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Herodotus · Histories §8.56.1

Panic at Salamis and the Decision to Retreat to the Isthmus

Passage 1358 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Upon hearing of the fall of the Athenian Acropolis, the Greek forces at Salamis fall into a panic, with some generals attempting to flee, while those who remain resolve to fight at the Isthmus.

§8.56.1οἱ δὲ ἐν Σαλαμῖνι Ἕλληνες, ὥς σφι ἐξηγγέλθη ὡς ἔσχε τὰ περὶ τὴν Ἀθηναίων ἀκρόπολιν, ἐς τοσοῦτον θόρυβον ἀπίκοντο ὡς ἔνιοι τῶν στρατηγῶν οὐδὲ κυρωθῆναι ἔμενον τὸ προκείμενον πρῆγμα, ἀλλʼ ἔς τε τὰς νέας ἐσέπιπτον καὶ ἱστία ἀείροντο ὡς ἀποθευσόμενοι· τοῖσί τε ὑπολειπομένοισι αὐτῶν ἐκυρώθη πρὸ τοῦ Ἰσθμοῦ ναυμαχέειν.
But the Greeks at Salamis, when it was reported to them how matters stood concerning the Athenian Acropolis, fell into such great consternation that some of the generals did not even wait for the proposed matter to be decided, but rushed to their ships and began hoisting their sails as if to flee; and by those of them who remained behind, it was resolved to fight a sea battle before the Isthmus.
νύξ τε ἐγίνετο καὶ οἳ διαλυθέντες ἐκ τοῦ συνεδρίου ἐσέβαινον ἐς τὰς νέας.
Night fell, and they, having dissolved the council, went on board their ships.

Notes

  1. §8.56.1ὥς σφι ἐξηγγέλθη ὡς ἔσχε — The first ὥς is a temporal conjunction meaning 'when', modifying the main verb ἀπίκοντο. The second ὡς introduces an indirect question depending on ἐξηγγέλθη, meaning 'how', where ἔσχε (aorist of ἔχω) functions intransitively to mean 'how matters stood'.
  2. §8.56.1κυρωθῆναι ἔμενον τὸ προκείμενον πρῆγμα — The accusative τὸ προκείμενον πρῆγμα ('the matter proposed') functions as the subject of the passive aorist infinitive κυρωθῆναι ('to be decided'). This accusative-with-infinitive construction depends on the verb ἔμενον ('they waited'), meaning 'they did not wait for the proposed matter to be decided'.
  3. §8.56.1τοῖσί τε ὑπολειπομένοισι αὐτῶν ἐκυρώθη — τοῖσι ὑπολειπομένοισι is a dative participle functioning as a dative of agent or interest ('among those who remained behind'). The subject of the passive verb ἐκυρώθη ('it was decided') is the subsequent infinitive ναυμαχέειν ('to fight a sea battle').

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §8.56.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.56.1

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