Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §2.164.1-2.164.2

The Seven Egyptian Classes and the Warrior Class

Passage 386 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The text lists the seven classes of Egyptians and begins to explain that the warrior class, consisting of the Calasiries and Hermotybies, belongs to specific nomes.

§2.164.1ἔστι δὲ Αἰγυπτίων ἑπτὰ γένεα, καὶ τούτων οἳ μὲν ἱρέες οἳ δὲ μάχιμοι κεκλέαται, οἳ δὲ βουκόλοι οἳ δὲ συβῶται, οἳ δὲ κάπηλοι, οἳ δὲ ἑρμηνέες, οἳ δὲ κυβερνήται.
There are seven classes of Egyptians, and of these some are called priests, some warriors, some cowherds, some swineherds, some tradesmen, some interpreters, and some pilots.
γένεα μὲν Αἰγυπτίων τοσαῦτα ἐστί, οὐνόματα δέ σφι κέεται ἀπὸ τῶν τεχνέων.
There are this many classes of Egyptians, and their names are derived from their occupations.
§2.164.2οἱ δὲ μάχιμοι αὐτῶν καλέονται μὲν Καλασίριές τε καὶ Ἑρμοτύβιες, ἐκ νομῶν δὲ τῶνδε εἰσί· κατὰ γὰρ δὴ νομοὺς Αἴγυπτος ἅπασα διαραίρηται.
The warriors among them are called Calasiries and Hermotybies, and they come from the following nomes; for all Egypt is divided into nomes.

Notes

  1. §2.164.1κεκλέαται — Third-person plural perfect indicative passive of καλέω, an Ionic dialectal form for κέκληνται.
  2. §2.164.1οἳ μὲν... οἳ δὲ... — An occurrence of the relative pronoun ὅς, ἥ, ὅ used as a demonstrative pronoun ('some... others...'). The subsequent instances of οἳ δὲ are in the same construction, sharing (by ellipsis) the verb κεκλέαται.
  3. §2.164.2διαραίρηται — Third-person singular perfect indicative passive of διαιρέω ('to divide'), showing the Ionic dialectal development (equivalent to Attic διῄρηται).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §2.164.1-2.164.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.164.1-2.164.2

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.