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προσόδοισι: cp. πρόσοδον c. 223 infra, τὴν πρόσοδον 9. 101. Here προσβολῇσι might be expected. λέγεται. The formula suggests a misgiving. Who was the author of this report? (Demaratos?) τρὶς ἀναδραμεῖν ἐκ τοῦ θρόνου: once for the Medes, once for the Kissians, once for the Persians<*> His throne would probably have been set on the hill of (or above) Anthele, by the Amphiktyonid buildings; cp. c. 200 supra. ἀναδραμεῖν =ἀναπηδᾶν, cp. 3. 155, where Dareios leaps from his throne at the siege of Babylon to see Zopyros. (“ἐκ θρόνου ἆλτο” Il. 20. 62 of ‘Aidoneus.’）
τῇ δ᾽ ὑστεραίῃ: the second day's fighting (cp. 8. 14). Hdt.'s account of the fighting at Thermopylai on this day is very vague and perfunctory. Diodoros 11. 8 (Ephoros) has a rationalized and rhetorical passage, in which Xerxes makes the attack on the second day, not κατ᾽ ἔθνεα but with picked troops, selected and combined, the best out of all nations in his army. In truth perhaps there was not much fighting on this day. If 8. 12 is correct, there had been a violent storm during the preceding night.
ὀλίγων ἐόντων: sc. τῶν Ἑλλήνων.
συνέβαλλον, ‘attacked,’ ‘joined battle’; cp. συμβολή. κατὰ τάξις τε καὶ κατὰ ἔθνεα. Some of the ἔθνη were hardly large enough to undertake alone, e.g. the Korinthians; othcrs were larger than necessary perhaps, e.g. the Arkadians; they may have fought by ‘chiliads’: Lakedaimonians, Arkadians (2 chiliads), rest of Peloponnese, Boiotians, Lokrians (2 or more chiliads).
κεκοσμημένοι ἦσαν: not identical in force with κεκοσμήατο, cp. c. 196. 4 supra. ἕκαστοι: the divisions so organized.
τὴν ἀτραπόν: cp. c. 175 supra. [ευ<*>´ρισκον]: ἐνώρων, if genuine, might have changed places with advantage; but cp. App. Crit.
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