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Herodotus · Histories §8.91.1

Ambush and Bravery of the Aeginetans in the Strait

Passage 1399 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

As the barbarians retreated, the Aeginetans lay in wait in the strait and performed great deeds by intercepting the enemy ships that had escaped the Athenian attack.

§8.91.1τῶν δὲ βαρβάρων ἐς φυγὴν τραπομένων καὶ ἐκπλεόντων πρὸς τὸ Φάληρον, Αἰγινῆται ὑποστάντες ἐν τῷ πορθμῷ ἔργα ἀπεδέξαντο λόγου ἄξια.
When the barbarians turned to flight and were sailing out towards Phalerum, the Aeginetans, lying in wait in the strait, performed deeds worthy of mention.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐν τῷ θορύβῳ ἐκεράιζον τάς τε ἀντισταμένας καὶ τὰς φευγούσας τῶν νεῶν, οἱ δὲ Αἰγινῆται τὰς ἐκπλεούσας· ὅκως δὲ τινὲς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους διαφύγοιεν, φερόμενοι ἐσέπιπτον ἐς τοὺς Αἰγινήτας.
For while the Athenians in the confusion were destroying those ships that resisted and those that fled, the Aeginetans destroyed those that were sailing out; and whenever any escaped the Athenians, they would drive headlong right into the Aeginetans.

Notes

  1. §8.91.1τῶν δὲ βαρβάρων ἐς φυγὴν τραπομένων καὶ ἐκπλεόντων — A genitive absolute construction indicating the temporal background to the main clause's action. It introduces a subject (τῶν βαρβάρων) different from that of the main clause (Αἰγινῆται).
  2. §8.91.1οἱ δὲ Αἰγινῆται τὰς ἐκπλεούσας — A contrastive construction corresponding to the preceding clause. Due to the clear symmetry of the contrast (μέν...δέ), the verb ἐκεράιζον from the previous clause is omitted here.
  3. §8.91.1ὅκως δὲ τινὲς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους διαφύγοιεν — The conjunction ὅκως followed by the optative (διαφύγοιεν) expresses a past iterative condition ('whenever some escaped'). This correlates with the imperfect tense in the main clause (ἐσέπιπτον).
  4. §8.91.1φερόμενοι — The passive/middle participle φερόμενοι here conveys the sense of being carried along by the momentum of flight, or rushing headlong in an uncontrollable manner.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §8.91.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.91.1

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