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Herodotus · Histories §1.49.1

Croesus's Acceptance of the Oracle of Amphiaraus

Passage 49 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

While the Pythian oracle's delivery is concluded, the exact response of the Amphiaraus oracle remains unrecorded, though Croesus accepted it as equally genuine.

§1.49.1τὰ μὲν δὴ ἐκ Δελφῶν οὕτω τῷ, Κροίσῳ ἐχρήσθη· κατὰ δὲ τὴν Ἀμφιάρεω τοῦ μαντηίου ὑπόκρισιν, οὐκ ἔχω εἰπεῖν ὅ τι τοῖσι Λυδοῖσι ἔχρησε ποιήσασι περὶ τὸ ἱρὸν τὰ νομιζόμενα (οὐ γὰρ ὦν οὐδὲ τοῦτο λέγεται), ἄλλο γε ἢ ὅτι καὶ τοῦτο ἐνόμισε μαντήιον ἀψευδὲς ἐκτῆσθαι.
Thus the oracle from Delphi was delivered to Croesus; but as to the response of the oracle of Amphiaraus, I cannot say what it prophesied to the Lydians when they had performed the customary rites about the temple (for indeed this is not recorded either), except that he believed that he had obtained this also as a true oracle.

Notes

  1. §1.49.1ποιήσασι — Aorist active participle, masculine plural dative, modifying the preceding `τοῖσι Λυδοῖσι` (to the Lydians), expressing time ('when they had performed').
  2. §1.49.1ἄλλο γε ἢ ὅτι — An idiomatic phrase modifying the preceding negative expression `οὐκ ἔχω εἰπεῖν...` (I cannot say...), meaning 'except that...' or 'other than that...'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.49.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.49.1

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