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Herodotus · Histories §8.18.1

Greek Losses and Plans to Retreat Inward

Passage 1320 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

After both sides part and return to their anchorages, the Greeks—especially the Athenians who lost half of their ships—contemplate a retreat into the interior of Greece due to their heavy damage.

§8.18.1ὡς δὲ διέστησαν, ἄσμενοι ἑκάτεροι ἐς ὅρμον ἠπείγοντο.
And when they parted, both sides gladly hastened to their anchorage.
οἱ δὲ Ἕλληνες ὡς διακριθέντες ἐκ τῆς ναυμαχίης ἀπηλλάχθησαν, τῶν μὲν νεκρῶν καὶ τῶν ναυηγίων ἐπεκράτεον, τρηχέως δὲ περιεφθέντες, καὶ οὐκ ἥκιστα Ἀθηναῖοι τῶν αἱ ἡμίσεαι τῶν νεῶν τετρωμέναι ἦσαν, δρησμὸν δὴ ἐβούλευον ἔσω ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα.
But the Greeks, when they had withdrawn, having separated from the sea-fight, though they remained in possession of the dead and the wrecks, yet having been roughly handled—and not least the Athenians, half of whose ships were damaged—began to plan indeed a retreat into the interior of Greece.

Notes

  1. 8.18.1διέστησαν — An aorist form used intransitively, meaning "to part" or "to separate," indicating that the two opposing fleets broke off the engagement and withdrew.
  2. 8.18.1περιεφθέντες — Passive aorist participle of περιέπω (to treat, handle) in the Ionic dialect, meaning "to be treated roughly" or "to suffer severely." Combined with the adverb τρηχέως (harshly, roughly), it describes the heavy damage sustained by the Greek fleet.
  3. 8.18.1τῶν — The genitive plural form of the relative pronoun in the Ionic dialect (= ὧν), with the preceding Ἀθηναῖοι as its antecedent. The genitive is a possessive genitive qualifying αἱ ἡμίσεαι τῶν νεῶν (half of their ships).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §8.18.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.18.1

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