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Herodotus · Histories §1.50.1-1.50.3

Croesus's Sacrifices and Rich Offerings to Delphi

Passage 50 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Croesus offers immense sacrifices to the god at Delphi and prepares lavish gifts, including semi-ingots of gold and white gold, and a golden lion statue.

§1.50.1μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα θυσίῃσι μεγάλῃσι τὸν ἐν Δελφοῖσι θεὸν ἱλάσκετο· κτήνεά τε γὰρ τὰ θύσιμα πάντα τρισχίλια ἔθυσε, κλίνας τε ἐπιχρύσους καὶ ἐπαργύρους καὶ φιάλας χρυσέας καὶ εἵματα πορφύρεα καὶ κιθῶνας, νήσας πυρὴν μεγάλην, κατέκαιε, ἐλπίζων τὸν θεὸν μᾶλλον τι τούτοισι ἀνακτήσεσθαι·
After this, he sought to propitiate the god at Delphi with great sacrifices; for he offered up three thousand of every kind of sacrificial beast, and, having piled up a great pyre, he burnt thereon couches overlaid with gold and silver, golden bowls, purple robes, and tunics, hoping by these means to win the god over to his side all the more.
Λυδοῖσι τε πᾶσι προεῖπε θύειν πάντα τινὰ αὐτῶν τούτῳ ὅ τι ἔχοι ἕκαστος.
Moreover, he commanded all the Lydians that each of them should sacrifice to this god whatever he possessed.
§1.50.2ὡς δὲ ἐκ τῆς θυσίης ἐγένετο, καταχεάμενος χρυσὸν ἄπλετον ἡμιπλίνθια ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐξήλαυνε, ἐπὶ μὰν τὰ μακρότερα ποιέων ἑξαπάλαιστα, ἐπὶ δὲ τὰ βραχύτερα τριπάλαιστα, ὕψος δὲ παλαιστιαῖα.
When the sacrifice was ended, he melted down an immense quantity of gold and cast semi-ingots from it, making the longer sides of them six palms in length, the shorter sides three palms, and the height one palm.
ἀριθμὸν δὲ ἑπτακαίδεκα καὶ ἑκατόν, καὶ τούτων ἀπέφθου χρυσοῦ τέσσερα, τρίτον ἡμιτάλαντον ἕκαστον ἕλκοντα, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα ἡμιπλίνθια λευκοῦ χρυσοῦ, σταθμὸν διτάλαντα.
Their number was a hundred and seventeen, and of these, four were of refined gold, each weighing two talents and a half, while the other semi-ingots were of white gold, weighing two talents.
§1.50.3ἐποιέετο δὲ καὶ λέοντος εἰκόνα χρυσοῦ ἀπέφθου ἕλκουσαν σταθμὸν τάλαντα δέκα.
He also had an image of a lion made of refined gold, weighing ten talents.
οὗτος ὁ λέων, ἐπείτε κατεκαίετο ὁ ἐν Δελφοῖσι νηός, κατέπεσε ἀπὸ τῶν ἡμιπλινθίων (ἐπὶ γὰρ τούτοισι ἵδρυτο), καὶ νῦν κεῖται ἐν τῷ Κορινθίων θησαυρῷ, ἕλκων σταθμὸν ἕβδομον ἡμιτάλαντον· ἀπετάκη γὰρ αὐτοῦ τέταρτον ἡμιτάλαντον.
This lion, when the temple at Delphi was burnt down, fell from the semi-ingots (for it had been set up upon them), and now lies in the treasury of the Corinthians, weighing six talents and a half; for three talents and a half had melted away from it.

Notes

  1. 1.50.1πάντα τρισχίλια — Although the adjective `panta` (all) modifies the numeral `trischilia` (three thousand), in Herodotus' usage this does not mean 'three thousand in total,' but rather 'three thousand of each and every kind' of sacrificial animal.
  2. 1.50.2ὡς δὲ ἐκ τῆς θυσίης ἐγένετο — The verb `egeneto` (aorist of `gignomai`) combined with the prepositional phrase `ek tēs thysiēs` indicates temporal progression: 'when he came out of the sacrifice,' meaning 'when the sacrifice was over.'
  3. 1.50.2τρίτον ἡμιτάλαντον — In Greek numerical expressions, when an ordinal is combined with a compound of `hēmi-` (half), 'the n-th half-unit' means 'n - 0.5'. Therefore, `triton hēmitalanton` (the third half-talent) denotes '2.5 talents.' Similarly, in 1.50.3, `hebdomon hēmitalanton` (the seventh half-talent) means '6.5 talents,' and `tetarton hēmitalanton` (the fourth half-talent) means '3.5 talents,' which matches the calculation of 10 - 3.5 = 6.5.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.50.1-1.50.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.50.1-1.50.3

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