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Herodotus · Histories §9.57.1-9.57.3

Amompharetus' Rejoining and the Persian Cavalry Attack

Passage 1512 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Seeing that the main force has actually retreated, Amompharetus finally leads his company to follow and join them. Meanwhile, the barbarian cavalry, realizing that the Greek post has been vacated, immediately pursues and attacks them.

§9.57.1Ἀμομφάρετος δὲ ἀρχήν γε οὐδαμὰ δοκέων Παυσανίην τολμήσειν σφέας ἀπολιπεῖν, περιείχετο αὐτοῦ μένοντας μὴ ἐκλιπεῖν τὴν τάξιν· προτερεόντων δὲ τῶν σὺν Παυσανίῃ, καταδόξας αὐτοὺς ἰθέῃ τέχνῃ ἀπολείπειν αὐτόν, ἀναλαβόντα τὸν λόχον τὰ ὅπλα ἦγε βάδην πρὸς τὸ ἄλλο στῖφος·
Amompharetus, not thinking at all in the first place that Pausanias would ever dare to abandon them, insisted on remaining there and not leaving their post; but as those with Pausanias went forward, suspecting that they were leaving him in real earnest, he ordered his company to take up their arms and led them at a walk toward the rest of the body.
§9.57.2τὸ δὲ ἀπελθὸν ὅσον τε δέκα στάδια ἀνέμενε τὸν Ἀμομφαρέτου λόχον, περὶ ποταμὸν Μολόεντα ἱδρυμένον Ἀργιόπιόν τε χῶρον καλεόμενον, τῇ καὶ Δήμητρος Ἐλευσινίης ἱρὸν ἧσται.
The latter, having retreated about ten stades, was waiting for the company of Amompharetus, being posted by the river Moloeis and at the place called Argiopius, where also stands a temple of Eleusinian Demeter.
ἀνέμενε δὲ τοῦδε εἵνεκα, ἵνα ἢν μὴ ἀπολείπῃ τὸν χῶρον ἐν τῷ ἐτετάχατο ὁ Ἀμομφάρετός τε καὶ ὁ λόχος, ἀλλʼ αὐτοῦ μένωσι, βοηθέοι ὀπίσω παρʼ ἐκείνους.
And they were waiting for this reason, so that, if Amompharetus and his company should not leave the place where they had been drawn up but remain there, they might march back to assist them.
§9.57.3καὶ οἵ τε ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀμομφάρετός παρεγίνοντό σφι καὶ ἡ ἵππος ἡ τῶν βαρβάρων προσέκειτο πᾶσα.
And just as Amompharetus and his men joined them, the entire cavalry of the barbarians pressed upon them.
οἱ γὰρ ἱππόται ἐποίευν οἷον καὶ ἐώθεσαν ποιέειν αἰεί, ἰδόντες δὲ τὸν χῶρον κεινὸν ἐν τῷ ἐτετάχατο οἱ Ἕλληνες τῇσι προτέρῃσι ἡμέρῃσι, ἤλαυνον τοὺς ἵππους αἰεὶ τὸ πρόσω καὶ ἅμα καταλαβόντες προσεκέατό σφι.
For the horsemen did what they had always been accustomed to do; seeing the place empty where the Greeks had been drawn up on the preceding days, they drove their horses ever forward, and as soon as they overtook them, they pressed upon them.

Notes

  1. §9.57.1ἀρχήν — The accusative ἀρχήν with the negative οὐδαμά functions adverbially to mean 'at all' or 'in the first place... not at all.'
  2. §9.57.1ἀναλαβόντα — The participle ἀναλαβόντα is in the accusative masculine singular, whereas it grammatically refers to the subject of the main verb ἦγε (Amompharetus, nominative). This is an instance of anacoluthon (case shift from nominative to accusative), likely influenced by the preceding accusatives (σφέας, αὐτούς, αὐτόν).
  3. §9.57.2βοηθέοι — The optative βοηθέοι is used in a purpose clause introduced by ἵνα, dependent on the historical main verb ἀνέμενε, which contains an embedded conditional clause (ἢν μὴ ἀπολείπῃ..., in the subjunctive). It represents the past intention of the main force to return and assist them if they should remain.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §9.57.1-9.57.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.57.1-9.57.3

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