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Herodotus · Histories §9.48.1-9.48.4

Mardonius's Challenge and Proposal of Single Combat to Sparta

Passage 1503 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Mardonius sends a messenger to the Spartans, mocking their reputation for bravery as false, and proposes a representative combat with equal numbers from both sides.

§9.48.1ἐπεὶ δὲ κατέστησαν ἐς τὰς ἀρχαίας τάξις, πέμψας ὁ Μαρδόνιος κήρυκα ἐς τοὺς Σπαρτιήτας ἔλεγε τάδε. ὦ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, ὑμεῖς δὴ λέγεσθε εἶναι ἄνδρες ἄριστοι ὑπὸ τῶν τῇδε ἀνθρώπων, ἐκπαγλεομένων ὡς οὔτε φεύγετε ἐκ πολέμου οὔτε τάξιν ἐκλείπετε, μένοντές τε ἢ ἀπόλλυτε τοὺς ἐναντίους ἢ αὐτοὶ ἀπόλλυσθε.
When they had returned to their original positions, Mardonius sent a herald to the Spartans and said this: "Lacedaemonians, you are indeed said to be the bravest men by the people here, who are amazed that you neither flee from war nor leave your post, but remaining, either destroy your opponents or are destroyed yourselves.
§9.48.2τῶν δʼ ἄρʼ ἦν οὐδὲν ἀληθές·
But of these things, as it turned out, nothing was true.
πρὶν γὰρ ἢ συμμῖξαι ἡμέας ἐς χειρῶν τε νόμον ἀπικέσθαι, καὶ δὴ φεύγοντας καὶ στάσιν ἐκλείποντας ὑμέας εἴδομεν, ἐν Ἀθηναίοισί τε τὴν πρόπειραν ποιευμένους αὐτούς τε ἀντία δούλων τῶν ἡμετέρων τασσομένους.
For before we could join battle and come to hand-to-hand combat, we already saw you fleeing and leaving your post, making the first trial in the person of the Athenians, and arranging yourselves opposite our slaves.
§9.48.3ταῦτα οὐδαμῶς ἀνδρῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργα, ἀλλὰ πλεῖστον δὴ ἐν ὑμῖν ἐψεύσθημεν.
These are by no means the deeds of brave men; rather, we were completely deceived in you.
προσδεκόμενοι γὰρ κατὰ κλέος ὡς δὴ πέμψετε ἐς ἡμέας κήρυκα προκαλεύμενοι καὶ βουλόμενοι μούνοισι Πέρσῃσι μάχεσθαι, ἄρτιοι ἐόντες ποιέειν ταῦτα οὐδὲν τοιοῦτο λέγοντας ὑμέας εὕρομεν ἀλλὰ πτώσσοντας μᾶλλον.
For, expecting according to your reputation that you would send a herald to us, challenging us and wishing to fight with the Persians alone, we, though prepared to do this, found you saying nothing of the sort, but rather cowering.
νῦν ὦν ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ὑμεῖς ἤρξατε τούτου τοῦ λόγου, ἀλλʼ ἡμεῖς ἄρχομεν.
Now therefore, since you did not begin this proposal, we begin it.
§9.48.4τί δὴ οὐ πρὸ μὲν τῶν Ἑλλήνων ὑμεῖς, ἐπείτε δεδόξωσθε εἶναι ἄριστοι, πρὸ δὲ τῶν βαρβάρων ἡμεῖς ἴσοι πρὸς ἴσους ἀριθμὸν ἐμαχεσάμεθα;
Why then do you not, on behalf of the Greeks, since you are reputed to be the best, and we on behalf of the barbarians, fight, equal in number against equal?
καὶ ἢν μὲν δοκέῃ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους μάχεσθαι, οἱ δʼ ὦν μετέπειτα μαχέσθων ὕστεροι· εἰ δὲ καὶ μὴ δοκέοι ἀλλʼ ἡμέας μούνους ἀποχρᾶν, ἡμεῖς δὲ διαμαχεσώμεθα· ὁκότεροι δʼ ἂν ἡμέων νικήσωσι, τούτους τῷ ἅπαντι στρατοπέδῳ νικᾶν.
And if it seems best that the others also should fight, let them fight afterwards; but if it does not seem best, and it is enough for us alone, then let us fight it out; and whichever side of us wins, let them win for the whole army."

Notes

  1. 9.48.2πρὶν γὰρ ἢ συμμῖξαι ἡμέας ἐς χειρῶν τε νόμον ἀπικέσθαι — The conjunction πρὶν ἤ (or πρὶν alone) takes the accusative and infinitive (ἡμέας ... συμμῖξαι and ἀπικέσθαι) to mean 'before we...'. The phrase ἐς χειρῶν τε νόμον ἀπικέσθαι ('to come to the law of hands') is a Herodotian idiom for coming to hand-to-hand combat or close-quarters fighting.
  2. 9.48.2ἐν Ἀθηναίοισί τε τὴν πρόπειραν ποιευμένους — The participle ποιευμένους (and the following τασσομένους) agrees with ὑμέας, the object of the verb of perception εἴδομεν. The phrase τὴν πρόπειραν ποιευμένους with ἐν Ἀθηναίοισι means 'making the first trial in the person of/among the Athenians', implying that the Spartans avoided direct clash with the Persians and let the Athenians bear the brunt of the initial trial.
  3. 9.48.3ἄρτιοι ἐόντες ποιέειν ταῦτα — The nominative plural ἄρτιοι agrees with the subject of the main verb εὕρομεν ('we', the Persians), functioning as a predicate participle. Thus, it means 'we being prepared to do this' (i.e. to accept the challenge), rather than referring to 'you' (the Spartans, who are in the accusative ὑμέας).
  4. 9.48.4τούτους τῷ ἅπαντι στρατοπέδῳ νικᾶν — The infinitive νικᾶν is used as an imperative (infinitivus pro imperativo) to express a decree or agreement: 'let these conquer for the whole army'. The dative τῷ ἅπαντι στρατοπέδῳ is a dative of interest or reference, meaning 'for/on behalf of the whole army'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §9.48.1-9.48.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.48.1-9.48.4

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