As Dewald comments, Herodotus discusses the complicated story of Samos at the end of his account of Cambyses' reign, thus using it to mark a pause in the narrative before embarking on the continuous narrative of Cambyses' downfall and Darius' accession. Herodotus was obviously well acquainted with Samos, a large island lying off the Aegean coast of Turkey. His knowledge of the island and its history is hardly surprising, given that he had lived there for a time.

39.1 Polycrates was tyrant of Samos from c. 532 to 522 B.C. Under his rule Samos became a prosperous state where trade and industry flourished, and a great naval power.

39.2 o]" e[sce Savmon ejpanastav": who, having revolted, gained control of Samos

He probably overthrew an oligarchic government on the island.

dasavmeno" is the aor. partic. of datevomai, "divide, distribute".

meta; de;.... suneqhvketo: Literally: and afterwards, having killed one (to;n mevn) of them, (and) having banished the other (to;n dev), younger (one) Syloson, he gained control of all Samos, and gaining control (of it), he established friendly relations with Amasis, king of Egypt.

Herodotus tells us more about Syloson in Chapters 139-141. These are not included in the chapters of Book 3 which have been prescribed for study, but you might read Syloson's story for yourself, at least in translation. He was subsequently restored to Samos by Otanes, brother-in-law of Cambyses. Cook suggests that Herodotus could have talked to people on Samos who knew Syloson.

39.3 tou' Polukravteo" ta; prhvgmata hu[xeto: the power of Polycrates continued to grow

hu[xeto is the 3rd sing. imperf. indic. pass. of au[xw (aujxavnw), which in the passive has the intransitive meaning "grow, increase".

kai; h\n bebwmevna: and was proclaimed... bebwmevna (= Attic bebohvmena) is the perf. partic. pass. of boavw.

o{kou ga;r....eujtucevw": Literally: for wherever he directed his campaigning, everything turned out successfully for him.

e[kthto is the pluperf. indic. of ktavomai, "get for oneself, acquire".

penthkontevrou": How & Wells note that the penteconter (a ship with fifty oars) was the main Greek ship-of-war in the 6th century; the Samian (and Phocaean) navies were mainly composed of penteconters, though they had a few triremes (galleys with three banks of oars) (citing Thucydides 1.14.1).

39.4 e[fere de; kai; h\ge: he plundered and led off as booty (thus Newmyer)

pavnta" diakrivnwn oujdena: everyone indiscriminately

tw'/ ga;r fivlw/ ....labwvn: for he said he would please a friend more by giving back what he had taken than if he had not taken it in the first place.

cariei'sqai is the fut. infin. of carivzomai, "please, show favour to" (+dat.).

The participial constructions ajpodidouv"... and labwvn... are equivalent to the "if clauses" (protases) in a conditional sentence.

ajrchvn is here the adverb meaning "at first".

sucna;" tw'n nhvswn: Thucydides refers to Polycrates' conquest of the islands in 1.13.6.

ajrairhvkee is the 3rd sing. (Ionic) pluperf. indic. act. of aiJrevw: he had taken.

ejn de; dh;.....ei|le: Literally: Among others, he also conquered the Lesbians, having overcome (them) in a sea-battle, who had assisted (literally: having assisted - bohqevonta" + dat.) with full force the Milesians

Lesbos was a large island to the north of Samos, off the north-west coast of Asia Minor.

Miletus was an Ionian city on the Aegean coast of Asia Minor, near the mouth of the Maeander river. There was constant rivalry between Samos and Miletus, primarily over access to and control and exploitation of Aegean trade routes.

oi}...dedemevnoi: who, (though) being shackled, ... The reference is to the prisoners from Lesbos. The partic. dedemevnoi has concessive force.

Chapters 40-43 relate the well known story of the ring of Polycrates, and the doctrine of the jealous god. There was a widespread belief that if mortals enjoyed an undue measure of success, happiness, or prosperity, they were in danger of provoking the jealousy of the gods (fqovno"). Divine vengeance (nevmesi") would almost certainly follow unless some means were found of deceiving the wrathful deity, or avoiding the deity's displeasure by deliberately incurring some significant loss or misfortune. The latter is the advice which Amasis conveys to his friend Polycrates.

40.1 kai; kw".... ejlavnqane: Literally: And Polycrates being greatly prosperous did not in-any-way (kw" = Attic pw") escape the notice of Amasis

More freely: Now Amasis was well aware of Polycrates' great good fortune

ajllav oiJ tou't! h|n ejpimelev": but this was a matter-of-concern to him

pollw'/...ginomevnh": his good fortune becoming still much greater (gen. absolute)

pleu'no" = Attic plevono".

gravya" ej" bublivon tavde ejpevsteile ej" Savmon: Literally: having written on papyrus, he sent these (words) to Samos:

40.2 For the meaning of prhvssonta, see the note on e[prhxe in 26.1 above.

to; qei'on...fqonerovn: Literally: (to me) knowing the-disposition-of the-gods that it is jealous.

kaiv kw"....ta; pavnta: Literally: And in some way I desire, both I myself (for myself) and (for those) for whom I care (khvdwmai) some good fortune in affairs on the one hand and failure (prosptaivein) on the other (to; mevn...to; dev...), and to pass through life thus alternately (ejnallavx), experiencing (this) (rather) than to have good fortune all the time.

