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Herodotus · Histories §6.132.1

Miltiades Demands a Fleet from the Athenians

Passage 1037 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

After the battle of Marathon, Miltiades leverages his rising reputation to secure seventy ships, an army, and money from the Athenians by promising them immense wealth without revealing his destination.

§6.132.1μετὰ δὲ τὸ ἐν Μαραθῶνι τρῶμα γενόμενον Μιλτιάδης, καὶ πρότερον εὐδοκιμέων παρὰ Ἀθηναίοισι, τότε μᾶλλον αὔξετο.
After the blow that occurred at Marathon, Miltiades, who even before this had been in high repute among the Athenians, then grew even more in influence.
αἰτήσας δὲ νέας ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ στρατιήν τε καὶ χρήματα Ἀθηναίους, οὐ φράσας σφι ἐπʼ ἣν ἐπιστρατεύσεται χώρην, ἀλλὰ φὰς αὐτοὺς καταπλουτιεῖν ἤν οἱ ἕπωνται· ἐπὶ γὰρ χώρην τοιαύτην δή τινα ἄξειν ὅθεν χρυσὸν εὐπετέως ἄφθονον οἴσονται· λέγων τοιαῦτα αἴτεε τὰς νέας.
Having asked the Athenians for seventy ships, an army, and money, without declaring to them against which land he would campaign, but saying that he would make them rich if they followed him—for he said he would lead them to a land of such a kind from which they would easily carry away abundant gold—saying such things, he demanded the ships.
Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ τούτοισι ἐπαερθέντες παρέδοσαν.
And the Athenians, elated by these promises, handed them over.

Notes

  1. §6.132.1τὸ ... τρῶμα — τρῶμα (Ionic for τραῦμα, 'wound, blow') refers here to the defeat or heavy blow inflicted upon the Persians at Marathon, or the battle itself.
  2. §6.132.1αἰτήσας δὲ νέας ... Ἀθηναίους — The verb αἰτέω ('to ask, demand') takes a double accusative construction: the person asked (Ἀθηναίους) and the things asked for (νέας, στρατιήν, χρήματα).
  3. §6.132.1καταπλουτιεῖν — The future active infinitive of καταπλουτίζω ('to make rich'), representing a contracted future (Ionic/Attic καταπλουτιεῖν). It stands in indirect discourse introduced by the participle φάς, with the subject (Miltiades) omitted and the accusative αὐτούς (the Athenians) serving as its direct object.
  4. §6.132.1ἄξειν — Future infinitive of ἄγω ('to lead'), continuing the indirect discourse from the preceding φάς without an explicit introductory verb (e.g., 'for [he said] he would lead them...').

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.132.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.132.1

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