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Herodotus · Histories §7.151.1

Argive Embassy to Artaxerxes at Susa

Passage 1214 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Reports a story told among the Greeks that while Athenian envoys were in Susa, the Argives also sent envoys to confirm with King Artaxerxes whether their previous friendship with Xerxes was still in force.

§7.151.1συμπεσεῖν δὲ τούτοισι καὶ τόνδε τὸν λόγον λέγουσι τινὲς Ἑλλήνων πολλοῖσι ἔτεσι ὕστερον γενόμενον τούτων.
Some of the Greeks say that the following story, which occurred many years after these events, also agrees with them.
τυχεῖν ἐν Σούσοισι τοῖσι Μεμνονίοισι ἐόντας ἑτέρου πρήγματος εἵνεκα ἀγγέλους Ἀθηναίων Καλλίην τε τὸν Ἱππονίκου καὶ τοὺς μετὰ τούτου ἀναβάντας, Ἀργείους δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν τοῦτον χρόνον πέμψαντας καὶ τούτους ἐς Σοῦσα ἀγγέλους εἰρωτᾶν Ἀρτοξέρξεα τὸν Ξέρξεω εἴ σφι ἔτι ἐμμένει ἐθέλουσι τὴν πρὸς Ξέρξην φιλίην συνεκεράσαντο, ἢ νομιζοίατο πρὸς αὐτοῦ εἶναι πολέμιοι·
It happened that Athenian envoys—Callias the son of Hipponicus, and those who went up with him—were in Memnonian Susa on some other business, and at this very same time the Argives, having also sent envoys to Susa, asked Artaxerxes the son of Xerxes whether the friendship they had concluded with Xerxes still remained in force for them, or whether they were considered by him as enemies.
βασιλέα δὲ Ἀρτοξέρξεα μάλιστα ἐμμένειν φάναι, καὶ οὐδεμίαν νομίζειν πόλιν Ἄργεος φιλιωτέρην.
And King Artaxerxes is said to have declared that it most certainly remained in force, and that he considered no city more friendly than Argos.

Notes

  1. §7.151.1συμπεσεῖν — The infinitive συμπεσεῖν (from συμπίπτω, "to agree with, coincide") is in indirect discourse depending on the main verb λέγουσι, taking the dative τούτοισι (referring to the previous claims of the Argives).
  2. §7.151.1τυχεῖν ... ἐόντας — The construction τυγχάνω + participle ("to happen to be") is here adapted to indirect discourse: the verb τυγχάνω becomes the infinitive τυχεῖν, and the participle ὄντες becomes the accusative ἐόντας, agreeing with its subject accusative ἀγγέλους.
  3. §7.151.1ἐθέλουσι — Active present participle dative plural of ἐθέλω ("to wish, will"), agreeing with the pronoun σφι ("for them," referring to the Argives). It functions as a circumstantial participle, meaning "if they so wished" or "according to their desire."

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.151.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.151.1

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