More freely: For I have a kind of wish both for myself and for those for whom I care - that in our passage through life we should experience a mixture of good fortune and failure, rather than unceasing good fortune.

khvdwmai is the pres. subjunct. pass. of khvdw, which in the passive can mean (as here) "be anxious, concerned for" (+ gen.). The subjunct. is used here in a general relative clause.

40.3 oujdevna....ajkouvsa": Literally: For I know having heard by report of no-one

More freely: For I have not heard tell of anyone

provrrizo", literally "by the roots, root and branch", can be used by metaphorical extension as an adverb meaning "utterly".

poihvson (the aor. imperat. of poievw) pro;" ta;" eujtuciva" toiavde: Do this to-confront (prov") your good fortune:

frontivsa"...ajlghvsei": Literally: having considered what you find (eu{rh/" is the 2nd sing. aor. subjunct. of euJrivskw) being most valuable (pleivstou a[xion) to you, and at which having been lost you will grieve especially in your heart (th;n yuchvn is an accus. of respect),

More freely: Give thought to what possession of yours you deem most valuable and whose loss would particularly upset you,

o{kw" mhkevti h{xei ej" ajnqrwvpou": Literally: so that it will no longer come into (the sight of) humankind. For the use of the fut. indic. in a purpose construction, see JACT p. 304.

h[n te mh; ejnallavx....ajkevo: Literally: If hereafter (twjpo; touvtou = to; ajpo; touvtou) the good fortunes do not fall to you (toi) in alternation with misfortunes (th'/si pavqh/si), remedy (ajkevo = Attic ajkou', the pres. imperat. of ajkevomai) (the situation) in the way prescribed by me.

As the pres. infin. ajkevo indicates, the remedy prescribed by Amasis was to be repeated if henceforth good luck and misfortune did not alternate.

41.1 ejdivzhto is the imperf. indic. of dizhvmai, "seek out/after".

ajshqeivh is the 3rd sing. aor. opt. of ajsavomai, "be grieved".

sfrhgiv" crusovdeto": signet ring set in gold

th;n ejfovree: which he wore

smaravgdou livqou: (made of) emerald stone

Theodorus was a famous metal-worker and gem-cutter, the craftsman who was thought to have made the great silver bowl which, Herodotus tells us, Croesus sent to the oracle of Apollo in Delphi (1.41). Since, as How & Wells point out, he had now been dead for half a century, the ring was to Polycrates an irreplaceable heirloom.

41.2 perielovmeno" is the aor. partic. midd. of periairevw, which in the midd. means "take off from oneself".

sumforh'/ ejcra'to: Perhaps we might translate: he gave way to his sorrow.

42.1 sunhvneike: See the note on 4.1.

ajnh;r aJlieuv": a fisherman by trade. Newmyer notes that ajnhvr is often used in referring to professionals.

doqh'nai is the aor. infin. pass. of divdwmi.

cwrhvsanto" oiJ touvtou: Literally: this have proceeded for him - i.e. when he had been granted his request

42.2 kaivper ejw;n ajpoceirobivoto": Literally: although being (a man) living-by-manual-labour

42.3 mevga poieuvmeno" tau'ta: considering this a great honour

42.4 wJ"/....tavcista: as soon as

e[legon o{tew/ trovpw/ euJrevqh: they said how it had been found

o{tew/ = Attic o{tw/ (= w|tini).

to;n de; wJ"....prh'gma: As it occurred to him that the matter was of religious significance

gravfei....katalelavbhke: An awkardly constructed sentence. Literally: he writes on papyrus all things him having done which, what kind of things have befallen him.

More freely: he put in a letter everything he had done and what had happened to him.

ejpevqhke is the 3rd sing. aor. indic. act. of ejpitivqhmi, which here has the meaning "send to".

43.1 e[maqe....prhvgmato": Literally: he learnt that it was impossible for a man to rescue a man from the event about to happen

More freely: he realised that it was impossible for one man to rescue another from the fate in store for him

o{" kai;...euJrivskei: who even found what he had thrown away.

43.2 i{na mh;.....ajndrov": Literally: so that, a dreadful and great misfortune having afflicted Polycrates, he himself might not grieve in his heart as (he would grieve) concerning/in-the-case-of a friend.

44.1 ejpikalesamevnwn....Samivwn: Literally: The Samians having invited them - the (Samians) afterwards having founded Cydonia in Crete- ...

We have here two gen. absolutes, one of which (tw'n meta; tau'ta...ktisavntwn) is sandwiched within the other (ejpikalesamevnwn....Samivwn).

