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Herodotus · Histories §7.115.1-7.115.3

March to Acanthus and the Revered Route of Xerxes

Passage 1178 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Xerxes' army marches westward from the Strymon, passing Greek cities like Argilus and Stageirus to arrive at Acanthus, while pressing local tribes into service. The road used by Xerxes remains revered and untouched by the Thracians.

§7.115.1ὡς δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ Στρυμόνος ἐπορεύετο ὁ στρατός, ἐνθαῦτα πρὸς ἡλίου δυσμέων ἐστὶ αἰγιαλὸς ἐν τῷ οἰκημένην Ἄργιλον πόλιν Ἑλλάδα παρεξήιε· αὕτη δὲ καὶ ἡ κατύπερθε ταύτης καλέεται Βισαλτίη.
When the army journeyed from the Strymon, there, towards the setting of the sun, is a shore along which they passed by the Greek city of Argilus, which is situated there; and this region, as well as the one above it, is called Bisaltia.
§7.115.2ἐνθεῦτεν δὲ κόλπον τὸν ἐπὶ Ποσιδηίου ἐξ ἀριστερῆς χειρὸς ἔχων ἤιε διὰ Συλέος πεδίου καλεομένου, Στάγειρον πόλιν Ἑλλάδα παραμειβόμενος, καὶ ἀπίκετο ἐς Ἄκανθον, ἅμα ἀγόμενος τούτων ἕκαστον τῶν ἐθνέων καὶ τῶν περὶ τὸ Πάγγαιον ὄρος οἰκεόντων, ὁμοίως καὶ τῶν πρότερον κατέλεξα, τοὺς μὲν παρὰ θάλασσαν ἔχων οἰκημένους ἐκ νηυσὶ στρατευομένους, τοὺς δʼ ὑπὲρ θαλάσσης πεζῇ ἑπομένους.
From there, keeping the gulf off Posideium on the left hand, they went through what is called the plain of Syleus, passing by the Greek city of Stageirus, and arrived at Acanthus, bringing along with them each of these nations and also those who dwelt around Mount Pangaeum, in like manner as those whom I listed before; having those who dwelt by the sea serving on ships, while those who lived inland followed on foot.
§7.115.3τὴν δὲ ὁδὸν ταύτην, τῇ βασιλεὺς Ξέρξης τὸν στρατὸν ἤλασε, οὔτε συγχέουσι Θρήικες οὔτʼ ἐπισπείρουσι σέβονταί τε μεγάλως τὸ μέχρι ἐμεῦ.
This road, along which King Xerxes marched his army, the Thracians neither destroy nor sow upon, but hold it in great reverence even to my own time.

Notes

  1. §7.115.1ἐν τῷ — The antecedent is the preceding αἰγιαλός ("shore"), where the neuter singular dative relative pronoun is used with the preposition ἐν to mean "on which shore."
  2. §7.115.2τῶν πρότερον κατέλεξα — A genitive case dependent on the comparative construction ὁμοίως καὶ ("in like manner as"). The relative pronoun, which would act as the direct object (accusative) of the transitive verb κατέλεξα, is either omitted or attracted into the genitive case of its antecedent: "as [of those whom] I listed before."
  3. §7.115.3τὸ μέχρι ἐμεῦ — The neuter accusative singular article τὸ is used adverbially with the prepositional phrase μέχρι ἐμεῦ ("up to me"), expressing temporal duration: "even to my own time."

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.115.1-7.115.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.115.1-7.115.3

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