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Herodotus · Histories §7.33.1

The Hellespont Crossing Site and Artayctes

Passage 1096 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

While Xerxes prepares to march to Abydos, the bridging of the Hellespont proceeds. The text describes the headland where the bridge was built and the subsequent execution and past misdeeds of the Persian governor Artayctes.

§7.33.1μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα παρεσκευάζετο ὡς ἐλῶν ἐς Ἄβυδον.
After this, Xerxes made preparations to march to Abydos.
οἳ δὲ ἐν τούτῳ τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον ἐζεύγνυσαν ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίης ἐς τὴν Εὐρώπην.
Meanwhile, those appointed to the task were bridging the Hellespont from Asia to Europe.
ἔστι δὲ τῆς Χερσονήσου τῆς ἐν Ἑλλησπόντῳ, Σηστοῦ τε πόλιος μεταξὺ καὶ Μαδύτου, ἀκτὴ παχέα ἐς θάλασσαν κατήκουσα Ἀβύδῳ καταντίον·
There is in the Chersonese on the Hellespont, between the city of Sestos and Madytos, a rugged headland running out into the sea opposite Abydos.
ἔνθα μετὰ ταῦτα, χρόνῳ ὕστερον οὐ πολλῷ, ἐπὶ Ξανθίππου τοῦ Ἀρίφρονος στρατηγοῦ Ἀθηναῖοι Ἀρταΰκτην ἄνδρα Πέρσην λαβόντες Σηστοῦ ὕπαρχον ζῶντα πρὸς σανίδα διεπασσάλευσαν, ὃς καὶ ἐς τοῦ Πρωτεσίλεω τὸ ἱρὸν ἐς Ἐλαιοῦντα ἀγινεόμενος γυναῖκας ἀθέμιστα ἔρδεσκε.
It was there that not long afterwards, under the command of Xanthippus the son of Ariphron, the Athenians captured Artayctes, a Persian who was governor of Sestos, and nailed him alive to a plank. He was the one who used to bring women into the sanctuary of Protesilaus at Elaeus and commit lawless deeds there.

Notes

  1. 7.33.1ὡς ἐλῶν — The conjunction ὡς combined with the future participle (ἐλῶν, from ἐλαύνω 'to march') expresses the subjective intention or purpose of the subject (Xerxes).
  2. 7.33.1οἳ δὲ — The demonstrative pronoun οἵ with δέ is an archaic (Homeric) usage introducing a new subject ('and they' or 'on their part'), referring here to the workers building the bridge.
  3. 7.33.1γυναῖκας ἀθέμιστα ἔρδεσκε — The verb ἔρδεσκε (frequentative imperfect of ἔρδω 'to do' in the Ionic dialect) takes a double accusative here, meaning 'to do lawless things to women.' γυναῖκας acts as the direct object, while ἀθέμιστα is an accusative neuter plural acting adverbially.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.33.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.33.1

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