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Herodotus · Histories §2.130.1-2.130.2

The Wooden Cow and Statues of Concubines at Sais

Passage 352 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Describes the wooden cow in which Mycerinus buried his daughter, kept in the palace of Sais, and the naked wooden colossal statues of his concubines standing nearby.

§2.130.1αὕτη ὦν ἡ βοῦς γῇ οὐκ ἐκρύφθη, ἀλλʼ ἔτι καὶ ἐς ἐμὲ ἦν φανερή, ἐν Σάι μὲν πόλι ἐοῦσα, κειμένη δὲ ἐν τοῖσι βασιληίοισι ἐν οἰκήματι ἠσκημένῳ·
This cow, then, was not buried in the earth, but was still visible even down to my own time, being in the city of Sais, and placed in a richly adorned chamber in the palace.
θυμιήματα δὲ παρʼ αὐτῇ παντοῖα καταγίζουσι ἀνὰ πᾶσαν ἡμέρην, νύκτα δὲ ἑκάστην πάννυχος λύχνος παρακαίεται.
Beside her they burn all kinds of incense every day, and every night a lamp burns beside her all night long.
§2.130.2ἀγχοῦ δὲ τῆς βοὸς ταύτης ἐν ἄλλῳ οἰκήματι εἰκόνες τῶν παλλακέων τῶν Μυκερίνου ἑστᾶσι, ὡς ἔλεγον οἱ ἐν Σάι πόλι ἱρέες·
Near this cow, in another chamber, stand images of the concubines of Mycerinus, as the priests in the city of Sais said.
ἑστᾶσι μὲν γὰρ ξύλιναι κολοσσοί, ἐοῦσαι ἀριθμὸν ὡς εἴκοσι μάλιστά κῃ, γυμναὶ ἐργασμέναι· αἵτινες μέντοι εἰσί, οὐκ ἔχω εἰπεῖν πλὴν ἢ τὰ λεγόμενα.
For there stand wooden colossal statues, being about twenty in number, fashioned naked; who they actually are, however, I am not able to say, except for what is told.

Notes

  1. §2.130.1γῇ — Dative of place, meaning "in the earth". It is an archaic or poetic usage representing place without the preposition `ἐν`, dependent on the verb `κρύπτω` (to hide, bury).
  2. §2.130.2ἀριθμὸν — Accusative of respect (or specification), modifying the participle `ἐοῦσαι` (present participle feminine plural of `εἰμί`, agreeing with `κολοσσοί`), meaning "in number" or "as to number".
  3. §2.130.2πλὴν ἢ τὰ λεγόμενα — The combination `πλὴν ἤ` acts as a preposition meaning "except" or "other than". `τὰ λεγόμενα` is the articular neuter plural present passive participle of `λέγω`, meaning "the things said" or "what is told", yielding the overall meaning "except for what is told".

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §2.130.1-2.130.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.130.1-2.130.2

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