Cydonia was located on the north west coast of Crete, on the site of the modern city Khania.

ejdehvqh o{kw"....stratou': Literally: he asked that having sent also to him (i.e. Polycrates) in Samos he should ask for troops.

44.2 dehsovmeno": The fut. infin. expresses purpose: in order to ask.

o{ de; ejpilevxa"...ej" ejpanavstasin: Having chosen (those) amongst the townspeople (tw'n ajstw'n is a partitive gen.) whom he most suspected were planning a rebellion....

tesseravkonta trihvresi: See the note on penthkontevrou" in 39.3.

45.1 ajll! ejpeivte...plevonte": but when in their voyage they reached Carpathus,

Carpathus is an island lying between Rhodes and Crete,and in fact not on a direct route from Samos to Egypt.

dou'nai sfivsi lovgon: they took counsel among themselves (the infin. indicates a reported statement).

aJdei'n is the aor. infin. act. of aJndavnw, "please", here used impersonally: it was pleasing (to them) - i.e. they decided (again the infin. belongs to a reported statement).

oi} de; levgousi (others say) balances oi} me;n levgousi (some say) at the beginning of the chapter.

fulassomevnou": while under guard

ajpodrh'nai (= Attic ajpodra'nai) is the aor. infin. of ajpodidravskw, "run away".

45.2 kataplevousi (dat. plur.) ....katevsth: Literally: Having confronted (ajntiavsa" + dat.) with his fleet (them) sailing back to Samos, Polycrates engaged in battle.

oiJ kativonte": those returning home. As Newmyer notes, this expression is regularly used of exiles returning home.

eJsswvqhsan is the 3rd plur. aor. indic. pass. of eJssovomai, "be beaten".

45.3 eijsi; de; levgousi: There is yet another story (that)... This is a third version of what happened to the Samians whom Polycrates had sent to Egypt.

ejmoi; dokevein: in my opinion. The infin. is here used absolutely, as is quite common in parenthetical expressions of this type. Such expressions are often introduced by wJ".

oujde;n ga;r e[dei...parasthvsasqai: For it woud not have been necessary for them to call upon the Lacedaemonians if indeed they were themselves capable of overcoming Polycrates.

parasthvsasqai is the aor. infin. midd. of parivsthmi, here with the meaning "overcome".

oujde; lovgo" aiJrevei: nor does logic dictate (Newmyer), followed by the accus. and infin. tou'ton....eJsswqh'nai.

45.4 tw'n d' uJp! eJwutw'/....newsoijkoisi: Literally: Polycrates having crowded into shipsheds the children and the wives of those being subject to him, had them ready to burn, if they should desert to the returning exiles, along with the shipsheds themselves.

46.1 ejxelasqevnte" is the aor. partic. pass. of ejxelauvnw, "drive out".

tou;" a[rconta": the authorities, who at Sparta would have included the two kings, the five ephors, and the council of elders.

e[legon....deovmenoi: Literally: they said many things of what kind (people) being greatly in need (would say).

More freely: they spoke at length commensurate with their great need. (Waterfield)

oi} dev sfi....sunievnai: Literally: But they (the Spartans) at their first session replied to them that they had forgotten the first words spoken (by the Samians) and did not understand the last.

The kind of response one might expect from the Spartans, who were noted for, and indeed took a perverse pride in, their abhorrence of long speeches. This national characteristic is highlighted at the end of the chapter.

ejpilelhqevnai is the perf. infin. act. of ejpilanqavnomai, "forget". The perf. infin. act. form of the verb is often used with this meaning. However, the pass. form ejpilelh'sqai is an alternative reading here.

sunievnai is the pres. infin. of sunivhmi, "understand". Note that the infin. is identical in form and accentuation to the infin. of suvneimi, "go/come together".

46.2 meta; de; tau'ta...devesqai: Literally: After this (the Samians) appearing a second time said no other thing, but bringing a sack said that the sack needed grain.

oi} dev sfi...periergavsqai: Literally: They (the Spartans) replied to them that they were superfluous with their sack. The Spartans are being excessively pedantic, advising that the word "sack" was wasted, since what the Samians were asking would have been quite clear without it; all that was necessary for them to say was "We need grain".

47.1 eujergesiva" ejktivnonte": repaying favours

Messhnivou" is a reference to Sparta's conflict with Messenia (the two states were neighbours) in the so-called Messenian wars in the 8th and 7th centuries B.C. The wars ended in victory for Sparta and the enslavement of the Messenian population (c. 620). How & Wells note that this is the only definite reference in Herodotus to these wars, and supports the tradition that the second Messenian war had an international character.

oujk ou{tw timwrh'sai...th'" aJrpagh'": Literally: wishing not so much to avenge the Samians asking (them) (timwrh'sai deomevnoisi Samivoisi) (but) to take retribution (tivsasqai + gen.) for the seizure of the mixing bowl..

