- 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-grc2:7.64.1-7.64.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
Describes the armor, weapons, and names of the Bactrians and the Sacae (Scythians), noting that they were commanded by Hystaspes.
Βάκτριοι δὲ περὶ μὲν τῇσι κεφαλῇσι ἀγχότατα τῶν Μηδικῶν ἔχοντες1 ἐστρατεύοντο, τόξα δὲ καλάμινα ἐπιχώρια καὶ αἰχμὰς βραχέας.
The Bactrians served in the army having on their heads what was very close to the Median headgear, and they carried local bows made of reeds and short spears.
Σάκαι δὲ οἱ Σκύθαι περὶ μὲν τῇσι κεφαλῇσι κυρβασίας ἐς ὀξὺ ἀπηγμένας ὀρθὰς εἶχον πεπηγυίας,2 ἀναξυρίδας δὲ ἐνεδεδύκεσαν, τόξα δὲ ἐπιχώρια καὶ ἐγχειρίδια, πρὸς δὲ καὶ ἀξίνας σαγάρις εἶχον. τούτους δὲ ἐόντας Σκύθας Ἀμυργίους Σάκας ἐκάλεον·3 οἱ γὰρ Πέρσαι πάντας τοὺς Σκύθας καλέουσι Σάκας. Βακτρίων δὲ καὶ Σακέων ἦρχε Ὑστάσπης ὁ Δαρείου τε καὶ Ἀτόσσης τῆς Κύρου.
The Sacae, who are Scythians, had on their heads tall stiff caps tapering to a point, and they wore trousers; they carried local bows and daggers, and furthermore battle-axes called sagaris. These, who were Amyrgian Scythians, they called Sacae; for the Persians call all Scythians Sacae. The Bactrians and the Sacae were commanded by Hystaspes, the son of Darius and of Atossa, daughter of Cyrus.
- 7.64.1ἀγχότατα τῶν Μηδικῶν ἔχοντες
The adverb ἀγχότατα (equivalent to ἄγχιστα, or neuter plural used adverbially) takes the genitive of comparison τῶν Μηδικῶν ("closest to those of the Medes"). The participle ἔχοντες ("having/wearing") lacks an explicit direct object (such as "headgear"), which is understood from the context of the preceding prepositional phrase περὶ μὲν τῇσι κεφαλῇσι ("around their heads").
- 7.64.2κυρβασίας ἐς ὀξὺ ἀπηγμένας ὀρθὰς εἶχον πεπηγυίας
The adjective ὀρθὰς ("upright") and the perfect participle πεπηγυίας (from πήγνυμι, here intransitive "stiffened/rigid") function predicatively with the verb εἶχον and its object κυρβασίας ("they had their caps stiff and upright"). The phrase ἐς ὀξὺ ἀπηγμένας ("drawn out to a point") modifies κυρβασίας.
- 7.64.2τούτους δὲ ἐόντας Σκύθας Ἀμυργίους Σάκας ἐκάλεον
The verb ἐκάλεον (imperfect "they called", with an indefinite subject "people") takes a double accusative: the direct object pronoun τούτους and the predicate accusative Σάκας. The participial phrase ἐόντας Σκύθας Ἀμυργίους ("being Amyrgian Scythians") modifies τούτους either concessively ("although they were...") or descriptively.