- 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-grc2:5.8.1
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Describes the funeral customs of wealthy Thracians, detailing the sequence of events including three days of lying in state, mourning, feasting, cremation or burial, and the erection of a mound followed by athletic contests with single combat.
ταφαὶ δὲ τοῖσι εὐδαίμοσι1 αὐτῶν εἰσὶ αἵδε· τρεῖς μὲν ἡμέρας προτιθεῖσι τὸν νεκρόν, καὶ παντοῖα σφάξαντες ἱρήια εὐωχέονται, προκλαύσαντες πρῶτον·2 ἔπειτα δὲ θάπτουσι κατακαύσαντες ἢ ἄλλως γῇ κρύψαντες, χῶμα δὲ χέαντες ἀγῶνα τιθεῖσι παντοῖον, ἐν τῷ τὰ μέγιστα ἄεθλα τίθεται κατὰ λόγον μουνομαχίης.3 ταφαὶ μὲν δὴ Θρηίκων εἰσὶ αἵδε.
The funerals of the wealthy among them are as follows: for three days they lay out the dead body, and after first mourning him, they slaughter all kinds of victims and feast; then they bury him, either by burning him or otherwise interring him in the earth, and having heaped up a mound, they hold all kinds of athletic contests, in which the greatest prizes are offered in proportion to the importance of the single combat. Such indeed are the funerals of the Thracians.
- 5.8.1τοῖσι εὐδαίμοσι
Dative of possession or reference, construed with ταφαὶ ('the funerals for/of the wealthy among them...').
- 5.8.1προκλαύσαντες πρῶτον
Aorist participle indicating an action prior to the main verb εὐωχέονται (or to the entire subsequent process). Although placed at the end of the clause, it signifies the very first step (πρῶτον) of the funeral rites.
- 5.8.1κατὰ λόγον μουνομαχίης
The phrase κατὰ λόγον means 'in proportion to' or 'according to the ratio/value of.' Here, it indicates that the greatest prizes are awarded in proportion to the importance or difficulty of the single combat (μουνομαχίης), or according to the rules of such duels.