Herodotus (1.70) tells us that the Lacedaemonians had sent to Croesus a huge bronze bowl (in 547 B.C.) to mark an alliance with him. However Croesus never received it. According to the Lacedaemonians, this was because Samian warships had seized it from the deputation conveying it to Croesus as its ship passed by Samos. The Lacedaemonians were now seeking to reclaim the bowl (though the Samians gave a different version of how they had acquired it).

teivsasqai is the aor. infin. midd. (= Attic tivsasqai) of tivnw, which in the midd. means "take retribution on someone (accus.) for something (gen.)".

How & Wells comment that the above story well illustrates Herodotus' tendency to confuse occasions with real causes. "There is no reason to doubt that the theft of the bowl...was a provocation to the Lacedaemonians; but for the attack on Polycrates the Lacedaemonians had motives of general policy."

47.2 kai; ga;r qwvrhka...Savmioi: Literally: The Samians took-as-plunder the breastplate in the previous year than (the one in which they took) the bowl

zwv/wn ejnufasmevnwn sucnw'n: many animals having-been-woven-in (i.e. embroidered on it). ejnufasmevnwn is the perf. partic. midd. of ejnufaivnw, "weave in as a pattern".

eiJrivoiosi ajpo; xuvlou: with wool from a tree. This is Herodotus' term for cotton, as we know from chapter 106 below, and 7.65.

47.3 tw'n....a[xion: Literally; But each thread of the breastplate produces (this), for the sake of which it is worthy to admire....

More freely: But what is remarkable about it is each individual thread....

ejou'sa ga;r...fanerav": Literally: for (though) being fine it has 360 (separate) threads in it, all visible.

ejn Livndw/: Lindos was a city in Rhodes. The temple of Athene was part of a large temple complex on the acropolis of the city, now enclosed within the walls of a crusader castle.

48.1 sunepelavbonto....proquvmw": The Corinthians also eagerly shared in the expedition against Samos so that it took place (w{ste genevsqai is a result construction; see JACT pp. 300-01).

u{brisma....strateuvmato" touvtou: Literally: Insult from the Samians had also been done (i.e. committed) against them earlier by a generation (geneh'/ provteron) than this expedition.

More freely: They had also suffered insult from the Samians a generation before this expedition.

ei[ce genovmenon is here used as the equivalent of a pluperf. passive. Further, as Newmyer notes, Herodotus frequently uses forms of givnomai (= Attic givgnomai) as substitutes for passive forms of poievw. Hence the translation had been done/committed.

tou' strateuvmato" is gen. of comparison after provteron.

kata;....gegonov": having occurred about the same time as the theft of the bowl.

gegonov" is the neut. sing. nom. (agreeing with u{brisma) of the perf. partic. of givgnomai.

How & Wells note that the chronology is "inextricably confused", since the "insult" was c. 550, and yet it is in the time of Periander (as we see immediately below), who died c. 587.

48.2 Kerkuraivwn....ejp! ejktomh'/: Periander, son of Cypselus sent to Alyattes in Sardis three hundred sons of the leading men of Corcyra for castration (so that they could be used as eunuchs).

Corcyra was an island off the coast of Epirus, a region in the north west of Greece.

Periander was the famous tyrant of Corinth (c. 627-587), succeeding his father Cypselus (c. 657-627)

"Corinth was part of the Peloponnesian League from about 550, and no doubt joined Sparta for that reason. Herodotus uses the fact of Corinth's presence in the war against Polycrates to interrupt the Samian narrative to tell the earlier story of Periander." (Dewald)

Alyattes (c. 619-560) was the founder of the Lydian empire and the father of Croesus.

puqovmenoi....ej" Savrdi": the Samians having learnt the reason for which (purposes) they were bringing the boys to Sardis.

ajgoivato = Attic a[gointo. The opt. is used in an indirect question introduced by ejp! oi|si.

iJrou' a{yasqai: to seek sanctuary in the temple (literally: to attach themselves to the temple (as suppliants)).

The gen. is here used, as regularly, after a verb of grasping, touching, laying hold of.

48.3 sitivwn...Korinqivwn: Literally: the Corinthians excluding the boys from food

ejrgovntwn (= Attic eijrgovntwn, "excluding from") forms with Korinqivwn a gen. absolute construction and is followed by the gen. sitivwn (excluding from food).

kata; taujtav: in the same way (as in 28.1).

i{stasan is the 3rd plur. imperf. indic. act. of i{sthmi, which here means "set up, institute".

hjiqevwn: of unwed youths

ejpoihvsanto novmon: they made it a custom

48.4 ej" tou'to...ej" o}...: so long as....until....

Dewald believes it "highly improbable that the Corinthians were still angry in the 520s that their tyrant two long generations earlier had been foiled by the Samians in his attempts to castrate 300 Corcyran boys." She sees the relevance of the story here as thematic "in a narrative replete with instances of tyrannical behaviour."

