Herodotus · Histories §6.22.1-6.22.2

Decision of Samians and Milesians to Emigrate to Sicily

Passage 924 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

After the fall of Miletus, the wealthy class of Samos, unwilling to submit to the Persians, decided to emigrate to Kale Akte in Sicily upon the invitation of the Zancleans, departing along with the exiled Milesians.

§6.22.1Μίλητος μέν νυν Μιλησίων ἠρήμωτο.

So Miletus was emptied of the Milesians.

Σαμίων δὲ τοῖσί τι ἔχουσι τὸ μὲν ἐς τοὺς Μήδους ἐκ τῶν στρατηγῶν τῶν σφετέρων ποιηθὲν οὐδαμῶς ἤρεσκε, ἐδόκεε δὲ μετὰ τὴν ναυμαχίην αὐτίκα βουλευομένοισι, πρὶν ἤ σφι ἐς τὴν χώρην ἀπικέσθαι τὸν τύραννον Αἰάκεα, ἐς ἀποικίην ἐκπλέειν μηδὲ μένοντας Μήδοισί τε καὶ Αἰάκεϊ δουλεύειν.

But to those of the Samians who possessed some property, that which had been done toward the Medes by their own generals in no way pleased them, and it seemed good to them, as they deliberated immediately after the sea-fight, before the tyrant Aiakes should arrive in their country, to sail out to a colony, and not to remain and be slaves to the Medes and Aiakes.

§6.22.2Ζαγκλαῖοι γὰρ οἱ ἀπὸ Σικελίης τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον τοῦτον πέμποντες ἐς τὴν Ἰωνίην ἀγγέλους ἐπεκαλέοντο τοὺς Ἴωνας ἐς Καλὴν ἀκτήν, βουλόμενοι αὐτόθι πόλιν κτίσαι Ἰώνων.

For the Zancleans from Sicily, sending messengers to Ionia at this very same time, were inviting the Ionians to Kale Akte, wishing to found there a city of Ionians.

ἡ δὲ Καλὴ αὕτη ἀκτὴ καλεομένη ἔστι μὲν Σικελῶν, πρὸς δὲ Τυρσηνίην τετραμμένη τῆς Σικελίης.

This place called Kale Akte belongs to the Sicels, and is in that part of Sicily which faces toward Tyrrhenia.

τούτων ὦν ἐπικαλεομένων οἱ Σάμιοι μοῦνοι Ἰώνων ἐστάλησαν, σὺν δέ σφι Μιλησίων οἱ ἐκπεφευγότες· ἐν ᾧ τοιόνδε δή τι συνήνεικε γενέσθαι.

Since these, then, were inviting them, of all the Ionians only the Samians set out, and with them those of the Milesians who had escaped; in the course of which it happened that a thing of this sort occurred.

Notes

6.22.1τοῖσί τι ἔχουσι — "Those who possessed some property," referring to the wealthy class. The verb ἔχω with a neuter pronoun (here the indefinite τι) is an idiomatic expression meaning "to have means" or "to be wealthy." It specifies the class of citizens who had the resources to choose emigration over submission.
6.22.1τὸ ... ποιηθὲν — Substantivized neuter singular participle τὸ ποιηθέν ("the thing done"), which encloses the prepositional phrases ἐς τοὺς Μήδους ("toward the Medes") and ἐκ τῶν στρατηγῶν τῶν σφετέρων ("by their own generals"). This phrase acts as the subject of the verb ἤρεσκε.
6.22.1βουλευομένοισι — Dative present participle agreeing with the implied dative agent of ἐδόκεε ("it seemed good to them while deliberating"). The referent is "those of the Samians who possessed some property" from the previous sentence. The infinitives ἐκπλέειν ("to sail out") and δουλεύειν ("to be slaves", negated by μηδέ) depend on ἐδόκεε.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.22.1-6.22.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.22.1-6.22.2

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