- 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-grc2:7.134.1-7.134.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-05
In Sparta, the wrath of Talthybius caused by the killing of the Persian heralds prevents favorable omens during sacrifices, leading two noble Spartans, Sperthias and Bulis, to volunteer to go to Persia to die as atonement.
τοῖσι δὲ ὦν Λακεδαιμονίοισι μῆνις κατέσκηψε Ταλθυβίου1 τοῦ Ἀγαμέμνονος κήρυκος. ἐν γὰρ Σπάρτῃ ἐστὶ Ταλθυβίου ἱρόν, εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ ἀπόγονοι Ταλθυβιάδαι καλεόμενοι, τοῖσι αἱ κηρυκηίαι αἱ ἐκ Σπάρτης πᾶσαι γέρας δέδονται.
However, upon the Lacedaemonians fell the wrath of Talthybius, the herald of Agamemnon. For there is in Sparta a sanctuary of Talthybius, and there are also descendants called Talthybiadae, to whom all herald’s missions from Sparta are given as a privilege of honor.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τοῖσι Σπαρτιήτῃσι καλλιερῆσαι θυομένοισι οὐκ ἐδύνατο·2 τοῦτο δʼ ἐπὶ χρόνον συχνὸν ἦν σφι. ἀχθομένων δὲ καὶ συμφορῇ χρεωμένων Λακεδαιμονίων, ἁλίης τε πολλάκις συλλεγομένης καὶ κήρυγμα τοιόνδε ποιευμένων,3 εἴ τις βούλοιτο Λακεδαιμονίων πρὸ τῆς Σπάρτης ἀποθνήσκειν, Σπερθίης τε ὁ Ἀνηρίστου καὶ Βοῦλις ὁ Νικόλεω, ἄνδρες Σπαρτιῆται φύσι τε γεγονότες εὖ καὶ χρήμασι ἀνήκοντες ἐς τὰ πρῶτα, ἐθελονταὶ ὑπέδυσαν ποινὴν τῖσαι Ξέρξῃ τῶν Δαρείου κηρύκων τῶν ἐν Σπάρτῃ ἀπολομένων.4
After these events, it was not possible for the Spartans to obtain favorable omens when sacrificing; and this state of things continued for them for a long time. While the Lacedaemonians were distressed and suffered under this calamity, and when assemblies were frequently gathered and a proclamation was made to the effect: “if any of the Lacedaemonians wished to die for Sparta,” Sperthias son of Aneristus and Bulis son of Nicolaus, Spartan men of noble birth and belonging to the first rank in wealth, voluntarily undertook to pay the penalty to Xerxes for the heralds of Darius who had perished in Sparta.
οὕτω Σπαρτιῆται τούτους ὡς ἀποθανευμένους5 ἐς Μήδους ἀπέπεμψαν.
Thus the Spartans sent them to the Medes as men who were to die.
- 7.134.1μῆνις ... Ταλθυβίου
Ταλθυβίου is the genitive of Ταλθύβιος, acting as a subjective genitive with μῆνις ("wrath"). It denotes "the wrath of Talthybius," rather than wrath directed against him.
- 7.134.2καλλιερῆσαι ... οὐκ ἐδύνατο
The impersonal construction οὐκ ἐδύνατο ("it was not possible") is used with the infinitive καλλιερῆσαι ("to obtain favorable omens"). Alternatively, a neuter plural subject like τὰ ἱερά ("the victims/sacrifices") can be understood as omitted.
- 7.134.2ἀχθομένων δὲ ... ποιευμένων
A series of genitive absolutes. The genitive present participles ἀχθομένων, χρεωμένων (with subject Λακεδαιμονίων), συλλεγομένης (with subject ἁλίης), and ποιευμένων (with subject Λακεδαιμονίων) describe the background circumstances before the main clause subject (Σπερθίης ... καὶ Βοῦλις) acts.
- 7.134.2ποινὴν τῖσαι ... τῶν ... κηρύκων ... ἀπολομένων
The genitive τῶν ... κηρύκων ... ἀπολομένων is a genitive of cause or explanation, modifying ποινὴν τῖσαι ("to pay the penalty for the heralds... who had perished in Sparta").
- 7.134.3ὡς ἀποθανευμένους
The conjunction ὡς is paired with the future participle ἀποθανευμένους (Ionic form of ἀποθανούμενος, from ἀποθνήσκω, in the accusative plural), expressing a subjective purpose or expectation ("as men who were to die").