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Herodotus · Histories §6.3.1

Histiaeus's false pretext of relocation to terrify Ionians

Passage 905 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

When questioned by the Ionians about his reasons for inciting the revolt, Histiaeus terrifies them with a false claim that Darius planned a mutual relocation of the Ionians and Phoenicians.

§6.3.1ἐνθαῦτα δὴ εἰρωτώμενος ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰώνων ὁ Ἱστιαῖος κατʼ ὅ τι προθύμως οὕτω ἐπέστειλε τῷ Ἀρισταγόρῃ ἀπίστασθαι ἀπὸ βασιλέος καὶ κακὸν τοσοῦτον εἴη Ἴωνας ἐξεργασμένος, τὴν μὲν γενομένην αὐτοῖσι αἰτίην οὐ μάλα ἐξέφαινε, ὁ δὲ ἔλεγέ σφι ὡς βασιλεὺς Δαρεῖος ἐβουλεύσατο Φοίνικας μὲν ἐξαναστήσας ἐν τῇ Ἰωνίῃ κατοικίσαι, Ἴωνας δὲ ἐν τῇ Φοινίκῃ, καὶ τούτων εἵνεκα ἐπιστείλειε.
There, when asked by the Ionians for what reason he had so eagerly sent word to Aristagoras to revolt from the King, and had brought so great an evil upon the Ionians, Histiaeus did not at all reveal to them the real cause that had arisen. Instead, he told them that King Darius had planned to remove the Phoenicians and settle them in Ionia, and the Ionians in Phoenicia, and that it was for this reason he had sent the message.
οὐδέν τι πάντως ταῦτα βασιλέος βουλευσαμένου ἐδειμάτου τοὺς Ἴωνας.
He terrified the Ionians with this, although the King had planned nothing of the sort.

Notes

  1. §6.3.1γενομένην αὐτοῖσι αἰτίην — αὐτοῖσι is a dative pronoun referring to the Ionians, modifying or accompanying γενομένην αἰτίην (the actual cause that had arisen), meaning "the real cause [revealed] to them" or "the cause that had arisen in relation to them."
  2. §6.3.1βασιλέος βουλευσαμένου — A genitive absolute construction expressing concession ("although..."). The noun βασιλέος acts as the subject of the participle βουλευσαμένου, and the entire phrase is negated by οὐδέν τι πάντως ("not at all").

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.3.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.3.1

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