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Herodotus · Histories §6.2.1-6.2.2

Escape of Histiaeus and his reception at Chios

Passage 904 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Histiaeus, fearing that Artaphrenes has discovered the truth, flees to the sea and seeks to lead the Ionian revolt contrary to his promise to King Darius. Upon crossing to Chios, he is temporarily imprisoned under suspicion of spying for Darius, but is released when his enmity toward the King becomes clear.

§6.2.1Ἀρταφρένης μὲν ταῦτα ἐς τὴν ἀπόστασιν ἔχοντα εἶπε.
Artaphrenes said these things concerning the revolt.
Ἱστιαῖος δὲ δείσας ὡς συνιέντα Ἀρταφρένεα ὑπὸ τὴν πρώτην ἐπελθοῦσαν νύκτα ἀπέδρη ἐπὶ θάλασσαν, βασιλέα Δαρεῖον ἐξηπατηκώς· ὃς Σαρδὼ νῆσον τὴν μεγίστην ὑποδεξάμενος κατεργάσασθαι ὑπέδυνε τῶν Ἰώνων τὴν ἡγεμονίην τοῦ πρὸς Δαρεῖον πολέμου.
But Histiaeus, fearing because Artaphrenes understood the matter, fled to the sea under cover of the first night that came on, having deceived King Darius; he who, having promised to subdue the greatest island, Sardinia, took upon himself the leadership of the Ionians in the war against Darius.
§6.2.2διαβὰς δὲ ἐς Χίον ἐδέθη ὑπὸ Χίων, καταγνωσθεὶς πρὸς αὐτῶν νεώτερα πρήσσειν πρήγματα ἐς αὐτοὺς ἐκ Δαρείου.
Having crossed over to Chios, he was bound by the Chians, being suspected by them of plotting revolution against them on behalf of Darius.
μαθόντες μέντοι οἱ Χῖοι τὸν πάντα λόγον, ὡς πολέμιος εἴη βασιλέι, ἔλυσαν αὐτόν.
However, when the Chians learned the whole story, that he was an enemy to the King, they released him.

Notes

  1. §6.2.1ὡς συνιέντα Ἀρταφρένεα — ὡς with the participle συνιέντα expresses the subjective reason as thought by the subject of the main clause (Histiaeus), i.e., 'thinking that Artaphrenes understood'.
  2. §6.2.1ὑπὸ τὴν πρώτην ἐπελθοῦσαν νύκτα — The preposition ὑπό with the accusative denotes temporal proximity ('just at the approach of' or 'under cover of'), meaning here 'as soon as the first night came on'.
  3. §6.2.2ἐκ Δαρείου — The prepositional phrase denoting origin or source modifies the infinitive clause νεώτερα πρήσσειν πρήγματα, indicating that the 'plotting' was instigated by or on behalf of Darius.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.2.1-6.2.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.2.1-6.2.2

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