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Herodotus · Histories §9.19.1-9.19.3

Muster of the Greek Army at Mount Cithaeron

Passage 1474 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Prompted by the Spartan departure, the other Peloponnesians and Athenians joined forces, marching forward to draw up their lines against the Persian army at the foothills of Cithaeron.

§9.19.1Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ ὡς ἐς τὸν Ἰσθμὸν ἦλθον, ἐν τούτῳ ἐστρατοπεδεύοντο.
But the Lacedaemonians, when they had come to the Isthmus, encamped there.
πυνθανόμενοι δὲ ταῦτα οἱ λοιποὶ Πελοποννήσιοι τοῖσι τὰ ἀμείνω ἑάνδανε, οἳ δὲ καὶ ὁρῶντες ἐξιόντας Σπαρτιήτας, οὐκ ἐδικαίευν λείπεσθαι τῆς ἐξόδου Λακεδαιμονίων.
And when the rest of the Peloponnesians who favored the better cause heard of this, and some also saw the Spartans marching out, they did not think it right to be left behind from the expedition of the Lacedaemonians.
§9.19.2ἐκ δὴ ὦν τοῦ Ἰσθμοῦ καλλιερησάντων τῶν ἱρῶν ἐπορεύοντο πάντες καὶ ἀπικνέονται ἐς Ἐλευσῖνα· ποιήσαντες δὲ καὶ ἐνθαῦτα ἱρά, ὥς σφι ἐκαλλιέρεε, τὸ πρόσω ἐπορεύοντο, Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ ἅμα αὐτοῖσι, διαβάντες μὲν ἐκ Σαλαμῖνος, συμμιγέντες δὲ ἐν Ἐλευσῖνι.
So then, when the sacrifices yielded favorable omens, they all marched forth from the Isthmus and arrived at Eleusis; and having offered sacrifices there also, since they were favorable to them, they marched further onward, and the Athenians with them, having crossed over from Salamis and joined them at Eleusis.
§9.19.3ὡς δὲ ἄρα ἀπίκοντο τῆς Βοιωτίης ἐς Ἐρυθράς, ἔμαθόν τε δὴ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐπὶ τῷ Ἀσωπῷ στρατοπεδευομένους, φρασθέντες δὲ τοῦτο ἀντετάσσοντο ἐπὶ τῆς ὑπωρέης τοῦ Κιθαιρῶνος.
And when they had arrived at Erythrae in Boeotia, they learned that the barbarians were encamped on the Asopus; and having perceived this, they drew themselves up in opposition on the foothills of Cithaeron.

Notes

  1. 9.19.1οἳ δὲ καὶ ὁρῶντες — This is an anacoluthon where "οἳ δὲ" ("some of them") is used to single out a part of the preceding "οἱ λοιποὶ Πελοποννήσιοι" without a corresponding "οἱ μὲν". The two participle clauses, "πυνθανόμενοι" ("hearing") and "ὁρῶντες" ("seeing"), represent two different motives that prompted the Peloponnesians to act.
  2. 9.19.2καλλιερησάντων τῶν ἱρῶν — Genitive absolute. The active verb "καλλιερέω" is used to mean "the sacrifices (ἱρά) yield favorable omens," with "τῶν ἱρῶν" functioning as the grammatical subject.
  3. 9.19.3τῆς Βοιωτίης ἐς Ἐρυθράς — The genitive "τῆς Βοιωτίης" is a partitive genitive (geographical genitive) indicating the wider region to which the specific town "ἐς Ἐρυθράς" belongs, meaning "into Erythrae of Boeotia."

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §9.19.1-9.19.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.19.1-9.19.3

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