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Herodotus · Histories §6.7.1

Ionian council at the Panionium and naval assembly at Lade

Passage 909 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

In response to the Persian advance, the Ionians assemble their deputies at the Panionium and decide not to raise a land army, but to leave the defense of Miletus to its citizens while quickly assembling their entire fleet at the island of Lade for a naval battle.

§6.7.1οἳ μὲν δὴ ἐπὶ τὴν Μίλητον καὶ τὴν ἄλλην Ἰωνίην ἐστρατεύοντο, Ἴωνες δὲ πυνθανόμενοι ταῦτα ἔπεμπον προβούλους σφέων αὐτῶν ἐς Πανιώνιον.
They, then, were marching against Miletus and the rest of Ionia, but the Ionians, on learning of this, sent deputies from among themselves to the Panionium.
ἀπικομένοισι δὲ τούτοισι ἐς τοῦτον τὸν χῶρον καὶ βουλευομένοισι ἔδοξε πεζὸν μὲν στρατὸν μηδένα συλλέγειν ἀντίξοον Πέρσῃσι, ἀλλὰ τὰ τείχεα ῥύεσθαι αὐτοὺς Μιλησίους, τὸ δὲ ναυτικὸν πληροῦν ὑπολιπομένους μηδεμίαν τῶν νεῶν πληρώσαντας δὲ συλλέγεσθαι τὴν ταχίστην ἐς Λάδην προναυμαχήσοντας τῆς Μιλήτου.
When these had arrived at this place and held a council, it was decided not to assemble any land army to oppose the Persians, but that the Milesians themselves should defend their own walls, and that they should man the fleet, leaving behind not a single one of the ships, and once they had manned them, they should assemble as quickly as possible at Lade to fight a sea battle in defense of Miletus.
ἡ δὲ Λάδη ἐστὶ νῆσος μικρὴ ἐπὶ τῇ πόλι τῇ Μιλησίων κειμένη.
Now Lade is a small island lying off the city of the Milesians.

Notes

  1. §6.7.1ἀπικομένοισι δὲ τούτοισι ἐς τοῦτον τὸν χῶρον καὶ βουλευομένοισι — Dative complement of the impersonal verb ἔδοξε ("it was decided"), representing the deputies (τούτοισι) who had arrived and were deliberating.
  2. §6.7.1αὐτοὺς Μιλησίους — Accusative functioning as the subject of the infinitive ῥύεσθαι.
  3. §6.7.1ὑπολιπομένους ... πληρώσαντας — Both are accusative plural particioles, agreeing with the unexpressed subject (the Ionians) of the infinitives (πληροῦν, συλλέγεσθαι) governed by ἔδοξε.
  4. §6.7.1προναυμαχήσοντας — Future participle in the accusative plural, expressing purpose ("to fight a sea battle"). The genitive τῆς Μιλήτου is governed by the verb προναυμαχέω, meaning "in front of" or "in defense of Miletus".

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.7.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.7.1

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