1.15 | Dickinson College Commentaries

ἐπειδὴ δὲ καιρὸς ἦν, ἐτάξαντο ὧδε· τὸ μὲν δεξιὸν κέρας εἶχον οἱ Ἱππόγυποι καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοὺς ἀρίστους περὶ αὑτὸν ἔχων· καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν τούτοις ἦμεν· τὸ δὲ εὐώνυμον οἱ Λαχανόπτεροι· τὸ μέσον δὲ οἱ σύμμαχοι ὡς ἑκάστοις ἐδόκει. τὸ δὲ πεζὸν ἦσαν μὲν ἀμφὶ τὰς ἑξακισχιλίας μυριάδας, ἐτάχθησαν δὲ οὕτως. ἀράχναι παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς πολλοὶ καὶ μεγάλοι γίνονται, πολὺ τῶν Κυκλάδων νήσων ἕκαστος μείζων. τούτοις προσέταξεν διυφῆναι τὸν μεταξὺ τῆς σελήνης καὶ τοῦ Ἑωσφόρου ἀέρα. ὡς δὲ τάχιστα ἐξειργάσαντο καὶ πεδίον ἐποίησαν, ἐπὶ τούτου παρέταξε τὸ πεζόν· ἡγεῖτο δὲ αὐτῶν Νυκτερίων ὁ Εὐδιάνακτος τρίτος αὐτός.

notes

VERB LIST

ἐτάξαντο: aor. mid. of τάσσω, "they arranged themselves."

δεξιὸν κέρας: "right wing" (lit. "horn").

ἐν τούτοις: "among these."

τὸ εὐώνυμον (sc. κέρας): "the left wing." This is a military term that appears in Thucydides and Herodotus with and without the noun κέρας.

ὡς ἑκάστοις ἐδόκει: "arrayed however seemed best to each group."

τὸ δὲ πεζόν: "as for the infantry" (the substantive πεζόν more commonly a masc. adj. as in the next section).

ἀμφὶ τὰς ἑξακισχιλίας μυριάδας: "around 60,000,000" (cf. ὅσον above in 1.7).

ἐτάχθησαν: aor. pass. of τάσσω, "they were arranged."

πολὺ τῶν Κυκλάδων νήσων ἕκαστος μείζων: "each one was much larger than the Cycladic islands." For the adverbial πολύ, see S. 1609. The Cyclades are a circular group of islands between Crete and mainland Greece.

προσέταξεν: aor. act., "he commissioned" (could also mean "he ordered").

διυφῆναι: aor. pass. infin. of διυφαίνω, "fill up by weaving."

ὡς τάχιστα: "as quickly as possible" (S. 1086).

ἡγεῖτο: impf. of ἡγέομαι, "he led (+ gen.)."

Νυκτερίων ὁ Εὐδιάνακτος: "Owlett, son of Fairweather."

τρίτος αὐτός: "himself the third," i.e., along with two others.

vocabulary

Ἱππόγυποι, οἱ: the Vulture-cavalry

εὐώνυμος, -ον: the left (side)

λαχανόπτερος, -ον: vegetable-winged (Lucianic neologism only appearing in this work as with many such groups in this battle).

πεζόν, τό: the infantry

ἑξακισχίλιοι, -αι, -α: six thousand

μυριάς, -αδος, ἡ: a unit of ten thousand; a myriad

ἀράχνης, -ου, ὁ: a spider

Κυκλάδων: the Cyclades

προστάσσω: place, post at

διυφαίνω: fill up by weaving

σελήνη, ἡ: the moon

Ἑωσφόρος, ὁ: the Morning Star

ἀήρ, ἀέρος, ὁ: the air

ἐξεργάζομαι: work out, finish off

πεδίον, τό: a plain, flat

παρατάσσω: place side by side, draw up in battle-order

νυκτέριος, -α, -ον: by night

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