- 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-grc2:4.124.1-4.124.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Darius stationed his army by the river Oarus in the desert and began constructing eight large walls, but after the Scythians completely vanished, he left the walls half-finished and turned back to the west.
ἐπεὶ ὦν ὁ Δαρεῖος ἦλθε ἐς τὴν ἔρημον, παυσάμενος τοῦ δρόμου1 ἵδρυσε τὴν στρατιὴν ἐπὶ ποταμῷ Ὀάρῳ. τοῦτο δὲ ποιήσας ὀκτὼ τείχεα ἐτείχεε μεγάλα, ἴσον ἀπʼ ἀλλήλων ἀπέχοντα, σταδίους ὡς ἑξήκοντα μάλιστά κῃ· τῶν ἔτι ἐς ἐμὲ τὰ ἐρείπια σόα ἦν.
When Darius came into the desert, he ceased from his pursuit and stationed his army by the river Oarus. Having done this, he built eight great walls, at equal distances from one another, about sixty stades or so apart; of which the ruins were still preserved even down to my time.
ἐν ᾧ δὲ οὗτος πρὸς ταῦτα ἐτράπετο, οἱ διωκόμενοι Σκύθαι περιελθόντες τὰ κατύπερθε2 ὑπέστρεφον ἐς τὴν Σκυθικήν. ἀφανισθέντων δὲ τούτων τὸ παράπαν, ὡς οὐκέτι ἐφαντάζοντό σφι,3 οὕτω δὴ ὁ Δαρεῖος τείχεα μὲν ἐκεῖνα ἡμίεργα μετῆκε, αὐτὸς δὲ ὑποστρέψας ἤιε πρὸς ἑσπέρην, δοκέων τούτους τε πάντας τοὺς Σκύθας εἶναι4 καὶ πρὸς ἑσπέρην σφέας φεύγειν.
While he was turning his attention to these things, the pursued Scythians made a circuit through the upper country and returned to Scythia. When they had vanished entirely, so that they were no longer seen by the Persians, Darius then left those walls half-finished, and turning back himself, marched towards the west, thinking that these were all the Scythians and that they were fleeing towards the west.
- 4.124.1τοῦ δρόμου
A genitive of separation governed by the middle participle παυσάμενος (having ceased from). In this context, δρόμος (running/course) refers to the rapid march or pursuit of the Scythians.
- 4.124.2τὰ κατύπερθε
The adverb with the article (the upper regions / inland parts to the north) is substantivized and functions as the direct object (accusative) of the participle περιελθόντες (having gone around).
- 4.124.2σφι
The third-person plural dative (Ionic for σφίσι). Used with the passive-middle verb ἐφαντάζοντο (appeared, were visible) as a dative of reference or interest, meaning 'to them' (i.e., to Darius and the Persians).
- 4.124.2δοκέων τούτους τε πάντας τοὺς Σκύθας εἶναι
An accusative and infinitive construction introduced by the participle δοκέων (thinking that...). τούτους (these) is the subject accusative of the infinitive εἶναι, and πάντας τοὺς Σκύθας is its predicate. In the coordinate clause, σφέας (they) serves as the subject accusative of φεύγειν.