I I 1 I 1 OEB CLASSICAL LIBRARY I i I 1 I I I m HERODOTUS I i I 1 IV i I BOOKS VIII-IX I i i I l I I I I i i 1 I 1 i l i 1 i 1 I I i I l g Translated by i A D. GODLEY i i I 1 I I iN Complete list of Lock titles can be V*o Jound at the end of each volume the historian HERODOTUS grc-at Greek was born about 484 B.C., at Halicar- nassus in Caria, Asia Minor, when it was subject to the Persians. He travelled in of Asia widely most Minor, Egypt (as as far Assuan), North Africa, Syria, the country north of the Black Sea, and many parts of the Aegean Sea and the mainland of Greece. He lived, it seems, for some time in Athens, and in 443 went with other colonists to the new city Thurii (in he died about South Italy) where 430 B.C. He was 'the prose correlative of the bard, a narrator of the deeds of real men, and a describer of foreign places' (Murray). His famous history of warfare between the Greeks and the Persians has an epic enhances his dignity which delightful style. It includes the rise of the Persian power and an account of the Persian the empire ; description of Egypt fills one book; because Darius attacked Scythia, the geography and customs of that land are also even in the later books on the given ; the Persians attacks of against Greece there are digressions.o All is most entertainingo a After and produces grand unity. personal inquiry and study of hearsay and other evidence, Herodotus gives us a not un- critical estimate of the best that he could find. 930 <A- Co. (HERODOTUS rv.) THE LOEB CLASSICAL LIBRARY FOUNDED BY JAMES LOEB, LL.D. EDITED BY E. H. WARMINGTON, M.A., F.R.HXST.SOC. FORMER EDITORS fT. E. PAGE, C.H., LITT.D. fE. CAPPS, PH.D., LL.D. fW. H. D. ROUSE, LITT.D. L. A. POST, L.H.D. HEUODOTUS IV 120 HERODOTUS WITH AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY A. D. GODLEY HON. FKLLOW OF MAGDALEN COLLEGE, OXFORD IX FOUR VOLUMES IV BOOKS VIII -IX / in CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON WILLIAM HEINEMANN LTD MCMLXIX First printed 1925 Reprinted 1930, 1946, 1961, 1969 Printed in Great Britain CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION vii BOOK vm 1 BOOK IX 157 INDEX 303 MAPS SALAMIS At end BATTLEFIELD OF PLATAEA INTRODUCTION THE following is a brief analysis of the contents of Books VIII and IX, based on the summary in Stein's edition : BOOK VIII Ch. 1-5. The Greek fleet at Artemisium ; question of command of Themistocles supreme ; bribery by the Euboeans. Ch. 6-14. Despatch of a Persian squadron to sail round Euboea, and its destruction by a storm. Effect of the storm on the rest of the Persian fleet ; first encounter between the two fleets. Ch. 15-17. Second battle off Artemisium. Ch. 18-23. Retreat of the Greeks; Themistocles' to lonians attempt tamper with the ; Persian occupation of Euboea. Ch. 24-33. Visit of Persian sailors to the field of Thermopylae. Olympic festival (26). Feuds of Thessalians and Phocians Persian advance ; through Phocis (27-33). Ch. 34-39. Persian march through Boeotia, and unsuccessful attempt upon Delphi. Ch. 40-48. Abandonment of Attica by the Athenians ; the Greek fleet at Salamis. Ch. 49-55. Greek council of war ; Persian invasion of Attica and occupation of Athens. vii INTRODUCTION Ch. 56-64. Greek design to withdraw the fleet to the Isthmus of Corinth. Decision to remain at Salamis, by Themistocles' advice. Ch. 65. Dicaeus' vision near Eleusis. Ch. 66-69. Persian fleet at Phalerum ; advice given by Artemisia in a council of war. Ch. 70-73. Greek fortification of the Isthmus. Digression on the various Peloponnesian nationalities. Ch. 74-82. Unwillingness of the Peloponnesians to remain at Salamis. Themistocles' design to com- them his to and Persian pel ; message Xerxes, movement to encircle the Greeks. Announcement of this by Aristides. Ch. 83-96. Battle of Salamis. Ch. 97-99. Xerxes' intention to retreat; news at Susa of the capture of Athens and the battle of Salamis. Ch. 100-102. Advice given to Xerxes by Mardonius and Artemisia. Ch. 103-106. Story of the revenge of Hermotimus. Ch. 107-110. Flight of Persian fleet, and Greek as far as Andros Themistocles' pursuit ; message to Xerxes. Ch. Ill, 112. Siege of Andros, and demands made by Themistocles on various islands. Ch. 113. Mardonius' selection of his army. Ch. 114-120. Incidents in Xerxes' retreat. Ch. 121-125. Greek division of spoil and assign- at ment of honours ; Themistocles' reception Sparta. Ch. 126-129. Artabazus' capture of Olynthus and siege of Potidaea, during the winter. Ch. 130-132. Greek and Persian fleets at Aegina and Samos respectively (spring of 479). Leutychides' command. Message to the Greeks from the lonians. viii INTRODUCTION Ch. 