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Herodotus · Histories §6.89.1

Athenian Delay and the Failure of Nicodromus's Plot

Passage 995 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Nicodromus seized the "Old City" of Aegina as agreed, but the Athenians delayed while securing ships from Corinth, resulting in the failure of the plot due to their arriving one day late.

§6.89.1μετὰ ταῦτα καταλαμβάνει μὲν κατὰ τὰ συνεθήκατο Ἀθηναίοισι ὁ Νικόδρομος τὴν παλαιὴν καλεομένην πόλιν, Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ οὐ παραγίνονται ἐς δέον· οὐ γὰρ ἔτυχον ἐοῦσαι νέες σφι ἀξιόμαχοι τῇσι Αἰγινητέων συμβαλεῖν.
After this, Nicodromus, according to his agreement with the Athenians, seized what was called the Old City; but the Athenians did not arrive at the necessary time, for they did not happen to have ships of sufficient strength to engage those of the Aeginetans.
ἐν ᾧ ὦν Κορινθίων ἐδέοντο χρῆσαι σφίσι νέας, ἐν τούτῳ διεφθάρη τὰ πρήγματα.
So while they were requesting the Corinthians to lend them ships, during this time the enterprise was ruined.
οἱ δὲ Κορίνθιοι, ἦσαν γάρ σφι τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον φίλοι ἐς τὰ μάλιστα, Ἀθηναίοισι διδοῦσι δεομένοισι εἴκοσι νέας, διδοῦσι δὲ πενταδράχμους ἀποδόμενοι· δωρεὴν γὰρ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ οὐκ ἐξῆν δοῦναι.
The Corinthians, who at that time were on the most friendly terms with them, gave twenty ships to the Athenians at their request, but they gave them by selling them for five drachmas each; for by their law it was not permitted to make a free gift.
ταύτας τε δὴ λαβόντες οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ τὰς σφετέρας, πληρώσαντες ἑβδομήκοντα νέας τὰς ἁπάσας, ἔπλεον ἐπὶ τὴν Αἴγιναν καὶ ὑστέρησαν ἡμέρῃ μιῇ τῆς συγκειμένης.
The Athenians, taking these and their own ships, and having manned seventy ships in all, sailed against Aegina, but they arrived one day later than the agreed time.

Notes

  1. §6.89.1οὐ γὰρ ἔτυχον ἐοῦσαι — ἔτυχον ἐοῦσαι consists of the verb τυγχάνω with a participle, meaning 'happened to be' or emphasizing the actual state of affairs. Here it objectively describes the fact that the Athenians lacked a sufficient fleet ready for immediate action.
  2. §6.89.1ἐν ᾧ ὦν... ἐν τούτῳ — The correlative construction ἐν ᾧ ... ἐν τούτῳ means 'while... during this time'. The first clause states the cause of delay (requesting ships from Corinth), while the second clause presents the definitive consequence, namely the ruin of the whole enterprise (διεφθάρη τὰ πρήγματα).
  3. §6.89.1πενταδράχμους ἀποδόμενοι — The participle ἀποδόμενοι (second aorist middle participle of ἀποδίδωμι, 'to sell') modifies the main verb διδοῦσι ('give'), indicating that the transaction was a sale rather than a gift. The adjective πενταδράχμους ('for five drachmas') specifies the nominal price per ship, a formal transaction to bypass the legal restriction against free gifts.
  4. §6.89.1τῆς συγκειμένης — A genitive of comparison or point of departure with ἡμέρης ('day') understood, meaning 'than the agreed [day]'. It highlights the fatal delay of just one day (expressed by the dative of measure ἡμέρῃ μιῇ) which led to the failure of coordination with Nicodromus' uprising.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.89.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.89.1

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