Reginald Walter Macan, Herodotus, The Seventh, Eighth, & Ninth Books with Introduction and Commentary

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τοῦ δὲ ναυτικοῦ ἐστρατήγεον. There follow tbe names of the four Persian admirals of the fleet, and some hints, which if developed, migbt bave rendered tbis chapter normative for the organization of the fleet, as cc. 81, 82, 88 are for tbe organization of the army. Unfortunately, Hdt. bimself bas not envisaged tbis problem, nor supplied incidentally, whetber here or in tbe actual narrative of the campaign, data for a decisive reconstruction, nor can it be confidently assumed tbat even the items in this chapter are complete and accurate. The names of four admirals are given, but it is not clear whether the fleet under their command consisted of four district squadrons, or divisions, or of three such divisions, or even perhaps only of two. Tbe doubt may also arise whether tbe arrangements for the command of tbe Fleet were not more an alogous to those for the army: were there perbaps six admirals, divided into three pairs, and commanding on the analogy of the Strategi, three colnmns, or divisions? In tbat case Hdt.'s list of the admirals is incomplete, though bis sources for tbe naval department are generally superior to his sources for the army. Or were there only tbree admirals, on tbe analogy of tbe Hipparchs c. 88, and bave we in tbe four names tbe name of a successor included, as we should there have had, had tbe successor of Pharnuches been named on tbe spot? In the following year, wben tbe whole command of tbe fleet is changed, tbere are three admirals 8. 130, of course over a fleet mucb reduced in numbers. On tbese and other cognate questions cp. Appendix II. § 5.

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Ἀριαβίγνης ... ὁ Δαρείου: an Achaimenid; immediately below ‘tbe daugbter of Gobryas’ is given as his mother. She was the first w<*>e Dareios married (cp. c. 2 supra), and had three sons, Artobazanes, Ariabignes, and one anonymous. Ariabignes, here mentioned first among tbe admirals, fell at Salamis 8. 89.

Πρηξάσπης ὁ Ἀσπαθίνεω: tbis Aspathines is presumably the Persian noble of the Seven 3. 70, wbo was wounded in the struggle with the Magi 3. 78. His is the one name of tbe Seven which does not appear on the Behistun Inscription iv. 18. Whetber the Prexaspes wbo figures largely in tbe context of Bk. 3 is any relation to bis younger namesake cannot be determined.

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Μεγάβαζος ὁ Μεγαβάτεω. Blakesley suggests his identity with tbe conqueror of Tbraee (4. 143 f. 5 passim, 6. 33, and cc. 22, 67 supra), wbo is describcd simply as ἀνὴρ Πέρσης, and without his patronymic. Hdt. sbows no sense of any sucb identity. An oversight in so frappant an mstance were almost inconceivable, though fitting in well enougb witb the early priority of composition to be assigned to Bks. 7-9. Anyway, tbe Megabates of this passage may well be identical witb the Megabates described in 5. 32 as ἄνδρα Πέρσην τῶν Ἀχαιμενιδέων and a cousin of Dareios. According to tbe story tbere told it would then be a sister of tbis Megabazos for wbom Pausanias proposed, when “in love with tbe tyranny of Hellas”: but vide my note ad l.c. Megabates must have been a young man in 498 B.C. if be was satrap of Pbrygia in 476 B.C. (Thuc. 1. 129), and bis naval services against Naxos, if correctly reported by Hdt. 5. 33, were hardly of good augury for his son's appointment.

Ἀχαιμένης ὁ Δαρείου: an Acbaimenid of the Achaimenids, full brother of Xerxes. satrap of Egypt c. 7 supra, q.v. His plan of campaign is expounded in c. 236 infra.

τῆς μὲν Ἰάδος τε καὶ Καρικῆς στρατιῆς: tbe words if interpreted strictly and referred to the navy-list would give a squadron (στρατιή) of 100 + 70 = 170 vessels If tbe Dorians (30) in Karia were added tbe number would be raised to 200; but if one item may thus be added, wby not otbers, till we raise the total to 300, or 400, more or less: and so likewise with tbe other divisions. Cp. Appendix II. § 5.

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Αἰγυπτίων δέ: the number for tbe ‘Egyptian’ fleet is given as 200, the addition of tbe Kilikians (for example) would raise it to 300, or a different distribution (Egyptian + Kyprian 150 + Lykian 50) might give a nominal strengtb of 400, the fleet being named simply by the contingent, or ship, which flew tbe admiral's flag.

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τῆς δὲ ἄλλης στρατιῆς ἐστρατήγεον οἱ δύο These words at first seem to mass all the rest of tbe fleet in one squadron or division, under two admirals, a curious inconsequence or, if the two bad syncbronously independent commands, still leaving each with a much larger number of ships than tbe two admirals first named, and Acbaimenids, also an improbable arrangement It might be suspected that by ἡ ἄλλη στρατιή is really to be understood tbe 3000 transports and service-vessels of various sorts immediately to be mentioned, and tbat the figbting fleet was really only in two divisions under tbe two Achaimenid admirals, each division being named from its head or leading contingent, A. Ionio-Karian, B. Egyptian: the confusion in the text might favour this hypothesis, but the weight of argument is against it. 1. στρατιή should mean rather a fighting unit than transports. 2. It is not likely that the Phoenicians, who furnish 300 ships, were simply grouped under either the Egyptian or the Ionio-Karian division. 3. The generalanalogies and probabilities, and to some extent the subsequent narrative of the naval operations, favour the view that the principle of tripartition underlay the naval organization in the campaign. The other στρατιή here then is probably the Phoenician (300), with which, if the whole fleet amounted to 1207, the Kilikian (100) may have been combined, under the command of Prexaspes and Megabazos, either as colleagues, or in succession. The Egyptian ( + Kypros + Lykia) would furnish a nominal 400, and the IonioKarian with all the rest would account for 407. If each squadron amounted, even nominally, to 400, it seems probable that there would be two admirals in command of each (commanding 200 apiece); in which case the (suboidinate) colleagues of Aehaimenes and Ariabignes have been forgotten.

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τριηκόντεροι δὲ ... τρισχίλια: either some words have fallen out after οἱ δύο, or (as Stein suggests) this sentence is not here in its original context. This huge fleet, including horse-transports, was used presumably for the transport of horses, men, and supplies, and for despatch purposes and communications (κέρκουροι can hardly be derived from Κόρκυρα). Possibly one of the three army corps was brought to Doriskos by sea: and if so, probably the one comprising the forces of Upper Asia, so far as they had not met at Kritalla, and marched ἅμ᾽ αὐτῷ Ξέρξῃ. Cp. Appendix II. § 3.