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Herodotus · Histories §9.30.1

Total Strength of the Greek Army and Encampment by the Asopus

Passage 1485 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The passage states the total number of light-armed combatants, the grand total of the Greek force at Plataea which reached 110,000 with the inclusion of the surviving Thespians, and their encampment by the Asopus.

§9.30.1ψιλῶν μὲν δὴ τῶν ἁπάντων τῶν μαχίμων ἦν τὸ πλῆθος ἕξ τε μυριάδες καὶ ἐννέα χιλιάδες καὶ ἑκατοντάδες πέντε, τοῦ δὲ σύμπαντος τοῦ Ἑλληνικοῦ τοῦ συνελθόντος ἐς Πλαταιὰς σύν τε ὁπλίτῃσι καὶ ψιλοῖσι τοῖσι μαχίμοισι ἕνδεκα μυριάδες ἦσαν, μιῆς χιλιάδος, πρὸς δὲ ὀκτακοσίων ἀνδρῶν καταδέουσαι.
The total number of all the light-armed troops who were combatants was sixty-nine thousand five hundred, and the whole Greek force that assembled at Plataea, including both the hoplites and the combatant light-armed troops, was eleven万 (one hundred and ten thousand) men, lacking one thousand eight hundred.
σὺν δὲ Θεσπιέων τοῖσι παρεοῦσι ἐξεπληροῦντο αἱ ἕνδεκα μυριάδες· παρῆσαν γὰρ καὶ Θεσπιέων ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ οἱ περιεόντες, ἀριθμὸν ἐς ὀκτακοσίους καὶ χιλίους· ὅπλα δὲ οὐδʼ οὗτοι εἶχον.
However, with the addition of the Thespians who were present, the eleven万 (one hundred and ten thousand) was fully made up; for those of the Thespians who survived were also present in the camp, being about one thousand eight hundred in number, though these too did not have heavy arms.
οὗτοι μέν νυν ταχθέντες ἐπὶ τῷ Ἀσωπῷ ἐστρατοπεδεύοντο.
Now these, having been stationed, encamped by the Asopus.

Notes

  1. §9.30.1μιῆς χιλιάδος, πρὸς δὲ ὀκτακοσίων ἀνδρῶν καταδέουσαι — The participle καταδέουσαι (present active participle, feminine nominative plural, agreeing with αἱ ἕνδεκα μυριάδες) means 'lacking' and governs the genitives μιῆς χιλιάδος and ὀκτακοσίων ἀνδρῶν. The adverbial phrase πρὸς δὲ ('and in addition') connects the two numbers, meaning 'lacking one thousand, and in addition eight hundred' (1,800 in total). This calculation is exact, as the sum of 38,700 hoplites and 69,500 light-armed troops equals 108,200, which is exactly 1,800 short of 110,000.
  2. §9.30.1ἀριθμὸν ἐς ὀκτακοσίους καὶ χιλίους — The accusative ἀριθμὸν functions as an accusative of specification ('in number'). The preposition ἐς (εἰς) with numerals is used to indicate an approximate number ('about' or 'up to'). Note that the form 'ὀκτακοσίους' in the provided Greek text is a typographical error where the Greek letter kappa (κ) was corrupted into the Korean character '코'; it should be read as 'ὀκτακοσίους' (eight hundred).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §9.30.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.30.1

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