- 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-grc2:2.77.1-2.77.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-05
The author praises the high historical knowledge of the Egyptians in the cultivated lands, detailing their routine of bodily purging for health and their climate-induced vigor, followed by an account of their diet including spelt bread, barley beer, and preserved fish and fowl.
αὐτῶν δὲ δὴ Αἰγυπτίων οἳ μὲν περὶ τὴν σπειρομένην Αἴγυπτον οἰκέουσι, μνήμην ἀνθρώπων πάντων ἐπασκέοντες μάλιστα λογιώτατοι εἰσὶ μακρῷ τῶν ἐγὼ ἐς διάπειραν ἀπικόμην,1 τρόπῳ δὲ ζόης τοιῷδε διαχρέωνται· συρμαΐζουσι τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐπεξῆς μηνὸς ἑκάστου, ἐμέτοισι θηρώμενοι τὴν ὑγιείην καὶ κλύσμασι, νομίζοντες ἀπὸ τῶν τρεφόντων σιτίων πάσας τὰς νούσους τοῖσι ἀνθρώποισι γίνεσθαι.
Of the Egyptians themselves, those who dwell in the cultivated part of Egypt, practicing memory more than all other men, are by far the most learned in history of all those whom I have put to the test. They use the following manner of life: they purge themselves for three consecutive days in each month, pursuing health by means of emetics and clysters, believing that all diseases arise in men from the food that nourishes them.
εἰσὶ μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἄλλως Αἰγύπτιοι μετὰ Λίβυας ὑγιηρέστατοι πάντων ἀνθρώπων τῶν ὡρέων δοκέειν ἐμοὶ εἵνεκα,2 ὅτι οὐ μεταλλάσσουσι αἱ ὧραι· ἐν γὰρ τῇσι μεταβολῇσι τοῖσι ἀνθρώποισι αἱ νοῦσοι μάλιστα γίνονται τῶν τε ἄλλων πάντων καὶ δὴ καὶ τῶν ὡρέων μάλιστα.
For indeed, even apart from this, the Egyptians are, after the Libyans, the healthiest of all men, which in my opinion is due to the seasons, because the seasons do not change; for it is in changes that diseases especially arise in men, as well in all other changes but particularly in those of the seasons.
ἀρτοφαγέουσι δὲ ἐκ τῶν ὀλυρέων ποιεῦντες ἄρτους, τοὺς ἐκεῖνοι κυλλήστις ὀνομάζουσι. οἴνῳ δὲ ἐκ κριθέων πεποιημένῳ διαχρέωνται· οὐ γάρ σφι εἰσὶ ἐν τῇ χώρῃ ἄμπελοι. ἰχθύων δὲ τοὺς μὲν πρὸς ἥλιον αὐήναντες ὠμοὺς σιτέονται, τοὺς δὲ ἐξ ἅλμης τεταριχευμένους.
They feed on bread made from spelt, which they call “kyllestis”. And they use a wine made from barley, for they have no vines in their country. Of fish, some they eat raw, having dried them in the sun, and others preserved in brine.
ὀρνίθων δὲ τούς τε ὄρτυγας καὶ τὰς νήσσας καὶ τὰ μικρὰ τῶν ὀρνίθων ὠμὰ σιτέονται προταριχεύσαντες. τὰ δὲ ἄλλα ὅσα ἢ ὀρνίθων ἢ ἰχθύων σφι ἐστὶ ἐχόμενα, χωρὶς ἢ ὁκόσοι σφι ἱροὶ ἀποδεδέχαται,3 τοὺς λοιποὺς ὀπτοὺς καὶ ἑφθοὺς σιτέονται.
Of birds, they eat quails and ducks and small birds raw, having first pickled them. But all other kinds of birds or fish that they have, except such as have been set apart for them as sacred, they eat either roasted or boiled.
- 2.77.1τῶν ἐγὼ ἐς διάπειραν ἀπικόμην
The relative pronoun τῶν serves as a genitive of comparison/partition depending on the superlative λογιώτατοι, with its antecedent omitted. The relative clause is completed by ἐγὼ ἐς διάπειραν ἀπικόμην (literally, 'whom I came to test/experience').
- 2.77.3τῶν ὡρέων δοκέειν ἐμοὶ εἵνεκα
The postpositive preposition εἵνεκα governs the genitive τῶν ὡρέων ('due to the seasons'). The inserted phrase δοκέειν ἐμοὶ is an absolute infinitive used parenthetically to express 'in my opinion' or 'as it seems to me'.
- 2.77.5χωρὶς ἢ ὁκόσοι σφι ἱροὶ ἀποδεδέχαται
The adverb χωρίς is used in conjunction with ἤ to function as a prepositional phrase meaning 'except for'. The verb ἀποδεδέχαται is the Ionic third-person plural perfect passive, corresponding to the Attic ἀποδέδεικνται ('have been designated' or 'set apart').