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Herodotus · Histories §6.73.1-6.73.2

Seizure of Aeginetan Hostages by Cleomenes and Leotychides

Passage 975 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Cleomenes, having succeeded in Demaratus's matter, attacked Aegina with Leotychides, seized ten of their most prominent citizens, and deposited them as hostages with the hostile Athenians.

§6.73.1ταῦτα μὲν δὴ ἐγένετο χρόνῳ ὕστερον·
These things indeed happened later in time.
τότε δὲ ὡς τῷ Κλεομένεϊ ὡδώθη τὸ ἐς τὸν Δημάρητον πρῆγμα, αὐτίκα παραλαβὼν Λευτυχίδεα ἤιε ἐπὶ τοὺς Αἰγινήτας, δεινόν τινά σφι ἔγκοτον διὰ τὸν προπηλακισμὸν ἔχων.
But at that time, when the business concerning Demaratus had gone successfully for Cleomenes, he immediately took Leotychides with him and went against the Aeginetans, holding a terrible grudge against them because of the insult.
§6.73.2οὕτω δὴ οὔτε οἱ Αἰγινῆται, ἀμφοτέρων τῶν βασιλέων ἡκόντων ἐπʼ αὐτούς, ἐδικαίευν ἔτι ἀντιβαίνειν, ἐκεῖνοί τε ἐπιλεξάμενοι ἄνδρας δέκα Αἰγινητέων τοὺς πλείστου ἀξίους καὶ πλούτῳ καὶ γένει· ἦγον καὶ ἄλλους καὶ δὴ καὶ Κριόν τε τὸν Πολυκρίτου καὶ Κάσαυβον τὸν Ἀριστοκράτεος, οἵ περ εἶχον μέγιστον κράτος·
Under these circumstances, since both kings had come against them, the Aeginetans no longer deemed it right to resist, and those kings, having selected ten men of the Aeginetans who were of the highest standing in both wealth and birth, carried them off, including others and in particular Crius son of Polycritus and Casambus son of Aristocrates, who possessed the greatest power.
ἀγαγόντες δὲ σφέας ἐς γῆν τὴν Ἀττικὴν παραθήκην παρατίθενται ἐς τοὺς ἐχθίστους Αἰγινήτῃσι Ἀθηναίους.
Having brought them to the Attic land, they deposited them as a pledge with the Athenians, who were the bitterest enemies to the Aeginetans.

Notes

  1. §6.73.1ὡδώθη τὸ ἐς τὸν Δημάρητον πρῆγμα — The verb ὡδώθη is the third-person singular aorist indicative passive of ὁδόω (to make a way, guide), used here in the sense of 'to succeed, progress smoothly.' The dative τῷ Κλεομένεϊ functions as a dative of advantage (dativus commodi), meaning 'for Cleomenes.'
  2. §6.73.2καὶ ἄλλους καὶ δὴ καὶ — The correlative phrase καὶ ... καὶ δὴ καὶ ... means 'both others and in particular...,' serving to emphasize specific individuals within a larger group. Here it singles out Crius and Casambus from among the other leading men who were carried off.
  3. §6.73.2παραθήκην — The accusative singular of the noun παραθήκη (a deposit, trust), functioning as an appositive or predicative accusative to the pronoun σφέας (them), the object of the main verb παρατίθενται (they deposit), meaning 'as a pledge' or 'as a deposit.'

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.73.1-6.73.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.73.1-6.73.2

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