ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑΙ

Herodotus, Histories 1.64.1 · 1.64.1

A third time in Athens

Πειθομένων δὲ τῶν Ἀθηναίων, οὕτω δὴ Πεισίστρατος τὸ τρίτον σχὼν Ἀθήνας ἐρρίζωσε τὴν τυραννίδα ἐπικούροισί τε πολλοῖσι καὶ χρημάτων συνόδοισι, τῶν μὲν αὐτόθεν τῶν δὲ ἀπὸ Στρυμόνος ποταμοῦ συνιόντων, ὁμήρους τε τῶν παραμεινάντων Ἀθηναίων καὶ μὴ αὐτίκα φυγόντων παῖδας λαβὼν καὶ καταστήσας ἐς Νάξον

With the Athenians obeying, Pisistratus thus held Athens for the third time, and rooted his tyranny firmly with many mercenaries and with revenues gathered, some from the land itself, others flowing in from the river Strymon; and he took as hostages the sons of the Athenians who had stayed and not fled at once, and placed them in Naxos

Word by word

ΠειθομένωνPeithoménōnobeyingδὲdè—τῶνtôntheἈθηναίωνAthēnaíōnAthenians,οὕτωhoútōthusδὴdḕ—ΠεισίστρατοςPeisístratosPisistratusτὸtò—τρίτονtrítona third timeσχὼνschṑnhaving heldἈθήναςAthḗnasAthensἐρρίζωσεerrízōserootedτὴνtḕnhisτυραννίδαtyrannídatyrannyἐπικούροισίepikoúroisímercenariesτεte—πολλοῖσιpolloîsimanyκαὶkaìandχρημάτωνchrēmátōnof moneyσυνόδοισιsynódoisirevenues,τῶνtônsomeμὲνmèn—αὐτόθενautóthenfrom the land itselfτῶνtônothersδὲdè—ἀπὸapòfromΣτρυμόνοςStrymónosStrymonποταμοῦpotamoûriverσυνιόντωνsynióntōnflowing in,ὁμήρουςhomḗroushostagesτεteandτῶνtôntheπαραμεινάντωνparameinántōnwho had stayedἈθηναίωνAthēnaíōnAtheniansκαὶkaìandμὴmḕnotαὐτίκαautíkaat onceφυγόντωνphygóntōnfledπαῖδαςpaîdassonsλαβὼνlabṑntakingκαὶkaìandκαταστήσαςkatastḗsasplaced themἐςesinΝάξονNáxonNaxos

The setting

With the Athenians persuaded to go home, Pisistratus settles into power for a third time, this time for good.

A note on this passage

Errizōse, "he rooted," is a gardener's word, and Herodotus chooses it with purpose: twice before, this same tyranny was pulled up by the roots, and twice Pisistratus came back. This third planting is the one that holds. The money that feeds it comes in, Herodotus says, as two synodoisi, literally "confluences," some autothen, from Attica itself, some flowing down from the Strymōn, the river in Thrace known for its gold and its timber.

The hostages are the sharper detail. Pisistratus takes the sons of the Athenians who stayed in the city and never fled, the very citizens whose loyalty is least certain because they never committed either way. Sending them to Naxon, an island days away by sea, keeps every doubtful father in Athens on his best behavior. It is the same calculating mind that once wounded his own mules and staged a fake ambush to win himself a bodyguard.

Read the full commentary — and tap any word for its dictionary entry — in the interlinear reader.

Open Herodotus, Histories 1.64.1 in the full reader

Always open passages in the reader

From the Great Library

You are reading a page of the Herodotus, Histories — the whole book is free in our interlinear reader.

The Great Library Project presses the classics in their original languages, glossed word by word — free to read, always. Browse the whole library.

Also on our shelves:

❦

Herodotus, Histories 1.64.1 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/herodotus/1.64.1/