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Herodotus · Histories §9.97.1

Persian Fortification of Their Camp at Mycale

Passage 1552 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The Persians drew up their ships near the temple of Demeter at Mycale and constructed a fortified camp with a wooden and stone rampart, preparing for both a siege and a victory.

§9.97.1ταῦτα βουλευσάμενοι ἀνήγοντο.
Having made this resolution, they put out to sea.
ἀπικόμενοι δὲ παρὰ τὸ τῶν Ποτνιέων ἱρὸν τῆς Μυκάλης ἐς Γαίσωνά τε καὶ Σκολοπόεντα, τῇ Δήμητρος Ἐλευσινίης ἱρόν, τὸ Φίλιστος ὁ Πασικλέος ἱδρύσατο Νείλεῳ τῷ Κόδρου ἐπισπόμενος ἐπὶ Μιλήτου κτιστύν, ἐνθαῦτα τὰς τε νέας ἀνείρυσαν καὶ περιεβάλοντο ἕρκος καὶ λίθων καὶ ξύλων, δένδρεα ἐκκόψαντες ἥμερα, καὶ σκόλοπας περὶ τὸ ἕρκος κατέπηξαν, καὶ παρεσκευάδατο ὡς πολιορκησόμενοι καὶ ὡς νικήσοντες, ἐπʼ ἀμφότερα ἐπιλεγόμενοι γὰρ παρεσκευάζοντο,
When they arrived near the temple of the Potniae at Mycale, at the river Gaeson and Scolopoïs, where there is a temple of Eleusinian Demeter—which was founded by Philistus son of Pasicles when he accompanied Neileus son of Codrus for the founding of Miletus—there they drew up their ships and threw a rampart of stones and wood around them, cutting down fruit trees, and drove sharp stakes into the ground around the rampart. They had prepared themselves as men who might be besieged and also as men who would win, for they made their preparations taking both outcomes into account.

Notes

  1. 9.97.1τῇ — Used as a relative adverb meaning 'where', indicating the location of the temple of Demeter. It originates from the dative feminine singular form of the demonstrative/relative pronoun acting as an adverb of place.
  2. 9.97.1ἐπισπόμενος — An aorist participle (nominative masculine singular) of the verb ἕπομαι (follow), governing the dative Νείλεῳ, meaning 'having followed' or 'accompanying'. It refers historically to accompanying the colonization expedition of Miletus.
  3. 9.97.1παρεσκευάδατο — The Ionic dialect third-person plural pluperfect middle/passive of the verb παρασκευάζω (prepare). It corresponds to the Attic παρεσκεύασντο, employing the ending -ατο instead of -ντο for the third-person plural.
  4. 9.97.1ὡς πολιορκησόμενοι καὶ ὡς νικήσοντες — The construction of ὡς with future participles (nominative masculine plural) indicating subjective intention, expectation, or preparedness. It expresses the mental state of the subject (the Persians): 'as men expecting to be besieged and also expecting to win'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §9.97.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.97.1

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