Herodotus, The Histories (ed. A. D. Godley)

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LX. But after a short time the partisans of Megacles and of Lycurgus made common cause and drove him out. In this way Pisistratus first got Athens and, as he had a sovereignty that was not yet firmly rooted, lost it. Presently his enemies who together had driven him out began to feud once more. [2] Then Megacles, harassed by factional strife, sent a message to Pisistratus offering him his daughter to marry and the sovereign power besides. [3] When this offer was accepted by Pisistratus, who agreed on these terms with Megacles, they devised a plan to bring Pisistratus back which, to my mind, was so exceptionally foolish that it is strange (since from old times the Hellenic stock has always been distinguished from foreign by its greater cleverness and its freedom from silly foolishness) that these men should devise such a plan to deceive Athenians, said to be the subtlest of the Greeks. [4] There was in the Paeanian deme¹ a woman called Phya, three fingers short of six feet, four inches in height, and otherwise, too, well-formed. This woman they equipped in full armor and put in a chariot, giving her all the paraphernalia to make the most impressive spectacle, and so drove into the city; heralds ran before them, and when they came into town proclaimed as they were instructed: [5] “Athenians, give a hearty welcome to Pisistratus, whom Athena herself honors above all men and is bringing back to her own acropolis.” So the heralds went about proclaiming this; and immediately the report spread in the demes that Athena was bringing Pisistratus back, and the townsfolk, believing that the woman was the goddess herself, worshipped this human creature and welcomed Pisistratus.

¹ Local division of Attica.

Further comments from W. W. How, J. Wells, A Commentary on Herodotus:
book 1 (general note)
book 1 (general note)
book 1, chapter 60 (general note)
book 1, chapter 60, section 2: têi stasi
book 1, chapter 60, section 3: epei
book 1, chapter 60, section 4: panopliêi
book 1, chapter 60, section 5 (general note)

Cross references from Perseus Encyclopedia:
herodotus-3 [Herodotus and Homer (3)]

Cross references from Raphael Kühner, Friedrich Blass, Ausführliche Grammatik der Griechischen Sprache (ed. Ildar Ibraguimov):
154 [Zweite Komparationsform.]

Cross references from Raphael Kühner, Bernhard Gerth, Ausführliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache (ed. Ildar Ibraguimov):
403 [Ellipse des durch das Attributiv näher zu bestimmenden Substantivs.]

Cross references from Raphael Kühner, Bernhard Gerth, Ausführliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache (ed. Ildar Ibraguimov):
491 [Weglassung des Partizips ôn.]
540 [Komparatives ê, als.]

Cross references from Sir Richard Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Antigone:
* [332-375]: tôuto phronêsantes
* [988-1114]

Cross references from W. Walter Merry, James Riddell, D. B. Monro, Commentary on the Odyssey (1886):
7, 312 [Book 7 (ê)]

Cross references from William Watson Goodwin, Syntax of the Moods and Tenses of the Greek Verb:
875 [Omission of ôn.]

Cross references from Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve, Syntax of Classical Greek:
49 [Names of Towns:]

This text is based on the following book(s):
Herodotus, with an English translation by A. D. Godley. Cambridge. Harvard University Press. 1920.
OCLC: 1610641
ISBN: 0674991303, 0674991311, 0674991338, 0674991346

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