Herodotus · Histories §6.38.1-6.38.2

Death of Miltiades and Assassination of Stesagoras

Passage 940 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

After his death, Miltiades is honored as a founder in the Chersonese, though the rival Lampsacenes are excluded from his games. Stesagoras, who succeeded him, is also assassinated in the town-hall during the war.

§6.38.1οὗτος μὲν δὴ διὰ Κροῖσον ἐκφεύγει, μετὰ δὲ τελευτᾷ ἄπαις, τὴν ἀρχήν τε καὶ τὰ χρήματα παραδοὺς Στησαγόρῃ τῷ Κίμωνος ἀδελφεοῦ παιδὶ ὁμομητρίου.

He indeed escaped death because of Croesus, but afterwards died childless, handing over his rule and property to Stesagoras, the son of his brother Cimon by the same mother.

καί οἱ τελευτήσαντι Χερσονησῖται θύουσι ὡς νόμος οἰκιστῇ, καὶ ἀγῶνα ἱππικόν τε καὶ γυμνικὸν ἐπιστᾶσι, ἐν τῷ Λαμψακηνῶν οὐδενὶ ἐγγίνεται ἀγωνίζεσθαι.

And to him, now that he was dead, the Chersonesians offer sacrifices as is customary for a founder, and they have established equestrian and athletic contests, in which it is not permitted for any of the Lampsacenes to compete.

§6.38.2πολέμου δὲ ἐόντος πρὸς Λαμψακηνοὺς καὶ Στησαγόρεα κατέλαβε ἀποθανεῖν ἄπαιδα, πληγέντα τὴν κεφαλὴν πελέκεϊ ἐν τῷ πρυτανηίῳ πρὸς ἀνδρὸς αὐτομόλου μὲν τῷ λόγῳ πολεμίου δὲ καὶ ὑποθερμοτέρου τῷ ἔργῳ.

While the war with the Lampsacenes was still going on, Stesagoras also met his death childless, being struck on the head with an axe in the town-hall by a man who was in word a deserter, but in deed an enemy and a rather hot-headed fellow.

Notes

6.38.1τῷ Κίμωνος ἀδελφεοῦ παιδὶ ὁμομητρίου — The genitive singular masculine adjective ὁμομητρίου (by the same mother) modifies the adjacent noun ἀδελφεοῦ (brother). This indicates that Miltiades and Cimon were maternal half-brothers; it does not modify παιδὶ (child) or Κίμωνος (Cimon) directly as an attribute of Stesagoras.
6.38.1ἐγγίνεται — Impersonal verb meaning 'it is possible' or 'it is permitted,' taking the infinitive ἀγωνίζεσθαι (to compete) as its subject. Combined with the negative οὐδενὶ (no one), it expresses that 'it is not permitted for any of the Lampsacenes to compete.'
6.38.2κατέλαβε ἀποθανεῖν — The verb κατέλαβε is used impersonally here to mean 'it befell' or 'it overtook.' It takes an accusative and infinitive construction, with Στησαγόρεα as the subject of the infinitive ἀποθανεῖν ἄπαιδα (to die childless).
6.38.2πληγέντα τὴν κεφαλὴν — The passive participle πληγέντα (having been struck), which is in the accusative agreeing with Στησαγόρεα, is accompanied by τὴν κεφαλὴν (the head) as an accusative of respect (or retained accusative with a passive verb), meaning 'having been struck on the head.'

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.38.1-6.38.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.38.1-6.38.2

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.