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Herodotus · Histories §7.41.1-7.41.2

Xerxes' Carriages and His Elite Guard in the March

Passage 1104 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Xerxes' march out of Sardis is described, highlighting his habit of changing carriages, and the formation of his elite guard with decorative spears (pomegranates and apples) and cavalry.

§7.41.1ἐξήλασε μὲν οὕτω ἐκ Σαρδίων Ξέρξης, μετεκβαίνεσκε δέ, ὅκως μιν λόγος αἱρέοι, ἐκ τοῦ ἅρματος ἐς ἁρμάμαξαν.
In this manner Xerxes marched out from Sardis; and he used to transfer, whenever the whim took him, from his chariot into a carriage.
αὐτοῦ δὲ ὄπισθε αἰχμοφόροι Περσέων οἱ ἄριστοί τε καὶ γενναιότατοι χίλιοι, κατὰ νόμον τὰς λόγχας ἔχοντες, μετὰ δὲ ἵππος ἄλλη χιλίη ἐκ Περσέων ἀπολελεγμένη, μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἵππον ἐκ τῶν λοιπῶν Περσέων ἀπολελεγμένοι μύριοι.
Directly behind him were a thousand spear-bearers, the best and noblest of the Persians, holding their spears in the customary manner; and after them another thousand cavalry chosen from the Persians; and after the cavalry ten thousand chosen from the rest of the Persians.
οὗτος πεζὸς ἦν·
This force was infantry.
§7.41.2καὶ τούτων χίλιοι μὲν ἐπὶ τοῖσι δόρασι ἀντὶ τῶν σαυρωτήρων ῥοιὰς εἶχον χρυσέας καὶ πέριξ συνεκλήιον τοὺς ἄλλους, οἱ δὲ εἰνακισχίλιοι ἐντὸς τούτων ἐόντες ἀργυρέας ῥοιὰς εἶχον·
And of these, a thousand indeed had golden pomegranates upon their spears in place of the spikes, and they enclosed the others round about; while the nine thousand, being inside these, had silver pomegranates.
εἶχον δὲ χρυσέας ῥοιὰς καὶ οἱ ἐς τὴν γῆν τρέποντες τὰς λόγχας, καὶ μῆλα οἱ ἄγχιστα ἑπόμενοι Ξέρξῃ.
Those also who turned their spears toward the earth had golden pomegranates, and those who followed closest to Xerxes had apples.
τοῖσι δὲ μυρίοισι ἐπετέτακτο ἵππος Περσέων μυρίη.
And behind the ten thousand was stationed a force of ten thousand Persian cavalry.
μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἵππον διέλειπε καὶ δύο σταδίους, καὶ ἔπειτα ὁ λοιπὸς ὅμιλος ἤιε ἀναμίξ.
After this cavalry there was a gap of even two stades, and then the rest of the multitude marched mingled together.

Notes

  1. 7.41.1ὅκως μιν λόγος αἱρέοι — The Ionic form ὅκως (= ὅπως) is paired with the optative of past repetition αἱρέοι, meaning 'whenever'. μιν is the Ionic third-person singular accusative pronoun (= αὐτόν). The phrase λόγος αἱρέοι is an idiom meaning 'the whim took him' or 'he pleased' (literally 'reason/thought seized him').
  2. 7.41.1καὰ νόμον — Contrasting with the spear-bearers in 7.40.2 who held their spears pointing down to the earth, this phrase indicates that these spear-bearers held them 'in the customary/regular manner' (i.e. pointing upwards or resting on the shoulder).
  3. 7.41.1οὗτος πεζὸς ἦν — The demonstrative pronoun οὗτος refers back to the 'ten thousand' (μύριοι) as a collective singular concept, which agrees in number with the singular verb ἦν and the predicate noun/adjective πεζός ('infantry').
  4. 7.41.2καὶ μῆλα οἱ ἄγχιστα ἑπόμενοι Ξέρξῃ — The verb εἶχον ('had') is omitted from the previous clause. 'Those who followed closest to Xerxes' refers to the thousand spear-bearers mentioned at the beginning of 7.41.1, whose spears were adorned with apples (μῆλα, possibly quinces or golden apples) instead of pomegranates.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.41.1-7.41.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.41.1-7.41.2

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