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Herodotus · Histories §7.20.1-7.20.2

Departure of Xerxes and the Unprecedented Scale of His Army

Passage 1083 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Xerxes sets out with a massive army after four years of preparation following the reduction of Egypt, with the scale of this expedition described as far surpassing all previous historical and legendary campaigns.

§7.20.1ἀπὸ γὰρ Αἰγύπτου ἁλώσιος ἐπὶ μὲν τέσσερα ἔτεα πλήρεα παραρτέετο στρατιήν τε καὶ τὰ πρόσφορα τῇ στρατιῇ, πέμπτῳ δὲ ἔτεϊ ἀνομένῳ ἐστρατηλάτεε χειρὶ μεγάλῃ πλήθεος.
For from the reduction of Egypt, for four full years he was preparing the army and the things necessary for the army, and in the course of the fifth year he began his march with a force of great multitude.
§7.20.2στόλων γὰρ τῶν ἡμεῖς ἴδμεν πολλῷ δὴ μέγιστος οὗτος ἐγένετο, ὥστε μήτε τὸν Δαρείου τὸν ἐπὶ Σκύθας παρὰ τοῦτον μηδένα φαίνεσθαι, μήτε τὸν Σκυθικόν, ὅτε Σκύθαι Κιμμερίους διώκοντες ἐς τὴν Μηδικὴν χώρην ἐσβαλόντες σχεδὸν πάντα τὰ ἄνω τῆς Ἀσίης καταστρεψάμενοι ἐνέμοντο, τῶν εἵνεκεν ὕστερον Δαρεῖος ἐτιμωρέετο, μήτε κατὰ τὰ λεγόμενα τὸν Ἀτρειδέων ἐς Ἴλιον, μήτε τὸν Μυσῶν τε καὶ Τευκρῶν τὸν πρὸ τῶν Τρωικῶν γενόμενον, οἳ διαβάντες ἐς τὴν Εὐρώπην κατὰ Βόσπορον τούς τε Θρήικας κατεστρέψαντο πάντας καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰόνιον πόντον κατέβησαν, μέχρι τε Πηνειοῦ ποταμοῦ τὸ πρὸς μεσαμβρίης ἤλασαν.
For of all the expeditions of which we have knowledge, this proved to be by far the greatest, so that neither that of Darius against the Scythians appeared of any account in comparison with this, nor the Scythian expedition, when the Scythians in pursuit of the Cimmerians invaded the Median land and subdued and held almost all the upper part of Asia (for which later Darius sought to take vengeance on them), nor, according to what is said, that of the sons of Atreus against Ilium, nor that of the Mysians and Teucrians which took place before the Trojan war, who crossed over into Europe by the Bosporus, subdued all the Thracians, and came down to the Ionian Sea, and marched as far as the river Peneus towards the south.

Notes

  1. §7.20.1ἀνομένῳ — The present middle-passive participle of ἄνω (to accomplish, advance) in the dative case. Modifying the noun of time, it means 'as (the fifth year) was advancing' or 'drawing to a close', indicating the event occurred during the fifth year following the four years of preparation.
  2. §7.20.2ὥστε μήτε τὸν Δαρείου τὸν ἐπὶ Σκύθας παρὰ τοῦτον μηδένα φαίνεσθαι — A result clause introduced by ὥστε. Following a series of negative correlatives (μήτε), the negative indefinite pronoun μηδένα is added to reinforce the negation. The prepositional phrase παρὰ τοῦτον (in comparison with this) indicates the standard of comparison.
  3. §7.20.2τῶν εἵνεκεν — The relative pronoun τῶν in the genitive plural refers back to the Scythians, or the series of facts regarding their rule over Asia. It is governed by the postpositioned preposition εἵνεκεν (on account of), meaning 'on account of whom/which'.
  4. §7.20.2ἐτιμωρέετο — Imperfect tense of τιμωρέομαι (to take vengeance), expressing an attempted or intended action in the past ('sought to take vengeance'). It explains that Darius's Scythian expedition was intended as a retaliation for the previous Scythian invasion.
  5. §7.20.2ἤλασαν — The third person plural aorist of ἐλαύνω (to drive, march). Used intransitively, meaning that the Mysians and Teucrians 'marched' or 'advanced' their military force.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.20.1-7.20.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.20.1-7.20.2

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