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

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τῶν δὲ ἐπιπλεόντων: cp. 5. 36 τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν νεῶν ἐπιπλέοντας στρατηγούς. 8. 67 κατέβη αὐτὸς Ξέρξης ἐπὶ τὰς νέας ἐθέλων ... πυθέσθαι τῶν ἐπιπλεόντων τὰς γνώμας. Once in Thucyd. (2. 66. 2） ἐπέπλεον δὲ Λακεδαιμονίων χίλιοι ὸπλῖται καὶ Κνῆμος Σπαρτιάτης ναύαρχος. Generally ἐπιπλεῖν (with dative, or with ἐπί and accus., or absolutely) means ‘to sail against,’ in hostile sense.

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οἵδε ἦσαν ὀνομαστότατοι: there follow ten names of native leaders (three Phoenicians, one Kilikian; one Lykian, two Kyprian; three Karian), at first sight chosen at random: the omission of Greek names is observable, but not inexplicable: jealousy, or patriotism, might suppress them; Artemisia reigns alone (cp. c. 99). The omission of Egyptians is more striking, and confirms the suspicion that the so-called ‘Egyptian’ contingent was not navigated by Egyptians. If the Egyptian formed one squadron (στρατιή) with the Lykians and Kyprians, the whole fleet (ναυτικὸς στρατός) was divided into three squadrons (cp. c. 97); we have then in the names preserved in this chapter memorials of the principal native commanders on board each of the three squadrons: the first four names (Phoenician and Kilikian) may be taken from Squadron A, the next three names (Kyprian and Lykian) from Squadron B, and the last three names (all ‘Karian’) from Squadron C (the Karians being the only non-Hellenic factor in that division). This observation may be taken to confirm the hypothetieal distribution of the naval forees finally proposed above.

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Σιδώνιος Τετράμνηστος Ἀνύσου. Sidon recovers with Hdt. to some extent its Homeric prominence, cp. cc. 44, 96 supra, c. 128 infra. Yet Tyre was in his own time, as in Alexander's, the leading city-state of Phoenicia (cp. 2. 44). The King of Sidon sits next the king in council, 8. 67 infra. (Diodor. 14. 79 gives the Sidonian dynast the precedence in the days of Konon, and possibly the Sidonian took precedeuce in virtue of the early primacy of Sidon, even when Tyre had eclipsed the elder state.)

‘Tetramnestos’ has a curiously Greek sound. Baehr deprecates a Semitic etymology, but the Greek sound might be due to mere assimilation. The same remark applies to the father's name, Anysos (Cp. Ἄνυσις as the name of an Egyptian king, 2. 137, 140; and of a city in Egypt, 2. 137, 160, 166.)

Τύριος Ματτὴν Σιρώμου. ‘Matten’ is presumably the same name as ‘Mattan’ (the priest of Baal, 2 Kings ii. 18). ‘Siromis’ may well be the same as ‘Hiram,’ Hirom (Cheiram in LXX., Heiramos and Heiromos ap. Josephum; Duncker, vii. 205, would read Εἵρωμος here).

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Ἀράδιος Μέρβαλος Ἀγβάλου. Arados, like Tyre and Sidon situate on an island strongly fortified, was accounted an independent colony from Sidon (Strabo 753, the locus classicus) and next thereto in importance, under the Persians, but destined in later times to eclipse Tyre itself (cp. Strabo l.c.) Merbalos resembles the Carthaginian Maharbal (Meibal) and presumably contains, like the father's name, Agbalos (v.l. Arbalos) the name of the Phoenician deity.

(Besides Tyre, Sidon, and Arados, the only important seaports in Phoenicia would be Byblos and Berytos, cp. Kiepert, Manual, § 97.)

Κίλιξ Συέννεσις Ὠρομέδοντος. A Syennesis of Kilikia appears in the year 585 B.C. mediating between Lydians and Medes (1. 74); another, and it might be the one here mentioned, as about contemporary with the Ionian revolt (5. 118). Xenophou reports the dealings of Kvros, the younger, with a Syennesis of Kilikia in 401 B.C. (Hell. 3. 1, 1, cf. Anab. 1. 2. 12-27). The word is either a frequently recurting name for the kings of Kilikia, or a royal title (ἴσως σημιτικὴ λέξις schôa nasi = εὐγενὴς πρίγκιψ. Wecklein-Zomariades). Aischylos (Persai 329-331) devotes three lines to the gallant death of this Syennesis at Salamis. Herodotos (9. 107) provides a Greek, and indeed an Halikarnassian successor.

