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Herodotus · Histories §2.170.1-2.170.2

Tomb of the Unnamed God and Circular Lake at Sais

Passage 392 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Describes the tombs of the unnamed god (Osiris) in the temple of Athena, along with the great stone obelisks and the circular lake in the sacred enclosure.

§2.170.1εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ αἱ ταφαὶ τοῦ οὐκ ὅσιον ποιεῦμαι ἐπὶ τοιούτῳ πρήγματι ἐξαγορεύειν τὸ οὔνομα ἐν Σάι, ἐν τῷ ἱρῷ τῆς Ἀθηναίης, ὄπισθε τοῦ νηοῦ, παντὸς τοῦ τῆς Ἀθηναίης ἐχόμεναι τοίχου.
There are also the tombs of him whose name I consider it not pious to mention in connection with such a matter, in Sais, in the temple of Athena, behind the inner shrine, adjoining the whole wall of the temple of Athena.
§2.170.2καὶ ἐν τῷ τεμένεϊ ὀβελοὶ ἑστᾶσι μεγάλοι λίθινοι, λίμνη τε ἐστὶ ἐχομένη λιθίνῃ κρηπῖδι κεκοσμημένη καὶ ἐργασμένη εὖ κύκλῳ καὶ μέγαθος, ὡς ἐμοὶ ἐδόκεε, ὅση περ ἡ ἐν Δήλῳ ἡ τροχοειδὴς καλεομένη.
And in the sacred enclosure stand great stone obelisks, and there is also a lake, bordered with a stone coping and well constructed in a circle, and in size, as it seemed to me, just as large as the one in Delos called "the Circular".

Notes

  1. 2.170.1τοῦ οὐκ ὅσιον ποιεῦμαι — The genitive demonstrative pronoun `τοῦ` depends on `αἱ ταφαὶ` (tombs) and is modified by the clause starting with `οὐκ ὅσιον ποιεῦμαι` ("I do not consider it pious"). It means "of him whose [name I consider it not pious to mention]" referring to Osiris, whose name is withheld for religious reasons. `ποιεῦμαι` is the Ionic form corresponding to Attic `ποιοῦμαι`.
  2. 2.170.1ἐχόμεναι — A nominative feminine plural present participle agreeing in gender, number, and case with the subject of the sentence `αἱ ταφαὶ` (tombs). The middle verb `ἔχομαι` with the genitive means "adjoining" or "clinging to", here taking the genitive `παντὸς τοῦ ... τοίχου` (the whole wall) as its complement.
  3. 2.170.2μέγαθος — An accusative of respect (or specification), Ionic form corresponding to Attic `μέγεθος`, meaning "in size" or "with respect to magnitude".

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §2.170.1-2.170.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.170.1-2.170.2

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