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Herodotus · Histories §1.147.1-1.147.2

Kings of Miletus and the Definition of True Ionians

Passage 147 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Describes how the settlers in Miletus established kings of Lycian and Pylian descent, and defines Ionians as those descended from Athens who celebrate the festival of Apaturia.

§1.147.1ταῦτα δὲ ἦν γινόμενα ἐν Μιλήτῳ.
Now these things were what took place in Miletus.
βασιλέας δὲ ἐστήσαντο οἳ μὲν αὐτῶν Λυκίους ἀπὸ Γλαύκου τοῦ Ἱππολόχου γεγονότας, οἳ δὲ Καύκωνας Πυλίους ἀπὸ Κόδρου τοῦ Μελάνθου, οἳ δὲ καὶ συναμφοτέρους.
As for kings, some of them established Lycians descended from Glaucus the son of Hippolochus, others Pylian Caucones descended from Codrus the son of Melanthus, and others indeed both.
ἀλλὰ γὰρ περιέχονται τοῦ οὐνόματος μᾶλλόν τι τῶν ἄλλων Ἰώνων, ἔστωσαν δὴ καὶ οἱ καθαρῶς γεγονότες Ἴωνες.
But since they cling to the name more than any of the other Ionians, let them indeed be considered the Ionians of pure descent.
§1.147.2εἰσὶ δὲ πάντες Ἴωνες ὅσοι ἀπʼ Ἀθηνέων γεγόνασι καὶ Ἀπατούρια ἄγουσι ὁρτήν.
And all those are Ionians who are descended from Athens and celebrate the festival of Apaturia.
ἄγουσι δὲ πάντες πλὴν Ἐφεσίων καὶ Κολοφωνίων· οὗτοι γὰρ μοῦνοι Ἰώνων οὐκ ἄγουσι Ἀπατούρια, καὶ οὗτοι κατὰ φόνου τινὰ σκῆψιν.
Indeed, all celebrate it except for the Ephesians and Colophonians; for these alone of the Ionians do not celebrate the Apaturia, and this because of some pretext of murder.

Notes

  1. 1.147.1ἔστωσαν — The third-person plural present imperative of the verb εἰμί. It has a concessive force here, meaning "let them be [considered/assumed to be]...".
  2. 1.147.1περιέχονται — The middle-voice verb περιέχομαι taking the genitive (τοῦ οὐνόματος), meaning "to cling to" or "to hold fast to" something.
  3. 1.147.2κατὰ φόνου τινὰ σκῆψιν — The preposition κατὰ governs the accusative noun σκῆψιν ("pretext"), which is modified by the genitive noun φόνου ("of murder"), meaning "according to some pretext of murder."

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.147.1-1.147.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.147.1-1.147.2

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