- 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-grc2:2.92.1-2.92.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-06
Describing the unique resourcefulness and dietary habits of the Egyptians living in the marshes, including specific methods of preparing and utilizing lotus, papyrus, and fish to secure cheap food.
ταῦτα μὲν πάντα οἱ κατύπερθε τῶν ἑλέων οἰκέοντες Αἰγύπτιοι νομίζουσι· οἱ δὲ δὴ ἐν τοῖσι ἕλεσι κατοικημένοι τοῖσι μὲν αὐτοῖσι νόμοισι χρέωνται τοῖσι καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι Αἰγύπτιοι, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα καὶ1 γυναικὶ μιῇ ἕκαστος αὐτῶν συνοικέει κατά περ Ἕλληνες, ἀτὰρ πρὸς εὐτελείην τῶν σιτίων τάδε σφι ἄλλα ἐξεύρηται.
All these things are the customs of the Egyptians who live above the marshes; but those who are settled in the marshes use the same customs as the other Egyptians, both in other respects and in that each of them lives with one wife just like the Greeks, yet for the cheapness of their food they have invented these other things besides.
ἐπεὰν πλήρης γένηται ὁ ποταμὸς καὶ τὰ πεδία πελαγίσῃ, φύεται ἐν τῷ ὕδατι κρίνεα πολλά, τὰ Αἰγύπτιοι καλέουσι λωτόν· ταῦτʼ ἐπεὰν δρέψωσι αὐαίνουσι πρὸς ἥλιον καὶ ἔπειτα τὸ ἐκ μέσου τοῦ λωτοῦ, τῇ μήκωνι ἐὸν ἐμφερές, πτίσαντες ποιεῦνται ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἄρτους ὀπτοὺς πυρί.
When the river is in flood and has made the plains like a sea, there grow in the water many lilies, which the Egyptians call lotus. These they gather and dry in the sun, and then they crush what is in the middle of the lotus, which is like a poppy head, and make of it loaves baked with fire.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἡ ῥίζα τοῦ λωτοῦ τούτου ἐδωδίμη καὶ ἐγγλύσσει ἐπιεικέως, ἐὸν στρογγύλον,2 μέγαθος κατὰ μῆλον.
The root also of this lotus is edible and is moderately sweet, being round and of the size of an apple.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλα κρίνεα ῥόδοισι ἐμφερέα, ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ γινόμενα καὶ ταῦτα, ἐξ ὧν ὁ καρπὸς ἐν ἄλλῃ κάλυκι παραφυομένῃ ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης γίνεται, κηρίῳ σφηκῶν ἰδέην ὁμοιότατον· ἐν τούτῳ τρωκτὰ ὅσον τε πυρὴν ἐλαίης ἐγγίνεται συχνά, τρώγεται δὲ καὶ ἁπαλὰ ταῦτα καὶ αὖα.
There are also other lilies, like roses, which also grow in the river, from which the fruit is produced in another calyx that grows out from the side of the root, most like in appearance to a wasps’ comb. In this there grow many edible seeds of about the size of an olive stone, and these are eaten both fresh and dried.
τὴν δὲ βύβλον τὴν ἐπέτειον γινομένην ἐπεὰν ἀνασπάσωσι ἐκ τῶν ἑλέων, τὰ μὲν ἄνω αὐτῆς ἀποτάμνοντες ἐς ἄλλο τι τρέπουσι, τὸ δὲ κάτω λελειμμένον ὅσον τε ἐπὶ πῆχυν τρώγουσι καὶ πωλέουσι· οἳ δὲ ἂν3 καὶ κάρτα βούλωνται χρηστῇ τῇ βύβλῳ χρᾶσθαι, ἐν κλιβάνῳ διαφανέι πνίξαντες οὕτω τρώγουσι. οἳ δὲ τινὲς αὐτῶν ζῶσι ἀπὸ τῶν ἰχθύων μοῦνον, τοὺς ἐπεὰν λάβωσι καὶ ἐξέλωσι τὴν κοιλίην, αὐαίνουσι πρὸς ἥλιον καὶ ἔπειτα αὔους ἐόντας σιτέονται.
As for the papyrus which grows annually, when they pull it up from the marshes, they cut off its upper part and turn it to other uses, but the lower part that is left, of about a cubit in length, they eat and sell. Those who wish to use the papyrus at its very best, cook it in a red-hot oven by sealing it, and eat it so. Some of them live on fish alone, which they catch and gut, and then dry in the sun and eat when they are dry.
- 2.92.1καὶ τὰ ἄλλα καὶ
An idiomatic phrase meaning "especially" or "both in other respects and particularly." It functions adverbially, emphasizing the subsequent clause about each man living with one wife.
- 2.92.3ἐὸν στρογγύλον
Despite the subject ἡ ῥίζα being feminine, the neuter participle ἐόν is used. This is an instance of grammatical disagreement (anacoluthon), where the neuter is used to describe the shape of the root in a general or abstract manner.
- 2.92.5οἳ δὲ ἂν
Here οἳ δὲ is not a demonstrative pronoun, but the relative pronoun οἳ with the particle δὲ. Together with the subjunctive βούλωνται and the modal particle ἂν, it forms a general conditional relative clause ("whoever wish..."). The main verb of the sentence is οὕτω τρώγουσι.