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This resumes the diary of the Persian fleet, broken off in ch. 25, and takes it from Aphetae to Phalerum in nine days, six given here, one spent in going from Aphetae to Histiaea (ch. 23), one at Thermopylae, and one in returning to Histiaea (ch. 25) (Macan).


The reinforcements which reached the land army, which H. (ix. 32. 2) estimates at 50,000, may well have balanced the losses. Accordingly Tarn (J. H. S. xxviii. 204 n.) would save H.'s credit by taking him to refer not to ships or crews, but solely to fighting men, including marines. For the fleet the idea of compensation is absurd. H. has reckoned the loss from storms (vii. 190; viii. 13) at 600 ships, besides mentioning losses in battle amounting to perhaps a hundred more (vii. 194; viii. 11, 14, 16), thus reducing his grand total of 1,327 (cf. vii. 89. 1, 184. 1, 185. 1) to some 600 (cf. Diod. xi. 19, 27). He then found himself confronted with Aeschylus' computation of the fleet at Salamis (1,207; Pers. 341), which he had used earlier (vii. 89. 1) and reverted to it, setting against the enormous losses (cf. sup. and especially ch. 13 ad fin.) the scanty contingents of a few islands of doubtful loyalty (§ 2; cf. vii. 95).

καὶ μάλα, ‘and further’; cf. i. 134. 3. H. here turns to those who furnished ships.

τῶν πέντε πολίων. Six states (i. e. islands, cf. iii. 139. 1) are mentioned in ch. 46. Ceos, Naxos, Cythnos, Seriphos, Siphnos, Melos. The one here forgotten (Ceos according to Stein and Melos according to Macan) is most probably Seriphos, which is not found on the Delphic offering (ix. 81 n.).

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