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Herodotus · Histories §9.96.1-9.96.3

Persian Retreat to Mycale and the Fortification of the Fleet

Passage 1551 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

While the Greek fleet advances toward Samos, the Persian fleet decides to avoid a sea battle, retreating to the mainland under the protection of their land army at Mycale to draw up their ships and build a defensive rampart.

§9.96.1τοῖσι δὲ Ἕλλησι ὡς ἐκαλλιέρησε, ἀνῆγον τὰς νέας ἐκ τῆς Δήλου πρὸς τὴν Σάμον.
When the Greeks obtained favorable omens, they put out to sea with their ships from Delos toward Samos.
ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐγένοντο τῆς Σαμίης πρὸς Καλαμίσοισι, οἳ μὲν αὐτοῦ ὁρμισάμενοι κατὰ τὸ Ἥραιον τὸ ταύτῃ παρεσκευάζοντο ἐς ναυμαχίην, οἳ δὲ Πέρσαι πυθόμενοι σφέας προσπλέειν ἀνῆγον καὶ αὐτοὶ πρὸς τὴν ἤπειρον τὰς νέας τὰς ἄλλας, τὰς δὲ Φοινίκων ἀπῆκαν ἀποπλέειν.
When they arrived at Calamisa in the territory of Samos, they anchored near the Heraion there and made preparations for a sea battle. On the other hand, the Persians, learning that the Greeks were sailing against them, also put out to sea with the rest of their ships toward the mainland, but they dismissed those of the Phoenicians to sail away.
βουλευομένοισι γάρ σφι ἐδόκεε ναυμαχίην μὴ ποιέεσθαι· §9.96.2οὐ γὰρ ὦν ἐδόκεον ὅμοιοι εἶναι.
For as they deliberated, it seemed best to them not to engage in a sea battle; for indeed they did not think they were a match for them.
ἐς δὲ τὴν ἤπειρον ἀπέπλεον, ὅκως ἔωσι ὑπὸ τὸν πεζὸν στρατὸν τὸν σφέτερον ἐόντα ἐν τῇ Μυκάλῃ, ὃς κελεύσαντος Ξέρξεω καταλελειμμένος τοῦ ἄλλου στρατοῦ Ἰωνίην ἐφύλασσε· τοῦ πλῆθος μὲν ἦν ἓξ μυριάδες, ἐστρατήγεε δὲ αὐτοῦ Τιγράνης κάλλεϊ καὶ μεγάθεϊ ὑπερφέρων Περσέων.
So they sailed away to the mainland, in order to be under the protection of their own land army which was at Mycale, which, having been left behind from the rest of the army by order of Xerxes, was guarding Ionia; its number was sixty thousand, and it was commanded by Tigranes, who surpassed the other Persians in beauty and stature.
§9.96.3ὑπὸ τοῦτον μὲν δὴ τὸν στρατὸν ἐβουλεύσαντο καταφυγόντες οἱ τοῦ ναυτικοῦ στρατηγοὶ ἀνειρύσαι τὰς νέας καὶ περιβαλέσθαι ἕρκος ἔρυμά τε τῶν νεῶν καὶ σφέων αὐτῶν κρησφύγετον.
Under the protection of this army, the commanders of the fleet resolved to flee, draw up their ships on land, and build a rampart around them to serve both as a defense for the ships and as a stronghold for themselves.

Notes

  1. 9.96.1ὡς ἐκαλλιέρησε — Used intransitively (or with 'sacrifices' understood as the subject) meaning 'to obtain favorable omens' or 'when the sacrifices yielded good omens.'
  2. 9.96.1τῆς Σαμίης — Partitive genitive (or possessive genitive with geographical names) modifying 'πρὸς Καλαμίσοισι' (at Calamisa), meaning 'in the territory of Samos.'
  3. 9.96.1βουλευομένοισι γάρ σφι ἐδόκεε — The impersonal verb ἐδόκεε ('it seemed good / was resolved') is construed with the dative personal pronoun σφι ('to them') and the agreeing present participle βουλευομένοισι ('deliberating'), meaning 'for as they deliberated, it seemed best to them.'
  4. 9.96.2ὅμοιοι εἶναι — The adjective ὅμοιος ('like, equal') here means 'a match [for the enemy]' or 'equal in strength.' Since the subject of the infinitive is the same as that of the main verb (ἐδόκεον), it is put in the nominative plural (ὅμοιοι).
  5. 9.96.3καταφυγόντες — Aorist participle expressing an action prior to or attendant upon the resolution expressed by the main verb ἐβουλεύσαντο; 'having fled [under the protection of this army, they resolved to...].'

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §9.96.1-9.96.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.96.1-9.96.3

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