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Last time, on Plutarch’s Life Of Themistocles, prophetic owls! Siccanus delivering sneaky messages! Today, an uncomfortable reminder of ancient religious practices.
Plutarch - Themistocles 13
And on the same day Xerxes sat down at a high place to look over his forces and the arrangement of battle lines. According to what Phanodemus says, [he was located] above Heracleum, where the island is separated from Greece by a narrow channel; but according to Acestorides, [he was] on the border of Megara, above what’s called Keraton. He sat himself on a golden seat, and placed many secretaries at his side, whose task was to write down the events throughout the battle.
While Themistocles was performing sacrifices beside the admiral’s ship, three prisoners of war were led before him; [they were] very handsome in their appearance, and dressed magnificently in golden clothing. They were said to be the sons of Sandauce (the king’s sister) and Artayktos.
When the prophet Euphrantides saw them, right then a great and very visible fire rose up from among the sacrificial [animals], and a sneeze came out from the right [of the animals]. He grabbed Themistocles’ right hand, and urged him to consecrate and sacrifice all of the young men* as a prayer-offering to Dionysus the Flesh-Eater: for this would be salvation and victory for the Greeks.
Themistocles was shocked at so terrible an oracle. But as is usually the case in major conflicts and difficult circumstances, the majority of the men--putting their hope for salvation in unusual events instead of sound thinking--dragged the captives to the altar and forced the sacrifice to be done, as the prophet urged. Phanias of Lesbos, a man of philosophy and learning and not unfamiliar with history, said these things occurred.
Plutarch - Themistocles 14
Concerning the great number of the barbarian ships, the poet Aeschylus--as one who knew and confirmed them--said these things:
“But Xerxes--for I also know--had a multitude of ships, a thousand; and there were two hundred and seven arrogant and swift** ones [among them]; the total is such.”
And for the Greek [ships], there were a hundred and eight; each had eighteen fighters on the deck, of which four were archers, and the rest hoplites.
Themistocles seems to have watched for the time and place with no little skill, and took care not to send the triremes directly against the barbarians earlier than the arrival of a particular time of day, when a sharp breeze from the sea and billows come through the narrows. This didn’t hurt the Greek ships, which were flat and low,*** but it fell upon the barbarian ships, which rose up at the stern and were high in the decks and carried themselves heavily, and overthrew them, and pushed them sideways towards the Greeks, who came at them swiftly.
And [the Greeks] watched Themistocles, as one especially good at seeing useful opportunities. For this reason Ariamenes, an admiral of Xerxes who had a large ship, shot arrows and hurled javelins at [Themistocles] as if he was standing on city walls. (He was a good man, the strongest and most honorable by far out of the king’s brothers.) Now, Ameineas of Decelia and Socles of Pallene were sailing together; when their ships^ fell upon his and pierced each other’s sides, binding them together with their bronze [prows], he boarded their trireme; but they stood against him, and struck him with their spears, and threw him into the ocean. Artemisia recognized his body among the other wreckage, and brought him to the king.
---
* The three who were prisoners of war, not, y’know. The guys in the triremes.
** My translation wants to render this as “especially swift”, but as the dictionary only gives me the literal translation of “arrogant” for that word, I like to leave it as it is. Damn arrogant ships, showing off with their speed!
*** That is, they had relatively flat hulls and lay low in the water.
^ Namely, the ship belonging to these two dudes and the ship belonging to that brother of the king.
Plutarch - Themistocles 13
And on the same day Xerxes sat down at a high place to look over his forces and the arrangement of battle lines. According to what Phanodemus says, [he was located] above Heracleum, where the island is separated from Greece by a narrow channel; but according to Acestorides, [he was] on the border of Megara, above what’s called Keraton. He sat himself on a golden seat, and placed many secretaries at his side, whose task was to write down the events throughout the battle.
While Themistocles was performing sacrifices beside the admiral’s ship, three prisoners of war were led before him; [they were] very handsome in their appearance, and dressed magnificently in golden clothing. They were said to be the sons of Sandauce (the king’s sister) and Artayktos.
When the prophet Euphrantides saw them, right then a great and very visible fire rose up from among the sacrificial [animals], and a sneeze came out from the right [of the animals]. He grabbed Themistocles’ right hand, and urged him to consecrate and sacrifice all of the young men* as a prayer-offering to Dionysus the Flesh-Eater: for this would be salvation and victory for the Greeks.
Themistocles was shocked at so terrible an oracle. But as is usually the case in major conflicts and difficult circumstances, the majority of the men--putting their hope for salvation in unusual events instead of sound thinking--dragged the captives to the altar and forced the sacrifice to be done, as the prophet urged. Phanias of Lesbos, a man of philosophy and learning and not unfamiliar with history, said these things occurred.
Plutarch - Themistocles 14
Concerning the great number of the barbarian ships, the poet Aeschylus--as one who knew and confirmed them--said these things:
“But Xerxes--for I also know--had a multitude of ships, a thousand; and there were two hundred and seven arrogant and swift** ones [among them]; the total is such.”
And for the Greek [ships], there were a hundred and eight; each had eighteen fighters on the deck, of which four were archers, and the rest hoplites.
Themistocles seems to have watched for the time and place with no little skill, and took care not to send the triremes directly against the barbarians earlier than the arrival of a particular time of day, when a sharp breeze from the sea and billows come through the narrows. This didn’t hurt the Greek ships, which were flat and low,*** but it fell upon the barbarian ships, which rose up at the stern and were high in the decks and carried themselves heavily, and overthrew them, and pushed them sideways towards the Greeks, who came at them swiftly.
And [the Greeks] watched Themistocles, as one especially good at seeing useful opportunities. For this reason Ariamenes, an admiral of Xerxes who had a large ship, shot arrows and hurled javelins at [Themistocles] as if he was standing on city walls. (He was a good man, the strongest and most honorable by far out of the king’s brothers.) Now, Ameineas of Decelia and Socles of Pallene were sailing together; when their ships^ fell upon his and pierced each other’s sides, binding them together with their bronze [prows], he boarded their trireme; but they stood against him, and struck him with their spears, and threw him into the ocean. Artemisia recognized his body among the other wreckage, and brought him to the king.
---
* The three who were prisoners of war, not, y’know. The guys in the triremes.
** My translation wants to render this as “especially swift”, but as the dictionary only gives me the literal translation of “arrogant” for that word, I like to leave it as it is. Damn arrogant ships, showing off with their speed!
*** That is, they had relatively flat hulls and lay low in the water.
^ Namely, the ship belonging to these two dudes and the ship belonging to that brother of the king.