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Herodotus · Histories §2.159.1-2.159.3

Military Campaigns, Fleets, and Death of Necos

Passage 381 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Necos abandoned the canal project to focus on military campaigns, building fleets in both the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, defeating the Syrians at Magdolus, capturing Cadytis, and finally dying after a sixteen-year reign.

§2.159.1παυσάμενος δὲ τῆς διώρυχος ὁ Νεκῶς ἐτράπετο πρὸς στρατηίας, καὶ τριήρεες αἳ μὲν ἐπὶ τῇ βορηίῃ θαλάσσῃ ἐποιήθησαν, αἳ δʼ ἐν τῷ Ἀραβίῳ κόλπῳ ἐπὶ τῇ Ἐρυθρῇ θαλάσσῃ, τῶν ἔτι οἱ ὁλκοὶ ἐπίδηλοι.
Having stopped the canal, Necos turned to military campaigns, and triremes were built, some on the northern sea, others in the Arabian Gulf on the Red Sea, of which the slipways are still visible.
§2.159.2καὶ ταύτῃσί τε ἐχρᾶτο ἐν τῷ δέοντι καὶ Σύροισι πεζῇ ὁ Νεκῶς συμβαλὼν ἐν Μαγδώλῳ ἐνίκησε, μετὰ δὲ τὴν μάχην Κάδυτιν πόλιν τῆς Συρίης ἐοῦσαν μεγάλην εἷλε.
And he made use of these as occasion required, and also, engaging with the Syrians by land, Necos defeated them at Magdolus, and after the battle he took Cadytis, which is a great city of Syria.
§2.159.3ἐν τῇ δὲ ἐσθῆτι ἔτυχε ταῦτα κατεργασάμενος, ἀνέθηκε τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι πέμψας ἐς Βραγχίδας τὰς Μιλησίων.
The garment in which he happened to have accomplished these deeds, he dedicated to Apollo, sending it to Branchidae of the Milesians.
μετὰ δέ, ἑκκαίδεκα ἔτεα τὰ πάντα ἄρξας, τελευτᾷ, τῷ παιδὶ Ψάμμι παραδοὺς τὴν ἀρχήν.
After this, having ruled for sixteen years in all, he died, handing over the sovereignty to his son Psammis.

Notes

  1. 2.159.1τῶν — Relative pronoun in the genitive case, referring back to the preceding τριήρεες (triremes); meaning "of which (ships)".
  2. 2.159.1ὁλκοί — Refers to "slipways", "slides", or "tracks" used for dragging ships onto dry land.
  3. 2.159.3ἔτυχε ταῦτα κατεργασάμενος — The construction of the verb τυγχάνω (to happen to be) with the supplementary participle (κατεργασάμενος). Although it literally means "happened to accomplish these things," it serves here to emphasize the actual state or circumstance under which he performed these historical deeds (i.e., while wearing that garment).
  4. 2.159.3ἑκκαίδεκα ἔτεα τὰ πάντα — Accusative of duration of time. The phrase τὰ πάντα (in all, altogether) modifies the number, meaning "for sixteen years in all" or "for a full sixteen years".

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §2.159.1-2.159.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.159.1-2.159.3

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