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Herodotus · Histories §8.129.1-8.129.3

Destruction of Persian Troops by High Tide and Divine Wrath

Passage 1437 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

During the siege of Potidaea, a massive low tide prompted the Persians to cross into Pallene, but they were destroyed by an unprecedented flood-tide. The Potidaeans attributed this to divine retribution for desecrating Poseidon's temple, an explanation with which the author agrees.

§8.129.1ὃ μὲν δὴ τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ ἐπάιστος ἐγεγόνεε·
He indeed was detected in such a manner.
Ἀρταβάζῳ δὲ ἐπειδὴ πολιορκέοντι ἐγεγόνεσαν τρεῖς μῆνες, γίνεται ἄμπωτις τῆς θαλάσσης μεγάλη καὶ χρόνον ἐπὶ πολλόν.
But when three months had passed for Artabazus while he was besieging the city, there occurred a great ebb of the sea, lasting for a long time.
ἰδόντες δὲ οἱ βάρβαροι τέναγος γενόμενον παρήισαν ἐς τὴν Παλλήνην.
And when the barbarians saw that a shallow water had formed, they began to cross over into Pallene.
§8.129.2ὡς δὲ τὰς δύο μὲν μοίρας διοδοιπορήκεσαν, ἔτι δὲ τρεῖς ὑπόλοιποι ἦσαν, τὰς διελθόντας χρῆν εἶναι ἔσω ἐν τῇ Παλλήνῃ, ἐπῆλθε πλημμυρὶς τῆς θαλάσσης μεγάλη, ὅση οὐδαμά κω, ὡς οἱ ἐπιχώριοι λέγουσι, πολλάκις γινομένη.
But when they had traversed two parts of the way, and three were still remaining, which they had to cross to be inside Pallene, a great flood-tide of the sea came upon them, greater than ever before, as the locals say, though it often occurs.
οἱ μὲν δὴ νέειν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐπιστάμενοι διεφθείροντο, τοὺς δὲ ἐπισταμένους οἱ Ποτιδαιῆται ἐπιπλώσαντες πλοίοισι ἀπώλεσαν.
Those of them who did not know how to swim were drowned, and those who did know, the Potidaeans, sailing out in boats, destroyed.
§8.129.3αἴτιον δὲ λέγουσι Ποτιδαιῆται τῆς τε ῥηχίης καὶ τῆς πλημμυρίδος καὶ τοῦ Περσικοῦ πάθεος γενέσθαι τόδε, ὅτι τοῦ Ποσειδέωνος ἐς τὸν νηὸν καὶ τὸ ἄγαλμα τὸ ἐν τῷ προαστείῳ ἠσέβησαν οὗτοι τῶν Περσέων οἵ περ καὶ διεφθάρησαν ὑπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης·
And the Potidaeans say that the cause of both the ebb and the flood and of the Persian disaster was this: that these of the Persians who were destroyed by the sea had committed sacrilege against the temple and the cult-image of Poseidon in the suburb.
αἴτιον δὲ τοῦτο λέγοντες εὖ λέγειν ἔμοιγε δοκέουσι.
In saying that this was the cause, they seem to me to speak well.
τοὺς δὲ περιγενομένους ἀπῆγε Ἀρτάβαζος ἐς Θεσσαλίην παρὰ Μαρδόνιον.
Those who survived, Artabazus led back to Thessaly to Mardonius.
οὗτοι μὲν οἱ προπέμψαντες βασιλέα οὕτω ἔπρηξαν.
Thus fared these who had escorted the King.

Notes

  1. §8.129.1ὃ μὲν — Demonstrative pronoun referring to Timoxenus (Τιμόξεινος) from the preceding chapter.
  2. §8.129.1Ἀρτάβάζῳ δὲ ἐπειδὴ πολιορκέοντι ἐγεγόνεσαν τρεῖς μῆνες — The dative Ἀρτάβάζῳ and the participle πολιορκέοντι function as a dative of reference indicating the person affected by the lapse of time: "when three months had passed for Artabazus while he was besieging."
  3. §8.129.2τὰς διελθόντας χρῆν εἶναι ἔσω — The relative pronoun τὰς (accusative plural feminine) refers to the remaining three parts (τρεῖς [μοίρας]) and is the object of the participle διελθόντας. The participle διελθόντας (accusative plural masculine) agrees with the unexpressed subject (the Persians) of the infinitive εἶναι, which depends on the impersonal verb χρῆν.
  4. §8.129.2ὅση οὐδαμά κω [...] πολλάκις γινομένη — πολλάκις γινομένη is a concessive participle phrase ("although it often happens"). The whole phrase means "a flood-tide so great as had never yet occurred, although such tides happen often."

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §8.129.1-8.129.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.129.1-8.129.3

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