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Herodotus · Histories §6.28.1-6.28.2

Histiaeus' Retreat from Thasos and Capture by Harpagus

Passage 930 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Histiaeus abandons his siege of Thasos and retreats to Lesbos upon learning of the Phoenician fleet's advance. Driven by a shortage of food, he crosses to the mainland at Atarneus to harvest grain, but is defeated and captured alive by the Persian general Harpagus.

§6.28.1ἐνθεῦτεν δὲ ὁ Ἱστιαῖος ἐστρατεύετο ἐπὶ Θάσον ἄγων Ἰώνων καὶ Αἰολέων συχνούς.
From there Histiaeus set out on an expedition against Thasos, leading many of the Ionians and Aeolians.
περικατημένῳ δέ οἱ Θάσον ἦλθε ἀγγελίη ὡς οἱ Φοίνικες ἀναπλέουσι ἐκ τῆς Μιλήτου ἐπὶ τὴν ἄλλην Ἰωνίην.
But as he was besieging Thasos, word came to him that the Phoenicians were sailing up from Miletus against the rest of Ionia.
πυθόμενος δὲ ταῦτα Θάσον μὲν ἀπόρθητον λείπει, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐς τὴν Λέσβον ἠπείγετο ἄγων πᾶσαν τὴν στρατιήν.
On hearing this, he left Thasos uncaptured and himself hastened to Lesbos, leading his whole army.
§6.28.2ἐκ Λέσβου δὲ λιμαινούσης οἱ τῆς στρατιῆς πέρην διαβαίνει, ἐκ τοῦ Ἀταρνέος ὡς ἀμήσων τὸν σῖτον τόν τε ἐνθεῦτεν καὶ τὸν ἐκ Καϊκου πεδίου τὸν τῶν Μυσῶν.
But because his army was suffering from hunger in Lesbos, he crossed to the opposite mainland, intending to reap the grain from Atarneus, both the grain from there and that from the plain of Caicus, which belonged to the Mysians.
ἐν δὲ τούτοισι τοῖσι χωρίοισι ἐτύγχανε ἐὼν Ἅρπαγος ἀνὴρ Πέρσης στρατηγὸς στρατιῆς οὐκ ὀλίγης· ὅς οἱ ἀποβάντι συμβαλὼν αὐτόν τε Ἱστιαῖον ζωγρίῃ ἔλαβε καὶ τὸν στρατὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν πλέω διέφθειρε.
In these places there happened to be Harpagus, a Persian, general of a large army, who, joining battle with him as he landed, took Histiaeus himself alive and destroyed the greater part of his army.

Notes

  1. 6.28.1περικατημένῳ δέ οἱ — A dative construction where the dative pronoun οἱ and the agreeing dative participle περικατημένῳ depend on the verb ἦλθε (with the noun ἀγγελίη). It functions as a dative of interest/reference, serving a circumstantial role similar to a genitive absolute to describe the situation in which the news arrived.
  2. 6.28.2λιμαινούσης οἱ τῆς στρατιῆς — A genitive absolute construction (λιμαινούσης τῆς στρατιῆς, 'since the army was suffering from hunger') enclosing the dative pronoun οἱ, which indicates possession or reference ('his army').
  3. 6.28.2ἐκ τοῦ Ἀταρνέος — Since Histiaeus is crossing from Lesbos (ἐκ Λέσβου) to the opposite mainland, this prepositional phrase does not modify the main verb of crossing (διαβαίνει), but rather the future participle of purpose ὡς ἀμήσων ('intending to reap'). It means 'to reap the grain [and bring it] from Atarneus', which is further elaborated by the following τόν τε ἐνθεῦτεν ('both the grain from there').

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.28.1-6.28.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.28.1-6.28.2

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