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§1.134.1-1.134.3

Persian Greeting Customs and Hierarchy of Neighboring Nations

Describes the Persian customs of greeting on the street according to rank and their spatial-geographical hierarchy of honoring neighboring nations in proportion to their distance.

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§1.134.1

ἐντυγχάνοντες δʼ ἀλλήλοισι ἐν τῇσι ὁδοῖσι, τῷδε ἄν τις διαγνοίη1 εἰ ὅμοιοί εἰσὶ οἱ συντυγχάνοντες· ἀντὶ γὰρ τοῦ προσαγορεύειν ἀλλήλους φιλέουσι τοῖσι στόμασι· ἢν δὲ ᾖ οὕτερος ὑποδεέστερος ὀλίγῳ, τὰς παρειὰς φιλέονται· ἢν δὲ πολλῷ ᾖ οὕτερος ἀγεννέστερος, προσπίπτων προσκυνέει τὸν ἕτερον.

​When they meet one another in the streets, one may distinguish by the following sign whether those who meet are of equal rank; for instead of speaking to one another, they kiss on the lips; but if one of them is a little inferior, they kiss on the cheeks; and if one is of much lower rank, he falls down and does obeisance to the other.

§1.134.2

τιμῶσι δὲ ἐκ πάντων τοὺς ἄγχιστα ἑωυτῶν οἰκέοντας μετά γε ἑωυτούς, δευτέρα δὲ τοὺς δευτέρους· μετὰ δὲ κατὰ λόγον προβαίνοντες τιμῶσι· ἥκιστα δὲ τοὺς ἑωυτῶν ἑκαστάτω οἰκημένους ἐν τιμῇ ἄγονται, νομίζοντες ἑωυτοὺς εἶναι ἀνθρώπων μακρῷ τὰ πάντα ἀρίστους, τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους κατὰ λόγον τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀντέχεσθαι,2 τοὺς δὲ ἑκαστάτω οἰκέοντας ἀπὸ ἑωυτῶν κακίστους εἶναι.

​They honor most of all, after themselves, those who live nearest to them, and in the second place those who are next nearest; and after that they go on honoring them in order of proportion; and they hold in least honor those who dwell farthest from them, thinking that they themselves are by far the best of all mankind in every respect, and that others possess virtue in proportion to their distance, while those who dwell farthest from them are the worst.

§1.134.3

ἐπὶ δὲ Μήδων ἀρχόντων καὶ ἦρχε τὰ ἔθνεα ἀλλήλων, συναπάντων μὲν Μῆδοι καὶ τῶν3 ἄγχιστα οἰκεόντων σφίσι, οὗτοι δὲ καὶ τῶν ὁμούρων, οἳ δὲ μάλα τῶν ἐχομένων, κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν δὴ λόγον καὶ οἱ Πέρσαι τιμῶσι· προέβαινε γὰρ δὴ τὸ ἔθνος ἄρχον τε καὶ ἐπιτροπεῦον.

​In the time of the rule of the Medes, the nations also ruled over one another: the Medes ruled over all and especially over those who lived nearest to them, and these ruled over their neighbors, and they again over those next to them, according to the very same proportion by which the Persians also show honor; for the ruling and administering nation advanced in this manner.

Syntax notes3 items
  1. 1.134.1τῷδε ἄν τις διαγνοίη

    The dative of the neuter demonstrative pronoun τῷδε indicates the means or standard of judgment, anticipating the indirect question clause introduced by εἰ ὅμοιοί εἰσὶ... The combination of ἄν with the optative διαγνοίη expresses potentiality ('one might distinguish').

  2. 1.134.2τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους κατὰ λόγον τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀντέχεσθαι

    Part of the accusative-with-infinitive construction governed by the participle νομίζοντες. The accusative τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους serves as the subject of the middle infinitive ἀντέχεσθαι ('to cling to, have a share in'). Positioned between the extremes of ἀρίστους (best) and κακίστους (worst), it describes how intermediate nations possess 'virtue' or excellence partially, in proportion to their geographical proximity.

  3. 1.134.3ἐπὶ δὲ Μήδων ἀρχὸν τῶν

    A highly problematic reading in the manuscript tradition. Most standard editions emend this to the genitive absolute ἐπὶ δὲ Μήδων ἀρχόντων ('when the Medes were ruling'). Even with the reading ἀρχὸν τῶν, it should be interpreted as expressing a temporal background ('in the time of the rule of the Medes') with the preposition ἐπί (governing the genitive) combined with the corrupted elements of a word denoting rule.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-22)
  • 2026-09-22 AI review — source 1
urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.134.1-1.134.3