Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §8.123.1-8.123.2

Vote on the Prize of Valor at the Isthmus

Passage 1431 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The Greeks gathered at the Isthmus to award the prize of valor. In the voting, each general voted for himself for the first place, leaving them all tied with one vote, but Themistocles won an overwhelming majority of the votes for the second place.

§8.123.1μετὰ δὲ τὴν διαίρεσιν τῆς ληίης ἔπλεον οἱ Ἕλληνες ἐς τὸν Ἰσθμὸν ἀριστήια δώσοντες τῷ ἀξιωτάτῳ γενομένῳ Ἑλλήνων ἀνὰ τὸν πόλεμον τοῦτον.
After the division of the booty, the Greeks sailed to the Isthmus to award the prize of valor to the one among the Greeks who had proved most worthy throughout this war.
§8.123.2ὡς δὲ ἀπικόμενοι οἱ στρατηγοὶ διένεμον τὰς ψήφους ἐπὶ τοῦ Ποσειδέωνος τῷ βωμῷ, τὸν πρῶτον καὶ τὸν δεύτερον κρίνοντες ἐκ πάντων, ἐνθαῦτα πᾶς τις αὐτῶν ἑωυτῷ ἐτίθετο τὴν ψῆφον, αὐτὸς ἕκαστος δοκέων ἄριστος γενέσθαι, δεύτερα δὲ οἱ πολλοὶ συνεξέπιπτον Θεμιστοκλέα κρίνοντες.
When the generals had arrived and were distributing their ballots at the altar of Poseidon to decide on the first and the second from among them all, there each of them cast his ballot for himself, each thinking that he himself had been the best, but for the second place, the majority agreed in choosing Themistocles.
οἳ μὲν δὴ ἐμουνοῦντο, Θεμιστοκλέης δὲ δευτερείοισι ὑπερεβάλλετο πολλόν.
Thus while the others were each left with a single vote, Themistocles won by far the most votes for the second place.

Notes

  1. §8.123.1δώσοντες — Future active participle, expressing purpose ("in order to give") in connection with the verb of motion `ἔπλεον`.
  2. §8.123.2συνεξέπιπτον — Imperfect of `συνεκπίπτω` ("to fall out together", "coincide" or "agree"). Combined with the participle `κρίνοντες`, it means that the majority agreed or coincided in choosing Themistocles for the second place.
  3. §8.123.2ἐμουνοῦντο — Imperfect passive of `μουνόω` ("to leave alone", "isolate"). It describes how each general, having voted for himself for the first place, was left isolated with only a single vote, receiving no support from others.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §8.123.1-8.123.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.123.1-8.123.2

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