- 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-grc2:7.111.1-7.111.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-06
The reasons why the Satrae have maintained their freedom up to Herodotus' time are explained, along with a description of the mountain oracle of Dionysus they possess.
σάτραι δὲ οὐδενός κω ἀνθρώπων ὑπήκοοι ἐγένοντο, ὅσον ἡμεῖς ἴδμεν, ἀλλὰ διατελεῦσι τὸ μέχρι ἐμεῦ αἰεὶ ἐόντες1 ἐλεύθεροι μοῦνοι Θρηίκων· οἰκέουσί τε γὰρ ὄρεα ὑψηλά, ἴδῃσί τε παντοίῃσι καὶ χιόνι συνηρεφέα, καὶ εἰσὶ τὰ πολέμια2 ἄκροι.
The Satrae, so far as we know, have never yet become subject to any man, but down to my own day they continue to be always free, alone of the Thracians. For they dwell in high mountains covered with all kinds of forests and with snow, and they are excellent in matters of war.
οὗτοι οἱ Διονύσου τὸ μαντήιον εἰσὶ ἐκτημένοι· τὸ δὲ μαντήιον τοῦτο ἔστι μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων τῶν ὑψηλοτάτων, Βησσοὶ δὲ τῶν Σατρέων3 εἰσὶ οἱ προφητεύοντες τοῦ ἱροῦ, πρόμαντις δὲ ἡ χρέωσα4 κατά περ ἐν Δελφοῖσι, καὶ οὐδὲν ποικιλώτερον.
These are the ones who possess the oracle of Dionysus. This oracle is indeed upon the highest of the mountains, and the Bessi, a tribe of the Satrae, are those who act as prophets of the shrine; and the priestess who delivers the responses is just as at Delphi, and not at all more complex.
- 7.111.1διατελεῦσι ... ἐόντες
The verb διατελέω (continue) takes the supplementary participle ἐόντες (being) to express the idiomatic meaning of "continue to be".
- 7.111.1τὰ πολέμια
Accusative of respect (or specification) modifying the adjective ἄκροι (excellent, foremost), meaning "in matters of war".
- 7.111.2τῶν Σατρέων
Partitive genitive, indicating that the Βησσοὶ (Bessi) are a division or tribe belonging to the larger group of the Σάτραι (Satrae).
- 7.111.2ἡ χρέωσα
The present active participle feminine singular of χράω (deliver an oracle) with the article, functioning substantively as "the woman who delivers the oracle" (the priestess). This is an Ionic form corresponding to Attic ἡ χρῶσα.