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Herodotus · Histories §2.163.1-2.163.2

Apries Confronts Amasis at Momemphis

Passage 385 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Apries learns of the rebellion and the events, and marches with thirty thousand mercenaries to confront Amasis and his Egyptian forces at Momemphis.

§2.163.1πυθόμενος δὲ καὶ ταῦτα ὁ Ἀπρίης ὥπλιζε τοὺς ἐπικούρους καὶ ἤλαυνε ἐπὶ τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους· εἶχε δὲ περὶ ἑωυτὸν Κᾶράς τε καὶ Ἴωνας ἄνδρας ἐπικούρους τρισμυρίους· ἦν δέ οἱ τὰ βασιλήια ἐν Σάι πόλι, μεγάλα ἐόντα καὶ ἀξιοθέητα.
And when Apries heard these things also, he armed his auxiliaries and marched against the Egyptians; and he had about him thirty thousand Carian and Ionian mercenary men; and his palace was in the city of Sais, which was large and well worth seeing.
§2.163.2καὶ οἵ τε περὶ τὸν Ἀπρίην ἐπὶ τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους ἤισαν καὶ οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἄμασιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ξείνους· ἔν τε δὴ Μωμέμφι πόλι ἐγένοντο ἀμφότεροι καὶ πειρήσεσθαι ἔμελλον ἀλλήλων.
So those about Apries went against the Egyptians, and those about Amasis against the foreigners; and both sides arrived at the city of Momemphis and were about to make trial of one another.

Notes

  1. §2.163.1καὶ ταῦτα — Meaning 'these things also', referring to the cruel treatment of the messenger Patarbemis by Apries and the subsequent further defection of the Egyptians described in the previous chapter.
  2. §2.163.1ἦν δέ οἱ τὰ βασιλήια — οἱ is a dative of possession. The neuter plural noun τὰ βασιλήια means 'the palace'.
  3. §2.163.2οἵ τε περὶ τὸν Ἀπρίην... οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἄμασιν — The construction 'οἱ περί + accusative' here denotes the leader and his 'forces' or 'faction'.
  4. §2.163.2πειρήσεσθαι ἔμελλον ἀλλήλων — ἔμελλον with the future infinitive πειρήσεσθαι means 'were about to'. The verb πειράομαι takes the genitive (ἀλλήλων) meaning 'to make trial of' or 'to fight with'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §2.163.1-2.163.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.163.1-2.163.2

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