49.1 oi} de;....th'" aijtivh": "Herodotus implies that they (the Corinthians) would have been restrained from hostility against the Samians by pressure from their Corcyrean colonists and friends, who owed the Samians a debt of gratitude for the rescue just narrated." (Newmyer)

ajei; ejpeivte: ever since

ajllhvloisi diavforoi...eJwutoi'si: hostile to each other (i.e. the Corinthians and the colonists)

49.2 ajpemnhsikavkeon is the 3rd plur. imperf. indic. of ajpomnhsikakevw, "bear a grudge against" + dat.

provteroi...poihvsante": It was the Corcyrans who initiated (the hostility) by committing an impious act against him.

50.1 sumforh;n....genevsqai: Literally: it happened (sunevbh) that this other calamity befell him (oiJ genevsqai) in addition to the (calamity) having befallen (gegonuivh/) (him already).

hJlikivhn is accus. of respect.

50.2 Epidaurus lies in the north east of the Peloponnese in the region of Argolis. It contained a famous sanctuary of the healing god Asclepius.

oijkov" = Attic eijkov". See the note on 38.2.

50.3 ejn oujdeni; lovgw/ ejpoihvsato: took no heed of

a{te (ejovnta) foneva: Literally: as (being) the murderer... For a{te, see note on 16.2.

51.1 ajphgeveto (= Attic ajfhgei'to) is the 3rd sing. imperf. indic. of ajfhgevomai, which here means "tell, relate, explain".

ejkeivnou....oujk ejmevmnhto: Literally: But he made no mention of that word which Procles said to them sending (them) off, since not having taken heed of it.

Perivandro"...uJpoqevsqai ti: Literally: Periander said there was no way (oujdemivan mhcanhvn) that man (i.e. Procles) had not suggested something to them ,....

o} dev preceding ajnamnhsqeiv" refers to Periander's (elder) son.

51.2 Perivandro"...boulovmeno" oujdevn: Periander having grasped (this) in his mind, wishing to show no softness, ....

th'/ oJ ejxelasqeiv"....ejpoieveto: Literally; whither (th'/) the son having been driven out (ejxelasqeiv" - aor. partic. pass. of exelauvnw) by him was living

mhv is the superfluous negative regularly used after a verb of preventing or forbidding (here ajphgovreue): he forbade (them) to give him (the younger son) shelter (min devkesqai oijkivoisi). h[ie = Attic h[ei, the 3rd sing. imperf. indic. of ei\mi, "go".

51.3 o{kw" here means "whenever", and is followed by a verb in the optative (e[lqoi) to indicate indefinite frequency. In such instances, the verb of the main clause is imperf. or aor. indic. + a[n (here ajpelauvnet! a[n).

h[ie = Attic h[ei, the 3rd sing. imperf. indic. of ei\mi, "go".

52.1 o{shn dh; ei[pa": Literally: having stated (the fine) how great (it was)

More freely: stipulating the amount of the fine.

On the form ei[pa", see note on 22.1.

52.2 pro;"...khvrugma: Confronted therefore with this edict, ... The following prov" is an adverb: Moreover, ...

peira'sqai here means "make trial of" in the sense "pit oneself against, defy" (+ gen.).

ajpeirhmevnou is the gen. sing. neut. of the perf. partic. pass. of ajpei'pon, here with the meaning "forbid".

Thus we might translate peira'sqai aj[peirhmevnou: to defy the prohibition.

ajlla; diakarterevwn...ejkalindeveto: but bearing up (in his misfortune) he used to haunt (literally, roll around in) the public porticoes.

52.3 sumpeptwkovta is the accus. sing masc. of the perf. partic. of sumpivptw, here meaning "fall upon/into".

uJpeiv" (= Attic uJfeiv") is the aor. partic. act. of uJfivhmi, here used with the gen. with the meaning "cease from".

h[ie a\sson: he approached

kovtera = Attic povtera.

tau'ta ta; nu'n e[cwn prhvssei": Perhaps to be construed: these things now having which you fare (badly). More freely, this appears to mean something like: continuing to live this present miserable existence

h] th;n turannivda....paralambavnein: Literally: or (for you) being helpful to your father to succeed to the sovereignty and the good things which I now have?

52.4 ei{leu = Attic ei{lou, which is 2nd sing. aor. indic. midd. of aiJrevw, "take", in the middle, "choose".

ej" tovn se h{kista ejcrh'n: Literally: against (the one) whom it was least necessary for you (to act in this way).

ejmoiv te au{th....ejxergasavmhn: Literally: the same (misfortune) happens to me, and I myself am a partaker of it in greater measure (to; pleu'n = Attic plevon) by what extent I perpetrated these things (sfea).

More freely: I bear the same misfortune, and do so in greater measure, to the extent that I was the perpetrator of these deeds.

52.5 krevsson = Attic kreivsson

a{ma te ....tequmw'sqai: and at the same time what sort of thing (it is) (for people) to be angry with their parents and their superiors

tequmw'sqai is the perf. infin. pass. of qumovw, which in the pass. means "be angry".

