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Herodotus · Histories §9.32.1-9.32.2

Lesser Contingents and Total Strength of Mardonius' Army

Passage 1487 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The author details the minor and mixed contingents under Mardonius, including Egyptian warrior classes, and estimates the total Persian land forces at 300,000 barbarians and approximately 50,000 allied Greeks.

§9.32.1ταῦτα μὲν τῶν ἐθνέων τὰ μέγιστα ὠνόμασται τῶν ὑπὸ Μαρδονίου ταχθέντων, τά περ ἐπιφανέστατά τε ἦν καὶ λόγου πλείστου·
These are the greatest of the nations stationed by Mardonius, which indeed were the most prominent and of the greatest account.
ἐνῆσαν δὲ καὶ ἄλλων ἐθνέων ἄνδρες ἀναμεμιγμένοι, Φρυγῶν τε καὶ Θρηίκων καὶ Μυσῶν τε καὶ Παιόνων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ἐν δὲ καὶ Αἰθιόπων τε καὶ Αἰγυπτίων οἵ τε Ἑρμοτύβιες καὶ οἱ Καλασίριες καλεόμενοι μαχαιροφόροι, οἵ περ εἰσὶ Αἰγυπτίων μοῦνοι μάχιμοι.
But there were also mixed in men of other nations—Phrygians, Thracians, Mysians, Paeonians, and the rest—and among them also Ethiopians and those of the Egyptians who are called Hermotybians and Calasirians, wielding swords, who indeed are the only fighting men among the Egyptians.
§9.32.2τούτους δὲ ἔτι ἐν Φαλήρῳ ἐὼν ἀπὸ τῶν νεῶν ἀπεβιβάσατο ἐόντας ἐπιβάτας· οὐ γὰρ ἐτάχθησαν ἐς τὸν πεζὸν τὸν ἅμα Ξέρξῃ ἀπικόμενον ἐς Ἀθήνας Αἰγύπτιοι.
These men Mardonius, while he was still at Phalerum, had landed from the ships, being marines; for the Egyptians had not been stationed in the land army which came with Xerxes to Athens.
τῶν μὲν δὴ βαρβάρων ἦσαν τριήκοντα μυριάδες, ὡς καὶ πρότερον δεδήλωται· τῶν δὲ Ἑλλήνων τῶν Μαρδονίου συμμάχων οἶδε μὲν οὐδεὶς ἀριθμόν· οὐ γὰρ ὦν ἠριθμήθησαν· ὡς δὲ ἐπεικάσαι, ἐς πέντε μυριάδας συλλεγῆναι εἰκάζω.
Now of the barbarians there were thirty ten-thousands, as has been shown before; but of the Greeks who were Mardonius' allies, no one knows the number, for indeed they were not numbered; but to make a guess, I estimate that they were gathered to the number of about five ten-thousands.
οὗτοι οἱ παραταχθέντες πεζοὶ ἦσαν, ἡ δὲ ἵππος χωρὶς ἐτέτακτο.
These who were drawn up in line were the infantry, but the cavalry was stationed separately.

Notes

  1. 9.32.1λόγου πλείστου — A genitive of quality or value, functioning as a predicate complement of the verb ἦν in parallel with the adjective ἐπιφανέστατά. It means 'of the greatest account' or 'highly valued'.
  2. 9.32.1ἐν δὲ καὶ — The preposition ἐν is used adverbially, meaning 'therein also' or 'among them also'. The following genitives Αἰθιόπων τε καὶ Αἰγυπτίων function as partitive genitives.
  3. 9.32.2ἔτι ἐν Φαλήρῳ ἐὼν — The subject of the present participle ἐὼν (nominative singular) is Mardonius, identical to the subject of the main verb ἀπεβιβάσατο. It functions temporally, meaning 'while he (Mardonius) was still at Phalerum'.
  4. 9.32.2ὡς δὲ ἐπεικάσαι — An absolute infinitive used idiomatically to limit or qualify the assertion, meaning 'to make a guess' or 'at a rough estimate'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §9.32.1-9.32.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.32.1-9.32.2

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