- 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-grc2:1.14.1-1.14.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
The passage describes the numerous silver and gold offerings, including six golden mixing-bowls, dedicated by Gyges to Delphi, and notes that they are kept alongside the throne dedicated by King Midas of Phrygia.
τὴν μὲν δὴ τυραννίδα οὕτω ἔσχον οἱ Μερμνάδαι τοὺς Ἡρακλείδας ἀπελόμενοι,1 Γύγης δὲ τυραννεύσας ἀπέπεμψε ἀναθήματα ἐς Δελφοὺς οὐκ ὀλίγα, ἀλλʼ ὅσα μὲν ἀργύρου ἀναθήματα, ἔστι οἱ πλεῖστα2 ἐν Δελφοῖσι, πάρεξ δὲ τοῦ ἀργύρου χρυσὸν ἄπλετον ἀνέθηκε ἄλλον τε καὶ τοῦ μάλιστα μνήμην ἄξιον ἔχειν ἐστί,3 κρητῆρες οἱ ἀριθμὸν ἓξ χρύσεοι ἀνακέαται.
In this way the Mermnadae obtained the tyranny, having deprived the Heraclidae of it. When Gyges became king, he sent not a few offerings to Delphi; indeed, of all the silver offerings at Delphi, the greatest part belong to him. Besides the silver, he dedicated an immense amount of gold, among which, worthy of special mention, are six golden mixing-bowls, which stand there and belong to him.
ἑστᾶσι δὲ οὗτοι ἐν τῷ Κορινθίων θησαυρῷ, σταθμὸν ἔχοντες τριήκοντα τάλαντα· ἀληθέι δὲ λόγῳ χρεωμένῳ4 οὐ Κορινθίων τοῦ δημοσίου ἐστὶ ὁ θησαυρός, ἀλλὰ Κυψέλου τοῦ Ἠετίωνος. οὗτος δὲ ὁ Γύγης πρῶτος βαρβάρων τῶν ἡμεῖς ἴδμεν ἐς Δελφοὺς ἀνέθηκε ἀναθήματα μετὰ Μίδην τὸν Γορδίεω Φρυγίης βασιλέα.
These stand in the treasury of the Corinthians, weighing thirty talents. But to tell the truth, this treasury does not belong to the state of Corinth, but to Cypselus the son of Eetion. This Gyges was the first of the barbarians we know of to send offerings to Delphi, after Midas the son of Gordias, king of Phrygia.
ἀνέθηκε γὰρ δὴ καὶ Μίδης τὸν βασιλήιον θρόνον ἐς τὸν προκατίζων ἐδίκαζε, ἐόντα ἀξιοθέητον· κεῖται δὲ ὁ θρόνος οὗτος ἔνθα περ οἱ τοῦ Γύγεω κρητῆρες. ὁ δὲ χρυσός οὗτος καὶ ὁ ἄργυρος τὸν ὁ Γύγης ἀνέθηκε, ὑπὸ Δελφῶν καλέεται Γυγάδας ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀναθέντος ἐπωνυμίην.
For Midas also dedicated the royal throne on which he used to sit and deliver judgment, which is well worth seeing; and this throne is placed in the very same spot as the mixing-bowls of Gyges. This gold and silver which Gyges dedicated is called by the Delphians “Gygadas,” named after the dedicative donor.
- 1.14.1τοὺς Ἡρακλείδας ἀπελόμενοι
The verb ἀφαιρέομαι takes a double accusative construction: 'to deprive someone (accusative) of something (accusative).' Here, the 'thing deprived' (τὴν τυραννίδα) is omitted as it is understood from the context, leaving only the 'person deprived' (τοὺς Ἡρακλείδας) expressed.
- 1.14.1ἔστι οἱ πλεῖστα
The pronoun οἱ (third-person singular dative) is a dative of possession. Combined with ἔστι (third-person singular of εἰμί expressing existence/possession), it literally means 'there exist for him the most,' signifying 'he has the greatest number of them.'
- 1.14.1τοῦ μάλιστα μνήμην ἄξιον ἔχειν ἐστί
The genitive demonstrative pronoun τοῦ (acting as a relative pronoun) is governed by the adjective ἄξιον ('worthy of'). The active infinitive ἔχειν is used with a passive force in the phrase μνήμην ἔχειν ('to have mention/remembrance,' i.e., 'to be mentioned'), modifying ἄξιον.
- 1.14.2ἀληθέι δὲ λόγῳ χρεωμένῳ
The dative present participle χρεωμένῳ (from χράομαι) functions as an impersonal absolute construction (equivalent to 'if one uses...'), forming an idiomatic adverbial phrase meaning 'to tell the truth' or 'in truth.'