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Herodotus · Histories §1.144.1-1.144.3

The Exclusion of Halicarnassus from the Dorian League

Passage 144 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Explains how the Dorian Five Cities excluded Halicarnassus from the Triopian temple rites as a penalty for Agasicles' violation of sacred custom.

§1.144.1κατά περ οἱ ἐκ τῆς πενταπόλιος νῦν χώρης Δωριέες, πρότερον δὲ ἑξαπόλιος τῆς αὐτῆς ταύτης καλεομένης, φυλάσσονται ὦν μηδαμοὺς ἐσδέξασθαι τῶν προσοίκων Δωριέων ἐς τὸ Τριοπικὸν ἱρόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφέων αὐτῶν τοὺς περὶ τὸ ἱρόν ἀνομήσαντας ἐξεκλήισαν τῆς μετοχῆς,
Just as the Dorians of what is now the country of the Five Cities—which was formerly called the country of the Six Cities—guard against admitting any of the neighboring Dorians into the Triopian temple, and even excluded from participation those of their own body who acted lawlessly toward the temple.
§1.144.2ἐν γὰρ τῷ ἀγῶνι τοῦ Τριοπίου Ἀπόλλωνος ἐτίθεσαν τὸ πάλαι τρίποδας χαλκέους τοῖσι νικῶσι, καὶ τούτους χρῆν τοὺς λαμβάνοντας ἐκ τοῦ ἱροῦ μὴ ἐκφέρειν ἀλλʼ αὐτοῦ ἀνατιθέναι τῷ θεῷ.
For in the games of the Triopian Apollo, they used of old to offer bronze tripods to the victors, and those who received them were not permitted to carry them out of the temple, but had to dedicate them there to the god.
§1.144.3ἀνὴρ ὦν Ἁλικαρνησσεύς, τῷ οὔνομα ἦν Ἀγασικλέης, νικήσας τὸν νόμον κατηλόγησε, φέρων δὲ πρὸς τὰ ἑωυτοῦ οἰκία προσεπασσάλευσε τὸν τρίποδα.
A man of Halicarnassus, then, whose name was Agasicles, having won, disregarded the law, and carrying the tripod to his own house, nailed it to the wall.
διὰ ταύτην τὴν αἰτίην αἱ πέντε πόλιες, Λίνδος καὶ Ἰήλυσός τε καὶ Κάμειρος καὶ Κῶς τε καὶ Κνίδος ἐξεκλήισαν τῆς μετοχῆς τὴν ἕκτην πόλιν Ἁλικαρνησσόν.
For this reason the five cities—Lindus, Ialysus, Cameirus, Cos, and Cnidus—excluded the sixth city, Halicarnassus, from participation.
τούτοισι μέν νυν οὗτοι ταύτην τὴν ζημίην ἐπέθηκαν.
On these people, then, they imposed this penalty.

Notes

  1. §1.144.1κατά περ — A conjunction introducing a comparison between the decision of the Ionians in the preceding chapter (1.143.3) not to allow other Ionians to share in the Panionium, and the similar practice of the Dorians at the Triopian temple.
  2. §1.144.1φυλάσσονται ὦν μηδαμοὺς ἐσδέξασθαι — The middle verb φυλάσσομαι (to guard against, beware) is followed by an infinitive with a negative (μηδαμούς), meaning 'to guard against admitting anyone' or 'to take precautions not to admit.'
  3. §1.144.3τὸν νόμον κατηλόγησε — The verb καταλογέω (to disregard, pay no heed to) here takes the accusative τὸν νόμον (the custom, law) as its direct object, though it can sometimes govern the genitive.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.144.1-1.144.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.144.1-1.144.3

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