδʼ ὦν οὐδὲ τούτου εἵνεκα ἐποίεε ἀλλʼ ὅκως βασιλέα Δαρεῖον λυπήσειε, ἔπεμψε ἐς τὴν Φρυγίην ἄνδρα ἐπὶ τοὺς Παίονας τοὺς ἀπὸ Στρυμόνος ποταμοῦ αἰχμαλώτους γενομένους ὑπὸ Μεγαβάζου, οἰκέοντας δὲ τῆς Φρυγίης χῶρόν τε καὶ κώμην ἐπʼ ἑωυτῶν·
Aristagoras, having sailed ahead and arrived at Miletus, devised a plan from which there was going to be no benefit to the Ionians, nor indeed did he do it for this sake, but rather to annoy King Darius; he sent a man to Phrygia to the Paeonians, who had been taken captive from the river Strymon by Megabazus and were living by themselves in a territory and village of Phrygia.
ὃς ἐπειδὴ ἀπίκετο ἐς τοὺς Παίονας, ἔλεγε τάδε. §5.98.2ἄνδρες Παίονες, ἔπεμψέ με Ἀρισταγόρης ὁ Μιλήτου τύραννος σωτηρίην ὑποθησόμενον ὑμῖν, ἤν περ βούλησθε πείθεσθαι.
When this man arrived among the Paeonians, he said these things: 'Men of Paeonia, Aristagoras the tyrant of Miletus has sent me to suggest a way of safety to you, if indeed you wish to be persuaded.
νῦν γὰρ Ἰωνίη πᾶσα ἀπέστηκε ἀπὸ βασιλέος, καὶ ὑμῖν παρέχει σώζεσθαι ἐπὶ τὴν ὑμετέρην αὐτῶν·
For now all Ionia has revolted from the King, and it is possible for you to save yourselves and return to your own land.
μέχρι μὲν θαλάσσης αὐτοῖσι ὑμῖν, τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τούτου ἡμῖν ἤδη μελήσει. §5.98.3ταῦτα δὲ ἀκούσαντες οἱ Παίονες κάρτα τε ἀσπαστὸν ἐποιήσαντο καὶ ἀναλαβόντες παῖδας καὶ γυναῖκας ἀπεδίδρησκον ἐπὶ θάλασσαν, οἳ δὲ τινὲς αὐτῶν καὶ κατέμειναν ἀρρωδήσαντες αὐτοῦ.
As far as the sea it will be your own concern, but from there on it will already be our care.' Hearing this, the Paeonians welcomed it eagerly, and taking up their children and wives, they fled toward the sea; some of them, however, being afraid, remained there.
ἐπείτε δὲ οἱ Παίονες ἀπίκοντο ἐπὶ θάλασσαν, ἐνθεῦτεν ἐς Χίον διέβησαν.
When the Paeonians arrived at the sea, from there they crossed over to Chios.
§5.98.4ἐόντων δὲ ἤδη ἐν Χίῳ, κατὰ πόδας ἐληλύθεε Περσέων ἵππος πολλὴ διώκουσα τοὺς Παίονας.
While they were already in Chios, a large force of Persian cavalry arrived close on their heels, pursuing the Paeonians.
ὡς δὲ οὐ κατέλαβον, ἐπηγγέλλοντο ἐς τὴν Χίον τοῖσι Παίοσι ὅκως ἂν ὀπίσω ἀπέλθοιεν.
Since they did not catch them, they sent a message into Chios to the Paeonians, demanding that they should return.
οἱ δὲ Παίονες τοὺς λόγους οὐκ ἐνεδέκοντο, ἀλλʼ ἐκ Χίου μὲν Χῖοι σφέας ἐς Λέσβον ἤγαγον, Λέσβιοι δὲ ἐς Δορίσκον ἐκόμισαν, ἐνθεῦτεν δὲ πεζῇ κομιζόμενοι ἀπίκοντο ἐς Παιονίην.
But the Paeonians did not accept their words; instead, the Chians brought them from Chios to Lesbos, and the Lesbians carried them to Doriscus, and from there, traveling on foot, they arrived in Paeonia.

Notes

  1. 5.98.1ἀπʼ οὗ — The relative pronoun οὗ in the genitive case, combined with the preposition ἀπό. The antecedent is βούλευμα (plan), and the phrase denotes origin or cause ('from/by which plan') within the relative clause.
  2. 5.98.2ὑμῖν παρέχει σώζεσθαι — The verb παρέχει is used impersonally meaning 'it is allowed, opportunity is given', taking the dative ὑμῖν as the logical subject and the infinitive σώζεσθαι to express the action.
  3. 5.98.4ὅκως ἂν ὀπίσω ἀπέλθοιεν — A clause consisting of ὅκως ἄν with the optative ἀπέλθοιεν, functioning as the object clause (expressing a demand) after the past-tense governing verb ἐπηγγέλλοντο, representing indirect command in past sequence.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §5.98.1-5.98.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.98.1-5.98.4

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