52.6 o} de; a[llo....ajpikovmenon: but he made no other reply to his father but said that he (his father) owed the sacred fine to Apollo for entering into conversation with him.

eJwutw'/ refers to the subject of e[fh, i.e. Periander's son.

a[poron kai; ajnivkhton: beyond treatment or cure.

53.1 parhbhvkee is the 3rd sing. pluperf. indic. of parhbavw, "be past one's prime".

suneginwvsketo is the 3rd sing. imperf. indic. midd. of suggi(g)nwvskw, which in the midd. means "acknowledge, confess" (here with eJwutw'/ = "he confessed to himself").

ejpora'n = Attic ejfora'n (pres. infin.), "to look over, oversee".

ejn ga;r dh;....nwqevstero": For indeed he did not see in the elder son (any ability), but he (the elder son) appeared to him (oiJ - his father) (to be) rather stupid (nwqevstero").

ou[kwn = Attic ou[koun.

53.2 periecovmeno" tou' nehnivew: Literally: clinging to the young man. More freely: being reluctant to give up on the young man (thus Newmyer).

nehnivew = Attic neanivou. The gen. is used here with a verb which conveys the sense, metaphorically, of grasping, taking hold of.

dokevwn... peivqesqai: thinking that he would most likely listen to (be persuaded by) her (tauvth" peiqevsqai). peivqomai, "obey, be persuaded by", is generally followed by the dative. Newmyer comments that its use here with the genitive emphasises the implied idea of hearing.

53.3 bouvleai = Attic bouvlei, which is the 2nd sing. pres. indic. of bouvlomai.

pesei'n is the aor. infin. of pivptw.

53.4 filotimivh kth'ma skaivon: Pride is an awkward possession. This is a proverbial expression found also in Sophocles (Ajax 362) and Thucydides (5.65.2).

mh; tw'/ kakw'/ to; kako;n ijw': Do not cure evil with evil.

ijw' is the 2nd sing. pres. imperat. of ijavomai, "heal, cure". Distinguish from i[w, the 1st sing. subjunct. form of ei\mi ("I shall go"), and from the exclamation ijwv.

polloi;....protiqei'si: Literally: Many put reasonable things (ejpieikevstera) before just things. More freely: Many put reason before justice.

protiqei'si = Attic protiqevasi, the 3rd plur. pres. indic. act. of protivqhmi, "put (one thing - accus.) before (another - gen.)".

o} de; gevrwn: But he (Periander) (is) an old man

parhbhkwv" is the perf. partic. of parhbavw.

dw'/" is the 2nd sing. aor. imperat. of divdwmi.

53.5 h} mevn....pro;" aujtovn: Literally: She indeed spoke to him the most persuasive (arguments) having been taught by (her/their) father.

e[ste...patevra: as long as he knew that his father was alive.

e[ste is the conjunction meaning "as long as". Distinguish from ejstev, the 2nd. plur. pres. indic. of eijmiv ("I am").

perieovnta to;n patevra is a participial construction used after a verb of perceiving (punqavnhtai).

53.6 boulovmeno"....th'" turannivdo": Literally: expressing willingness to go to Corcyra himself, and he told him (his son) having come to Corinth to become successor of the rule. That is to say, Periander proposed to his son that they change places: Periander would go and live on Corcyra, his son would take his place as ruler in Corinth.

53.7 ejstevlleto: was getting ready (to go)... Be sure to bring out the imperfect, i.e. the incomplete, action of the tense usage here.

ajnti; touvtwn....ejtimwreveto: This sentence rounds off the digression which began with the first sentence of Chapter 50: ajpevpempe....timwreuvmeno".

54.1 prosbalovnte"....ejpevbhsan: Literally: And having made an attack (prosbalovnte") upon the wall, they mounted (ejpevbhsan + gen.) the tower standing (eJstew'to" is the Ionic gen. sing. masc. of the perf. partic. of i{sthmi, used intransitively) by the sea near the city-outskirts

meta; de;....ajphlavsqhsan: Literally: but subsequently they were driven out, Polycrates himself having come to the assistance with many a hand.

How & Wells note that the town of Samos lay on the south slopes of `the hill' Ampelus, which is some 200 m. high and which stretched away to the west above the plain. At the south west extremity lay the famous temple of Hera.

54.2 kata; to;n....ejpeovnta: Near the upper (ejpavnw - the adverb is here used adjectivally) tower, the (one) being on the ridge of the hill

devxamenoi: having withstood

e[kteinon: The imperfect tense here has inchoative force: they began to slaughter...

55.1 eij mevn...Savmo": !Arcivh/ and Lukwvph/ (Archias and Lycopas) are dats. after o{moioi.

The aor. indics. are used in an unfulfilled condition relating to past time.

!Arcivh"....th'/ Samivwn: Literally: For Archias and Lycopas alone, having fallen in with the Samians fleeing inside the town-wall and having been cut off from the way back, died in the city of Samos.

ajpoklhisqevnte" is the aor. partic. pass. of ajpoklhivw, "cut off from".

