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Herodotus · Histories §6.46.1-6.46.3

Darius Orders the Disarmament of Wealthy Thasos

Passage 948 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Darius orders the Thasians to dismantle their walls and relocate their ships. Having fortified themselves after a previous siege, the Thasians enjoyed vast wealth from their mines and mainland territories.

§6.46.1δευτέρῳ δὲ ἔτεϊ τούτων ὁ Δαρεῖος πρῶτα μὲν Θασίους διαβληθέντας ὑπὸ τῶν ἀστυγειτόνων ὡς ἀπόστασιν μηχανῴατο, πέμψας ἄγγελον ἐκέλευε σφέας τὸ τεῖχος περιαιρέειν καὶ τὰς νέας ἐς Ἄβδηρα κομίζειν.
In the second year after these events, Darius first of all, since the Thasians had been accused by their neighbors of plotting a rebellion, sent a messenger and ordered them to pull down their wall and to bring their ships to Abdera.
§6.46.2οἱ γὰρ δὴ Θάσιοι, οἷα ὑπὸ Ἱστιαίου τε τοῦ Μιλησίου πολιορκηθέντες καὶ προσόδων ἐουσέων μεγαλέων, ἐχρέωντο τοῖσι χρήμασι νέας τε ναυπηγεύμενοι μακρὰς καὶ τεῖχος ἰσχυρότερον περιβαλλόμενοι.
For the Thasians, inasmuch as they had been besieged by Histiaeus of Miletus and had great revenues, were using their money to build long ships and to surround themselves with a stronger wall.
ἡ δὲ πρόσοδός σφι ἐγίνετο ἔκ τε τῆς ἠπείρου καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν μετάλλων· §6.46.3ἐκ μέν γε τῶν ἐκ Σκαπτησύλης τῶν χρυσέων μετάλλων τὸ ἐπίπαν ὀγδώκοντα τάλαντα προσήιε, ἐκ δὲ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ Θάσῳ ἐλάσσω μὲν τούτων, συχνὰ δὲ οὓτω ὣστε τὸ ἐπίπαν Θασίοισι ἐοῦσι καρπῶν ἀτελέσι προσήιε ἀπό τε τῆς ἠπείρου καὶ τῶν μετάλλων ἔτεος ἑκάστου διηκόσια τάλαντα, ὅτε δὲ τὸ πλεῖστον προσῆλθε, τριηκόσια.
Their revenue came both from the mainland and from the mines; from the gold mines of Scapte Hyle, in general, eighty talents came in, and from those in Thasos itself rather less than this, but still so much that, in general, for the Thasians, who were free of taxes on the fruits of the earth, there came in from the mainland and the mines two hundred talents each year, and when the revenue was at its greatest, three hundred.

Notes

  1. §6.46.1δευτέρῳ δὲ ἔτεϊ τούτων — The phrase "in the second year from these things" means "the following year" due to the Greek practice of inclusive reckoning, which counts the starting year as the first. `τούτων` is a genitive of comparison or reference.
  2. §6.46.2οἷα ὑπὸ Ἱστιαίου τε τοῦ Μιλησίου πολιορκηθέντες καὶ προσόδων ἐουσέων μεγαλέων — The causal particle `οἷα` (inasmuch as) governs two grammatically distinct structures coordinated by `καί`: first, the nominative participle `πολιορκηθέντες` agreeing with the subject of the sentence, and second, the genitive absolute construction `προσόδων ἐουσέων`.
  3. §6.46.3Θασίοισι ἐοῦσι καρπῶν ἀτελέσι — `ἐοῦσι` is the Ionic present participle (equivalent to Attic `οὖσι`), agreeing with `Θασίοισι` which depends on the verb `προσήιε`. The adjective `ἀτελέσι` (exempt from) governs the genitive of separation `καρπῶν` (produce/fruits of the earth), indicating what they were exempt from paying tax on.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.46.1-6.46.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.46.1-6.46.3

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