133-135. Mardonius' consultation of Greek oracles. Ch. 136-139. Mission to Athens of Alexander of of his Macedonia ; origin dynasty. Ch. 140-144. Speeches at Athens of Alexander Athenian answer to both. and the Spartan envoys ; BOOK IX in Attica his fresh Ch. 1-5. Mardonius ; proposals to the Athenians. Ch. 611. Hesitation of the Spartans to send made the Athenians eventual troops ; appeals by ; despatch of a force. Ch. 1215. Argive warning to Mardonius; his march to Megara and withdrawal thence to Boeotia. Ch. 16-18. Story of a banquet at Thebes, and Mardonius' test of a Phocian contingent. at of Ch. 19-25. The Greeks Erythrae ; repulse and death of its leader Persian cavalry attack, ; Greek change of position. Ch. 26-27. Rival claim of Tegeans and Athenians for the post of honour. Ch. 28-32. Battle array of Greek and Persian armies. Ch. 33-37. Stories of the diviners in the two armies. Persian attack on a Greek Ch. 38-43. convoy ; Mardonius' council of war and determination to fight. to the Athenians Ch. 44-51. Alexander's warning ; of Greek and Persian formation attempted change ; Mardonius' challenge to the Spartans, and retreat of Greeks to a new position. ix INTRODUCTION Ch. of the 52-57. Flight Greek centre ; Amom- pharetus' refusal to change his ground. Ch. 58-65. Battle of Plataea ; initial success of Spartans and Tegeans. Ch. of success 66-69. Flight Artabazus ; Athenian the Boeotians disaster to of against ; part the Greek army. Ch. 70-75. Assault and capture of the Persian fortified camp. Distinctions of various Greek fighters. Ch. 76-79. Pausanias' reception of the Coan female the Mantineans and Eleans after suppliant ; the battle to Pausanias and ; Lampon's proposal his reply. Ch. 80-85. Greek division of the spoil and burial of the dead. Ch. 86-89. Siege of Thebes and punishment of Theban leaders ; retreat of Artabazus. Ch. 90-95. Envoys from Samos with the Greek fleet. Story of the diviner Euenius. Ch. 96105. Movements preliminary to the battle of Mycale, and Greek victory there. Ch. 106, 107. Greek deliberation at Samos ; quarrel between Persian leaders. Ch. 108-113. Story of Xerxes' adultery and cruelty, and the fate of his brother Masistes. Ch. 114-121. Capture of Sestus by the Greeks; sacrilege of Artayctes, and his execution. Ch. 122. Cyrus' advice to the Persians to prefer hardship to comfort. In the eighth and ninth books the central subjects are the battles of Salamis and Plataea respectively. Herodotus describes the preliminaries of Salamis, INTRODUCTION and both the operations prior to Plataea and the actual battle, with much detail ; and his narrative has given rise to a good deal of controversy. Some- times it is dillicult to reconcile his story with the facts of geography. Sometimes, it is alleged, he is contradicted by the only other real authority for the sea flight at Salamis, Aeschylus. More often, he is said to sin against the laws of probability. He makes generals and armies do things which are and this is to detract from his surprising ; alleged for a who allows and credit ; historian, generals armies to disregard known rules of war, is plainly if not suspect, and at best the dupe of camp gossip, animated by partiality or even malice. As to the battle of Salamis, a mere translator has no desire to add greatly to the literature of contro- to review Herodotus' versy. But it is worth while account. On the day before the battle, the Persian coast of its fleet, apparently, lay along the Attica, near the Greeks eastern wing being Munychia ; being at Salamis, opposite to and rather less than a mile distant from Xerxes' ships. During the night, Persian ships were detached to close the two entrances of the straits between the mainland and Salamis. At dawn, of the following day, the Greeks rowed out and made a frontal attack on the Persians facing them. This account is questioned by the learned, mainly because is the on two grounds ; firstly, (it alleged) Persians, if they originally lay along the Attic coast, could not have closed the two entrances of the of the Greeks straits without the knowledge ; from secondly, because Herodotus' narrative differs that given by Aeschylus, in the Persae, a play xi INTRODUCTION produced only eight years after the battle. As to the first objection, the Persian manoeuvre was executed in darkness, and by small vessels, not modern battleships : it is surely not incredible that the Greeks should have been unaware of its full execution. As to the second ground of criticism, that Herodotus and Aeschylus do not agree, and that Aeschylus must be held the better authority, it still remains to be shown in what the alleged discrepancy consists.