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Herodotus · Histories §9.103.1-9.103.2

Defection of the Samians and Ionians at Mycale

Passage 1558 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

As the Lacedaemonians arrive to conclude the battle, the disarmed Samians actively support the Greeks, prompting other Ionians to revolt from the Persians and join the attack.

§9.103.1ἔτι δὲ μαχομένων τῶν Περσέων ἀπίκοντο Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ οἱ μετʼ αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ συνδιεχείριζον.
While the Persians were still fighting, the Lacedaemonians and those with them arrived and helped to finish off the rest of the business.
ἔπεσον δὲ καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν Ἑλλήνων συχνοὶ ἐνθαῦτα ἄλλοι τε καὶ Σικυώνιοι καὶ στρατηγὸς Περίλεως·
There fell also many of the Greeks themselves there, among others the Sicyonians and their general Perilaus.
§9.103.2τῶν τε Σαμίων οἱ στρατευόμενοι ἐόντες τε ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ τῷ Μηδικῷ καὶ ἀπαραιρημένοι τὰ ὅπλα, ὡς εἶδον αὐτίκα κατʼ ἀρχὰς γινομένην ἑτεραλκέα τὴν μάχην, ἔρδον ὅσον ἐδυνέατο προσωφελέειν ἐθέλοντες τοῖσι Ἕλλησι.
And those of the Samians who were on campaign, being in the Median camp and having been deprived of their weapons, as soon as they saw the battle turning in favor of the other side right from the beginning, did as much as they could, wishing to help the Greeks.
Σαμίους δὲ ἰδόντες οἱ ἄλλοι Ἴωνες ἄρξαντας οὕτω δὴ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀποστάντες ἀπὸ Περσέων ἐπέθεντο τοῖσι βαρβάροισι.
And the other Ionians, seeing that the Samians had set the example, thus indeed themselves also revolted from the Persians and attacked the barbarians.

Notes

  1. 9.103.2ἀπαραιρημένοι τὰ ὅπλα — The passive perfect participle of the verb ἀπαιρέω, which takes a double accusative in the active ('to deprive someone of something'). In the passive construction, the thing deprived (τὰ ὅπλα, 'weapons') is retained in the accusative case (retained accusative).
  2. 9.103.2ἑτεραλκέα — Accusative feminine singular of the adjective ἑτεραλκής ('giving victory to the other side, turning the tide'). It is used predicatively with the participle γινομένην, modifying τὴν μάχην (the object of the verb of perception εἶδον), meaning 'seeing the battle turning in favor of the other side'.
  3. 9.103.2ἄρξαντας — Aorist active participle (accusative plural) of the verb ἄρχω ('to begin, take the lead'). It serves as a supplementary participle with the verb of perception ἰδόντες ('seeing'), meaning 'seeing that the Samians had begun [the rebellion]'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §9.103.1-9.103.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.103.1-9.103.2

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