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§3.29.1-3.29.3

Cambyses Wounding Apis and Punishing the Priests

Cambyses stabs Apis in the thigh with his dagger and mocks the priests. He orders the scourging of the priests and the slaughter of any Egyptians celebrating the festival, and Apis eventually dies of the wound and is buried secretly.

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§3.29.1

ὡς δὲ ἤγαγον τὸν Ἆπιν οἱ ἱρέες, ὁ Καμβύσης, οἷα ἐὼν1 ὑπομαργότερος, σπασάμενος τὸ ἐγχειρίδιον, θέλων τύψαι τὴν γαστέρα τοῦ Ἄπιος παίει τὸν μηρόν· γελάσας δὲ εἶπε πρὸς τοὺς ἱρέας ὦ κακαὶ κεφαλαί, τοιοῦτοι θεοὶ γίνονται, ἔναιμοί τε καὶ σαρκώδεες καὶ ἐπαΐοντες σιδηρίων; ἄξιος μέν γε Αἰγυπτίων οὗτός γε ὁ θεός, ἀτάρ τοι ὑμεῖς γε οὐ χαίροντες2 γέλωτα ἐμὲ θήσεσθε. ταῦτα εἴπας ἐνετείλατο τοῖσι ταῦτα πρήσσουσι τοὺς μὲν ἱρέας ἀπομαστιγῶσαι, Αἰγυπτίων δὲ τῶν ἄλλων τὸν ἂν λάβωσι ὁρτάζοντα3 κτείνειν.

​When the priests brought Apis, Cambyses, being somewhat crazy, drew his dagger, and intending to strike the belly of Apis, stabbed his thigh. Laughing, he said to the priests: ”You blockheads, do such gods exist, possessing blood and flesh, and feeling iron? This god is indeed worthy of the Egyptians; but you, at any rate, shall not escape with impunity for making me a laughing-stock.” Having said this, he ordered those whose duty it was to do these things to scourge the priests, and to kill any of the other Egyptians whom they should find keeping the festival.

§3.29.3

ὁρτὴ μὲν δὴ διελέλυτο Αἰγυπτίοισι, οἱ δὲ ἱρέες ἐδικαιεῦντο, ὁ δὲ Ἆπις πεπληγμένος τὸν μηρὸν4 ἔφθινε ἐν τῷ ἱρῷ κατακείμενος. καὶ τὸν μὲν τελευτήσαντα ἐκ τοῦ τρώματος ἔθαψαν οἱ ἱρέες λάθρῃ Καμβύσεω.5

​Thus the festival was broken up for the Egyptians, and the priests were punished, while Apis, wounded in the thigh, lay pining away in the temple. And when he died of his wound, the priests buried him secretly from Cambyses.

Syntax notes5 items
  1. 3.29.1οἷα ἐὼν

    The participle ἐὼν accompanied by the causal particle οἷα (similar to ἅτε or οἷον), meaning 'since he was' or 'inasmuch as he was'.

  2. 3.29.2οὐ χαίροντες

    The negative present participle of χαίρω (to rejoice), used idiomatically to mean 'not with impunity' or 'not without suffering for it'.

  3. 3.29.2τὸν ἂν λάβωσι ὁρτάζοντα

    A generalizing relative clause with the relative pronoun τὸν (used in place of ὅς), ἂν, and the subjunctive λάβωσι (from λαμβάνω). The verb λαμβάνω with a participle (ὁρτάζοντα) means 'to catch or find someone doing something'.

  4. 3.29.3πεπληγμένος τὸν μηρὸν

    The perfect passive participle πεπληγμένος (from πλήσσω, 'to strike') with τὸν μηρόν as an accusative of respect (or specification), meaning 'wounded in the thigh'.

  5. 3.29.3λάθρῃ Καμβύσεω

    The adverb λάθρῃ ('secretly from') functioning as an improper preposition governing the genitive Καμβύσεω (the Ionic genitive form of Καμβύσης).

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.29.1-3.29.3