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Herodotus · Histories §6.27.1-6.27.3

Divine Portents of Chian Disaster and Conquest

Passage 929 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

This chunk describes two divine portents that foretold the disaster of Chios—the plague that struck a youth chorus and the collapse of a school roof—followed by the catastrophic sea-battle and Histiaeus's subsequent easy conquest of the island.

§6.27.1φιλέει δέ κως προσημαίνειν, εὖτʼ ἂν μέλλῃ μεγάλα κακὰ ἢ πόλι ἢ ἔθνεϊ ἔσεσθαι· καὶ γὰρ Χίοισι πρὸ τούτων σημήια μεγάλα ἐγένετο·
It is somehow accustomed that warning signs are given beforehand whenever great evils are about to befall a city or a nation; for indeed, to the Chians before these events great signs occurred.
§6.27.2τοῦτο μέν σφι πέμψασι ἐς Δελφοὺς χορὸν νεηνιέων ἑκατὸν δύο μοῦνοι τούτων ἀπενόστησαν, τοὺς δὲ ὀκτώ τε καὶ ἐνενήκοντα αὐτῶν λοιμὸς ὑπολαβὼν ἀπήνεικε·
On the one hand, when they had sent a chorus of a hundred youths to Delphi, only two of these returned home, while a plague seized the other ninety-eight and carried them off.
τοῦτο δὲ ἐν τῇ πόλι τὸν αὐτὸν τοῦτον χρόνον, ὀλίγον πρὸ τῆς ναυμαχίης, παισὶ γράμματα διδασκομένοισι ἐνέπεσε ἡ στέγη, ὥστε ἀπʼ ἑκατὸν καὶ εἴκοσι παίδων εἷς μοῦνος ἀπέφυγε.
On the other hand, in the city at this very same time, a little before the sea-battle, while children were being taught their letters, the roof fell in upon them, so that out of a hundred and twenty children only one escaped.
§6.27.3ταῦτα μὲν σφι σημήια ὁ θεὸς προέδεξε, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἡ ναυμαχίη ὑπολαβοῦσα ἐς γόνυ τὴν πόλιν ἔβαλε, ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ ναυμαχίῃ ἐπεγένετο Ἱστιαῖος Λεσβίους ἄγων·
These signs indeed God showed to them beforehand, and after these things the sea-battle overtook them and brought the city to its knees; and upon the sea-battle came Histiaeus leading the Lesbians.
κεκακωμένων δὲ τῶν Χίων, καταστροφὴν εὐπετέως αὐτῶν ἐποιήσατο.
Since the Chians had already been sorely weakened, he made a conquest of them with ease.

Notes

  1. 6.27.1φιλέει — Used in an impersonal-like sense (or with an implied general subject) with an infinitive (here προσημαίνειν) to mean 'it is wont to' or 'it is accustomed to,' indicating a general rule of nature or divine order. While there is no explicit subject, a divine power like ὁ θεός in §6.27.3 is implied.
  2. 6.27.2τοῦτο μέν ... τοῦτο δέ — An adverbial accusative usage of the neuter singular demonstrative pronoun in a correlative construction, meaning 'on the one hand ... on the other hand ...' (equivalent to τὸ μέν ... τὸ δέ). It juxtaposes the two ominous portents that befell Chios: the disaster of the chorus and the collapse of the school.
  3. 6.27.2παισὶ γράμματα διδασκομένοισι — The dative παισὶ is a dative of disadvantage, depending on the verb ἐνέπεσε (fell in upon). The participle διδασκομένοισι is a present middle-passive participle, here meaning 'being taught (i.e., learning) their letters (γράμματα)', describing the ongoing action.
  4. 6.27.3ἐς γόνυ τὴν πόλιν ἔβαλε — Literally 'threw the city to its knee,' a figurative idiom meaning 'brought the city to its knees' or 'prostrated the city.' It derives from the physical gesture of forced defeat or submission.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.27.1-6.27.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.27.1-6.27.3

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