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Herodotus · Histories §6.76.1-6.76.2

Cleomenes' Campaign against Argos and Rerouting by Sea

Passage 978 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Cleomenes reaches the river Erasinus based on an oracle about conquering Argos, but due to unfavorable sacrifices, he aborts the river crossing and attempts an invasion by sea.

§6.76.1Κλεομένεϊ γὰρ μαντευομένῳ ἐν Δελφοῖσι ἐχρήσθη Ἄργος αἱρήσειν·
For when Cleomenes consulted the oracle at Delphi, it was prophesied to him that he would take Argos.
ἐπείτε δὲ Σπαρτιήτας ἄγων ἀπίκετο ἐπὶ ποταμὸν Ἐρασῖνον, ὃς λέγεται ῥέειν ἐκ τῆς Στυμφαλίδος λίμνης· τὴν γὰρ δὴ λίμνην ταύτην ἐς χάσμα ἀφανὲς ἐκδιδοῦσαν ἀναφαίνεσθαι ἐν Ἄργεϊ, τὸ ἐνθεῦτεν δὲ τὸ ὕδωρ ἤδη τοῦτο ὑπʼ Ἀργείων Ἐρασῖνον καλέεσθαι· ἀπικόμενος δʼ ὦν ὁ Κλεομένης ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμὸν τοῦτον ἐσφαγιάζετο αὐτῷ·
But when he arrived, leading the Spartans, at the river Erasinus, which is said to flow from the Stymphalian lake—for they say that this lake, discharging itself into an invisible chasm, reappears in the territory of Argos, and from that point this water is already called the Erasinus by the Argives—at any rate, having arrived at this river, Cleomenes offered sacrifice to it.
§6.76.2καὶ οὐ γὰρ ἐκαλλιέρεε οὐδαμῶς διαβαίνειν μιν, ἄγασθαι μὲν ἔφη τοῦ Ἐρασίνου οὐ προδιδόντος τοὺς πολιήτας, Ἀργείους μέντοι οὐδʼ ὣς χαιρήσειν.
And since the sacrifices were by no means favorable for him to cross, he said that he admired the Erasinus for not betraying its own citizens, but that the Argives, for all that, would not escape with joy.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐξαναχωρήσας τὴν στρατιὴν κατήγαγε ἐς Θυρέην, σφαγιασάμενος δὲ τῇ θαλάσσῃ ταῦρον πλοίοισι σφέας ἤγαγε ἔς τε τὴν Τιρυνθίην χώρην καὶ Ναυπλίην.
After this, withdrawing, he led his army down to Thyrea, and having sacrificed a bull to the sea, he brought them in ships to the Tirynthian territory and to Nauplia.

Notes

  1. 6.76.1Ἄργος αἱρήσειν — The accusative object of the future infinitive αἱρήσειν is Ἄργος, while the subject of the infinitive (Cleomenes himself) is omitted. The Delphic oracle 'that he would take Argos' is naturally understood as referring to the city of Argos, but the subsequent context implies a double meaning involving the river Erasinus flowing in the territory of Argos.
  2. 6.76.1ἐπείτε δὲ... ἀπικόμενος δʼ ὦν — A classic example of anacoluthon. The subordinate clause introduced by ἐπείτε (when) never receives its main verb because of the long parenthetical relative clause ὃς λέγεται... and the indirect statement τὴν γὰρ δὴ...; instead, the sentence starts anew with the participle phrase ἀπικόμενος δʼ ὦν (at any rate, having arrived) leading to the main verb ἐσφαγιάζετο.
  3. 6.76.2οὐ γὰρ ἐκαλλιέρεε — Impersonal use of the verb καλλιερέω (to obtain favorable omens from sacrifice). It means 'the sacrifices were by no means favorable (for him to cross)', where the infinitive clause διαβαίνειν μιν (for him to cross) functions as the subject or complement. The form μιν is the Ionic form of the third-person accusative pronoun (αὐτόν).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.76.1-6.76.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.76.1-6.76.2

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