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Herodotus · Histories §7.210.1-7.210.2

The Initial Mede Assault and Greek Resistance

Passage 1273 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Xerxes, ignoring Demaratus's warning, waits for four days before launching an attack on the fifth day with the Medes and Cissians. The Greeks resist fiercely, inflicting heavy casualties and demonstrating that while the Persian forces are numerous, true men are few.

§7.210.1ταῦτα λέγων οὐκ ἔπειθε τὸν Ξέρξην τέσσερας μὲν δὴ παρεξῆκε ἡμέρας, ἐλπίζων αἰεί σφεας ἀποδρήσεσθαι· πέμπτῃ δέ, ὡς οὐκ ἀπαλλάσσοντο ἀλλά οἱ ἐφαίνοντο ἀναιδείῃ τε καὶ ἀβουλίῃ διαχρεώμενοι μένειν, πέμπει ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς Μήδους τε καὶ Κισσίους θυμωθείς, ἐντειλάμενος σφέας ζωγρήσαντας ἄγειν ἐς ὄψιν τὴν ἑωυτοῦ.
Though Demaratus spoke thus, he did not convince Xerxes. For four days, indeed, Xerxes let the time pass, always expecting that they would run away; but on the fifth day, when they did not depart but seemed to him to remain out of impudence and folly, he sent the Medes and Cissians against them in anger, commanding them to take them alive and bring them into his presence.
§7.210.2ὡς δʼ ἐσέπεσον φερόμενοι ἐς τοὺς Ἕλληνας οἱ Μῆδοι, ἔπιπτον πολλοί, ἄλλοι δʼ ἐπεσήισαν, καὶ οὐκ ἀπηλαύνοντο, καίπερ μεγάλως προσπταίοντες.
But when the Medes fell upon the Greeks, rushing forward, many fell, but others rushed in after them, and they were not driven off, although they suffered great losses.
δῆλον δʼ ἐποίευν παντί τεῳ καὶ οὐκ ἥκιστα αὐτῷ βασιλέι, ὅτι πολλοὶ μὲν ἄνθρωποι εἶεν, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἄνδρες.
And they made it clear to everyone, and not least to the king himself, that there were many human beings, but few men.
ἐγίνετο δὲ ἡ συμβολὴ διʼ ἡμέρης.
The clash continued through the whole day.

Notes

  1. §7.210.1διαχρεώμενοι — The Ionic present participle of διαχράομαι (to use, practice, or be fully occupied with). It takes the datives ἀναιδείῃ τε καὶ ἀβουλίῃ to describe the manner of the Greeks' staying, as if they were fully employing or exhibiting "impudence and folly."
  2. §7.210.1ζωγρήσαντας — The aorist active participle in the accusative plural, agreeing with the implied subject of the infinitive ἄγειν (the Medes and Cissians). It does not agree with the preceding pronoun σφέας (the Greeks, who are the object of capturing and bringing), but designates the action of the captors.
  3. §7.210.2πολλοὶ μὲν ἄνθρωποι εἶεν, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἄνδρες — The verb εἶεν in the ὅτι clause is in the optative mood because the main verb of the sentence is in a past tense (imperfect ἐποίευν), representing an optative in indirect discourse (oblique oration). It highlights the semantic contrast between ἄνθρωποι (mere human beings, in terms of sheer numbers) and ἄνδρες (true men or brave warriors).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.210.1-7.210.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.210.1-7.210.2

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