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Herodotus · Histories §7.89.1-7.89.3

Total Triremes and the Phoenician and Egyptian Fleets

Passage 1152 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The passage states the total number of Persian triremes as 1207, and details the contingents, distinct armaments, and origins of the Phoenicians and Egyptians who supplied them.

§7.89.1τῶν δὲ τριηρέων ἀριθμὸς μὲν ἐγένετο ἑπτὰ καὶ διηκόσιαι καὶ χίλιαι, παρείχοντο δὲ αὐτὰς οἵδε, Φοίνικες μὲν σὺν Σύροισι τοῖσι ἐν τῇ Παλαιστίνῃ τριηκοσίας, ὧδε ἐσκευασμένοι· περὶ μὲν τῇσι κεφαλῇσι κυνέας εἶχον ἀγχοτάτω πεποιημένας τρόπον τὸν Ἑλληνικόν, ἐνδεδυκότες δὲ θώρηκας λινέους, ἀσπίδας δὲ ἴτυς οὐκ ἐχούσας εἶχον καὶ ἀκόντια.
The number of the triremes was twelve hundred and seven, and they were provided by the following: the Phoenicians, together with the Syrians in Palestine, provided three hundred, equipped as follows: they had on their heads helmets made very close to the Greek fashion, and they wore linen breastplates, and they had shields without rims and javelins.
§7.89.2οὗτοι δὲ οἱ Φοίνικες τὸ παλαιὸν οἴκεον, ὡς αὐτοὶ λέγουσι, ἐπὶ τῇ Ἐρυθρῇ θαλάσσῃ, ἐνθεῦτεν δὲ ὑπερβάντες τῆς Συρίης οἰκέουσι τὸ παρὰ θάλασσαν· τῆς δὲ Συρίης τοῦτο τὸ χωρίον καὶ τὸ μέχρι Αἰγύπτου πᾶν Παλαιστίνη καλέεται.
These Phoenicians anciently dwelt, as they themselves say, on the Red Sea, and crossing over from there, they now dwell in the coastal part of Syria; and this region of Syria and all that which extends as far as Egypt is called Palestine.
Αἰγύπτιοι δὲ νέας παρείχοντο διηκοσίας.
The Egyptians provided two hundred ships.
§7.89.3οὗτοι δὲ εἶχον περὶ μὲν τῇσι κεφαλῇσι κράνεα χηλευτά, ἀσπίδας δὲ κοίλας, τὰς ἴτυς μεγάλας ἐχούσας, καὶ δόρατά τε ναύμαχα καὶ τύχους μεγάλους.
These had on their heads plaited helmets, and hollow shields with broad rims, and boarding-spears and large poleaxes.
τὸ δὲ πλῆθος αὐτῶν θωρηκοφόροι ἦσαν, μαχαίρας δὲ μεγάλας εἶχον.
The majority of them wore breastplates, and they had large swords.

Notes

  1. 7.89.1τρόπον τὸν Ἑλληνικόν — Adverbial accusative (or accusative of respect) expressing manner, meaning "in the Greek fashion."
  2. 7.89.2ὑπερβάντες τῆς Συρίης — The genitive τῆς Συρίης is governed by the compound verb ὑπερβαίνω (to cross over), functioning as a genitive of separation or spatial limit, meaning "having crossed over the borders of Syria."
  3. 7.89.3τὸ δὲ πλῆθος αὐτῶν θωρηκοφόροι ἦσαν — While the subject τὸ πλῆθος (the majority) is a singular noun, the verb ἦσαν and the predicate θωρηκοφόροι are plural. This is a construction according to sense (synesis).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.89.1-7.89.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.89.1-7.89.3

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