- 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-grc2:2.152.1-2.152.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Psammetichus, exiled to the marshes, receives an oracle from Leto about bronze men and subsequently forms an alliance with Ionian and Carian mercenaries clad in bronze armor who landed in Egypt, successfully overthrowing the other eleven kings.
τὸν δὲ Ψαμμήτιχον τοῦτον πρότερον φεύγοντα τὸν Αἰθίοπα Σαβακῶν, ὅς οἱ τὸν πατέρα Νεκῶν ἀπέκτεινε, τοῦτον φεύγοντα τότε ἐς Συρίην, ὡς ἀπαλλάχθη ἐκ τῆς ὄψιος τοῦ ὀνείρου ὁ Αἰθίοψ, κατήγαγον1 Αἰγυπτίων οὗτοι οἳ ἐκ νομοῦ τοῦ Σαΐτεω εἰσί.
Now this Psammetichus had previously been in exile, fleeing from the Ethiopian Sabacos, who had killed his father Necos—fleeing at that time to Syria; but when the Ethiopian departed because of the vision of the dream, those of the Egyptians who were from the Saite nome brought him back.
μετὰ δὲ βασιλεύοντα τὸ δεύτερον πρὸς τῶν ἕνδεκα βασιλέων καταλαμβάνει μιν διὰ τὴν κυνέην φεύγειν2 ἐς τὰ ἕλεα.
Afterward, while he was ruling for the second time, it befell him, because of the helmet, to flee to the marshes at the hands of the eleven kings.
ἐπιστάμενος ὦν ὡς περιυβρισμένος εἴη πρὸς αὐτῶν, ἐπενόεε τίσασθαι τοὺς διώξαντας. πέμψαντι δέ οἱ ἐς Βουτοῦν πόλιν ἐς τὸ χρηστήριον τῆς Λητοῦς, ἔνθα δὴ Αἰγυπτίοισι ἐστὶ μαντήιον ἀψευδέστατον, ἦλθε χρησμὸς ὡς τίσις ἥξει ἀπὸ θαλάσσης χαλκέων ἀνδρῶν ἐπιφανέντων.
Knowing, therefore, that he had been deeply wronged by them, he purposed to avenge himself on those who had driven him out. When he sent to the city of Buto, to the oracle of Leto—which is the most unerring oracle for the Egyptians—an oracle came to him that vengeance would come from the sea when bronze men should appear.
καὶ τῷ μὲν δὴ ἀπιστίη μεγάλη ὑπεκέχυτο χαλκέους οἱ ἄνδρας ἥξειν ἐπικούρους.3 χρόνου δὲ οὐ πολλοῦ διελθόντος ἀναγκαίη κατέλαβε Ἴωνάς τε καὶ Κᾶρας ἄνδρας κατὰ ληίην ἐκπλώσαντας ἀπενειχθῆναι4 ἐς Αἴγυπτον, ἐκβάντας δὲ ἐς γῆν καὶ ὁπλισθέντας χαλκῷ ἀγγέλλει τῶν τις Αἰγυπτίων ἐς τὰ ἕλεα ἀπικόμενος τῷ Ψαμμητίχῳ, ὡς οὐκ ἰδὼν πρότερον χαλκῷ ἄνδρας ὁπλισθέντας, ὡς χάλκεοι ἄνδρες ἀπιγμένοι ἀπὸ θαλάσσης λεηλατεῦσι τὸ πεδίον.
And indeed, great disbelief was poured over him that bronze men would come as his allies. But after no long time had passed, necessity befell certain Ionian and Carian men, who had sailed out for plunder, to be carried off course to Egypt; and when they landed and were clad in bronze armor, one of the Egyptians came to the marshes and reported to Psammetichus—having never before seen men clad in bronze armor—that bronze men had arrived from the sea and were plundering the plain.
ὁ δὲ μαθὼν τὸ χρηστήριον ἐπιτελεύμενον φίλα τε τοῖσι Ἴωσι καὶ Καρσὶ ποιέεται καί σφεας μεγάλα ὑπισχνεύμενος πείθει μετʼ ἑωυτοῦ γενέσθαι. ὡς δὲ ἔπεισε, οὕτω ἅμα τοῖσι τὰ ἑωυτοῦ βουλομένοισι Αἰγυπτίοισι καὶ τοῖσι ἐπικούροισι καταιρέει τοὺς βασιλέας.
Understanding that the oracle was being fulfilled, he made friends with the Ionians and Carians, and, promising them great things, persuaded them to join his side. Once he had persuaded them, he then, together with those Egyptians who wished his cause and these allies, overthrew the kings.
- 2.152.1τὸν δὲ Ψαμμήτιχον τοῦτον πρότερον φεύγοντα ... κατήγαγον
The accusative τὸν δὲ Ψαμμήτιχον τοῦτον at the beginning of the sentence acts as the direct object of the main verb κατήγαγον, which appears after a long series of insertions (relative clause, temporal clause, and participle phrase). The repeated phrase τοῦτον φεύγοντα serves to resume this initial accusative.
- 2.152.2καταλαμβάνει μιν διὰ τὴν κυνέην φεύγειν
The verb καταλαμβάνει is used here with the meaning of "it befell (someone to do something)," taking the accusative μιν and the infinitive φεύγειν as its complements.
- 2.152.4ἀπιστίη μεγάλη ὑπεκέχυτο χαλκέους οἱ ἄνδρας ἥξειν ἐπικούρους
The accusative and infinitive clause χαλκέους ... ἥξειν functions as an appositive explaining the content of the noun ἀπιστίη (disbelief). The dative pronoun οἱ refers to Psammetichus ("to him").
- 2.152.4ἀναγκαίη κατέλαβε ... ἀπενειχθῆναι
The abstract noun ἀναγκαίη (necessity, constraint, such as a storm) acts as the subject of κατέλαβε, taking the accusative (Ἴωνάς τε καὶ Κᾶρας ἄνδρας) and the infinitive (ἀπενειχθῆναι) to express that physical force or necessity compelled them to be driven to Egypt.