Volume 1

Herodotus : the fourth, fifth, and sixth books / With introduction, notes, appendices, indices, maps by Reginald Walter Macan.

  • Herodotus
Date:
1895
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Herodotus : the fourth, fifth, and sixth books / With introduction, notes, appendices, indices, maps by Reginald Walter Macan. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    432/528 (page 304)
    VI TTOiT^cra.? rj'ireL'yero e? rov ^^WriaTrovruv. coif Se avveXe'^67} /xev 15 TToWov veSiv avveXe’^Orj Be koX ire^of arparof ttoXXo?, Bia^avref rfjaL V7)V(tI tov ^EiW'qairovTov eiropevovro Bca 44 EivpcoTTrjf, eiropevovTO Be eirL re 'Fiperpcav Kal 'KBi^vaf. avrai p,ev Q)V (T(f)t 7rpocr^r)p,a ^aav rov crroXov' arap ev voco e'^ovref ocraf av irXeicrraf Bvvcovrai Karacrrpecfiecrdac rojv ^^WrjvLBcov TToXicov, rovro puev B^ rfjcn vtjvctI ©acrtoi/9 ovBe ')(eipa<i avraetpa- 5 p^evovf Karearpe^jravro, rovro Be rep Tre^w MaKeBovaf irpof rolai VTrdp’^ovcn BovXov<; nrpocTeKrrjcravro' rd yap evrof M.aKeB6vcov here posited between the political re- form of Mardonios for Ionia in 492 b. c. , and the supposed programme of Otanes for Persia in 521 b.c., so far from lend- ing colour to the latter, reinforces the suspicion that Herodotus — who was not a Hallam or a Stubbs—has mis- understood the real or supposed action of Mardonios on this occasion. It is possible that the supposed ‘ demo- cracies ’ of Mardonios are little more than the ‘liberties of jurisdiction’ of Artaphrenes c. 42. It is, however, more probable that a further reform, perhaps dictated by the king and enforced by Mardonios, was made in the local government of Ionia. The monarchical city - governors may have been set aside in favour of elective magistrates, councils, and so forth. Oligarchy and the oligarchs were at this time anti-medic in Ionia (see c. 14 supra). The democratic tyrannis had not shown itself perfectly trustworthy, at least in the case of Miletos, and the Persian satraps and generals may have been jealous of the city despots. It is, however, to be observed that the tyrannis is still found afterwards in the Greek cities subject to Persia (c. 25 supra, 7. 98 f., 8. 132) and -irdvras is plainly an exaggeration. Hdt. obvi- ously misconceives the act ascribed to Mardonios as well as its motive and results. From his own point of view his argument would have been stronger if Gobryas, not Otanes, had been the reputed advocate of democracy; but Gobryas and his house were probably too closely connected with the king to make that possible. 15. xpf][jia TToWeiv. Cp. XPVf^ei tt. dpdiwv 4. 81, X‘ rewv Kal irej^bs arpa- t6s TToXXds, cp. iroWbv pjbv Kdpra ire^bv (Lfia dySpevos ttoXX^j' db vaxrriKbv supra, vague estimates which indicate the poverty of the genuine tradition, the lack of official records. 17. ’Eperpiav Kal ’A0T|vas. It may fairly be doubted whether Athens and Eretria were as yet the ostensible or even the secret ‘ objective ’ of the Persian movements. Hippias was not with Mardonios. (Thrace and Macedon, which had evidently used the oppor- tunity of the Ionian revolt to throw off the Persian yoke, were likely to cost a campaign or two.) Cp. 7. 157. } 44. 2. 'irpdo-X'qp.a (cp. 4. 167, in a j different sense 5. 28). The account of i’ the 7rp6(rx77/xa and the real intentions of ' the Persians recalls 7. 157, and em- ;■ phasises the anachronism. The king might very well meditate the reduc- ‘ tion of Thasos without issuing a carte- blanche for the conquest of Hellas or of Europe. In any case, Thasos was an obvious stepping-stone, if not the very next step, westwards. Its reduction had been already attempted if not ac- complished by Histiaios, and he had raised the blockade at the approach of the Phoenicians, c. 28 supra. 5. MaKcSdvas. This summary ac- count of the reduction of Macedon is surprising in the light of the story above (5. 17-21) concerning the previous in- corporation of Macedon, in the days of Amyntas. Nothing has been said of any revolt or secession of Macedon in the interval: nothing is said of any heroism of Alexander on this occasion though he is now on the throne. It might be that with years Alexander had learnt wisdom, or changed his policy: but it may be that the story above is fictitious, or at least grossly exaggerated. See notes ad 1. 6. €vtXs MaKcSdvwv, i.e. east or Macedon. Hdt. writes here from the Asiatic or Persian point of view, geo- graphically : but this cannot be taken