Oromedon appears as a name or epithet in some MSS. of Theokritos 7. 46 (v.l. for εὐρυμέδοντος), and is interpreted by the scholiast as (1) a title of Pan, (2) the name of a mountain in Kos. But these are probably only scholiastic sophisms.

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Λύκιος Κυβερνίσκος Σίκα. Kyberniskos has a Greek sound (κυβερνήτης, gubernare, govern), or at least an Hellenized appearance. A Κύβερνις, son of Kydias, of Athens, appears on an inscription not earlier than 277/6 B.C. Dittenberger, 149 (i.1 p. 232, 1.2 330).

Sikas may perhaps be a shorter form of Sikinnos (8. 75 infra), and likewise has a Greek tone, possibly deceptive. But Lykians might very well have Hellenic, or Hellenistic names. Σίκων is a not uncommon name in Athens.

Κύπριοι: it is remarkable that Hdt. does not here specify the Kyprian states to which Γόργος ὁ Χέρσιος and Τιμῶναξ ὁ Τιμαγόρεω respectively belonged. Timonax and Timagoras are thorough Greeks, and must have ruled one of the Greek states other than Salamis (perhaps Kurion or Soli? But Aristokypros, son of Philokypros, was king of Soli in 496 B.C., 5. 113). Gorgos, the son of Chersis, is incidentally established as king of the Salaminians in 8. 11; but the absence here of any reference back to the notices of this Hellenized House given in 4. 163, 5. 104, 113, etc., is still more remarkable, except on the supposition that this passage is of earlier composition, or that Hdt. follows in various places various sources so slavishly as to surrender his rights of combination, and cross-reference! Cp. Introduction, §§ 7, 8, 10. Γόργος is good Greek, not to say Arkadian (Leake, Inscr. 1, PapeBeuseler). Chersis also may pass for Greek. He had at least three sons (Onesilos, 5. 104, Gorgos, Philaon, 8. 11), and was himself the son of a Siromos (cp. 1. 3 supra) and grandson of Evelthon (5. 104). The pedigree may be exhibited as follows:

Evelthon

Siromos

Chersis

Onesilos Gorgos Philaon

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Καρῶν. The Karians enjoy a disproportionate notice from the Halikarnassian, as, besides the three leaders here specified, Queen Artemisia is coming in for a chapter to herself (99).

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Ἱστιαῖος ὁ Τύμνεω is surely the tyrant of Termera, or Termeron, cp. 5. 37 (and my note ad l.). Πίγρης ὁ Ὑσσελδώμου has a proper name shared by many persons more or less known to fame: (1) the Halikarnassian, brother or accord. to Plutarch de Malig. 43, son of Artemisia, and no mean poet; (2) a Pigres who acted as interpreter for Kyros (Anab. 1. 2. 17, etc.) may very well have been a Karian; (3) the Paionian mentioned 5. 12 supra and others. The patronymic forbids the identifieation of the first, and other obvious considerations, the identification of either the other two, with the son of Hysseldomos, or Seldomos (cp. App. Crit.). This last name, in either form, is scarcely of Greek origin; but the root of πἰγρης is perhaps to be found in πικρός.

Δαμασίθυμος ὁ Κανδαύλεω may fairly be identified with the King of the Kalyndians, run down by Artemisia, and presumably drowned, at Salamis, 8. 87. His own name is transparent Greek. His father's name, Kandaules, originally at least a native God's, ‘the hound(wolf?) strangler’ Hermes: Ἑρμῆ κυνάγχα Μῃονιστὶ Κανδαῦλα, Hippouax, fr. 1, Bergk ii.4 460: a tit<*> easily explicable from Indogerm. roots, and presumably of Phrygian extraction, see Kretschmer, Einleitung, p. 388 f.