- 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-grc2:3.20.1-3.20.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Cambyses dispatches the Fish-eaters with various gifts to the Ethiopians, who are said to be exceptionally tall and handsome, and to possess a unique custom of electing the tallest and strongest citizen as their king.
ἐπείτε δὲ τῷ Καμβύσῃ ἐκ τῆς Ἐλεφαντίνης ἀπίκοντο οἱ Ἰχθυοφάγοι, ἔπεμπε αὐτοὺς ἐς τοὺς Αἰθίοπας ἐντειλάμενος τὰ λέγειν χρῆν1 καὶ δῶρα φέροντας πορφύρεόν τε εἷμα καὶ χρύσεον στρεπτὸν περιαυχένιον καὶ ψέλια καὶ μύρου ἀλάβαστρον καὶ φοινικηίου οἴνου κάδον. οἱ δὲ Αἰθίοπες οὗτοι, ἐς τοὺς ἀπέπεμπε ὁ Καμβύσης, λέγονται εἶναι μέγιστοι καὶ κάλλιστοι ἀνθρώπων πάντων.
When the Fish-eaters arrived from Elephantine for Cambyses, he sent them to the Ethiopians, having instructed them in what they had to say and bearing gifts: a purple robe, a golden twisted collar, bracelets, an alabaster jar of myrrh, and a jar of palm wine. These Ethiopians, to whom Cambyses was sending them, are said to be the tallest and most handsome of all men.
νόμοισι δὲ καὶ ἄλλοισι χρᾶσθαι αὐτοὺς2 κεχωρισμένοισι τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων καὶ δὴ καὶ κατὰ τὴν βασιληίην τοιῷδε· τὸν ἂν τῶν ἀστῶν κρίνωσι3 μέγιστόν τε εἶναι καὶ κατὰ τὸ μέγαθος ἔχειν τὴν ἰσχύν, τοῦτον ἀξιοῦσι βασιλεύειν.
They are said also to use other customs quite different from those of other men, and especially one of this kind regarding the kingship: whomever of the citizens they judge to be both the tallest and to have strength corresponding to his stature, this man they deem worthy to rule.
- 3.20.1τὰ λέγειν χρῆν
This represents the Ionic relative pronoun (τὰ = ἅ) with the impersonal verb χρῆν (= ἐχρῆν), meaning 'what they had to say' or 'the things which it was necessary to say'.
- 3.20.2νόμοισι δὲ καὶ ἄλλοισι χρᾶσθαι αὐτοὺς
An accusative and infinitive construction dependent on the preceding λέγονται ('they are said'). αὐτούς serves as the subject accusative of the infinitive χρᾶσθαι.
- 3.20.2τὸν ἂν τῶν ἀστῶν κρίνωσι
The relative pronoun τὸν is the Ionic form for ὅν. The relative clause with ἄν and the subjunctive κρίνωσι expresses a general relative condition ('whomever they judge'), which is resumed by the demonstrative τοῦτον in the main clause.