- 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-grc2:3.105.1-3.105.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
This passage describes how the Indians carry away the gold-dust while escaping the pursuit of the giant ants using camels, and outlines the sources of Indian gold according to the Persians.
ἐπεὰν δὲ ἔλθωσι ἐς τὸν χῶρον οἱ Ἰνδοὶ ἔχοντες θυλάκια, ἐμπλήσαντες ταῦτα τῆς ψάμμου τὴν ταχίστην ἐλαύνουσι ὀπίσω· αὐτίκα γὰρ οἱ μύρμηκες ὀδμῇ, ὡς δὴ λέγεται ὑπὸ Περσέων, μαθόντες διώκουσι. εἶναι δὲ ταχυτῆτα οὐδενὶ ἑτέρῳ ὅμοιον,1 οὕτω ὥστε, εἰ μὴ προλαμβάνειν τοὺς Ἰνδοὺς τῆς ὁδοῦ ἐν ᾧ τοὺς μύρμηκας συλλέγεσθαι,2 οὐδένα ἂν σφέων ἀποσώζεσθαι.3
When the Indians arrive at the place with their bags, they fill them with the sand as quickly as possible and drive back. For immediately the ants, having perceived them by scent, as is indeed said by the Persians, pursue them. And they say that they are comparable in speed to nothing else, so that, unless the Indians got a head start on the way while the ants were gathering, not one of them would escape.
τοὺς μέν νυν ἔρσενας τῶν καμήλων, εἶναι γὰρ ἥσσονας θέειν τῶν θηλέων, παραλύεσθαι ἐπελκομένους,4 οὐκ ὁμοῦ ἀμφοτέρους· τὰς δὲ θηλέας ἀναμιμνησκομένας τῶν ἔλιπον τέκνων ἐνδιδόναι μαλακὸν οὐδέν. τὸν μὲν δὴ πλέω τοῦ χρυσοῦ οὕτω οἱ Ἰνδοὶ κτῶνται, ὡς Πέρσαι φασί· ἄλλος δὲ σπανιώτερος ἐστι ἐν τῇ χώρῃ ὀρυσσόμενος.
Now as for the male camels, since they are slower in running than the females, they drag behind and are unyoked, not both together; but the females, remembering the young they left behind, show no weakness at all. Thus indeed the Indians acquire the greater part of the gold, as the Persians say; but another kind, more scarce, is mined in the country.
- 3.105.1εἶναι δὲ ταχυτῆτα οὐδενὶ ἑτέρῳ ὅμοιον
The infinitive εἶναι is used here as the main verb of an indirect statement reporting the Persians' account. ταχυτῆτα is an accusative of respect or specification ('in speed'). The neuter adjective ὅμοιον is used here impersonally or referring to the ants' speed as an incomparable thing.
- 3.105.1εἰ μὴ προλαμβάνειν τοὺς Ἰνδοὺς τῆς ὁδοῦ ἐν ᾧ τοὺς μύρμηκας συλλέγεσθαι
A conditional clause in indirect discourse. In direct speech, this would be a potential or unreal condition, with the finite verbs here replaced by infinitives (προλαμβάνειν and συλλέγεσθαι). The verb προλαμβάνειν takes the genitive of the road (τῆς ὁδοῦ) as a partitive genitive indicating the space gained ahead.
- 3.105.1οὐδένα ἂν σφέων ἀποσώζεσθαι
The apodosis of the conditional sentence in indirect discourse. Corresponding to a direct form like οὐδεὶς ἂν σῴζοιτο ('no one would escape'), it retains the particle ἂν with the infinitive ἀποσώζεσθαι. σφέων is a partitive genitive ('of them').
- 3.105.2παραλύεσθαι ἐπελκομένους
The infinitive παραλύεσθαι means 'to be unyoked' or 'to be let go' in the indirect discourse. The present mediopassive participle ἐπελκομένους means 'being dragged behind' or 'dragging along', describing how the male camels tire and fall back.