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Herodotus · Histories §7.122.1

Passage of the Athos Canal and Voyage to the Gulf

Passage 1185 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The Persian fleet, dismissed by Xerxes, sails through the Athos canal and proceeds toward the Thermaic Gulf, conscripting troops and ships from various Greek cities along the way.

§7.122.1ὁ μέν νυν ναυτικὸς στρατὸς ὡς ἀπείθη ὑπὸ Ξέρξεω καὶ διεξέπλωσε τὴν διώρυχα τὴν ἐν τῷ Ἄθῳ γενομένην, διέχουσαν δὲ ἐς κόλπον ἐν τῷ Ἄσσα τε πόλις καὶ Πίλωρος καὶ Σίγγος καὶ Σάρτη οἴκηνται, ἐνθεῦτεν, ὡς καὶ ἐκ τουτέων τῶν πολίων στρατιὴν παρέλαβε, ἔπλεε ἀπιέμενος ἐς τὸν Θερμαῖον κόλπον, κάμπτων δὲ Ἄμπελον τὴν Τορωναίην ἄκρην παραμείβετο Ἑλληνίδας γε τάσδε πόλις, ἐκ τῶν νέας τε καὶ στρατιὴν παρελάμβανε, Τορώνην Γαληψὸν Σερμύλην Μηκύβερναν Ὄλυνθον.
Now the fleet, when it had been dismissed by Xerxes and had sailed through the canal made at Athos—which leads into the gulf where the cities of Assa, Pilorus, Singus, and Sarte are situated—from there, after taking on board troops from these cities also, sailed heading for the Thermaic Gulf; and rounding Ampelus, the promontory of Torone, it passed the following Greek cities, from which it also received ships and troops: Torone, Galepsus, Sermyle, Mecyberna, and Olynthus.

Notes

  1. §7.122.1ἀπείθη — ἀπείθη is the Ionic form for ἀφείθη (third-person singular aorist indicative passive of ἀφίημι), meaning "was dismissed" or "was allowed to depart," with ὁ ναυτικὸς στρατός as its subject.
  2. §7.122.1διέχουσαν — Present participle active, feminine accusative singular, modifying the preceding noun phrase τὴν διώρυχα τὴν ἐν τῷ Ἄθῳ γενομένην (the canal made at Athos), meaning that the canal "leads" or "extends" into the gulf.
  3. §7.122.1ἀπιέμενος — Ionic form of ἀφιέμενος (present middle-passive participle, masculine nominative singular, of ἀφίεμαι, meaning "to set out," "direct one's course," or "hasten"). It modifies the subject of the main verb ἔπλεε, indicating that the fleet sailed while directing its course toward the Thermaic Gulf.
  4. §7.122.1ἐκ τῶν — The article τῶν is used here as a relative pronoun in the genitive plural (equivalent to ὧν), referring back to the antecedent Ἑλληνίδας γε τάσδε πόλις (the following Greek cities).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.122.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.122.1

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