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Herodotus · Histories §7.211.1-7.211.3

The Attack of the Immortals and Spartan Tactics

Passage 1274 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Following the retreat of the Medes, Xerxes deploys his elite 'Immortals', but they suffer heavy casualties and are forced to withdraw due to the narrow terrain and the superior tactics of the Spartans, including feigned retreats.

§7.211.1ἐπείτε δὲ οἱ Μῆδοι τρηχέως περιείποντο, ἐνθαῦτα οὗτοι μὲν ὑπεξήισαν, οἱ δὲ Πέρσαι ἐκδεξάμενοι ἐπήισαν, τοὺς ἀθανάτους ἐκάλεε βασιλεύς, τῶν ἦρχε Ὑδάρνης, ὡς δὴ οὗτοί γε εὐπετέως κατεργασόμενοι.
When the Medes were treated roughly, they then withdrew, and the Persians, taking their place, advanced—those whom the king called the "Immortals," led by Hydarnes—as if they indeed would easily finish the business.
§7.211.2ὡς δὲ καὶ οὗτοι συνέμισγον τοῖσι Ἕλλησι, οὐδὲν πλέον ἐφέροντο τῆς στρατιῆς τῆς Μηδικῆς ἀλλὰ τὰ αὐτά, ἅτε ἐν στεινοπόρῳ τε χώρῳ μαχόμενοι καὶ δόρασι βραχυτέροισι χρεώμενοι ἤ περ οἱ Ἕλληνες, καὶ οὐκ ἔχοντες πλήθεϊ χρήσασθαι.
But when these also clashed with the Greeks, they gained no more advantage than the Median army but met with the same result, because they were fighting in a narrow space and using shorter spears than the Greeks, and were unable to make use of their numbers.
§7.211.3Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ ἐμάχοντο ἀξίως λόγου, ἄλλα τε ἀποδεικνύμενοι ἐν οὐκ ἐπισταμένοισι μάχεσθαι ἐξεπιστάμενοι, καὶ ὅκως ἐντρέψειαν τὰ νῶτα, ἁλέες φεύγεσκον δῆθεν, οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι ὁρῶντες φεύγοντας βοῇ τε καὶ πατάγῳ ἐπήισαν, οἳ δʼ ἂν καταλαμβανόμενοι ὑπέστρεφον ἀντίοι εἶναι τοῖσι βαρβάροισι, μεταστρεφόμενοι δὲ κατέβαλλον πλήθεϊ ἀναριθμήτους τῶν Περσέων·
The Lacedaemonians, however, fought in a memorable manner, showing in various ways that they knew how to fight among those who did not, and whenever they turned their backs, they would retreat in a body as if in flight; and the barbarians, seeing them flee, would press on with shouting and clatter, but the Lacedaemonians, when about to be overtaken, would wheel around to face the barbarians, and by turning back, they laid low countless numbers of the Persians.
ἔπιπτον δὲ καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν Σπαρτιητέων ἐνθαῦτα ὀλίγοι.
There fell also a few of the Spartans themselves at that place.
ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐδὲν ἐδυνέατο παραλαβεῖν οἱ Πέρσαι τῆς ἐσόδου πειρώμενοι καὶ κατὰ τέλεα καὶ παντοίως προσβάλλοντες, ἀπήλαυνον ὀπίσω.
But when the Persians, though attempting to gain the pass by attacking both in detachments and in every possible way, were able to achieve nothing, they retreated back.

Notes

  1. 7.211.1ὡς δὴ οὗτοί γε εὐπετέως κατεργασόμενοι — The conjunction ὡς with the future participle κατεργασόμενοι (nominative plural, agreeing with οὗτοί) expresses the subjective intention or expectation of the subject of the main clause (Xerxes). It means 'under the impression that they would easily finish them off'.
  2. 7.211.2οὐδὲν πλέον ἐφέροντο τῆς στρατιῆς τῆς Μηδικῆς — The idiom πλέον φέρεσθαι means 'to gain an advantage' or 'to fare better', here modified adverbially by the neuter accusative οὐδὲν ('not at all'). The genitive τῆς στρατιῆς is a genitive of comparison triggered by the comparative πλέον.
  3. 7.211.3ἐν οὐκ ἐπισταμένοισι μάχεσθαι ἐξεπιστάμενοι — The phrase οὐκ ἐπισταμένοισι after the preposition ἐν is a substantivized participle (dative plural) taking the infinitive μάχεσθαι, meaning 'among those who did not know how to fight'. This is contrasted with the participle ἐξεπιστάμενοι referring to the Spartans themselves ('knowing well [how to fight]').
  4. 7.211.3ὅκως ἐντρέψειαν τὰ νῶτα, ἁλέες φεύγεσκον δῆθεν — The conjunction ὅκως (Ionic for ὅπως) with the optative (ἐντρέψειαν) expresses a past iterative condition ('whenever they turned'). The corresponding main verb φεύγεσκον is an Ionic iterative imperfect characterized by the suffix -σκ-. The particle δῆθεν ('supposedly', 'as they pretended') indicates that the retreat was a feint.
  5. 7.211.3οἳ δʼ ἂν καταλαμβανόμενοι ὑπέστρεφον — The demonstrative pronoun οἳ (used as a relative/personal pronoun) with the particle ἂν and the imperfect ὑπέστρεφον expresses iterative or habitual action in the past ('they would wheel around'). The present participle καταλαμβανόμενοι is temporal-concessive, meaning 'when they were about to be overtaken'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.211.1-7.211.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.211.1-7.211.3

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