- 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-grc2:1.125.1-1.125.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-31
Cyrus deliberates on the best way to incite the Persians to revolt, presenting a forged letter that claims Astyages appointed him general and ordering them to assemble with sickles. He then enumerates the various Persian tribes, listing the dominant agricultural and nomadic groups, particularly the Pasargadae from whom the royal family stems.
ἀκούσας ταῦτα ὁ Κῦρος ἐφρόντιζε ὅτεῳ τρόπῳ σοφωτάτῳ Πέρσας ἀναπείσει ἀπίστασθαι, φροντίζων δὲ εὑρίσκεται1 ταῦτα καιριώτατα εἶναι· ἐποίεε δὴ ταῦτα.
Having heard this, Cyrus considered what would be the wisest way to persuade the Persians to revolt; and as he considered, he found this to be the most opportune way, and so he did it.
γράψας ἐς βυβλίον τὰ ἐβούλετο, ἁλίην τῶν Περσέων ἐποιήσατο, μετὰ δὲ ἀναπτύξας τὸ βυβλίον καὶ ἐπιλεγόμενος ἔφη Ἀστυάγεά μιν στρατηγὸν Περσέων ἀποδεικνύναι. νῦν τε, ἔφη λέγων, ὦ Πέρσαι, προαγορεύω ὑμῖν παρεῖναι ἕκαστον ἔχοντα δρέπανον. Κῦρος μὲν ταῦτα προηγόρευσε. ἔστι δὲ Πέρσεων συχνὰ γένεα, καὶ τὰ μὲν αὐτῶν ὁ Κῦρος συνάλισε καὶ ἀνέπεισε ἀπίστασθαι ἀπὸ Μήδων.
Writing what he wished on a sheet, he called an assembly of the Persians; then, unfolding the sheet and reading from it, he said that Astyages appointed him general of the Persians. “And now,” he said, speaking to them, “O Persians, I command you to present yourselves, each man having a sickle.” Cyrus indeed made this proclamation. Now there are many tribes of the Persians, and some of them Cyrus assembled and persuaded to revolt from the Medes.
ἔστι δὲ τάδε, ἐξ ὧν ὧλλοι πάντες ἀρτέαται2 Πέρσαι, Πασαργάδαι Μαράφιοι Μάσπιοι. τούτων Πασαργάδαι εἰσὶ ἄριστοι, ἐν τοῖσι καὶ Ἀχαιμενίδαι εἰσὶ φρήτρη, ἔνθεν οἱ βασιλέες οἱ Περσεῖδαι3 γεγόνασι.
These are the tribes on whom all the other Persians depend: the Pasargadae, the Maraphii, and the Maspii. Of these, the Pasargadae are the most noble, among whom is the clan of the Achaemenidae, from whom have sprung the Perseid kings.
ἄλλοι δὲ Πέρσαι εἰσὶ οἵδε, Πανθιαλαῖοι Δηρουσιαῖοι Γερμάνιοι. οὗτοι μὲν πάντες ἀροτῆρες εἰσί, οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι νομάδες, Δάοι Μάρδοι Δροπικοὶ Σαγάρτιοι.
The other Persians are these: the Panthialaei, the Derusiaei, and the Germanii. All these are husbandmen, while the rest are nomads: the Daï, the Mardi, the Dropici, and the Sagartii.
- 1.125.1εὑρίσκεται
Passive (or middle) of the transitive verb εὑρίσκω ('to find'). It can be understood impersonally as 'it is found that...', or with Cyrus as the subject in the sense of 'he finds/discovers for himself' (i.e., 'comes to the conclusion that...'). The latter active, mental process fits the context of his deliberation (φροντίζων).
- 1.125.3ἀρτέαται
Ionic third-person plural perfect middle/passive indicative of ἀρτάω ('to hang, fasten'), equivalent to Attic ἤρτηνται. Combined with the preposition ἐκ, it means 'to hang from,' and by extension, 'to depend upon' or 'to be dependent on' someone.
- 1.125.3Περσεῖδαι
A patronymic meaning 'descendants of Perseus.' Herodotus adopts the genealogical tradition (cf. 7.61) that the Persian royal house (Achaemenids) was descended from the Greek hero Perseus. This term is not a mere synonym for 'Persian' (Περσικός), but specifically refers to this mythical lineage.