Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §2.162.1-2.162.6

Rebels Crown Amasis and the Egyptians Defect from Apries

Passage 384 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Apries sends Amasis to quell the revolt, but Amasis is crowned king by the rebels and insults the messenger Patarbemis. In a rage, Apries mutilates Patarbemis, driving the remaining loyal Egyptians to defect to Amasis.

§2.162.1πυθόμενος δὲ Ἀπρίης ταῦτα πέμπει ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς Ἄμασιν καταπαύσοντα λόγοισι.
When Apries heard this, he sent Amasis to them to stop them with words.
ὁ δὲ ἐπείτε ἀπικόμενος κατελάμβανε τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους ταῦτα μὴ ποιέειν, λέγοντος αὐτοῦ τῶν τις Αἰγυπτίων ὄπισθε στὰς περιέθηκέ οἱ κυνέην, καὶ περιτιθεὶς ἔφη ἐπὶ βασιληίῃ περιτιθέναι.
But when he arrived and was trying to restrain the Egyptians from doing these things, while he was speaking, one of the Egyptians stood behind him and placed a helmet on his head, and as he placed it, he said he was putting it on him for the kingship.
§2.162.2καὶ τῷ οὔ κως ἀεκούσιον ἐγίνετο τὸ ποιεύμενον, ὡς διεδείκνυε.
And to him what was being done was not at all unwilling, as he made clear.
ἐπείτε γὰρ ἐστήσαντό μιν βασιλέα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων οἱ ἀπεστεῶτες, παρεσκευάζετο ὡς ἐλῶν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀπρίην.
For when the rebels set him up as king of the Egyptians, he began to make preparations as if to march against Apries.
§2.162.3πυθόμενος δὲ ταῦτα ὁ Ἀπρίης ἔπεμπε ἐπʼ Ἄμασιν ἄνδρα δόκιμον τῶν περὶ ἑωυτὸν Αἰγυπτίων, τῷ οὔνομα ἦν Πατάρβημις, ἐντειλάμενος αὐτῷ ζῶντα Ἄμασιν ἀγαγεῖν παρʼ ἑωυτόν.
And Apries, when he heard this, sent to Amasis a distinguished man of the Egyptians about him, whose name was Patarbemis, commanding him to bring Amasis alive to him.
ὡς δὲ ἀπικόμενος τὸν Ἄμασιν ἐκάλεε ὁ Πατάρβημις, ὁ Ἄμασις, ἔτυχε γὰρ ἐπʼ ἵππου κατήμενος, ἐπαείρας ἀπεματάισε, καὶ τοῦτό μιν ἐκέλευε Ἀπρίῃ ἀπάγειν.
But when Patarbemis arrived and called Amasis, Amasis—for he happened to be sitting on a horse—lifted himself up and broke wind, and told him to carry this back to Apries.
§2.162.4ὅμως δὲ αὐτὸν ἀξιοῦν τὸν Πατάρβημιν βασιλέος μεταπεμπομένου ἰέναι πρὸς αὐτόν· τὸν δὲ αὐτῷ ὑποκρίνεσθαι ὡς ταῦτα πάλαι παρεσκευάζετο ποιέειν, καὶ αὐτῷ οὐ μέμψεσθαι Ἀπρίην· παρέσεσθαι γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ ἄλλους ἄξειν.
Nevertheless, Patarbemis demanded of him that he should go to the king, since the king was sending for him; and Amasis answered him that he had long been preparing to do this, and that Apries would have no cause to complain of him; for he would both come himself and bring others with him.
§2.162.5τὸν δὲ Πατάρβημιν ἔκ τε τῶν λεγομένων οὐκ ἀγνοέειν τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ παρασκευαζόμενον ὁρῶντα σπουδῇ ἀπιέναι, βουλόμενον τὴν ταχίστην βασιλέι δηλῶσαι τὰ πρησσόμενα.
And Patarbemis, not failing to understand his intention from what was said, and seeing him making preparations, departed in haste, wishing to make known to the king as quickly as possible what was being done.
ὡς δὲ ἀπικέσθαι αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν Ἀπρίην οὐκ ἄγοντα τὸν Ἄμασιν, οὐδένα λόγον αὐτῷ δόντα ἀλλὰ περιθύμως ἔχοντα περιταμεῖν προστάξαι αὐτοῦ τά τε ὦτα καὶ τὴν ῥῖνα.
But when he came to Apries without bringing Amasis, the king gave him no opportunity to speak but, being in a violent rage, ordered his ears and nose to be cut off.
§2.162.6ἰδόμενοι δʼ οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, οἳ ἔτι τὰ ἐκείνου ἐφρόνεον, ἄνδρα τὸν δοκιμώτατον ἑωυτῶν οὕτω αἰσχρῶς λύμῃ διακείμενον, οὐδένα δὴ χρόνον ἐπισχόντες ἀπιστέατο πρὸς τοὺς ἑτέρους καὶ ἐδίδοσαν σφέας αὐτοὺς Ἀμάσι.
And when the rest of the Egyptians who still favored his cause saw their most distinguished man so shamefully maltreated, they delayed no time at all but revolted to the other party and gave themselves up to Amasis.

Notes

  1. 2.162.1κατελάμβανε — Imperfect tense. Here it represents a conative or ongoing action: Amasis 'was trying to restrain' or 'was in the process of persuading' the Egyptians from rebelling.
  2. 2.162.4ἀξιοῦν — Independent infinitive in indirect discourse. From section 4 to 5, the narrative adopts a reported or indirect speech format, causing a series of main verbs to be expressed as infinitives (such as ἀξιοῦν, ὑποκρίνεσθαι, οὐκ ἀγνοέειν, ἀπιέναι, and προστάξαι) rather than indicative verbs, which is characteristic of Herodotus' narrative style.
  3. 2.162.5ὡς δὲ ἀπικέσθαι — Infinitive within the temporal ὡς clause. Because the main clause is governed by an infinitive in indirect discourse (προστάξαι), the verb in the subordinate temporal clause is attracted into the infinitive (ἀπικέσθαι) instead of the expected indicative (ἀπίκετο).
  4. 2.162.5δόντα — Accusative participle. It agrees with the omitted accusative subject of the governing infinitive `προστάξαι`, which is `Ἀπρίην` (Apries). The following coordinate participle `ἔχοντα` also modifies `Ἀπρίην`.
  5. 2.162.6ἀπιστέατο — Ionic 3rd person plural imperfect. Corresponding to the Attic form `ἀφίσταντο` (from the verb `ἀφίσταμαι`, 'to revolt/defect'), displaying the typical Ionic ending `-ατο` instead of `-ν토`.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §2.162.1-2.162.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.162.1-2.162.6

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