Herodotus, Histories, ed. A.D. Godley, 7.128

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[1]
When Xerxes saw from +Thessaloniki [22.933,40.633] (inhabited place), Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece, Europe Therma the very great height of the Thessalian mountains +Olympus (mountain), Nomos Larisis, Thessaly, Greece, Europe Olympus and Ossa and learned that the Peneus flows through them in a narrow pass, which was the way that led into +Thessaly [22.25,39.5] (region), Greece, Europe Thessaly, he desired to view the mouth of the Peneus because he intended to march by the upper road through the highland people of Macedonia (region (general)), EuropeMacedonia to the country of the Perrhaebi and the town of Gonnus;¹ this, it was told him, was the safest way.

[2] He did exactly as he desired. He embarked on a Sidonian ship which he always used when he had some such business in hand, and hoisted his signal for the rest also to put out to sea, leaving his land army where it was. Great wonder took him when he came and viewed the mouth of the Peneus, and calling his guides, he asked them if it were possible to turn the river from its course and lead it into the sea by another way.

Histories. Herodotus. ed. A.D. Godley. Cambridge. 1920-1925.

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Current edition Perseus

Histories (English) (Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, translator. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing). (Modernized by Perseus.))

Editions (1)

Ἱστορίαι Perseus (Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, editor. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing).) — 7.128 focus

[1] Ξέρξης δὲ ὁρέων ἐκ τῆς Θέρμης ὄρεα τὰ Θεσσαλικά, τόν τε Ὄλυμπον καὶ τὴν Ὄσσαν, μεγάθεΐ τε ὑπερμήκεα ἐόντα, διὰ μέσου τε αὐτῶν αὐλῶνα στεινὸν πυνθανόμενος εἶναι διʼ οὗ ῥέει ὁ Πηνειός, ἀκούων τε ταύτῃ εἶναι ὁδὸν ἐς Θεσσαλίην φέρουσαν, ἐπεθύμησε πλώσας θεήσασθαι τὴν ἐκβολὴν τοῦ Πηνειοῦ, ὅτι τὴν ἄνω ὁδὸν ἔμελλε ἐλᾶν διὰ Μακεδόνων τῶν κατύπερθε οἰκημένων ἔστε Περραιβοὺς παρὰ Γόννον πόλιν· ταύτῃ γὰρ ἀσφαλέστατον ἐπυνθάνετο εἶναι.

[2] ὡς δὲ ἐπεθύμησε, καὶ ἐποίεε ταῦτα· ἐσβὰς ἐς Σιδωνίην νέα, ἐς τήν περ ἐσέβαινε αἰεὶ ὅκως τι ἐθέλοι τοιοῦτο ποιῆσαι, ἀνέδεξε σημήιον καὶ τοῖσι ἄλλοισι ἀνάγεσθαι, καταλιπὼν αὐτοῦ τὸν πεζὸν στρατόν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀπίκετο καὶ ἐθεήσατο Ξέρξης τὴν ἐκβολὴν τοῦ Πηνειοῦ, ἐν θώματι μεγάλῳ ἐνέσχετο, καλέσας δὲ τοὺς κατηγεμόνας τῆς ὁδοῦ εἴρετο εἰ τὸν ποταμὸν ἐστὶ παρατρέψαντα ἑτέρῃ ἐς θάλασσαν ἐξαγαγεῖν.

Notes on the current edition

Histories

1. Xerxes' army might have entered +Thessaly [22.25,39.5] (region), Greece, Europe Thessaly by marching along the coast between +Olympus (mountain), Nomos Larisis, Thessaly, Greece, Europe Olympus and the sea, and up the Peneus valley (the pass of Tempe) to Gonnus. Instead, it crossed the mountains; probably both by a route which runs across the southern slope of +Olympus (mountain), Nomos Larisis, Thessaly, Greece, Europe Olympus to Gonnus, and also by the +Petra [35.433,30.333] (deserted settlement), Maan, Jordan, Asia Petra pass, further inland, between +Olympus (mountain), Nomos Larisis, Thessaly, Greece, Europe Olympus and Bermius. But Herodotus is mistaken in making the ἄνω ὁδός alone reach Gonnus; the Tempe route would have done the same.

Herodotus Histories 7.128

ed. A.D. Godley

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