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Herodotus · Histories §9.5.1-9.5.3

Stoning of Lycidas and His Family by Athenians

Passage 1458 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

In the Athenian council, Lycidas suggests accepting the Persian proposals, prompting angry Athenians to stone him to death; subsequently, Athenian women of their own accord go to his house and stone his wife and children.

§9.5.1τούτων μὲν εἵνεκα ἀπέπεμψε Μουρυχίδην ἐς Σαλαμῖνα, ὁ δὲ ἀπικόμενος ἐπὶ τὴν βουλὴν ἔλεγε τὰ παρὰ Μαρδονίου.
For these reasons Mardonius sent Murychides to Salamis, and upon his arrival, Murychides went before the council and delivered the proposals from Mardonius.
τῶν δὲ βουλευτέων Λυκίδης εἶπε γνώμην ὡς ἐδόκεε ἄμεινον εἶναι δεξαμένους τὸν λόγον, τόν σφι Μουρυχίδης προφέρει, ἐξενεῖκαι ἐς τὸν δῆμον.
Among the councilors, Lycidas expressed the opinion that it seemed better to accept the proposal that Murychides was presenting to them and to bring it before the assembly of the people.
§9.5.2ὃ μὲν δὴ ταύτην τὴν γνώμην ἀπεφαίνετο, εἴτε δὴ δεδεγμένος χρήματα παρὰ Μαρδονίου, εἴτε καὶ ταῦτά οἱ ἑάνδανε·
He declared this opinion either because he had received money from Mardonius, or because this course of action actually pleased him.
Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ αὐτίκα δεινὸν ποιησάμενοι οἵ τε ἐκ τῆς βουλῆς καὶ οἱ ἔξωθεν ὡς ἐπύθοντο, περιστάντες Λυκίδην κατέλευσαν βάλλοντες, τὸν δὲ Ἑλλησπόντιον Μουρυχίδην ἀπέπεμψαν ἀσινέα.
But the Athenians—both those inside the council and those outside as soon as they heard of it—immediately took it as an outrage, surrounded Lycidas, and stoned him to death, while they sent the Hellespontian Murychides away unharmed.
§9.5.3γενομένου δὲ θορύβου ἐν τῇ Σαλαμῖνι περὶ τὸν Λυκίδην, πυνθάνονται τὸ γινόμενον αἱ γυναῖκες τῶν Ἀθηναίων, διακελευσαμένη δὲ γυνὴ γυναικὶ καὶ παραλαβοῦσα ἐπὶ τὴν Λυκίδεω οἰκίην ἤισαν αὐτοκελέες, καὶ κατὰ μὲν ἔλευσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα κατὰ δὲ τὰ τέκνα.
When this tumult concerning Lycidas arose in Salamis, the Athenian women learned of what was happening; encouraging one another and gathering together, they went of their own accord to the house of Lycidas, where they stoned his wife to death and likewise his children.

Notes

  1. §9.5.1δεξαμένους τὸν λόγον ... ἐξενεῖκαι — The accusative plural participle `δεξαμένους` agrees with the unexpressed subject of the infinitive `ἐξενεῖκαι` (literally 'to bring out/submit from the council to the assembly') in the accusative-and-infinitive construction dependent on `ἐδόκεε ἄμεινον εἶναι`.
  2. §9.5.3κατὰ μὲν ἔλευσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα κατὰ δὲ τὰ τέκνα. — The prefix `κατά` of the compound verb `καταλεύω` ('to stone to death') is separated by tmesis. It is repeated before each of the two contrasted objects (`τὴν γυναῖκα` and `τὰ τέκνα`) using `μὲν... δὲ...`, emphasizing the relentless and violent action.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §9.5.1-9.5.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.5.1-9.5.3

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