← Herodotus

Histories

§1.25.1-1.25.2

Death of Alyattes and His Dedication at Delphi

This chunk records the death of King Alyattes after a reign of fifty-seven years, and details his dedication at Delphi of a silver mixing-bowl with a welded iron stand crafted by Glaucus of Chios.

View ▾
View
Translation
Typeface
AI ↗
← PrevNext →
§1.25.1

Ἀλυάττης δὲ ὁ Λυδὸς τὸν πρὸς Μιλησίους πόλεμον διενείκας1 μετέπειτα τελευτᾷ, βασιλεύσας ἔτεα ἑπτὰ καὶ πεντήκοντα.

​Alyattes the Lydian, having brought the war against the Milesians to an end, afterwards died, having reigned fifty-seven years.

§1.25.2

ἀνέθηκε δὲ ἐκφυγὼν τὴν νοῦσον δεύτερος οὗτος τῆς οἰκίης ταύτης2 ἐς Δελφοὺς κρητῆρά τε ἀργύρεον μέγαν καὶ ὑποκρητηρίδιον σιδήρεον κολλητόν, θέης ἄξιον διὰ πάντων3 τῶν ἐν Δελφοῖσι ἀναθημάτων, Γλαύκου τοῦ Χίου ποίημα, ὃς μοῦνος δὴ πάντων ἀνθρώπων σιδήρου κόλλησιν ἐξεῦρε.

​Upon recovering from his sickness, he was the second of this house to dedicate at Delphi a great silver mixing-bowl and a welded iron stand for it, well worth seeing among all the offerings at Delphi, the work of Glaucus of Chios, who alone of all men invented the welding of iron.

Syntax notes3 items
  1. 1.25.1διενείκας

    Aorist active participle (masculine singular nominative) of διαφέρω, meaning here 'to carry through' or 'bring to an end' the war.

  2. 1.25.2δεύτερος οὗτος τῆς οἰκίης ταύτης

    Meaning 'this man as the second of this house'. The genitive τῆς οἰκίης ταύτης functions as a partitive genitive or genitive of comparison. The first dedicator of this dynasty was Gyges (1.14).

  3. 1.25.2θέης ἄξιον διὰ πάντων

    The preposition διά with the genitive here expresses eminence or selection among a group ('throughout all' or 'distinguished among all'), creating a superlative force: 'preeminent and well worth seeing among all the offerings'.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.25.1-1.25.2