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Herodotus · Histories §8.21.1-8.21.2

News of Thermopylae and Greek Fleet's Retreat

Passage 1323 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Explains the communication system established between Artemision and Thermopylae, and notes that upon receiving news of Leonidas' defeat, the Greek fleet immediately retreated in an orderly fashion.

§8.21.1οἳ μὲν δὴ ταῦτα ἔπρησσον, παρῆν δὲ ὁ ἐκ Τρηχῖνος κατάσκοπος.
While they were doing these things, the scout from Trachis arrived.
ἦν μὲν γὰρ ἐπʼ Ἀρτεμισίῳ κατάσκοπος Πολύας, γένος Ἀντικυρεύς, τῷ προσετέτακτο, καὶ εἶχε πλοῖον κατῆρες ἕτοιμον, εἰ παλήσειε ὁ ναυτικὸς στρατός, σημαίνειν τοῖσι ἐν Θερμοπύλῃσι ἐοῦσι· ὣς δʼ αὕτως ἦν Ἀβρώνιχος ὁ Λυσικλέος Ἀθηναῖος καὶ παρὰ Λεωνίδῃ ἕτοιμος τοῖσι ἐπʼ Ἀρτεμισίω ἐοῦσι ἀγγέλλειν τριηκοντέρῳ, ἤν τι καταλαμβάνῃ νεώτερον τὸν πεζόν.
For there had been stationed at Artemision a scout named Polyas, an Anticyrian by birth, who was commanded, and had an oared vessel ready, to signal to those at Thermopylae if the fleet should suffer a reverse; and in just the same way, Abronychus, the son of Lysicles, an Athenian, was ready with Leonidas to report to those at Artemision with a thirty-oared galley if any disaster should overtake the land army.
§8.21.2οὗτος ὦν ὁ Ἀβρώνιχος ἀπικόμενός σφι ἐσήμαινε τὰ γεγονότα περὶ Λεωνίδην καὶ τὸν στρατὸν αὐτοῦ.
So this Abronychus, having arrived, reported to them the things that had happened concerning Leonidas and his army.
οἳ δὲ ὡς ἐπύθοντο ταῦτα, οὐκέτι ἐς ἀναβολὰς ἐποιεῦντο τὴν ἀποχώρησιν, ἐκομίζοντο δὲ ὡς ἕκαστοι ἐτάχθησαν, Κορίνθιοι πρῶτοι, ὕστατοι δὲ Ἀθηναῖοι.
And when they learned these things, they no longer delayed their retreat, but withdrew in the order they had been stationed, the Corinthians first, and the Athenians last.

Notes

  1. §8.21.1εἰ παλήσειε — The aorist active optative third-person singular of παλαίω (literally 'to wrestle' or 'to struggle', used here metaphorically to mean 'to come to grief' or 'to suffer defeat'). In the conditional clause, it expresses a hypothetical future possibility ('if the fleet should suffer a reverse').
  2. §8.21.1ἤν τι καταλαμβάνῃ νεώτερον τὸν πεζόν — A conditional clause introduced by ἤν (the Ionic form of ἐάν) with the present subjunctive καταλαμβάνῃ. The comparative neuter adjective νεώτερον ('something newer') is a standard euphemism in classical Greek for a political change, misfortune, or disaster. The whole clause means 'if any disaster should overtake the land army.'
  3. §8.21.2οὐκέτι ἐς ἀναβολὰς ἐποιεῦντο τὴν ἀποχώρησιν — The middle verb ποιεῦντο (imperfect middle third-person plural of ποιέω) combined with the prepositional phrase ἐς ἀναβολάς ('into delays') and the accusative object τὴν ἀποχώρησιν ('retreat') forms an idiomatic expression meaning 'to put off or delay one's retreat'. With the negative adverb οὐκέτι, it means 'they no longer delayed their retreat.'

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §8.21.1-8.21.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.21.1-8.21.2

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