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

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ἕξ τε ... πέντε: 69,500 is an excess of 800 over the items in Hdt.'s calculation, as just shown, and the 800 may be the figure for the Athenian τοξόται, cp. last c. Granting his total for the ψιλοί the addition of 38,700 Hoplites gives a grand total of 108,200 men, or, as Hdt. phrases it, Eleven myriads less one thousand eight hundred men. The full 110,000 was just made up by 1800 Thespians, all that survived of that city, but they were without arms.

There would be httle or no sense in Hdt.'s adding the 1800 Thespians to the sum total of μάχιμοι unless they had served at least as ψιλοί (raising the total of that branch to 71,300 as against 38,700 Heavies). Panoplies might, however, have been found for them, from the men slain and wounded in the course of the fighting in Borotia; but perhaps no Greek state would find panoplies for another.

Thespiai had lost 700 men at Thermopylai, 7. 222; the city had been subsequently destroyed, the population having fled into the Peloponnesos, 8 50. Are we to understand that except for these disasters Thespiai might have put 2500 Hoplites into the field at Plataia?

On the subsequent restoration of Thespiai cp. 8. 75.

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ἐπὶ τῷ Ἀσωπῷ: this phrase is of importance. The second position, as described in c. 25 supra πλησίον τῆς τε κρήνης τῆς Γαργαφίης καὶ τοῦ τεμένεος τοῦ Ἀνδροκράτεος, is here described as ‘on the Asopos.’ The river could at least be seen from the Laager (which would not be the case from the first position); in other words, the Laager was on the ridge north of Gargaphia, sloping down to the river; but of course the Greeks could not water from the Asopos proper. G. B. Grundy, G.P. W. pp. 470 f., argues that by ‘Asopos’ in this passage is to be understood not the main stream (north of the position) but one of its tributaries, A1, “the brook which has its rise in the springs of Apotripi.” The point is neat, but does not (me iudice) make any substantial difference in our conception of the Greek position. That position is marked by the Androkrateion, Gargaphia, and the Asopos; i.e. it was south of the main stream, and east of A1; but there is no need to infer that by the Asopos here Hdt. definitely means A1. He more probably means the main stream in front; the river is near enough to define the position: they had been ἐπὶ τῇ ὑπωρέῃ, they are now ἐπὶ τῷ Ἀσωπῷ. Cp. next c.