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Herodotus · Histories §6.9.1-6.9.4

Persian attempt to divide the Ionians via former tyrants

Passage 911 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The Persian generals, fearing the size of the Ionian fleet, decide to use the exiled Ionian tyrants accompanying them to attempt to persuade the Ionian cities to desert with promises of leniency or threats of severe punishment.

§6.9.1αὗται μὲν Ἰώνων ἦσαν, τῶν δὲ βαρβάρων τὸ πλῆθος τῶν νεῶν ἦσαν ἑξακόσιαι.
These were the ships of the Ionians, while the number of the ships of the barbarians was six hundred.
ὡς δὲ καὶ αὗται ἀπίκατο πρὸς τὴν Μιλησίην καὶ ὁ πεζός σφι ἅπας παρῆν, ἐνθαῦτα οἱ Περσέων στρατηγοὶ πυθόμενοι τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Ἰάδων νεῶν καταρρώδησαν μὴ οὐ δυνατοὶ γένωνται ὑπερβαλέσθαι, καὶ οὕτω οὔτε τὴν Μίλητον οἷοί τε ἔωσι ἐξελεῖν μὴ οὐκ ἐόντες ναυκράτορες, πρός τε Δαρείου κινδυνεύσωσι κακόν τι λαβεῖν.
When these also had arrived in the territory of Miletus and all their land army was present with them, there the Persian generals, learning the number of the Ionian ships, became afraid lest they should not be able to overcome them, and so might neither be able to capture Miletus without being masters of the sea, nor escape running the risk of suffering some harm at the hands of Darius.
§6.9.2ταῦτα ἐπιλεγόμενοι, συλλέξαντες τῶν Ἰώνων τοὺς τυράννους, οἳ ὑπʼ Ἀρισταγόρεω μὲν τοῦ Μιλησίου καταλυθέντες τῶν ἀρχέων ἔφευγον ἐς Μήδους, ἐτύγχανον δὲ τότε συστρατευόμενοι ἐπὶ τὴν Μίλητον, τούτων τῶν ἀνδρῶν τοὺς παρεόντας συγκαλέσαντες ἔλεγόν σφι τάδε. §6.9.3ἄνδρες Ἴωνες, νῦν τις ὑμέων εὖ ποιήσας φανήτω τὸν βασιλέος οἶκον·
Reflecting on this, they gathered the tyrants of the Ionians—who, having been deposed from their rules by Aristagoras the Milesian, were in exile among the Medes, and happened at that time to be serving in the campaign against Miletus—and calling together those of these men who were present, they spoke to them as follows: "Men of Ionia, now let some one of you show that he has done good service to the house of the king; let each of you try to detach his own citizens from the rest of the allied force.
τοὺς γὰρ ἑωυτοῦ ἕκαστος ὑμέων πολιήτας πειράσθω ἀποσχίζων ἀπὸ τοῦ λοιποῦ συμμαχικοῦ. προϊσχόμενοι δὲ ἐπαγγείλασθε τάδε, ὡς πείσονταί τε ἄχαρι οὐδὲν διὰ τὴν ἀπόστασιν, οὐδέ σφι οὔτε τὰ ἱρὰ οὔτε τὰ ἴδια ἐμπεπρήσεται, οὐδὲ βιαιότερον ἕξουσι οὐδὲν ἢ πρότερον εἶχον.
Set this before them and make this promise: that they shall suffer no harm because of their rebellion, nor shall either their temples or their private property be burnt, nor shall they be treated any more harshly than they were before.
§6.9.4εἰ δὲ ταῦτα μὲν οὐ ποιήσουσι, οἳ δὲ πάντως διὰ μάχης ἐλεύσονται, τάδε ἤδη σφι λέγετε ἐπηρεάζοντες, τά περ σφέας κατέξει, ὡς ἑσσωθέντες τῇ μάχῃ ἐξανδραποδιεῦνται, καὶ ὡς σφέων τοὺς παῖδας ἐκτομίας ποιήσομεν, τὰς δὲ παρθένους ἀνασπάστους ἐς Βάκτρα, καὶ ὡς τὴν χώρην ἄλλοισι παραδώσομεν.
But if they will not do this, and will by all means come to battle, then tell them this and threaten them with what shall hold them down: that when they are defeated in battle they shall be enslaved, and we shall make eunuchs of their sons, and carry away their virgins to Bactra, and give their land to others."

Notes

  1. 6.9.1καταρρώδησαν μὴ οὐ δυνατοὶ γένωνται — After verbs of fearing (such as καταρρωδέω), the double negative μὴ οὐ with the subjunctive is used when the feared event is negative ("fear that they might not be able"). The influence of this fear clause extends to the subsequent coordinates: οὔτε ... οἷοί τε ἔωσι and πρός τε ... κινδυνεύσωσι.
  2. 6.9.1μὴ οὐκ ἐόντες ναυκράτορες — The participle ἐόντες (Ionic for ὄντες) has a conditional force ("if they were not"). Since the main verb of this clause (οἷοί τε ἔωσι) is already under the influence of the negative fear clause (μὴ οὐ), the negative particle for the conditional participle is doubled to μὴ οὐκ.
  3. 6.9.2συλλέξαντες τῶν Ἰώνων τοὺς τυράννους ... τούτων τῶν ἀνδρῶν τοὺς παρεόντας συγκαλέσαντες — Although the sentence begins with the participle συλλέξαντες taking "the tyrants of the Ionians" as its object, the long insertion of the relative clause (οἳ ...) causes the author to restate the object as τούτων τῶν ἀνδρῶν τοὺς παρεόντας with a new participle συγκαλέσαντες. This is a type of anacoluthon or redundancy for clarity after an interruption.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.9.1-6.9.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.9.1-6.9.4

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