This text is part of:
τὴν ἐπειρώτησιν τῶν χρησμῶν: a curious expression, for ‘inquiry about, or after, the oracles’—referring to Mardonios' inquiry in c. 42 supra. For the word cp. 6. 67. The παραίνεσις is also to be found in c. 42 supra.
νύξ τε ... καὶ . .: a very simple parataxis, cp. 7. 21. ἐς φυλακὰς ἐτάσσοντο apparently applies to both sides, and means practically that they retired to quarters, bivouacked, instead of continuing in battle-array, φυλακή being guard-duty, etc. Cp. also c. 51 infra, and here just below. On the division of the watches see note to c. 51 below.
πρόσω τῆς νυκτὸς προελήλατο: a neuter construction, with a correct temporal pluperfect: multum noctis processerat. Cp. 2. 121 ὡς δὲ πρόσω ἦν τῆς νυκτός. Copied by Sallust, Iug. 21 ubi plerumque noctis processit. The whole phrase ὡς δὲ ... ἐν ὕπνῳ is a paraphrase for ‘the second watch,’ cp. c. 51 infra.
τὰς φυλακὰς τὰς Ἀθηναίων: the feminine φυλακή may be either collective (cp. ἡ ἵππος) or local; the plural here suits the latter meaning: the outposts, vedettes. Cp. 1. 2 supra.
Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Ἀμύντεω κτλ. If the patronymic might have been employed here for the sake of clearness and style, yet the full description added is rather de trop, after the many previous accounts of Alexander (7. 173-5, 8. 34, 136 ff., cc. 1, 4, 8 supra), and points rather to the independent Attic, or philAttic source, from which this part of the narrative is obviously derived. The Makedonians were posted on the Persian right, opposite the Athenians; cp. c. 31 supra.
ἐδίζητο: cp. c. 37 supra. τοῖσι στρατηγοῖσι: in spite of c. 28 supra Alexander knows that there is more than one Strategos in the Athenian quarters. Stein says, ‘probably all ten were in camp, cp. 6. 103’—but what then of Xanthippos, and his probable colleague, or colleagues, on the fleet? (cp. c. 114 infra). And was there no Strategos left in Salamis? ἐς λόγους ἐλθεῖν: he wishes to communicate, to converse with them, but there is no question of a discussion or a debate, cp. c. 41 supra.
τῶν δὲ φυλάκων: the good, efficient, vigilant, shrewd Athenian picket! Most of them stay—to keep an eye on Alexander (whom they did not recognize), while two or three ran (ἔθεον) to headquarters with the message. Probably there was an officer who gave the proper directions, and the action was not all quite so spontaneous and democratic as it reads.
ἄνθρωπος is not complimentary to the king: it suggests a barbarian. Perhaps οἱ ἄνθρωποι up above has a special reference to the same side, whose vigilance Alexander had of course ex hypothesi to avoid; or it might contrast with the beasts, who were perhaps awake, but did not matter.
παραγυμνοῖ: cp. 8. 19. στρατηγοὺς δὲ ὀνομάζων: certainly not all ten of them, but a selection! If only Hdt. had done as much! The only Strategoi for this year whom he names are Aristeides (c. 28 supra) and Xanthippos (c. 114 infra). Plutarch (Aristeid. 20) adds for Plataia two names, Leokrates and Myronides. It is hardly likely that Aristeides was but τρίτος αὐτός with so large a force under arms. The Athenian democratic theory was that all battles were soldiers' battles, and that generals did not count for much, and needed not to be remembered, unless they were killed. Where was Themistokles, for example, all this time? Was he with Xanthippos on the fleet? Thuc. 1. 90 disproves it. Was he with Aristeides in the camp? Was he in Salamis with the women and children? The Athenians forgot to say—forgot even to say whether he was one of the Strategoi this year at all.
The National Endowment for the Humanities provided support for entering this text.
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.
An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.