- Source
- Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, editor. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.1.0-1.1.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Herodotus states the purpose of his inquiry, and then, citing Persian sources, recounts the abduction of Io by Phoenicians as the origin of the conflict between Greeks and barbarians.
Ἡροδότου Ἁλικαρνησσέος ἱστορίης ἀπόδεξις ἥδε, ὡς1 μήτε τὰ γενόμενα ἐξ ἀνθρώπων τῷ χρόνῳ ἐξίτηλα γένηται, μήτε ἔργα μεγάλα τε καὶ θωμαστά, τὰ μὲν Ἕλλησι τὰ δὲ βαρβάροισι ἀποδεχθέντα, ἀκλεᾶ γένηται, τά τε ἄλλα καὶ διʼ ἣν αἰτίην ἐπολέμησαν ἀλλήλοισι.
This is the presentation of the inquiry of Herodotus of Halicarnassus, so that the things done by men may not become forgotten in time, nor the great and wonderful deeds, performed some by Greeks and some by barbarians, lose their glory, and especially for what cause they waged war against each other.
Περσέων μέν νυν οἱ λόγιοι Φοίνικας αἰτίους φασὶ γενέσθαι τῆς διαφορῆς. τούτους2 γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἐρυθρῆς καλεομένης θαλάσσης ἀπικομένους ἐπὶ τήνδε τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ οἰκήσαντας τοῦτον τὸν χῶρον τὸν καὶ νῦν οἰκέουσι, αὐτίκα ναυτιλίῃσι μακρῇσι ἐπιθέσθαι, ἀπαγινέοντας δὲ φορτία Αἰγύπτιά τε καὶ Ἀσσύρια τῇ τε ἄλλῃ ἐσαπικνέεσθαι καὶ δὴ καὶ ἐς Ἄργος.
Now, the learned men among the Persians say that the Phoenicians were the cause of the dispute. For these, having come from the sea called “Red” to this sea, and having settled in this country which they still inhabit, immediately applied themselves to long voyages, and carrying Egyptian and Assyrian freights, they arrived at various places and especially at Argos.
τὸ δὲ Ἄργος τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον προεῖχε ἅπασι3 τῶν ἐν τῇ νῦν Ἑλλάδι καλεομένῃ χωρῇ. ἀπικομένους δὲ τούς Φοίνικας ἐς δὴ τὸ Ἄργος τοῦτο διατίθεσθαι τὸν φόρτον.
And Argos was at that time pre-eminent in all respects among those in the country now called Greece. Having arrived at this Argos, the Phoenicians set out their cargo.
πέμπτῃ δὲ ἢ ἕκτῃ ἡμέρῃ ἀπʼ ἧς ἀπίκοντο, ἐξεμπολημένων σφι σχεδόν πάντων,4 ἐλθεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν γυναῖκας ἄλλας τε πολλάς καὶ δὴ καὶ τοῦ βασιλέος θυγατέρα· τὸ δέ οἱ οὔνομα εἶναι, κατὰ τὠυτὸ τὸ καὶ Ἕλληνές λέγουσι, Ἰοῦν τὴν Ἰνάχου·
On the fifth or sixth day after their arrival, when almost everything had been sold by them, there came down to the sea many other women and indeed also the king’s daughter; and her name was, according to the same account which the Greeks also tell, Io, the daughter of Inachus.
ταύτας στάσας κατά πρύμνην τῆς νεὸς ὠνέεσθαι τῶν φορτίων τῶν σφι ἦν θυμός μάλιστα·5 καὶ τοὺς Φοίνικας διακελευσαμένους ὁρμῆσαι ἐπʼ αὐτάς. τὰς μὲν δὴ πλεῦνας τῶν γυναικῶν ἀποφυγεῖν, τὴν δὲ Ἰοῦν σὺν ἄλλῃσι ἁρπασθῆναι. ἐσβαλομένους δὲ ἐς τὴν νέα οἴχεσθαι ἀποπλέοντας ἐπʼ Αἰγύπτου.
While these women were standing by the stern of the ship and buying those freights for which they had the greatest desire, the Phoenicians, encouraging one another, rushed upon them. Most of the women escaped, but Io with others was seized; and the Phoenicians, having put them on board the ship, sailed away for Egypt.
- 1.1.0ὡς
Introduces a purpose clause ("in order that... not..."). It modifies the noun ἀπόδεξις (presentation), indicating the purpose of the publication.
- 1.1.1τούτους
The subject of the accusative and infinitive construction (indirect discourse) introduced by φασί ("they say") in the preceding sentence. This indirect discourse continues with infinitives until the end of section 4 (οἴχεσθαι), interspersed with several parenthetical clauses in the indicative present.
- 1.1.2ἅπασι
Dative of respect or manner ("in all respects"), modifying the verb προεῖχε (excelled, was pre-eminent), which carries a comparative sense.
- 1.1.3ἐξεμπολημένων σφι σχεδόν πάντων
Genitive absolute, with πάντων [τῶν φορτίων] ("almost all [the cargo]") as its subject. The pronoun σφι (dative plural) is a dative of reference referring to the Phoenicians ("for them").
- 1.1.4τῶν φορτίων τῶν σφι ἦν θυμός μάλιστα
The antecedent τῶν φορτίων is in the genitive case, governed by the verb ὠνέεσθαι (to buy). The following τῶν is a relative pronoun, attracted into the genitive case, or governed by the expression ἦν θυμός ("they had a desire for").