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Herodotus · Histories §9.101.1-9.101.3

Sanctuaries of Demeter and the Greek Advance

Passage 1556 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The author notes the coincidence of Demeter's sanctuaries at both battlefields and the temporal alignment of the victories, which relieved the Greeks' anxiety and spurred them to rush eagerly into battle.

§9.101.1καὶ τόδε ἕτερον συνέπεσε γενόμενον, Δήμητρος τεμένεα Ἐλευσινίης παρὰ ἀμφοτέρας τὰς συμβολὰς εἶναι·
And this other thing also happened to coincide, namely, that the sacred precincts of Eleusinian Demeter were beside both of the clashes.
καὶ γὰρ δὴ ἐν τῇ Πλαταιίδι παρʼ αὐτὸ τὸ Δημήτριον ἐγίνετο, ὡς καὶ πρότερόν μοι εἴρηται, ἡ μάχη, καὶ ἐν Μυκάλῃ ἔμελλε ὡσαύτως ἔσεσθαι.
For indeed, in the territory of Plataea, the battle took place right beside the temple of Demeter itself, as has also been mentioned by me before, and at Mycale it was likewise about to take place.
§9.101.2γεγονέναι δὲ νίκην τῶν μετὰ Παυσανίεω Ἑλλήνων ὀρθῶς σφι ἡ φήμη συνέβαινε ἐλθοῦσα·
And that the victory of the Greeks with Pausanias had occurred turned out to be correct, according to the rumor that came to them.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐν Πλαταιῇσι πρωὶ ἔτι τῆς ἡμέρης ἐγίνετο, τὸ δὲ ἐν Μυκάλῃ περὶ δείλην·
For the battle at Plataea took place still early in the day, while that at Mycale was around late afternoon.
ὅτι δὲ τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμέρης συνέβαινε γίνεσθαι μηνός τε τοῦ αὐτοῦ, χρόνῳ οὐ πολλῷ σφι ὕστερον δῆλα ἀναμανθάνουσι ἐγίνετο.
But that it happened to take place on the same day of the same month became clear to them not long afterwards when they inquired into it.
§9.101.3ἦν δὲ ἀρρωδίη σφι, πρὶν τὴν φήμην ἐσαπικέσθαι, οὔτι περὶ σφέων αὐτῶν οὕτω ὡς τῶν Ἑλλήνων, μὴ περὶ Μαρδονίῳ πταίσῃ ἡ Ἑλλάς.
Before the rumor arrived, they were in dread, not so much for themselves as for the other Greeks, lest Greece should trip up because of Mardonius.
ὡς μέντοι ἡ κληδὼν αὕτη σφι ἐσέπτατο, μᾶλλόν, τι καὶ ταχύτερον τὴν πρόσοδον ἐποιεῦντο.
However, when this rumor flew into them, they made their advance with somewhat more eagerness and speed.
οἱ μὲν δὴ Ἕλληνες καὶ οἱ βάρβαροι ἔσπευδον ἐς τὴν μάχην, ὥς σφι καί αἱ νῆσοι καὶ ὁ Ἑλλήσποντος ἄεθλα προέκειτο.
So the Greeks and the barbarians hastened to the battle, since both the islands and the Hellespont lay before them as prizes.

Notes

  1. 9.101.1τόδε ἕτερον συνέπεσε γενόμενον, ... εἶναι — The aorist participle γενόμενον agrees with the demonstrative subject τόδε ἕτερον, and the subsequent infinitive clause Δήμητρος ... εἶναι serves as an appositive explaining the specific content of τόδε ἕτερον.
  2. 9.101.2ὀρθῶς σφι ἡ φήμη συνέβαινε ἐλθοῦσα — The verb συνέβαινε (imperfect of συμβαίνω) is constructed with the nominative participle ἐλθοῦσα, expressing that the rumor which arrived turned out in event to be correct. The adverb ὀρθῶς qualifies the truthfulness of the rumor.
  3. 9.101.2δῆλα ... ἐγίνετο — The noun clause introduced by ὅτι (ὅτι δὲ ... γίνεσθαι) acts as the subject of the impersonal expression δῆλα ἐγίνετο ("it became clear"). The participle ἀναμανθάνουσι is a dative plural agreeing with the pronoun σφι ("to them"), indicating the circumstance "as they inquired/learned."
  4. 9.101.3μὴ περὶ Μαρδονίῳ πταίσῃ ἡ Ἑλλάς — A subjunctive clause dependent on the noun of fear/anxiety ἀρρωδίη. The construction μή with the subjunctive (πταίσῃ) expresses the apprehension "lest Greece should suffer a fall." The preposition περί with the dative (Μαρδονίῳ) denotes the cause or person at whom the tripping/failure occurs.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §9.101.1-9.101.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.101.1-9.101.3

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