- 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-grc2:2.104.1-2.104.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
The author argues that the Colchians are of Egyptian origin, citing shared memories, physical traits, and especially the ancient custom of circumcision. He also analyzes the spread of circumcision among various peoples and notes how cultural interaction with Egypt or Greece affects its practice.
φαίνονται μὲν γὰρ ἐόντες1 οἱ Κόλχοι Αἰγύπτιοι, νοήσας δὲ πρότερον αὐτὸς ἢ ἀκούσας ἄλλων λέγω.2 ὡς δέ μοι ἐν φροντίδι ἐγένετο, εἰρόμην ἀμφοτέρους, καὶ μᾶλλον οἱ Κόλχοι ἐμεμνέατο τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἢ οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι τῶν Κόλχων·
For the Colchians are clearly Egyptians, and I say this having noticed it myself before hearing it from others. When it became a matter of concern to me, I asked both peoples, and the Colchians remembered the Egyptians much better than the Egyptians remembered the Colchians.
νομίζειν δʼ ἔφασαν οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι τῆς Σεσώστριος στρατιῆς εἶναι3 τοὺς Κόλχους. αὐτὸς δὲ εἴκασα τῇδε, καὶ ὅτι μελάγχροες εἰσὶ καὶ οὐλότριχες. καὶ τοῦτο μὲν ἐς οὐδὲν ἀνήκει· εἰσὶ γὰρ καὶ ἕτεροι τοιοῦτοι· ἀλλὰ τοῖσιδε καὶ μᾶλλον, ὅτι μοῦνοι πάντων ἀνθρώπων Κόλχοι καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι καὶ Αἰθίοπες περιτάμνονται ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς τὰ αἰδοῖα.
The Egyptians said they believed the Colchians were part of Sesostris’s army. I myself guessed it from this, and because they are dark-skinned and woolly-haired. Yet this indeed amounts to nothing, for there are others also who are such; but rather from this, that the Colchians, Egyptians, and Ethiopians are the only ones of all mankind who have practiced circumcision from the beginning.
Φοίνικες δὲ καὶ Σύροι οἱ ἐν τῇ Παλαιστίνῃ καὶ αὐτοὶ ὁμολογέουσι παρʼ Αἰγυπτίων μεμαθηκέναι, Σύριοι δὲ οἱ περὶ Θερμώδοντα καὶ Παρθένιον ποταμὸν καὶ Μάκρωνες οἱ τούτοισι ἀστυγείτονες ἐόντες ἀπὸ Κόλχων φασὶ νεωστὶ μεμαθηκέναι. οὗτοι γὰρ εἰσὶ οἱ περιταμνόμενοι ἀνθρώπων μοῦνοι, καὶ οὗτοι Αἰγυπτίοισι φαίνονται ποιεῦντες κατὰ ταὐτά.
The Phoenicians and the Syrians in Palestine themselves admit that they learned it from the Egyptians, while the Syrians around the rivers Thermodon and Parthenius, and the Macrones who are their neighbors, say they learned it recently from the Colchians. For these are the only men who practice circumcision, and these appear to act in just the same way as the Egyptians.
αὐτῶν δὲ Αἰγυπτίων καὶ Αἰθιόπων οὐκ ἔχω εἰπεῖν ὁκότεροι παρὰ τῶν ἑτέρων ἐξέμαθον· ἀρχαῖον γὰρ δή τι φαίνεται ἐόν. ὡς δὲ ἐπιμισγόμενοι Αἰγύπτῳ ἐξέμαθον,4 μέγα μοι καὶ τόδε τεκμήριον γίνεται· Φοινίκων ὁκόσοι τῇ Ἑλλάδι ἐπιμίσγονται, οὐκέτι Αἰγυπτίους μιμέονται κατὰ τὰ αἰδοῖα. ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐπιγινομένων οὐ περιτάμνουσι τὰ αἰδοῖα.
But of the Egyptians and Ethiopians themselves, I cannot say which learned it from the other; for indeed it appears to be an ancient thing. And that others learned it by having intercourse with Egypt, this also becomes a great proof to me: those of the Phoenicians who associate with Greece no longer imitate the Egyptians in the matter of their private parts, and do not circumcise their offspring.
- 2.104.1φαίνονται μὲν γὰρ ἐόντες
The verb φαίνομαι combined with the participle ἐόντες forms a construction expressing the author's certainty ("they are clearly..."). If it were used with the infinitive εἶναι, it would mean "they seem to be (but may not actually be)," which requires distinction.
- 2.104.1νοήσας δὲ πρότερον αὐτὸς ἢ ἀκούσας ἄλλων λέγω
The two aorist participles νοήσας ("having noticed") and ἀκούσας ("having heard") describe actions prior in time to the main verb λέγω (present tense). The comparative adverbial phrase πρότερον ... ἢ ("earlier than / before") connects the two participle phrases, resulting in the structure "I say this, having myself noticed it before hearing it from others."
- 2.104.2τῆς Σεσώστριος στρατιῆς εἶναι
The genitive τῆς Σεσώστριος στρατιῆς ("of Sesostris's army") functions as a partitive genitive with the verb εἶναι, meaning "to belong to" or "to be a part of."
- 2.104.4ὡς δὲ ἐπιμισγόμενοι Αἰγύπτῳ ἐξέμαθον
The subordinate clause introduced by the conjunction ὡς functions as an appositional noun clause explaining the content of τόδε ("this") and τεκμήριον ("proof") in the main clause ("that they learned it..."). The participle ἐπιμισγόμενοι expresses the means or manner ("by having intercourse/associating with") relative to the main verb ἐξέμαθον.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1