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Herodotus · Histories §8.114.1-8.114.2

Spartan Demand for Reparation and Xerxes' Response

Passage 1422 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Following an oracle, the Spartans send a herald to Xerxes in Thessaly to demand satisfaction for Leonidas' death. Xerxes responds mockingly by pointing to Mardonius, saying he will deliver the satisfaction.

§8.114.1ἐν δὲ τούτῳ τῷ χρόνῳ, ἐν τῷ Μαρδόνιός τε τὴν στρατιὴν διέκρινε καὶ Ξέρξης ἦν περὶ Θεσσαλίην, χρηστήριον ἐληλύθεε ἐκ Δελφῶν Λακεδαιμονίοισι, Ξέρξην αἰτέειν δίκας τοῦ Λεωνίδεω φόνου καὶ τὸ διδόμενον ἐξ ἐκείνου δέκεσθαι.
In the meantime, while Mardonius was selecting the army and Xerxes was in the region of Thessaly, an oracle had come from Delphi to the Lacedaemonians, telling them to demand of Xerxes satisfaction for the death of Leonidas, and to accept whatever should be given by him.
πέμπουσι δὴ κήρυκα τὴν ταχίστην Σπαρτιῆται, ὃς ἐπειδὴ κατέλαβε ἐοῦσαν ἔτι πᾶσαν τὴν στρατιὴν ἐν Θεσσαλίῃ, ἐλθὼν ἐς ὄψιν τὴν Ξέρξεω ἔλεγε τάδε. §8.114.2ὦ βασιλεῦ Μήδων, Λακεδαιμόνιοί τέ σε καὶ Ἡρακλεῖδαι οἱ ἀπὸ Σπάρτης αἰτέουσι φόνου δίκας, ὅτι σφέων τὸν βασιλέα ἀπέκτεινας ῥυόμενον τὴν Ἑλλάδα. ὁ δὲ γελάσας τε καὶ κατασχὼν πολλὸν χρόνον, ὥς οἱ ἐτύγχανε παρεστεὼς Μαρδόνιος, δεικνὺς ἐς τοῦτον εἶπε τοιγὰρ σφι Μαρδόνιος ὅδε δίκας δώσει τοιαύτας οἵας ἐκείνοισι πρέπει.
The Spartans therefore immediately sent a herald, who, when he found the entire army still in Thessaly, came into the presence of Xerxes and spoke as follows: "O King of the Medes, the Lacedaemonians and the Heraclidae of Sparta demand of you satisfaction for murder, because you slew their king while he was defending Greece." Thereupon, Xerxes laughed and held his peace for a long time; then, as Mardonius happened to be standing by him, he pointed to him and said: "Therefore, Mardonius here shall give them such satisfaction as is fitting for them."

Notes

  1. 8.114.1Ξέρξην αἰτέειν δίκας — The verb αἰτέω takes a double accusative (demanding something 'acc.' of someone 'acc.'). Thus, both Ξέρξην (the person) and δίκας (the thing, accusative plural of δίκη) are in the accusative case. The genitive phrase τοῦ Λεωνίδεω φόνου modifies δίκας, meaning 'satisfaction for the killing of Leonidas.' The infinitive αἰτέειν functions as an appositive explaining the content of the oracle (χρηστήριον), or as an infinitive of command.
  2. 8.114.1κατέλαβε ἐοῦσαν ἔτι πᾶσαν τὴν στρατιὴν — The verb καταλαμβάνω is used with a participle to mean 'to find/catch someone doing something or in a certain state.' Here, it takes the present participle ἐοῦσαν (Ionic feminine accusative singular of εἰμί) modifying τὴν στρατιὴν, meaning 'he found the whole army still being (there).'
  3. 8.114.2κατασχὼν πολλὸν χρόνον — The verb κατέχω (aorist participle), used here intransitively as κατασχών, means 'to hold back' or 'to keep silence.' The phrase πολλὸν χρόνον is an accusative of duration of time ('for a long time').
  4. 8.114.2δίκας δώσει — Normally, the phrase δίκην δίδωμι means 'to pay the penalty' or 'to suffer punishment' (where the subject is punished). Here, however, Xerxes mockingly uses it with Mardonius as the subject, implying 'he will give them the sort of satisfaction they deserve' (i.e., by defeating or punishing them in battle).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §8.114.1-8.114.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.114.1-8.114.2

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