Herodotus · Histories §6.116.1

The Athenian Rapid March to the City and Persian Retreat

Passage 1022 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

While the Persians sailed round Cape Sunium, the Athenian army rushed back from Marathon to the city, arriving first and encamping at the Heracleum in Cynosarges. The Persians anchored briefly off Phalerum but ultimately retreated to Asia.

§6.116.1οὗτοι μὲν δὴ περιέπλεον Σούνιον· Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ ὡς ποδῶν εἶχον τάχιστα ἐβοήθεον ἐς τὸ ἄστυ, καὶ ἔφθησάν τε ἀπικόμενοι πρὶν ἢ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἥκειν, καὶ ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο ἀπιγμένοι ἐξ Ἡρακλείου τοῦ ἐν Μαραθῶνι ἐν ἄλλῳ Ἡρακλείῳ τῷ ἐν Κυνοσάργεϊ.

So these were sailing round Sunium; but the Athenians hasted to the rescue to the city as fast as their feet could carry them, and they succeeded in arriving before the barbarians came, and having come from the Heracleum at Marathon they encamped at another Heracleum, that which is in Cynosarges.

οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι τῇσι νηυσὶ ὑπεραιωρηθέντες Φαλήρου, τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν ἐπίνειον τότε τῶν Ἀθηναίων, ὑπὲρ τούτου ἀνακωχεύσαντες τὰς νέας ἀπέπλεον ὀπίσω ἐς τὴν Ἀσίην.

But the barbarians, having lain to with their ships off Phalerum, which was at that time the port of the Athenians—having held their ships at anchor off this place, sailed away back to Asia.

Notes

6.116.1ὡς ποδῶν εἶχον τάχιστα — An idiomatic expression combining the relative adverb ὡς, the partitive genitive ποδῶν, and the intransitive use of ἔχω indicating state (with the superlative adverb τάχιστα). Literally 'in the fastest manner as they were in respect of their feet,' meaning 'as fast as their feet could carry them' or 'at the top of their speed.'
6.116.1ἔφθησάν τε ἀπικόμενοι — The verb φθάνω ('to anticipate, forestall') construed with a supplementary participle (here the aorist participle of ἀφικνέоμαι) to express 'to do something before someone else.' Working together with the subsequent πρὶν ἢ, it emphasizes the fact of their getting there before the enemy.
6.116.1ὑπεραιωρηθέντες Φαλήρου — The aorist passive participle ὑπεραιωρηθέντες is used here in an intransitive, nautical sense meaning 'having lain to' or 'hovering off the coast of' and governs the genitive of place, Φαλήρου.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.116.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.116.1

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