- 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-grc2:4.20.1-4.20.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
This passage describes the vast territory of the Royal Scythians located beyond the Gerrhus river, and the non-Scythian Melanchlaeni dwelling to their north, beyond whom lies an uninhabited land of lakes.
πέρην δὲ τοῦ Γέρρου ταῦτα δὴ τὰ καλεύμενα βασιλήια ἐστὶ καὶ Σκύθαι οἱ ἄριστοί τε καὶ πλεῖστοι1 καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους νομίζοντες Σκύθας δούλους σφετέρους εἶναι· κατήκουσι δὲ οὗτοι τὸ μὲν πρὸς μεσαμβρίην ἐς τὴν Ταυρικήν, τὸ δὲ πρὸς ἠῶ ἐπί τε τάφρον, τὴν δὴ οἱ ἐκ τῶν τυφλῶν γενόμενοι ὤρυξαν, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς λίμνης τῆς Μαιήτιδος τὸ ἐμπόριον τὸ καλέεται Κρημνοί· τὰ δὲ αὐτῶν2 κατήκουσι ἐπὶ ποταμὸν Τάναϊν.
Beyond the Gerrhus are those very lands which are called the Royal territory, and the Scythians who are both the best and the most numerous, who regard the other Scythians as their slaves. These extend on the south as far as Taurica, and on the east both to the trench which the sons of the blind men dug, and to the trading-port on the Lake Maeotis which is called Cremni; and some parts of their territory extend to the river Tanais.
τὰ δὲ κατύπερθε πρὸς βορέην ἄνεμον τῶν βασιληίων Σκυθέων οἰκέουσι Μελάγχλαινοι, ἄλλο ἔθνος καὶ οὐ Σκυθικὸν. Μελαγχλαίνων δὲ τὸ κατύπερθε λίμναι καὶ ἔρημος ἐστὶ ἀνθρώπων, κατʼ ὅσον ἡμεῖς ἴδμεν.3
To the north of the Royal Scythians dwell the Melanchlaeni, a different nation and not Scythian. Beyond the Melanchlaeni to the north are lakes and a desert destitute of men, as far as we know.
- 4.20.1Σκύθαι οἱ ἄριστοί τε καὶ πλεῖστοι
The verb εἰσί is to be supplied for the plural subject Σκύθαι from the preceding singular verb ἐστί, or the phrase is understood as a nominative absolute with the participle νομίζοντες.
- 4.20.1τὰ δὲ αὐτῶν
The neuter plural τὰ δὲ refers to 'the eastern parts of their territory' or 'their boundaries to the east', serving as the subject of the plural verb κατήκουσι.
- 4.20.2ἴδμεν
An Ionic form equivalent to the Attic ἴσμεν (first-person plural of οἶδα). Together with κατʼ ὅσον, it expresses a restrictive sense: 'as far as we know'.