55.2 trivtw/...gegonovti: I myself met in Pitana another Archias (being) a third (generation) descended from this Archias (since he was) the (son) of Samius (who was the son) of Archias (i.e. the Archias referred to in 55.1).

trivtw/ illustrates the Greek system of inclusive reckoning. Archias (II) was two generations removed from Archias (I); i.e. the latter was his grandfather.

Father-son relationships are commonly indicated by the definite article followed by the gen. case.

Pitana was the name of an aristocratic region of Sparta. The word for such a region in Sparta was kwvmh. Herodotus has, however, substituted the Attic term dh'mo".

kaiv oiJ tw'/ patri;...teqh'nai: Literally: he said the name Samius to have been conferred on the father to him

Scholars note that this is one of the very rare instances where Herodotus names his interviewees. It is even more rare for him to specify where an interview took place.

tafh'nai dhmosivh/: to have been buried at public expense. tafh'nai is the aor. infin. pass. of qavptw.

56.1 w{" sfi....prhgmavtwn: Literally: When forty days had passed for them besieging Samos, and none of their actions (oujde;n prhgmavtwn) was was making progress (ej" to; provsw proekovpteto),

56.2 ejpicwvrion...dou'naiv sfi: Literally: (it is said that Polycrates) having struck much local coinage out of lead (and then) having covered it with gold (katacruswvsanta), gave it to them

tauvthn....ejpoihvsanto: "These words are emphatic. They mark the place which this expedition occupies in the mind of Herodotus. It is an aggression of the Greeks upon Asia and therefore a passage in the history of the great quarrel between Persia and Greece." (Rawlinson)

57.2 crhmavtwn....ejplouvteon: for they (the Samians) needed money, and the affairs of the Siphnians were prospering at this time and they were the wealthiest of the islanders.

Siphnus is one of the islands in the western Cyclades. It lies south west of Samos.

a{te....metavllwn: The island was rich in mineral resources - silver, lead, and gold.

For a{te, see the note on 16.2. It is here used with a gen. absolute construction.

ajpo; th'" dekavth": from the tenth (part) (meriv", "part", is here understood.).

o{moia toi'si plousiwtavtoisi: in similar fashion to the wealthiest (treasuries).

o{moia is an adverbial accus.

The treasury of the Siphnians at Delphi was indeed famous for its wealth, and noted for its lavish decoration.

aujtoi;....dienevmonto: They themselves each year used to distribute-among-themselves the revenue (ta; ginovmena crhvmata).

57.3 hJ Puqivh, "the Pythian", was the priestess of Apollo. From a subterranean chamber in Apollo's temple at Delphi she gave oracular responses, speaking with the voice of the god, to those who consulted her. The responses were often delivered in hexameter verse, as in the example which follows. It was often very poor hexameter verse - surprisingly so, since the lines emanated from Apollo himself!

57.4 `ajll! o{tan....ejruqrovn: The advice and prophecy given by Apollo speaking through his priestess. Such responses were generally couched in enigmatic and ambiguous terms - allowing of more than one interpretation (and thus enabling the oracle to hedge its bets as to the outcome).
o{tan.... ajgorhv: when in Siphnus the town-hall turns white and the market-place white-browed... This probably refers to a time when the buildings in question were of the natural colour of the marble - i.e. before they were painted.
tovte....ejruqrovn: then there is need of a wise man to take heed of (fravssasqai, the aor. infin. midd. of fravzw) wooden ambush and herald in red.

Parivw/ livqw/ hjskhmevna: adorned with Parian marble. hjskhmevna is the perf. partic. pass. of ajskevw, "adorn".

Paros was another of the islands in the Cyclades. It was famous for the fine quality of its marble. This in fact is the earliest known instance of the use of Parian marble as a building material.

58.1 oi|oi te h\san gnw'nai: For the construction, see the note on 23.3.

ou[te tovte...ajpigmevnwn: either right at that time, or on the arrival of the Samians.

ijquv" = Attic eujquv".

ejpeivte tavcista: as soon as

58.3 crh'sai is the aor. infin. of cravw. The aor. tense here has the sense "lend".

ouj faskovntwn...ejporqevon: the Siphnians refusing to lend (it) to them, the Samians began ravaging their lands.

The imperf. ejporqevon has inchoative force. Cf. e[kteinon in 54.2.

58.4 kai; aujtou;"....e[prhxan: and after this they (the Samians) exacted (e[prhxan, which in this sense is followed by a double accus.) from them (aujtouv" - the Siphnians) one hundred talents.

59.1 para; !Ermionevwn: from the people of Hermionia (in the region of the Argolid in the Peloponnese).

!Udrevhn th;n ejpi; Peloponnhvsw/: Hydrea which (is an island) off the Peloponnese

kai; aujth;n Troizhnivoisi parakatevqento: and entrusted it to the keeping of the people of Troezen (who were neighbours of the people of Hermionia).

parakatevqento is the 3rd plur. aor. indic. midd. of parakatativqhmi.

