Pausanias Analysis

Passage 10.20.2

← 10.20.1 10.20.3 →

Passage 10.20.2: Allied Greek forces at Thermopylae; many contingents departed before the final battle.

Historical Skeptical

Greek Text

Λοκροὺς δὲ τοὺς ὑπὸ τῷ ὄρει τῇ Κνήμιδι Ἡρόδοτος μὲν οὐχ ὑπήγαγεν ἐς ἀριθμόν, ἀλλʼ ἀφικέσθαι σφᾶς ἀπὸ πασῶν ἔφη τῶν πόλεων· τεκμήρασθαι δὲ ἀριθμὸν καὶ τούτων ἔστιν ἐγγύτατα τοῦ ἀληθοῦς· ἐς Μαραθῶνα γὰρ Ἀθηναῖοι σὺν ἡλικίᾳ τε τῇ ἀχρείῳ καὶ δούλοις ἐνακισχιλίων ἀφίκοντο οὐ πλείους, τὸ οὖν μάχιμον Λοκρῶν τὸ ἐς Θερμοπύλας ἐλθὸν οὐκ ἂν ὑπέρ γε ἑξακισχιλίους ἀριθμοίη τις. οὕτω γένοιτο ἂν ὁ σύμπας στρατὸς διακόσιοι καὶ χίλιοι καὶ μύριοι. φαίνονται δὲ οὐδὲ οὗτοι τὸν χρόνον πάντα ἐπὶ τῇ φρουρᾷ τῶν Πυλῶν καταμείναντες· πλὴν γὰρ Λακεδαιμονίων τε αὐτῶν καὶ Θεσπιέων καὶ Μυκηναίων προαπέλιπον τὸ πέρας τῆς μάχης οἱ λοιποί.

English Translation

As for the Locrians who live beneath Mount Cnemis, Herodotus did not include them in his reckoning of numbers, but rather says merely that they came from all their cities. Yet an estimate of their number can be made that is very near to the truth. For the Athenians who marched to Marathon—including even the old men and slaves—did not exceed nine thousand. One could therefore suppose that the fighting force of Locrians who arrived at Thermopylae was not more than six thousand. Thus, the total army could amount to eleven thousand two hundred altogether. Yet it appears that even they did not remain guarding the pass continuously; rather, apart from the Lacedaemonians themselves and the Thespians and the Mycenaeans, the remainder had departed before the battle reached its conclusion.

Proper Nouns

Thespians (Θεσπιεῖς) person
Lacedaemonians (Λακεδαιμόνιοι) person
Locrians (Λοκροί) person
Mycenaeans (Μυκηναῖοι) person
Athenians (Ἀθηναῖοι) person
Herodotus (Ἡρόδοτος) person
Thermopylae (Θερμοπύλαι) place Q194450 Pleiades
Knemis (Κνήμις) place Q25023176
Also in: 10.8.2
Marathon (Μαραθών) place Q212150 Pleiades
Pylai (Πύλαι) place Q194450 Pleiades
← 10.20.1 10.20.3 →