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Herodotus · Histories §1.95.1-1.95.2

The Rise of Cyrus and the Revolt of the Medes

Passage 95 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Herodotus declares that he will investigate the origins of Cyrus and how the Persians gained hegemony over Asia, following the accounts of Persians who tell the plain truth, and begins with the Medes' revolt against Assyrian rule.

§1.95.1ἐπιδίζηται δὲ δὴ τὸ ἐνθεῦτεν ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος τόν τε Κῦρον ὅστις ἐὼν τὴν Κροίσου ἀρχὴν κατεῖλε, καὶ τοὺς Πέρσας ὅτεῳ τρόπῳ ἡγήσαντο τῆς Ἀσίης.
From here, our narrative seeks to inquire who Cyrus was that overthrew the empire of Croesus, and in what manner the Persians became leaders of Asia.
ὡς ὦν Περσέων μετεξέτεροι λέγουσι, οἱ μὴ βουλόμενοι σεμνοῦν τὰ περὶ Κῦρον ἀλλὰ τὸν ἐόντα λέγειν λόγον, κατὰ ταῦτα γράψω, ἐπιστάμενος περὶ Κύρου καὶ τριφασίας ἄλλας λόγων ὁδοὺς φῆναι.
Accordingly, I shall write according to what certain of the Persians say—those who do not wish to exaggerate the story of Cyrus but to tell the actual truth—although I know that there are three other ways of telling the story about Cyrus.
§1.95.2Ἀσσυρίων ἀρχόντων τῆς ἄνω Ἀσίης ἐπʼ ἔτεα εἴκοσι καὶ πεντακόσια, πρῶτοι ἀπʼ αὐτῶν Μῆδοι ἤρξαντο ἀπίστασθαι, καὶ κως οὗτοι περὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίης μαχεσάμενοι τοῖσι Ἀσσυρίοισι ἐγένοντο ἄνδρες ἀγαθοί, καὶ ἀπωσάμενοι τὴν δουλοσύνην ἐλευθερώθησαν.
The Assyrians having ruled Upper Asia for five hundred and twenty years, the Medes were the first of them to begin to revolt; and somehow, having fought for their freedom against the Assyrians, they proved themselves brave men, and having cast off their slavery they were set free.
μετὰ δὲ τούτους καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἔθνεα ἐποίεε τὠυτὸ τοῖσι Μήδοισι.
After them, the other nations also did the same as the Medes.

Notes

  1. 1.95.1τόν τε Κῦρον ὅστις ἐὼν ... καὶ τοὺς Πέρσας ὅτεῳ τρόπῳ ἡγήσαντο — This is a construction known as prolepsis, where the subjects of the indirect question clauses ("Cyrus" and "the Persians") are anticipated and placed as objects in the accusative case beforehand. For translation, they should be understood as the subjects of their respective indirect clauses.
  2. 1.95.1ἐπιδίζηται — Third person singular present indicative middle of ἐπιδίζημαι ("to seek further"). In the Ionic dialect, the ending -ηται is used for the present indicative middle/passive. Here, with the subject ὁ λόγος, it means "our narrative seeks further to inquire into...".
  3. 1.95.1ἐπιστάμενος περὶ Κύρου καὶ τριφασίας ἄλλας λόγων ὁδοὺς φῆναι — The present participle ἐπιστάμενος agrees with the subject of the main verb γράψω ("I shall write") and is best interpreted concessively ("although I know..."). The infinitive φῆναι (aorist active of φαίνω) depends on the participle as its complement.
  4. 1.95.2Ἀσσυρίων ἀρχόντων — A genitive absolute construction, where the noun Ἀσσυρίων acts as the subject and the present participle ἀρχόντων acts as the predicate, providing the temporal background to the main clause ("while the Assyrians were ruling").

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §1.95.1-1.95.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.95.1-1.95.2

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