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Herodotus · Histories §8.35.1-8.35.2

Persian Detachment's March to Plunder the Temple of Delphi

Passage 1337 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

A detachment of the Persian army marches toward the temple at Delphi to plunder its treasures, devastating the land of Phocis along the way. Xerxes was well aware of the treasures in Delphi, especially the offerings of Croesus.

§8.35.1οὗτοι μὲν δὴ τῶν βαρβάρων ταύτῃ ἐτράποντο, ἄλλοι δὲ αὐτῶν ἡγεμόνας ἔχοντες ὁρμέατο ἐπὶ τὸ ἱρὸν τὸ ἐν Δελφοῖσι, ἐν δεξιῇ τὸν Παρνησὸν ἀπέργοντες.
Thus, these of the barbarians turned in this direction, while others of them, having guides, set out for the temple at Delphi, keeping Mount Parnassus on their right.
ὅσα δὲ καὶ οὗτοι ἐπέσχον τῆς Φωκίδος, πάντα ἐσιναμώρεον· καὶ γὰρ τῶν Πανοπέων τὴν πόλιν ἐνέπρησαν καὶ Δαυλίων καὶ Αἰολιδέων.
And whatever parts of Phocis they occupied, they devastated them all; for they burned the city of the Panopeans, and those of the Daulians and the Aeolideis.
§8.35.2ἐπορεύοντο δὲ ταύτῃ ἀποσχισθέντες τῆς ἄλλης στρατιῆς τῶνδε εἵνεκα, ὅκως συλήσαντες τὸ ἱρὸν τὸ ἐν Δελφοῖσι βασιλέι Ξέρξῃ ἀποδέξαιεν τὰ χρήματα.
They marched in this direction, having split off from the rest of the army, for this reason: namely, that they might plunder the temple at Delphi and present the treasures to King Xerxes.
πάντα δʼ ἠπίστατο τὰ ἐν τῷ ἱρῷ ὅσα λόγου ἦν ἄξια Ξέρξης, ὡς ἐγὼ πυνθάνομαι, ἄμεινον ἢ τὰ ἐν τοῖσι οἰκίοισι ἔλιπε, πολλῶν αἰεὶ λεγόντων, καὶ μάλιστα τὰ Κροίσου τοῦ Ἀλυάττεω ἀναθήματα.
But Xerxes, as I learn, knew everything in the temple that was worth mentioning better than what he had left in his own palace, since many were always speaking of them, and especially of the votive offerings of Croesus, the son of Alyattes.

Notes

  1. 8.35.1ἀπέργοντες — The participle ἀπέργοντες (Ionic form of ἀπείργω, 'to shut off, keep away') means keeping the mountain shut off on one side, thus 'keeping Mount Parnassus on their right' as they marched.
  2. 8.35.1ὅσα δὲ καὶ οὗτοι ἐπέσchον τῆς Φωκίδος — ὅσα is a relative pronoun in the neuter plural, acting as the object of ἐπέσχον (aorist of ἐπέχω, 'to occupy, overrun'). τῆς Φωκίδος is a partitive genitive depending on ὅσα, meaning 'whatever parts of Phocis they overran.'
  3. 8.35.2τὰ ἐν τοῖσι οἰκίοισι ἔλιπε — τὰ is used here as a relative pronoun in the Ionic dialect (article used for relative), equivalent to 'the things which (he left in his palace)'.
  4. 8.35.2πολλῶν αἰεὶ λεγόντων — A genitive absolute construction expressing the cause or reason ('since many were always speaking [of them]') for Xerxes' knowledge.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §8.35.1-8.35.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.35.1-8.35.2

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