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Herodotus · Histories §9.78.1-9.78.3

Lampon Proposes Defiling Mardonius' Body to Pausanias

Passage 1533 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Lampon of Aegina approaches Pausanias with an impious proposal, suggesting that he impale the body of Mardonius in retaliation for Mardonius and Xerxes' defilement of Leonidas' body at Thermopylae.

§9.78.1ἐν δὲ Πλαταιῇσι ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ τῶν Αἰγινητέων ἦν Λάμπων Πυθέω, Αἰγινητέων ἐὼν τὰ πρῶτα·
In the camp at Plataea was Lampon, son of Pytheas, who was among the leading men of the Aeginetans.
ὃς ἀνοσιώτατον ἔχων λόγον ἵετο πρὸς Παυσανίην, ἀπικόμενος δὲ σπουδῇ ἔλεγε τάδε. §9.78.2ὦ παῖ Κλεομβρότου, ἔργον ἔργασταί τοι ὑπερφυὲς μέγαθός τε καὶ κάλλος, καί τοι θεὸς παρέδωκε ῥυσάμενον τὴν Ἑλλάδα κλέος καταθέσθαι μέγιστον Ἑλλήνων τῶν ἡμεῖς ἴδμεν.
Having a most impious proposal, he hastened to Pausanias, and upon his arrival, spoke to him in haste as follows: "O son of Cleombrotus, a deed of supernatural magnitude and beauty has been performed by you, and God has granted you, by rescuing Greece, to lay up the greatest glory of any Greek whom we know.
σὺ δὲ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τὰ ἐπὶ τούτοισι ποίησον, ὅκως λόγος τε σὲ ἔχῃ ἔτι μέζων καί τις ὕστερον φυλάσσηται τῶν βαρβάρων μὴ ὑπάρχειν ἔργα ἀτάσθαλα ποιέων ἐς τοὺς Ἕλληνας.
Now do you also perform what remains after this, so that your fame may be even greater, and that in future any of the barbarians may beware of being the first to commit outrageous deeds against the Greeks.
§9.78.3Λεωνίδεω γὰρ ἀποθανόντος ἐν Θερμοπύλῃσι Μαρδόνιός τε καὶ Ξέρξης ἀποταμόντες τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀνεσταύρωσαν·
For when Leonidas died at Thermopylae, Mardonius and Xerxes cut off his head and impaled it.
τῷ σὺ τὴν ὁμοίην ἀποδιδοὺς ἔπαινον ἕξεις πρῶτα μὲν ὑπὸ πάντων Σπαρτιητέων, αὖτις δὲ καὶ πρὸς τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων· Μαρδόνιον γὰρ ἀνασκολοπίσας τετιμωρήσεαι ἐς πάτρων τὸν σὸν Λεωνίδην.
By rendering the like to him, you will have praise first from all the Spartans, and afterwards also from the other Greeks; for by impaling Mardonius, you will avenge your uncle Leonidas."

Notes

  1. §9.78.1Αἰγινητέων ἐὼν τὰ πρῶτα — The neuter plural accusative τὰ πρῶτα ('the first things') is used adverbially or as a predicate accusative, meaning 'being among the leading or most prominent men' of the Aeginetans.
  2. §9.78.2ῥυσάμενον — Although the dative pronoun τοι is present in the main clause, the masculine singular accusative participle ῥυσάμενον agrees with the unexpressed accusative subject (σέ) of the infinitive καταθέσθαι, which is the standard construction for infinitives.
  3. §9.78.2μὴ ὑπάρχειν — A negative infinitive clause dependent on the verb of guarding/fearing φυλάσσηται ('beware lest they...'). The verb ὑπάρχω here carries the sense of 'to make a beginning of' or 'to be the first to commit' an action.
  4. §9.78.3τῷ — A dative demonstrative pronoun referring to Mardonius (who was mentioned in the previous clause and is the immediate target of retribution, Xerxes having retreated). It functions as the indirect object of the participle ἀποδιδοὺς, meaning 'by rendering the like to him'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §9.78.1-9.78.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.78.1-9.78.3

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