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Herodotus · Histories §7.58.1-7.58.3

Sailing of the Fleet and March of the Army to Doriscus

Passage 1121 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

While the Persian navy sails west toward Cape Sarpedon, the land army marches east through the Chersonese, passing several historical and geographical landmarks and crossing the Melas River to finally reach Doriscus.

§7.58.1ὁ δὲ ναυτικὸς ἔξω τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον πλέων παρὰ γῆν ἐκομίζετο, τὰ ἔμπαλιν πρήσσων τοῦ πεζοῦ.
Meanwhile, the naval force sailed out of the Hellespont and was carried along the coast, acting in the opposite direction to the land army.
§7.58.2ὃ μὲν γὰρ πρὸς ἑσπέρην ἔπλεε, ἐπὶ Σαρπηδονίης ἄκρης ποιεύμενος τὴν ἄπιξιν, ἐς τὴν αὐτῷ προείρητο ἀπικομένῳ περιμένειν· ὁ δὲ κατʼ ἤπειρον στρατὸς πρὸς ἠῶ τε καὶ ἡλίου ἀνατολὰς ἐποιέετο τὴν ὁδὸν διὰ τῆς Χερσονήσου, ἐν δεξιῇ μὲν ἔχων τὸν Ἕλλης τάφον τῆς Ἀθάμαντος, ἐν ἀριστερῇ δὲ Καρδίην πόλιν, διὰ μέσης δὲ πορευόμενος πόλιος τῇ οὔνομα τυγχάνει ἐὸν Ἀγορή.
For the former sailed toward the west, making for Cape Sarpedon, where it had been previously commanded for them to wait upon arrival; on the other hand, the land army made its way through the Chersonese toward the east and the rising of the sun, having on their right the tomb of Helle daughter of Athamas, and on their left the city of Cardia, and marching through the middle of a city which happened to have the name Agora.
§7.58.3ἐνθεῦτεν δὲ κάμπτων τὸν κόλπον τὸν Μέλανα καλεόμενον καὶ Μέλανα ποταμόν, οὐκ ἀντισχόντα τότε τῇ στρατιῇ τὸ ῥέεθρον ἀλλʼ ἐπιλιπόντα, τοῦτον τὸν ποταμὸν διαβάς, ἐπʼ οὗ καὶ ὁ κόλπος οὗτος τὴν ἐπωνυμίην ἔχει, ἤιε πρὸς ἑσπέρην, Αἶνόν τε πόλιν Αἰολίδα καὶ Στεντορίδα λίμνην παρεξιών, ἐς ὃ ἀπίκετο ἐς Δορίσκον.
From there, rounding the gulf called Melas and crossing the river Melas—whose stream at that time did not hold out for the army but failed—crossing this river, after which this gulf also has its name, they went toward the west, passing by the Aeolian city of Aenus and the Stentorian lake, until they arrived at Doriscus.

Notes

  1. §7.58.1τοῦ πεζοῦ — Genitive of comparison governed by the adverbial expression τὰ ἔμπαλιν, indicating contrast with the movement of the land army.
  2. §7.58.2αὐτῷ προείρητο ἀπικομένῳ — Dative of agent (αὐτῷ) with the impersonal passive προείρητο (it had been previously commanded), accompanied by the agreeing participle ἀπικομένῳ. It means 'it had been commanded for him to wait upon arrival.'
  3. §7.58.2τῇ οὔνομα τυγχάνει ἐὸν Ἀγορή — The relative pronoun in the dative τῇ functions as a dative of possession (to which the name is...). Additionally, the verb τυγχάνει is construed with the participle ἐόν to form the construction 'happens to be.'
  4. §7.58.3οὐκ ἀντισχόντα τότε τῇ στρατιῇ τὸ ῥέεθρον ἀλλʼ ἐπιλιπόντα — Accusative participle phrase modifying the preceding noun ποταμόν (river). It describes in Herodotean hyperbolic style how the river's stream could not withstand the drinking demands of the massive army but rather failed.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.58.1-7.58.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.58.1-7.58.3

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