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Herodotus · Histories §7.179.1

Advance of the Persian Fleet and Flight of Greek Ships

Passage 1242 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Mentioning that the Delphians still propitiate the winds, the narrative records that Xerxes' naval force advanced straight toward Skiathos with ten of their best ships, causing three Greek lookout ships to flee upon sighting them.

§7.179.1Δελφοὶ μὲν δὴ κατὰ τὸ χρηστήριον ἔτι καὶ νῦν τοὺς ἀνέμους ἱλάσκονται.
The Delphians indeed, in accordance with the oracle, even to this day still propitiate the winds.
ὁ δὲ ναυτικὸς Ξέρξεω στρατὸς ὁρμώμενος ἐκ Θέρμης πόλιος παρέβαλε νηυσὶ τῇσι ἄριστα πλεούσῃσι δέκα ἰθὺ Σκιάθου, ἔνθα ἦσαν προφυλάσσουσαι νέες τρεῖς Ἑλληνίδες, Τροιζηνίη τε καὶ Αἰγιναίη καὶ Ἀττική.
And the naval force of Xerxes, setting out from the city of Therme, advanced straight toward Skiathos with ten of their best sailing ships, where three Greek ships were on lookout duty: one from Troezen, one from Aegina, and one from Attica.
προϊδόντες δὲ οὗτοι τὰς νέας τῶν βαρβάρων ἐς φυγὴν ὅρμησαν.
When these men descried the ships of the barbarians from afar, they set off in flight.

Notes

  1. §7.179.1παρέβαλε — Third-person singular aorist indicative active of παραβάλλω. While its primary meaning is "to throw or place beside," it is used here intransitively in a nautical sense to mean "to direct one's course, advance." It is accompanied by the dative of accompaniment νηυσὶ ... δέκα ("with ten ships").
  2. §7.179.1ἦσαν προφυλάσσουσαι — A periphrastic construction combining the imperfect ἦσαν of εἰμί and the present participle προφυλάσσουσαι ("guarding"). This structure emphasizes the continuous state of being on lookout duty, rather than just the simple imperfect form (προεφύλασσον).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.179.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.179.1

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