- 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-grc2:7.69.1-7.69.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
The distinctive weapons, clothing, and body decorations of the Arabians and Ethiopians are described, and it is noted that both contingents were commanded by Arsames, son of Darius.
Ἀράβιοι δὲ ζειρὰς ὑπεζωσμένοι ἦσαν,1 τόξα δέ παλίντονα εἶχον πρὸς δεξιά, μακρά. Αἰθίοπες δὲ παρδαλέας τε καὶ λεοντέας ἐναμμένοι, τόξα δὲ εἶχον ἐκ φοίνικος σπάθης πεποιημένα, μακρά, τετραπηχέων οὐκ ἐλάσσω, ἐπὶ δὲ καλαμίνους ὀιστοὺς μικρούς· ἀντὶ δὲ σιδήρου ἐπῆν λίθος ὀξὺς πεποιημένος, τῷ καὶ τὰς σφρηγῖδας γλύφουσι·2 πρὸς δὲ αἰχμὰς εἶχον, ἐπὶ δὲ κέρας δορκάδος ἐπῆν ὀξὺ πεποιημένον τρόπον λόγχης·3 εἶχον δὲ καὶ ῥόπαλα τυλωτά. τοῦ δὲ σώματος τὸ μὲν ἥμισυ ἐξηλείφοντο γύψῳ ἰόντες ἐς μάχην, τὸ δὲ ἄλλο ἥμισυ μίλτῳ.
The Arabians wore girdled zeiras, and carried on their right side long, reflex bows. The Ethiopians were clad in leopard and lion skins, and had bows made of palm-leaf stems, long, not less than four cubits, and besides, small reed arrows; instead of iron, there was on them a sharp stone, with which they also engrave seals. Moreover, they had spears, on which was a gazelle’s horn made sharp in the fashion of a spearhead; they had also knotted clubs. When going into battle, they smeared half of their body with gypsum, and the other half with vermilion.
Ἀραβίων δὲ καὶ Αἰθιόπων τῶν ὑπὲρ Αἰγύπτου οἰκημένων ἦρχε Ἀρσάμης ὁ Δαρείου καὶ Ἀρτυστώνης4 τῆς Κύρου θυγατρός, τὴν μάλιστα στέρξας τῶν γυναικῶν Δαρεῖος εἰκὼ χρυσέην σφυρήλατον ἐποιήσατο.
The Arabians and the Ethiopians who dwelt above Egypt were commanded by Arsames, the son of Darius and of Artystone the daughter of Cyrus, whom Darius loved most of his wives and had a hammered golden image made of her.
- 7.69.1ὑπεζωσμένοι ἦσαν
A periphrastic pluperfect construction consisting of the perfect middle/passive participle and the imperfect ἦσαν, expressing a continuing state in the past: "they had girded themselves" or "were wearing girdled garments."
- 7.69.1τῷ καὶ τὰς σφρηγῖδας γλύφουσι
The dative relative pronoun τῷ (neuter singular) refers back to the antecedent λίθος (stone) and functions as a dative of instrument ("with which").
- 7.69.1τρόπον λόγχης
An adverbial accusative of the noun τρόπος, functioning as an idiomatic expression meaning "in the fashion of" or "like a spearhead."
- 7.69.2Ἀρτυστώνης
The genitive Ἀρτυστώνης is coordinate with Δαρείου after the article ὁ, indicating parentage: Arsames was the son [ὁ] of Darius and of Artystone.