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

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ὃ μὲν δὴ τετάρτη ἡμέρῃ ἐπέπαυτο: sc. ὁ χειμών. It lasted three days and three nights, and by the fourth day it had eome to an end, i.e. it ceased in the eourse of the third night. But perhaps the pluperfect has not so precise a temporal intention, but merely denotes that on the fourth day the storm was quite over and a thing of the past.

τοῖσι δὲ Ἕλλησι: the scene shifts to the Greek fleet. Hdt. does not say where the Greek fleet was, but it was plainly not at Artemision. As far as this passage is coneerned it might have shifted down ehannel, or just rounded the NW. point of Euboia (Cape Lithada） to be in shelter from the storm. True, in c. 183 supra the Greek fleet has retired to Chalkis in sheer terror, not of the storm, but of the appearance of the first Persian ships; but that record is in itself absurd, and that passage is an afterthought, and an insertion (me iudice); see notes ad l. In fact the Greek fleet had probably retired before the storm, but certainly not to Chalkis: no less certainly was there a squadron at Chalkis; and Hdt's. errors apparently arise from a eonfusion between the movements of the main fleet and those of this rear squadron.

οἱ ἡμεροσκόποι: cp. c. 183, where they had been left περὶ τὰ ὑψηλὰ τῆς Εὐβοίης. If the whole fleet was at Chalkis, and these scouts were posted where they could see πάντα τὰ γενόμενα περὶ τὴν ναυηγίην, they would have had a fine run down ἀπὸ τῶν ἄκρων τῶν Εὐβοϊκῶν.

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δευτέρῃ ἡμέρῃ ἀπ᾽ ἧς ὁ χειμὼν ὁ πρῶτος . ., ‘on the day after the first storm took place.’ The expression is remarkable: for what is ‘the first storm’? The storm just described, cc. 188-91, must surely be ‘the first storm’— but it lasted three days and three nights: and what then would be ‘the second storm’? Does ἐγένετο mean ‘began’? and is ‘the first storm’ an inaccurate way of describing the first day of the three days' storm? In which case the day here mentioned would be merely the second day of the storm, and Hdt. might as well have said so elearly. Van Herwerden's reading clears this point, but creates an absurdity, for how could the Greek fleet return to Artemision before the storm, which lasted three days and three nights, was over? i.e. before the fourth day, which is indeed the δευτέρη ἡμέρη ἀπ᾽ ἧς ὁ χειμὼν ὁ πρῶτος ἐγένετο if ‘the first storm’ means—as it should mean—the three days' storm, and ἐγένετο means, as it perfeetly well may mean, ‘had taken place’ (virtually ‘ended,’ except that it ended in the night). What then would be ‘the seeond storm’? Why, the storm described in 8. 12-14, which took place, according to Hdt., on the night after the first day's fighting of Artemision (and not on the night of the second day of the three days' storm).

The story of the naval operations in Bk. 8 appears to be from a different source to that from <*>h the story in Bk. 7 is derived; but <*>, has attempted to harmonize them, and one result of his attempt perhaps was to make two storms, where in reality there was only one. Cp. further, Appendix V. § 4.

ἐσήμαινον πάντα τὰ γενόμενα περὶ τὴν ναυηγίην: the verb σημαίνειν by no means implies material signalling or telegraphy of any kind, and here presumably means simply ‘signified,’ ‘reported.’ If the scouts reported all that had happened about the shipwrecking, the storm must have been over. If the storm had lasted three days, this report eould only have been brought to the Greek fleet on the fourth day—on whieh day the storm was all over.

If this news was brought to the Greek ships at Chalkis, then it was the news of the wreck of the 200 Persian vessels brought to the eommanders of the 53 Attic ships, which they in turn reported to the Greeks at Artemision (probably); cp. 8. 14. If it is the news of the disaster to the Persian fleet and transports(?) at Sepias-Kasthanaia, still it will only have reached the Greeks, not of course at Chalkis, possibly at Aidepsos, after the storm was over.

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Ποσειδέωνι σωτῆρι εὐξάμενοι καὶ σπονδὰς προχέαντες: what of the Ανεμοι, to which, according to the Delphic legend in c. 178 supra, they had been bidden to pray? This record seems further to discredit that story. The εὐχαί and the σπονὀ̂αί are all for Poseidon (neither do the Athenians yet realize that their saviour was their son-in-law, nor do the rest think of worshipping the Winds: this cult, indeed, was a Delphian on<*>, c. 178 supra). προ-, ‘forth’: for such πρόχυσις cp. 1. 160.

τὴν ταχίστην ... ἐπὶ τὸ Ἀρτεμίσιον. They had abandoned Artemision (in consequence of the storm?), and now return—the storm being over. If the storm lasted three days, it would be on the fourth day that the re-occupation of Artemision took place. If they returned before the fourth day, then the storm did not last three days.

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ἀντιξόους: cp. cc. 49, 150 supra: what they expected (ἐλπίσαντες) or thought to find must be rather matter of opinion; but what reason had they to expect any opponents to their station at Artemision, unless the Persian fleet had already rounded Sepias? Or is the ἔσεσθαι in a more remote future?