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Herodotus · Histories §2.112.1-2.112.2

Precinct of Proteus and Temple of Foreign Aphrodite

Passage 328 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The narrative describes Pheros' successor, Proteus of Memphis, his beautiful precinct in Memphis, and the author's conjecture that the temple of the 'Foreign Aphrodite' therein belongs to Helen.

§2.112.1τούτου δὲ ἐκδέξασθαι τὴν βασιληίην ἔλεγον ἄνδρα Μεμφίτην, τῷ κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλήνων γλῶσσαν οὔνομα Πρωτέα εἶναι·
They said that this man was succeeded in the kingdom by a man of Memphis, whose name in the Greek tongue was Proteus.
τοῦ νῦν τέμενος ἐστὶ ἐν Μέμφι κάρτα καλόν τε καὶ εὖ ἐσκευασμένον, τοῦ Ἡφαιστείου πρὸς νότον ἄνεμον κείμενον.
There is now a sacred precinct of his at Memphis, very beautiful and well equipped, lying to the south of the temple of Hephaestus.
§2.112.2περιοικέουσι δὲ τὸ τέμενος τοῦτο Φοίνικες Τύριοι, καλέεται δὲ ὁ χῶρος οὗτος ὁ συνάπας Τυρίων στρατόπεδον.
Around this precinct dwell Phoenicians of Tyre, and this whole place is called the Camp of the Tyrians.
ἔστι δὲ ἐν τῷ τεμένεϊ τοῦ Πρωτέος ἱρὸν τὸ καλέεται ξείνης Ἀφροδίτης· συμβάλλομαι δὲ τοῦτο τὸ ἱρὸν εἶναι Ἑλένης τῆς Τυνδάρεω, καὶ τὸν λόγον ἀκηκοὼς ὡς διαιτήθη Ἑλένη παρὰ Πρωτέι, καὶ δὴ καὶ ὅτι ξείνης Ἀφροδίτης ἐπώνυμον ἐστί· ὅσα γὰρ ἄλλα Ἀφροδίτης ἱρά ἐστι, οὐδαμῶς ξείνης ἐπικαλέεται.
In the precinct of Proteus there is a temple which is called that of the Foreign Aphrodite; and I conjecture that this is the temple of Helen, the daughter of Tyndareus, both because I have heard the story how Helen lived with Proteus, and also especially because it has the name of the Foreign Aphrodite; for of all the other temples of Aphrodite, none is ever called by the name of "Foreign".

Notes

  1. 2.112.1τούτου — Genitive of separation or succession, governed by the verb ἐκδέξασθαι (to succeed). It refers to King Pheros mentioned in the preceding section.
  2. 2.112.2συμβάλλομαι — Following the main verb 'I conjecture' is an accusative with infinitive clause (toúto tò hiròn eînai...) expressing the content of the conjecture. The grounds for this judgement are then coordinated using two different syntactic structures: a participle clause (kaì tòn lógon akēkoṑs...) and an hóti clause (kaì dḕ kaì hóti...).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §2.112.1-2.112.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.112.1-2.112.2

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