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Herodotus · Histories §8.1.1-8.1.2

The Greek Fleet at Artemisium and Its Contingents

Passage 1303 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Enumerates the composition of the Greek allied fleet assembled at Artemisium, specifying the number of ships contributed by each polis.

§8.1.1οἱ δὲ Ἑλλήνων ἐς τὸν ναυτικὸν στρατὸν ταχθέντες ἦσαν οἵδε, Ἀθηναῖοι μὲν νέας παρεχόμενοι ἑκατὸν καὶ εἴκοσι καὶ ἑπτά· ὑπὸ δὲ ἀρετῆς τε καὶ προθυμίης Πλαταιέες ἄπειροι τῆς ναυτικῆς ἐόντες συνεπλήρουν τοῖσι Ἀθηναίοισι τὰς νέας.
Those of the Greeks who were appointed to the naval force were the following: the Athenians, providing one hundred and twenty-seven ships; and the Plataeans, though having no experience in naval affairs, out of courage and zeal helped the Athenians to man their ships.
Κορίνθιοι δὲ τεσσεράκοντα νέας παρείχοντο, Μεγαρέες δὲ εἴκοσι.
The Corinthians provided forty ships, and the Megarians twenty.
§8.1.2καὶ Χαλκιδέες ἐπλήρουν εἴκοσι, Ἀθηναίων σφι παρεχόντων τὰς νέας, Αἰγινῆται δὲ ὀκτωκαίδεκα, Σικυώνιοι δὲ δυοκαίδεκα, Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ δέκα, Ἐπιδαύριοι δὲ ὀκτώ, Ἐρετριέες δὲ ἑπτά, Τροιζήνιοι δὲ πέντε, Στυρέες δὲ δύο, καὶ Κήιοι δύο τε νέας καὶ πεντηκοντέρους δύο·
And the Chalcidians manned twenty, the Athenians providing the ships for them; the Aeginetans eighteen, the Sicyonians twelve, the Lacedaemonians ten, the Epidaurians eight, the Eretrians seven, the Troezenians five, the Styrians two, and the Ceans two ships and two pentekonters.
Λοκροὶ δέ σφι οἱ Ὀπούντιοι ἐπεβοήθεον πεντηκοντέρους ἔχοντες ἑπτά.
The Opuntian Locrians also came to their aid with seven pentekonters.

Notes

  1. 8.1.1συνεπλήρουν — The verb συμπληρόω means to man a ship (fill it with a crew). The prefix σύν- (together with) indicates that the Plataeans, despite their lack of naval experience, joined the Athenians in manning the latter's ships.
  2. 8.1.2Ἀθηναίων σφι παρεχόντων — Genitive absolute construction. The pronoun σφι (dative plural of σφεῖς) refers to the Chalcidians (Χαλκιδέες), the subject of the main clause. It explains that the Athenians provided the ships for the Chalcidians to man (ἐπλήρουν), as Chalcis did not supply their own vessels.
  3. 8.1.2δέ σφι — The dative pronoun σφι in the latter sentence refers to the general Greek allied force, serving as the indirect object of the verb ἐπεβοήθεον (came to aid).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §8.1.1-8.1.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.1.1-8.1.2

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