- 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-grc2:1.51.1-1.51.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-29
The passage describes the gold and silver mixing-bowls and other treasures dedicated by Croesus to Delphi, detailing their features, relocation, and a false inscription.
ἐπιτελέσας δὲ ὁ Κροῖσος ταῦτα ἀπέπεμπε ἐς Δελφούς, καὶ τάδε ἄλλα ἅμα τοῖσι, κρητῆρας δύο μεγάθεϊ μεγάλους, χρύσεον καὶ ἀργύρεον, τῶν ὁ μὲν χρύσεος ἔκειτο ἐπὶ δεξιὰ ἐσιόντι1 ἐς τὸν νηόν, ὁ δὲ ἀργύρεος ἐπʼ ἀριστερά.
When Croesus had completed these things, he sent them to Delphi, and with them these other things besides: two mixing-bowls of great size, one of gold and one of silver. Of these, the golden one used to lie on the right hand as one enters the temple, and the silver one on the left.
μετεκινήθησαν δὲ καὶ οὗτοι ὑπὸ τὸν νηὸν κατακαέντα καὶ ὁ μὲν χρύσεος κεῖται ἐν τῷ Κλαζομενίων θησαυρῷ, ἕλκων σταθμὸν εἴνατον ἡμιτάλαντον2 καὶ ἔτι δυώδεκα μνέας, ὁ δὲ ἀργύρεος ἐπὶ τοῦ προνηίου τῆς γωνίης, χωρέων ἀμφορέας ἑξακοσίους· ἐπικίρναται γὰρ ὑπὸ Δελφῶν Θεοφανίοισι.
These also were moved when the temple was burnt down, and the golden one now lies in the treasury of the Clazomenians, weighing eight talents and a half and twelve minae besides; while the silver one lies in the corner of the vestibule, holding six hundred amphorae, for it is used by the Delphians for mixing wine at the festival of Theophania.
φασὶ δὲ μιν Δελφοὶ Θεοδώρου τοῦ Σαμίου ἔργον εἶναι, καὶ ἐγὼ δοκέω· οὐ γὰρ τὸ συντυχὸν φαίνεταί μοι ἔργον εἶναι. καὶ πίθους τε ἀργυρέους τέσσερας ἀπέπεμψε, οἳ ἐν τῷ Κορινθίων θησαυρῷ ἑστᾶσι, καὶ περιρραντήρια δύο ἀνέθηκε, χρύσεόν τε καὶ ἀργύρεον, τῶν τῷ χρυσέῳ ἐπιγέγραπται Λακεδαιμονίων φαμένων εἶναι ἀνάθημα, οὐκ ὀρθῶς λέγοντες·3
The Delphians say that it is the work of Theodoros of Samos, and I believe so too, for it does not appear to me to be any ordinary work. He also sent four silver jars, which stand in the treasury of the Corinthians, and dedicated two lustral basins, one of gold and one of silver. On the golden one is inscribed that it is an offering of the Lacedaemonians, who claim it as theirs, though they say this incorrectly.
ἔστι γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο Κροίσου, ἐπέγραψε δὲ τῶν τις Δελφῶν Λακεδαιμονίοισι βουλόμενος χαρίζεσθαι, τοῦ4 ἐπιστάμενος τὸ οὔνομα οὐκ ἐπιμνήσομαι. ἀλλʼ ὁ μὲν παῖς, διʼ οὗ τῆς χειρὸς ῥέει τὸ ὕδωρ, Λακεδαιμονίων ἐστί, οὐ μέντοι τῶν γε περιρραντηρίων οὐδέτερον.
For this also is the gift of Croesus, and one of the Delphians inscribed it, wishing to please the Lacedaemonians; whose name I know but will not mention. However, the boy through whose hand the water flows is indeed the work of the Lacedaemonians, but neither of the lustral basins is theirs.
ἄλλα τε ἀναθήματα οὐκ ἐπίσημα πολλὰ ἀπέπεμψε ἅμα τούτοισι ὁ Κροῖσος, καὶ χεύματα ἀργύρεα κυκλοτερέα, καὶ δὴ καὶ γυναικὸς εἴδωλον χρύσεον τρίπηχυ, τὸ Δελφοὶ τῆς ἀρτοκόπου τῆς Κροίσου εἰκόνα λέγουσι εἶναι. πρὸς δὲ καὶ τῆς ἑωυτοῦ γυναικὸς τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς δειρῆς ἀνέθηκε ὁ Κροῖσος καὶ τὰς ζώνας.
Croesus sent many other offerings without inscriptions along with these, including some round silver platters, and in particular a golden image of a woman three cubits high, which the Delphians say is a likeness of Croesus’ baker-woman. Moreover, Croesus dedicated his own wife’s necklaces and girdles.
- 1.51.1ἐσιόντι
Dative of the participle ἐσιών (entering). It functions as a dative of reference or standpoint, meaning 'on the right hand as one enters.'
- 1.51.2εἴνατον ἡμιτάλαντον
An idiomatic Greek fractional expression meaning 'the ninth a half,' which denotes 'eight talents and a half' (i.e., eight whole talents and half of the ninth).
- 1.51.3λέγοντες
Nominative plural participle. Although the logical subject is the Lacedaemonians referred to by the genitive Λακεδαιμονίων (with φαμένων), the writer uses the nominative λέγοντες, creating an anacoluthon (grammatical inconsistency).
- 1.51.4τοῦ
Genitive of the relative pronoun (Ionic form for Attic οὗ). Its antecedent is τις (someone) in the preceding clause. It acts as a possessive genitive with τὸ οὔνομα (the name of whom), depending on the participle ἐπιστάμενος (knowing).