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Herodotus · Histories §6.92.1-6.92.3

Argive Official Refusal and Volunteer Aid to Aegina

Passage 998 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The Aeginetans, after being defeated in a sea-battle against Athens, appeal to the Argives for aid, who officially refuse due to their past collaboration with Sparta. However, one thousand Argive volunteers led by Eurybates join them and fight in Aegina.

§6.92.1ταῦτα μέν νυν σφέας αὐτοὺς οἱ Αἰγινῆται ἐργάσαντο, Ἀθηναίοισι δὲ ἥκουσι ἐναυμάχησαν νηυσὶ ἑβδομήκοντα, ἑσσωθέντες δὲ τῇ ναυμαχίῃ ἐπεκαλέοντο τοὺς αὐτοὺς καὶ πρότερον, Ἀργείους.
These things, then, the Aeginetans did to themselves. But they fought a sea-battle with seventy ships against the Athenians who had come, and being defeated in the sea-battle, they called upon the same people as before, namely the Argives.
καὶ δή σφι οὗτοι μὲν οὐκέτι βοηθέουσι, μεμφόμενοι ὅτι Αἰγιναῖαι νέες ἀνάγκῃ λαμφθεῖσαι ὑπὸ Κλεομένεος ἔσχον τε ἐς τὴν Ἀργολίδα χώρην καὶ συναπέβησαν Λακεδαιμονίοισι, συναπέβησαν δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ Σικυωνιέων νεῶν ἄνδρες τῇ αὐτῇ ταύτῃ ἐσβολῇ·
However, these did not help them any longer, complaining that Aeginetan ships, having been seized by force by Cleomenes, had put in at the Argive territory and had disembarked along with the Lacedaemonians; and also that men from Sicyonian ships had disembarked along with them in this same invasion.
§6.92.2καί σφι ὑπʼ Ἀργείων ἐπεβλήθη ζημίη χίλια τάλαντα ἐκτῖσαι, πεντακόσια ἑκατέρους.
A fine of a thousand talents was imposed on them by the Argives to be paid, five hundred by each.
Σικυώνιοι μέν νυν συγγνόντες ἀδικῆσαι ὡμολόγησαν ἑκατὸν τάλαντα ἐκτίσαντες ἀζήμιοι εἶναι, Αἰγινῆται δὲ οὔτε συνεγινώσκοντο ἦσάν τε αὐθαδέστεροι.
Now the Sicyonians, acknowledging that they had done wrong, agreed to be free of further penalty by paying a hundred talents; but the Aeginetans did not acknowledge their wrong and were more obstinate.
διὰ δὴ ὦν σφι ταῦτα δεομένοισι ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ δημοσίου οὐδεὶς Ἀργείων ἔτι ἐβοήθεε, ἐθελονταὶ δὲ ἐς χιλίους·
Therefore, when they asked for help, no one of the Argives helped them any longer on public authority, but volunteers did to the number of a thousand.
ἦγε δὲ αὐτοὺς στρατηγὸς ἀνὴρ ᾧ οὔνομα Εὐρυβάτης, ἀνὴρ πεντάεθλον ἐπασκήσας.
They were led by a general named Eurybates, a man who had trained in the pentathlon.
§6.92.3τούτων οἱ πλεῦνες οὐκ ἀπενόστησαν ὀπίσω, ἀλλʼ ἐτελεύτησαν ὑπʼ Ἀθηναίων ἐν Αἰγίνῃ·
Most of these did not return home, but met their end by the hands of the Athenians in Aegina.
αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ στρατηγὸς Εὐρυβάτης μουνομαχίην ἐπασκέων τρεῖς μὲν ἄνδρας τρόπῳ τοιούτῳ κτείνει, ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ τετάρτου Σωφάνεος τοῦ Δεκελέος ἀποθνήσκει.
The general Eurybates himself, practicing single combat, killed three men in this manner, but was killed by the fourth, Sophanes of Decelea.

Notes

  1. 6.92.1ἔσχον τε ἐς τὴν Ἀργολίδα χώρην — An intransitive usage of the verb ἔχω (often with an implied object like 'ships'), meaning 'to put in' or 'to land'. Here it means 'they put in at the Argive territory'.
  2. 6.92.2ἐπεβλήθη ζημίη χίλια τάλαντα ἐκτῖσαι — The infinitive ἐκτῖσαι ('to pay') functions in apposition to the noun ζημίη ('fine'), explaining its content, or indicating the result: 'a fine was imposed... to pay a thousand talents'.
  3. 6.92.2ὡμολόγησαν ἑκατὸν τάλαντα ἐκτίσαντες ἀζήμιοι εἶναι — The infinitive εἶναι functions as the complement of the verb ὡμολόγησαν ('they agreed'), and the participle ἐκτίσαντες ('having paid') denotes the means or condition. It means 'they agreed to be free of penalty by paying a hundred talents'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.92.1-6.92.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.92.1-6.92.3

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