- 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-grc2:4.11.1-4.11.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Another story about the origin of the Scythians, which the author prefers, is narrated: Cimmerians, pursued by nomadic Scythians, split into opposing factions of kings who wished to fight and commons who wished to flee. After a mutual slaughter, the kings were buried, the commons departed, and the Scythians occupied the empty land.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλος λόγος ἔχων ὧδε, τῷ μάλιστα λεγομένῳ αὐτός πρόσκειμαι, Σκύθας τοὺς νομάδας οἰκέοντας ἐν τῇ Ἀσίῃ, πολέμῳ πιεσθέντας ὑπὸ Μασσαγετέων, οἴχεσθαι1 διαβάντας ποταμὸν Ἀράξην ἐπὶ γῆν τὴν Κιμμερίην (τὴν γὰρ νῦν νέμονται Σκύθαι, αὕτη λέγεται τὸ παλαιὸν εἶναι Κιμμερίων), τοὺς δὲ Κιμμερίους ἐπιόντων Σκυθέων βουλεύεσθαι ὡς στρατοῦ ἐπιόντος μεγάλου, καὶ δὴ τὰς γνώμας σφέων κεχωρισμένας, ἐντόνους μὲν ἀμφοτέρας, ἀμείνω δὲ τὴν τῶν βασιλέων· τὴν μὲν γὰρ δὴ τοῦ δήμου φέρειν γνώμην ὡς ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι πρῆγμα εἴη μηδὲ πρὸ σποδοῦ μένοντας κινδυνεύειν,2 τὴν δὲ τῶν βασιλέων διαμάχεσθαι περὶ τῆς χώρης τοῖσι ἐπιοῦσι.
There is also another story, to which I myself most strongly incline, which runs as follows: the nomadic Scythians, who dwelt in Asia, being hard pressed in war by the Massagetae, crossed the river Araxes and departed into the Cimmerian land (for the land which the Scythians now inhabit is said to have belonged to the Cimmerians in ancient times). Upon the invasion of the Scythians, the Cimmerians took counsel, seeing that a great army was coming against them; and indeed their opinions were divided, both being strongly held, but that of the kings was the better. For the opinion of the commons was that they should depart, and that it was not necessary to remain and run risks before the dust (of the enemy’s approach); but that of the kings was to fight to the last for their land against the invaders.
οὔκων δὴ ἐθέλειν πείθεσθαι οὔτε τοῖσι βασιλεῦσι τὸν δῆμον οὔτε τῷ δήμῳ τοὺς βασιλέας· τοὺς μὲν δὴ ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι βουλεύεσθαι ἀμαχητὶ τὴν χωρῆν παραδόντας τοῖσι ἐπιοῦσι· τοῖσι δὲ βασιλεῦσι δόξαι ἐν τῇ ἑωυτῶν κεῖσθαι ἀποθανόντας μηδὲ συμφεύγειν τῷ δήμῳ, λογισαμένους3 ὅσα τε ἀγαθὰ πεπόνθασι καὶ ὅσα φεύγοντας ἐκ τῆς πατρίδος κακὰ ἐπίδοξα καταλαμβάνειν.
Accordingly, neither would the commons yield to the kings, nor the kings to the commons; the former resolved to depart without a fight and deliver up the land to the invaders, but the kings determined to die and lie in their own soil rather than flee with the commons, considering how many good things they had enjoyed, and how many evils were likely to overtake those who flee from their native country.
ὡς δὲ δόξαι σφι ταῦτα, διαστάντας καὶ ἀριθμὸν ἴσους γενομένους μάχεσθαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους. καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἀποθανόντας πάντας ὑπʼ ἑωυτῶν θάψαι τὸν δῆμον τῶν Κιμμερίων παρὰ ποταμὸν Τύρην (καί σφεων ἔτι δῆλος ἐστὶ ὁ τάφος), θάψαντας δὲ οὕτω τὴν ἔξοδον ἐκ τῆς χώρης ποιέεσθαι· Σκύθας δὲ ἐπελθόντας λαβεῖν τὴν χώρην ἐρήμην.
Having thus resolved, they divided themselves into two equal parties and fought with one another; and all those who died by each other’s hands were buried by the Cimmerian commons by the river Tyras (where their tomb is still to be seen). Having so buried them, they made their departure from the land; and the Scythians, when they invaded, took possession of an empty country.
- 4.11.1Σκύθας ... οἴχεσθαι
Accusative with infinitive construction in indirect discourse, introduced by λόγος ἔχων ὧδε ("there is another story which runs as follows"). Throughout the narrative until the end of §4.11.4 (λαβεῖν), the main verbs of the story are expressed as infinitives of indirect discourse.
- 4.11.2μηδὲ πρὸ σποδοῦ μένοντας κινδυνεύειν
The phrase "πρὸ σποδοῦ" (literally "before dust/ash") is obscure. It is generally interpreted as referring to the dust raised by the advancing enemy, meaning "before the dust of battle arises" or "without staying even to face the dust," implying a hasty retreat without risking a fight.
- 4.11.3λογισαμένους
Although the grammatical referent is the dative "τοῖσι δὲ βασιλεῦσι", the participle is in the accusative "λογισαμένους". This is an anacoluthon, where the case is attracted to the subject of the infinitives (κεῖσθαι ... μηδὲ συμφεύγειν) depending on the impersonal "δόξαι", or influenced by the general accusative-and-infinitive structure of the indirect discourse.