- 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-grc2:2.135.1-2.135.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
It narrates how the courtesan Rhodopis was ransomed by Charaxus, brother of Sappho, acquired wealth in Naucratis, and dedicated iron spits at Delphi.
Ῥοδῶπις δὲ ἐς Αἴγυπτον ἀπίκετο Ξάνθεω τοῦ Σαμίου κομίσαντος, ἀπικομένη δὲ κατʼ ἐργασίην ἐλύθη χρημάτων μεγάλων ὑπὸ ἀνδρὸς Μυτιληναίου Χαράξου τοῦ Σκαμανδρωνύμου παιδός, ἀδελφεοῦ δὲ Σαπφοῦς τῆς μουσοποιοῦ.
Rhodopis arrived in Egypt, brought there by Xanthes of Samos; having come to ply her trade, she was ransomed for a great sum of money by a man of Mytilene, Charaxus, son of Scamandronymus and brother of Sappho the lyric poet.
οὕτω δὴ ἡ Ῥοδῶπις ἐλευθερώθη, καὶ κατέμεινέ τε ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ κάρτα ἐπαφρόδιτος γενομένη μεγάλα ἐκτήσατο χρήματα ὡς ἂν εἶναι Ῥοδώπι,1 ἀτὰρ οὐκ ὥς γε ἐς πυραμίδα τοιαύτην ἐξικέσθαι.
Thus Rhodopis was set free, and she remained in Egypt, and being very attractive, she acquired great wealth for a woman like Rhodopis, but not so much as to reach the cost of such a pyramid.
τῆς γὰρ τὴν δεκάτην2 τῶν χρημάτων ἰδέσθαι ἐστὶ3 ἔτι καὶ ἐς τόδε παντὶ τῷ βουλομένῳ, οὐδὲν δεῖ μεγάλα οἱ χρήματα ἀναθεῖναι. ἐπεθύμησε γὰρ Ῥοδῶπις μνημήιον ἑωυτῆς ἐν τῇ Ἑλλάδι καταλιπέσθαι, ποίημα ποιησαμένη τοῦτο τὸ μὴ τυγχάνοι ἄλλῳ ἐξευρημένον καὶ ἀνακείμενον ἐν ἱρῷ, τοῦτο ἀναθεῖναι ἐς Δελφοὺς μνημόσυνον ἑωυτῆς.
For anyone who wishes can still to this day see the tenth part of her wealth, and there is no need to attribute great wealth to her. For Rhodopis desired to leave a memorial of herself in Greece, and having had something made which had not been devised by anyone else and dedicated in a temple, she dedicated this at Delphi as a memorial of herself.
τῆς ὦν δεκάτης τῶν χρημάτων ποιησαμένη ὀβελοὺς βουπόρους πολλοὺς σιδηρέους, ὅσον ἐνεχώρεε ἡ δεκάτη οἱ,4 ἀπέπεμπε ἐς Δελφούς· οἳ καὶ νῦν ἔτι συννενέαται ὄπισθε μὲν τοῦ βωμοῦ τὸν Χῖοι ἀνέθεσαν, ἀντίον δὲ αὐτοῦ τοῦ νηοῦ.
So, making from the tenth of her wealth many iron spits for roasting oxen, as many as the tenth part allowed her, she sent them to Delphi; and even now they still lie heaped up behind the altar which the Chians dedicated, opposite the temple itself.
φιλέουσι δέ κως ἐν τῇ Ναυκράτι ἐπαφρόδιτοι γίνεσθαι αἱ ἑταῖραι. τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ αὕτη, τῆς πέρι λέγεται ὅδε ὁ λόγος, οὕτω δή τι κλεινὴ ἐγένετο ὡς καὶ οἱ πάντες Ἕλληνες Ῥοδώπιος τὸ οὔνομα ἐξέμαθον· τοῦτο δὲ ὕστερον ταύτης, τῇ οὔνομα ἦν Ἀρχιδίκη, ἀοίδιμος ἀνὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἐγένετο, ἧσσον δὲ τῆς ἑτέρης περιλεσχήνευτος.
The courtesans in Naucratis have a way of being very attractive. For on the one hand, this woman, about whom this story is told, became so famous that all Greeks learned the name of Rhodopis; and on the other hand, after her, another named Archidice became famous in song throughout Greece, though she was less talked about than the other.
Χάραξος δὲ ὡς λυσάμενος Ῥοδῶπιν ἀπενόστησε ἐς Μυτιλήνην, ἐν μέλεϊ Σαπφὼ πολλὰ κατεκερτόμησέ μιν.
When Charaxus, having ransomed Rhodopis, returned to Mytilene, Sappho mocked him bitterly in a poem.
- 2.135.2ὡς ἂν εἶναι Ῥοδώπι
An idiomatic expression where ὡς denoting limitation or comparison is combined with ἄν and the infinitive εἶναι, meaning "so far as was possible for a woman like Rhodopis". The dative Ῥοδώπι is a dative of reference or judgment.
- 2.135.3τῆς γὰρ τὴν δεκάτην
The demonstrative pronoun τῆς (feminine singular genitive) refers to Rhodopis herself (or an implied feminine noun such as οὐσίη, wealth), qualifying τὴν δεκάτην (the tenth part).
- 2.135.3ἰδέσθαι ἐστὶ
A construction where ἔστι used impersonally (meaning "it is possible") is combined with the middle infinitive ἰδέσθαι (to see), together meaning "it is possible to see".
- 2.135.4ὅσον ἐνεχώρεε ἡ δεκάτη οἱ
A clause introduced by the relative pronoun ὅσον. The dative of the personal pronoun οἱ is a dative of advantage (or possession) referring to her (Rhodopis), meaning "as far as the tenth part allowed her."
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1