Hostages
object · 4 works · 5 mentions · 5 anchored passages
hostages · his own children · pledges · sureties · the hostage
in the texts
Against Aristocrates
Human pledges in military and diplomatic arrangements, including Amphipolitan hostages and the son of Iphiades.
When you had cashiered Iphicrates, and dispatched Timotheus as commander-in-chief to Amphipolis and the Chersonesus, the man’s first performance was to surrender to the Amphipolitans those hostages of theirs whom Iphicrates had taken from Harpalus, and put under his care, although you had ordered them to be conveyed to Athens.
—To prove the truth of these allegations, please read the decree respecting the hostages, the dispatch of Iphicrates, the dispatch of Timotheus, and lastly this deposition.
and that, though he had taken his oath to Athenodorus that he would surrender the son of Iphiades, the hostage whom he held on behalf of Sestus, he now does not even promise to surrender him.
Anabasis
Persons or guarantees used to secure truces, obedience, and promises.
He added, however, that he advised Seuthes to take as hostages in the future those who were most capable of doing harm and to leave the old men at home.
But Seuthes bade him have no fear and showed him hostages that had come from the enemy.
After this Xenophon asked Seuthes to give over the hostages to him and to join him on an expedition to the mountain, if he so pleased;
Cyropaedia
Human guarantees proposed by Hyrcanian envoys as proof of good faith.
they exclaimed, are you not going to wait until we bring the hostages, that you also may have a guarantee of our good faith before you proceed?
Yes, they answered, we are ready to ride away and bring you hostages this very night.