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Herodotus · Histories §7.108.1-7.108.3

Xerxes Marches from Doriscus along the Thracian Coast

Passage 1171 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Xerxes begins his march from Doriscus toward Greece, forcing local inhabitants to join his army, and passes by the Samothracian fortresses, Mesambria, Stryme, and the dried-up Lisus River.

§7.108.1Ξέρξης δὲ ἐκ τοῦ Δορίσκου ἐπορεύετο ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα, τοὺς δὲ αἰεὶ γινομένους ἐμποδὼν συστρατεύεσθαι ἠνάγκαζε· ἐδεδούλωτο γάρ, ὡς καὶ πρότερόν μοι δεδήλωται, ἡ μέχρι Θεσσαλίης πᾶσα καὶ ἦν ὑπὸ βασιλέα δασμοφόρος, Μεγαβάζου τε καταστρεψαμένου καὶ ὕστερον Μαρδονίου.
Xerxes marched from Doriscus against Greece, and forced all those who came in his way to join his army; for, as has already been shown by me before, the whole country as far as Thessaly had been enslaved and was tributary to the king, Megabazus having subdued it, and later Mardonius.
§7.108.2παραμείβετο δὲ πορευόμενος ἐκ Δορίσκου πρῶτα μὲν τὰ Σαμοθρηίκια τείχεα, τῶν ἐσχάτη πεπόλισται πρὸς ἑσπέρης πόλις τῇ οὔνομα ἐστὶ Μεσαμβρίη.
In his march from Doriscus, he first passed by the Samothracian fortresses, the westernmost of which is a city built under the name of Mesambria.
ἔχεται δὲ ταύτης Θασίων πόλις Στρύμη, διὰ δὲ σφέων τοῦ μέσου Λίσος ποταμὸς διαρρέει, ὃς τότε οὐκ ἀντέσχε τὸ ὕδωρ παρέχων τῷ Ξέρξεω στρατῷ ἀλλʼ ἐπέλιπε.
Bordering on this is Stryme, a city of the Thasians; and between them flows the river Lisus, which at that time failed to supply enough water for Xerxes' army, but dried up.
§7.108.3ἡ δὲ χώρη αὕτη πάλαι μὲν ἐκαλέετο Γαλλαϊκή, νῦν δὲ Βριαντική· ἔστι μέντοι τῷ δικαιοτάτῳ τῶν λόγων καί αὕτη Κικόνων.
This region was of old called Gallaic, but is now called Briantic; however, by the truest account, this also belongs to the Cicones.

Notes

  1. §7.108.1τοὺς δὲ αἰεὶ γινομένους ἐμποδὼν — The participle γινομένους combined with the adverb ἐμποδὼν (in the way) means 'those who came in his way' or 'the populations encountered along his route,' rather than 'those who blocked his way.' It functions as the direct object of ἠνάγκαζε.
  2. §7.108.1Μεγαβάζου τε καταστρεψαμένου — Genitive absolute construction. The participle καταστρεψαμένου is understood to be shared also with the subsequent ὕστερον Μαρδονίου. It explains the historical cause or circumstances of the preceding passive verb ἐδεδούλωτο.
  3. §7.108.2ἔχεται δὲ ταύτης — The middle voice ἔχομαι of the verb ἔχω means 'to cling to' or 'to border on,' and takes the genitive case (here ταύτης referring to Mesambria).
  4. §7.108.3τῷ δικαιοτάτῳ τῶν λόγων — Dative of reference or standard. It means 'according to the truest account' or 'most strictly speaking.'

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.108.1-7.108.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.108.1-7.108.3

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