- 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-grc2:4.69.1-4.69.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The passage describes the cruel method of executing false diviners by burning them inside a wagon of brushwood, as well as the Scythian custom of putting to death all the male children of anyone executed by the king.
ἀπολλῦσι δῆτα αὐτοὺς τρόπῳ τοιῷδε· ἐπεὰν ἅμαξαν φρυγάνων πλήσωσι καὶ ὑποζεύξωσι βοῦς, ἐμποδίσαντες τοὺς μάντιας καὶ χεῖρας ὀπίσω δήσαντες καὶ στομώσαντες1 κατεργνῦσι ἐς μέσα τὰ φρύγανα. ὑποπρήσαντες δὲ αὐτὰ ἀπιεῖσι φοβήσαντες τοὺς βοῦς.
They put them to death, indeed, in the following manner: when they have filled a wagon with brushwood and yoked oxen to it, they fetter the feet of the diviners, bind their hands behind them, gag them, and shut them up in the midst of the brushwood. Then, having set fire to it, they frighten the oxen and let them run.
πολλοὶ μὲν δὴ συγκατακαίονται τοῖσι μάντισι βόες, πολλοὶ δὲ περικεκαυμένοι ἀποφεύγουσι, ἐπεὰν αὐτῶν ὁ ῥυμὸς2 κατακαυθῇ. κατακαίουσι δὲ τρόπῳ τῷ εἰρημένῳ καὶ διʼ ἄλλας αἰτίας τοὺς μάντιας, ψευδομάντιας καλέοντες.
Many oxen indeed are burned to death together with the diviners, but many escape, though badly singed, when their pole is burned through. And they burn the diviners in the manner mentioned above for other reasons too, calling them false diviners.
τοὺς δʼ ἂν ἀποκτείνῃ βασιλεύς, τούτων3 οὐδὲ τοὺς παῖδας λείπει, ἀλλὰ πάντα τὰ ἔρσενα κτείνει, τὰ δὲ θήλεα οὐκ ἀδικέει.
And of those whom the king puts to death, he does not even spare their children, but kills all the males, though he does no harm to the females.
- 4.69.1στομώσαντες
The aorist active participle of the verb στομόω, meaning 'to muzzle' or 'to gag'. In this context, it indicates physically blocking the diviners' mouths to prevent them from shouting or uttering curses during their execution.
- 4.69.2αὐτῶν ὁ ῥυμὸς
The noun ῥυμός ('pole of a carriage') accompanied by the genitive pronoun αὐτῶν. This genitive refers back to the 'oxen' (βόες) mentioned earlier, describing the burning through of the pole to which they are yoked.
- 4.69.3τοὺς δʼ ἂν ἀποκτείνῃ... τούτων
The relative clause τοὺς δʼ ἂν ἀποκτείνῃ (utilizing ἄν and the subjunctive) functions as a general conditional relative clause meaning 'whomever he puts to death'. This fronted clause is resumed in the main clause by the genitive demonstrative pronoun τούτων ('of these').