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Herodotus · Histories §1.139.1

A Common Ending for All Persian Names

Passage 139 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Describes a unique feature of Persian names (that they all end in the same letter) which the Persians themselves do not realize but is known to the Greeks.

§1.139.1καὶ τόδε ἄλλο σφι ὧδε συμπέπτωκε γίνεσθαι, τὸ Πέρσας μὲν αὐτοὺς λέληθε, ἡμέας μέντοι οὔ· τὰ οὐνόματά σφι ἐόντα ὅμοια τοῖσι σώμασι καὶ τῇ μεγαλοπρεπείῃ τελευτῶσι πάντα ἐς τὠυτὸ γράμμα, τὸ Δωριέες μὲν σὰν καλέουσι, Ἴωνες δὲ σίγμα·
καὶ τόδε ἄλλο σφι ὧδε συμπέπτωκε γίνεσθαι, τὸ Πέρσας μὲν αὐτοὺς λέληθε, ἡμέας μέντοι οὔ· And this other thing has also happened to coincide for them in this way, which has escaped the notice of the Persians themselves, but not us: τὰ οὐνόματά σφι ἐόντα ὅμοια τοῖσι σώμασι καὶ τῇ μεγαλοπρεπείῃ τελευτῶσι πάντα ἐς τὠυτὸ γράμμα, their names, which are suited to their bodies and their magnificence, all end in the same letter, τὸ Δωριέες μὲν σὰν καλέουσι, Ἴωνες δὲ σίγμα· which the Dorians call san and the Ionians sigma. ἐς τοῦτο διζήμενος εὑρήσεις τελευτῶντα τῶν Περσέων τὰ οὐνόματα, οὐ τὰ μὲν τὰ δʼ οὔ, ἀλλὰ πάντα ὁμοίως.
ἐς τοῦτο διζήμενος εὑρήσεις τελευτῶντα τῶν Περσέων τὰ οὐνόματα, οὐ τὰ μὲν τὰ δʼ οὔ, ἀλλὰ πάντα ὁμοίως.
If you search, you will find that the names of the Persians end in this letter, not some of them and others not, but all of them alike.

Notes

  1. 1.139.1τὸ — An article or pronoun introducing an appositive clause that specifically explains the preceding pronominal expression tóde allo.
  2. 1.139.1ἐόντα — The neuter plural present participle of the verb eimi (corresponding to Attic onta in the Ionic dialect), agreeing with the subject ta ounomata.
  3. 1.139.1διζήμενος — The present participle of the verb dizēmai ('to seek, search'), here functioning conditionally ('if you search').

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.139.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.139.1

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