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The Histories

§15.24a.1

Narrative Order and the Annalistic Method

The author explains the methodological necessity in his history of sometimes narrating the end of an event before its beginning, due to the geographical division of the subject and the order of narration.

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§15.24a.1

ὅτι ἐπεὶ πάσας καθʼ ἕκαστον ἔτος τὰς κατάλληλα πράξεις γενομένας κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐξηγούμεθα, δῆλον ὡς ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι τὸ τέλος ἐπʼ ἐνίων πρότερον ἐκφέρειν τῆς ἀρχῆς,1 ἐπειδὰν πρότερος ὁ τόπος ὑποπέσῃ κατὰ τὸν τῆς ὅλης ὑποθέσεως μερισμὸν καὶ κατὰ τὴν τῆς διηγήσεως ἔφοδον ὁ τὴν συντέλειαν τῆς πράξεως ἔχων τοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τὴν ἐπιβολὴν περιέχοντος.2 —

​That since we narrate all the contemporary events taking place throughout the inhabited world year by year, it is clearly necessary in some cases to report the end before the beginning, whenever, according to the division of the whole subject and the method of the narrative, the place containing the completion of an action presents itself earlier than that which contains its beginning and initiation.

Syntax notes2 items
  1. 15.24a.1τῆς ἀρχῆς

    Genitive of comparison dependent on the comparative adverb πρότερον, meaning "before (earlier than) the beginning."

  2. 15.24a.1τοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τὴν ἐπιβολὴν περιέχοντος

    Genitive of comparison dependent on the comparative adjective πρότερος (which functions as a predicative complement to the subject ὁ τόπος). It is a participle phrase with an omitted noun τοῦ [τόπου] as its antecedent, meaning "earlier than the place containing the beginning and initiation."

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (2, latest 2026-10-09)
  • 2026-10-09 Collated with the printed edition — source 1
  • 2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1
urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:15.24a.1