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Herodotus · Histories §6.113.1-6.113.2

The Greek Wings Unite and Defeat the Persian Center

Passage 1019 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

In the Battle of Marathon, the Persian center breaks through and pursues inland, but the victorious Athenian and Plataean wings combine to defeat the Persian center and chase them to the sea.

§6.113.1μαχομένων δὲ ἐν τῷ Μαραθῶνι χρόνος ἐγίνετο πολλός, καὶ τὸ μὲν μέσον τοῦ στρατοπέδου ἐνίκων οἱ βάρβαροι, τῇ Πέρσαι τε αὐτοὶ καὶ Σάκαι ἐτετάχατο· κατὰ τοῦτο μὲν δὴ ἐνίκων οἱ βάρβαροι καὶ ῥήξαντες ἐδίωκον ἐς τὴν μεσόγαιαν, τὸ δὲ κέρας ἑκάτερον ἐνίκων Ἀθηναῖοί τε καὶ Πλαταιέες·
As they fought in Marathon, much time passed, and in the center of the army the barbarians were victorious, where the Persians themselves and the Sacae had been arrayed; in this part indeed the barbarians were victorious and, having broken through, pursued them into the inland, but on each of the two wings the Athenians and Plataeans were victorious.
§6.113.2νικῶντες δὲ τὸ μὲν τετραμμένον τῶν βαρβάρων φεύγειν ἔων, τοῖσι δὲ τὸ μέσον ῥήξασι αὐτῶν συναγαγόντες τὰ κέρεα ἀμφότερα ἐμάχοντο, καὶ ἐνίκων Ἀθηναῖοι.
And being victorious, they let the routed part of the barbarians flee, and drawing both wings together, they fought against those who had broken through their center, and the Athenians were victorious.
φεύγουσι δὲ τοῖσι Πέρσῃσι εἵποντο κόπτοντες, ἐς ὃ ἐς τὴν θάλασσαν ἀπικόμενοι πῦρ τε αἴτεον καὶ ἐπελαμβάνοντο τῶν νεῶν.
And they followed the fleeing Persians, cutting them down, until, having arrived at the sea, they called for fire and began to lay hold of the ships.

Notes

  1. §6.113.1ἐτετάχατο· — An Ionic dialectal form of the third-person plural pluperfect passive ending (-ατο), corresponding to the Attic -ντο. Here it stands for τεταγμένοι ἦσαν.
  2. §6.113.2τοῖσι δὲ τὸ μέσον ῥήξασι αὐτῶν συναγαγόντες τὰ κέρεα ἀμφότερα ἐμάχοντο — The dative phrase τοῖσι ... ῥήξασι ('against those who had broken through') serves as the object of the main verb ἐμάχοντο. The participle συναγαγόντες ('having drawn together') is in the nominative plural, referring to the Athenians and Plataeans, while αὐτῶν ('of them') refers to the barbarians.
  3. §6.113.2ἐς ὅ — An Ionic expression meaning 'until' or 'up to the point when' (corresponding to Attic ἐς οὗ or ἕως).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.113.1-6.113.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.113.1-6.113.2

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