Kudwnivhn has been referred to in 44.1 above.

oujk ejpi; tou'to plevonte".....nhvsou: Literally: sailing (there) not for this reason but in order to drive Zacynthians from the island.

That is to say, they had not sailed there with the intention of founding a colony, ....

ejxelw'nte" is the fut. partic. of ejxelauvnw, "drive out'. The fut. partic. is used to express purpose.

Zacynthus is an island lying to the west of the Greek mainland.

59.2 ou|toi eijsi; oiJ poihvsante": Literally: these are those having made them. That is to say, the sacred structures referred to were the work of the Samian colonists.

kai; to;n th'" Diktuvnh" nhovn: These words are regarded by some scholars as an interpolation - i.e. a later editorial insertion in the text. The reason for suspecting their genuineness is that the temple of Dictyna lies some distance from Cydonia, and the cult was not of Greek origin. Dictyna, whom the Greeks identified with Artemis, was in fact a Cretan deity.

59.3 kai; tw'n new'n...hjkrwthrivasan: Literally: and they-cut-off-at-the-tip (hjkrwthrivasan) the prows of the ships having boar-shaped (kaprivou") (prows)....

More freely: and they cut off the boar-shaped prows which the Samians had on their ships....

ajnevqesan is the 3rd plur. aor. indic. act. of ajnativqhmi, which here means "dedicate".

59.4 e[gkoton e[conte" Samivoisi: bearing a grudge against the Samians

ejp! !Amfikravteo" basileuvonto": in the reign of Amphicrates

megavla kaka;....ejkeivnwn: Literally: (the Samians) did the Aeginetans great harm and suffered (great harm) from them.

"This whole set of events probably took place about 524-19 B.C. A chief cause for hostility between Samos and Aegina was probably rivalry for the markets of Libya and Egypt. Aegina was the only non-east Greek state with a presence in the Egyptian trading-centre of Naucratis, and a Samian base established in north west Crete threatened the Aeginetan trade route southwards." (Dewald)

"Our scanty references to these early wars in the Aegean all tend to establish the theory of the rivalry of two great trade-leagues; Miletus, Aegina, Megara, and Eretria, trading mainly with the north-east, are ranged against Corinth, Samos, and Chalcis, whose main sphere is the west." (How & Wells)

60.1 ejmhvkuna de; peri; Samivwn ma'llon: I have written at greater length about the Samians....

sfi triva ejsti; mevgista aJpavntwn !Ellhvnwn ejxergasmevna: Literally: three greatest things of all Greeks have been done by them (sfi is dat. of the agent)

More freely: in three achievements they have excelled all Greeks...

o[reo"....ajmfivstomon: Literally: of a hill rising to 150 fathoms, of this (hill) a tunnel having begun from below has-an-opening-at-either-end (ajmfivstomon).

More freely: One is a tunnel, under a hill 150 fathoms high (about 300 metres), dug through the base of the hill with an opening at either end (after Rawlinson).

o[rguia = "the length of the outstretched arms" - i.e. about one and a half metres or six feet, and thus roughly equivalent to a fathom.

"The object of the `tunnel' was to bring the water from the other (i.e. the north) side of Mt. Ampelus....The work is a good instance of the way in which the tyrants courted popularity for the needs of their people.....The tunnel was discovered in 1882...On the whole the accuracy of Herodotus is strikingly confirmed, though he exaggerates the length of the tunnel, which is really about 1100 feet." (How & Wells)

60.2 eJpta; stavdioi: A stade is around 200 metres.

eijkosivphcu bavqo": of twenty cubits in depth - i.e. about ten metres.

di! ou| to; u{dwr....swlhvnwn: through which the water being channelled through pipes

60.3 peri; limevna cw'ma: breakwater enclosing the harbour

mevxon duvo stadivwn: greater than two stades

trivton....i[dmen: Literally: thirdly (the) temple has been built by them (which is) the greatest of all temples which (tw'n - its case is due to its antecedent nhw'n) we know.

i[dmen = Attic i[smen, the 1st plur. pres. indic. of oi\da, "know".

The reference is to the great temple of the goddess Hera which is in fact one of the three largest temples ever built in the Greek world (the other two are the temple of Artemis at Ephesus and the temple of Apollo at Didyma - both in western Asia Minor). The original temple of Hera was begun about 570 B.C., but was burned down. Work on the temple to which Herodotus refers, and which he himself saw, was begun during the rule of Polycrates.

Herodotus is referring here only to Greek temples. There were of course, as he knew, much larger temples in Egypt. The temple of Olympian Zeus at Athens, begun under the 6th century Athenian tyrant Peisistratus, was also eventually larger. But it was not completed until the 2nd century A.D., in the reign of the emperor Hadrian.

touvtwn....ejmhvkuna: A typical Herodotean "rounding off" sentence, balancing the first sentence in the chapter, and thus with this sentence "framing" the chapter as a whole.