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§2.121.1

Accession of Rhampsinitus and the Statues of Summer and Winter

Rhampsinitus, succeeding Proteus, built the west portico of the temple of Hephaestus and set up two giant statues representing "Summer" and "Winter", which received opposite treatments from the Egyptians.

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§2.121.1

Πρωτέος1 δὲ ἐκδέξασθαι τὴν βασιληίην Ῥαμψίνιτον ἔλεγον, ὃς μνημόσυνα2 ἐλίπετο τὰ προπύλαια τὰ πρὸς ἑσπέρην τετραμμένα τοῦ Ἡφαιστείου, ἀντίους δὲ τῶν3 προπυλαίων ἔστησε ἀνδριάντας δύο, ἐόντας τὸ μέγαθος πέντε καὶ εἴκοσι πηχέων, τῶν Αἰγύπτιοι τὸν μὲν4 πρὸς βορέω ἑστεῶτα καλέουσι θέρος, τὸν δὲ πρὸς νότον χειμῶνα· καὶ τὸν μὲν καλέουσι θέρος, τοῦτον μὲν προσκυνέουσί τε καὶ εὖ ποιέουσι, τὸν δὲ χειμῶνα καλεόμενον τὰ ἔμπαλιν τούτων ἔρδουσι

​The priests said that Rhampsinitus succeeded to the kingship after Proteus; he left as his memorials the portico of the temple of Hephaestus which faces toward the west, and opposite this portico he set up two statues, twenty-five cubits in size. Of these, the Egyptians call the one standing toward the north “Summer”, and the one toward the south “Winter”. And the one which they call “Summer” they worship and treat well, but to the one called “Winter” they do the exact opposite of these things.

Syntax notes4 items
  1. 2.121.1Πρωτέος

    Genitive singular of the proper name Πρωτεύς (Proteus). It is used with the verb ἐκδέκομαι (to succeed to) to indicate the predecessor from whom the kingship was inherited.

  2. 2.121.1μνημόσυνα

    Neuter plural accusative noun, functioning as an appositive (or predicative accusative) to τὰ προπύλαια (the portico), which is the direct object of the verb ἐλίπετο (left behind), expressing the purpose or result: 'as memorials'.

  3. 2.121.1τῶν

    Genitive plural of the relative pronoun, referring back to the preceding ἀνδριάντας δύο (two statues) and functioning as a partitive genitive: 'of which'.

  4. 2.121.1καὶ τὸν μὲν καλέουσι θέρος, τοῦτον μὲν

    After stating in the previous clause that they call the northern one 'Summer', the text repeats the idea with 'the one which they call Summer' (τὸν μὲν καλέουσι θέρος) and immediately reinforces it with the demonstrative 'this one' (τοῦτον μὲν). This pleonastic construction, featuring a double μὲν, is characteristic of Ionic prose, serving to emphasize the contrast and clearly resume the object before the subsequent verbs.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
  • 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1
urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.121.1