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Herodotus · Histories §1.188.1-1.188.2

Cyrus' Campaign and the Water of the Choaspes

Passage 188 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Cyrus launches a campaign against the son of Nitocris, who holds the Assyrian throne. During his marches, the Great King drinks only the boiled water of the river Choaspes, which is transported in silver vessels by a train of wagons.

§1.188.1ὁ δὲ δὴ Κῦρος ἐπὶ ταύτης τῆς γυναικὸς τὸν παῖδα ἐστρατεύετο, ἔχοντά τε τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ ἑωυτοῦ τοὔνομα Λαβυνήτου καὶ τὴν Ἀσσυρίων ἀρχήν.
Now Cyrus was marching against the son of this woman, who bore the name of his own father, Labynetus, and held the sovereignty of the Assyrians.
στρατεύεται δὲ δὴ βασιλεὺς ὁ μέγας καὶ σιτίοισι εὖ ἐσκευασμένος ἐξ οἴκου καὶ προβάτοῖσι, καὶ δὴ καὶ ὕδωρ ἀπὸ τοῦ Χοάσπεω ποταμοῦ ἅμα ἄγεται τοῦ παρὰ Σοῦσα ῥέοντος, τοῦ μούνου πίνει βασιλεὺς καὶ ἄλλου οὐδενὸς ποταμοῦ.
The Great King marches well-provided from home with food and sheep, and in particular, water from the river Choaspes, which flows past Susa, is carried along with him; of this river alone the king drinks, and of no other.
§1.188.2τούτου δὲ τοῦ Χοάσπεω τοῦ ὕδατος ἀπεψημένου πολλαὶ κάρτα ἅμαξαι τετράκυκλοι ἡμιόνεαι κομίζουσαι ἐν ἀγγηίοισι ἀργυρέοισι ἕπονται, ὅκῃ ἂν ἐλαύνῃ ἑκάστοτε.
And of this water of the Choaspes, which has been boiled, a very great number of four-wheeled mule-wagons, carrying it in vessels of silver, follow him wherever he may march at any time.

Notes

  1. §1.188.1ἔχοντά — An accusative participle modifying the preceding noun phrase 'the son of this woman'. It takes two objects, 'the name of his own father' and 'the sovereignty of the Assyrians', indicating his possession of both.
  2. §1.188.1τοῦ μούνου — A genitive relative pronoun with an adjective, referring to the water of the Choaspes. It is in the genitive case because the verb 'to drink' governs the partitive genitive.
  3. §1.188.2ἀπεψημένου — The perfect passive participle of the verb 'to boil', in the genitive, forming a genitive absolute construction with the noun 'water'. It denotes that the water is kept in a boiled state.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.188.1-1.188.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.188.1-1.188.2

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