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Herodotus · Histories §9.119.1-9.119.2

Sacrifice of Oeobazus and Capture of Artayctes

Passage 1574 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Oeobazus is captured and sacrificed by the Thracians, while Artaÿctes and his companions, delayed in their flight, are overtaken near Aegospotami, where some are killed and the survivors are taken captive to Sestos.

§9.119.1Ὀιόβαζον μέν νυν ἐκφεύγοντα ἐς τὴν Θρηίκην Θρήικες Ἀψίνθιοι λαβόντες ἔθυσαν Πλειστώρῳ ἐπιχωρίῳ θεῷ τρόπῳ τῷ σφετέρῳ, τοὺς δὲ μετʼ ἐκείνου ἄλλῳ τρόπῳ ἐφόνευσαν.
As for Oeobazus, who was escaping into Thrace, the Apsinthian Thracians captured him and sacrificed him to Pleistorus, a god of their country, after their own fashion; but those who were with him they slaughtered in another manner.
§9.119.2οἱ δὲ ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀρταΰκτην ὕστεροι ὁρμηθέντες φεύγειν, καὶ ὡς κατελαμβάνοντο ὀλίγον ἐόντες ὑπὲρ Αἰγὸς ποταμῶν, ἀλεξόμενοι χρόνον ἐπὶ συχνὸν οἳ μὲν ἀπέθανον οἳ δὲ ζῶντες ἐλάμφθησαν.
On the other hand, those with Artaÿctes, having set out later to flee, and when they were being overtaken near a little above Aegospotami, after defending themselves for a long time, some were killed and others taken alive.
καὶ συνδήσαντες σφέας οἱ Ἕλληνες ἦγον ἐς Σηστόν, μετʼ αὐτῶν δὲ καὶ Ἀρταΰκτην δεδεμένον αὐτόν τε καὶ τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ.
And the Greeks, having bound them, led them to Sestos, and with them Artaÿctes himself and his son, both in bonds.

Notes

  1. §9.119.2ὕστεροι ὁρμηθέντες φεύγειν — The adjective ὕστεροι functions predicatively with the subject, meaning "later" or "afterwards" in an adverbial sense. φεύγειν is an infinitive depending on ὁρμηθέντες, denoting the action of fleeing.
  2. §9.119.2οἱ δὲ ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀρταΰκτην ... οἳ μὲν ἀπέθανον οἳ δὲ ζῶντες ἐλάμφθησαν — The subject at the beginning of the sentence, οἱ δὲ ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀρταΰκτην, is followed by οἳ μὲν ... οἳ δὲ ... in partitive apposition, dividing the whole group into subgroups to describe their respective fates.
  3. §9.119.2ὀλίγον ἐόντες ὑπὲρ Αἰγὸς ποταμῶν — The preposition ὑπὲρ with the genitive means geographically "above" or "inland of" (relative to the coast). The participle ἐόντες (Ionic for ὄντες) means "being situated," modifying the subject within the temporal clause introduced by ὡς.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §9.119.1-9.119.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.119.1-9.119.2

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