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Herodotus · Histories §2.178.1-2.178.3

Amasis Grants Naucratis and Founding of the Hellenion

Passage 400 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

King Amasis adopted a pro-Greek policy, granting the city of Naucratis for Greeks to inhabit and land for others to build sanctuaries, detailing the cities that jointly established the "Hellenion" and those that built separate temples.

§2.178.1φιλέλλην δὲ γενόμενος ὁ Ἄμασις ἄλλα τε ἐς Ἑλλήνων μετεξετέρους ἀπεδέξατο, καὶ δὴ καὶ τοῖσι ἀπικνευμένοισι ἐς Αἴγυπτον ἔδωκε Ναύκρατιν πόλιν ἐνοικῆσαι· τοῖσι δὲ μὴ βουλομένοισι αὐτῶν οἰκέειν, αὐτοῦ δὲ ναυτιλλομένοισι ἔδωκε χώρους ἐνιδρύσασθαι βωμοὺς καὶ τεμένεα θεοῖσι.
Having become a friend of the Greeks, Amasis showed various favors to certain among them, and in particular, to those who arrived in Egypt he gave the city of Naucratis to inhabit; and to those of them who did not wish to dwell there, but who sailed thither, he gave land to establish altars and sacred precincts for the gods.
§2.178.2τὸ μέν νυν μέγιστον αὐτῶν τέμενος, καὶ ὀνομαστότατον ἐὸν καὶ χρησιμώτατον, καλεύμενον δὲ Ἑλλήνιον, αἵδε αἱ πόλιες εἰσὶ αἱ ἱδρυμέναι κοινῇ, Ἱώνων μὲν Χίος καὶ Τέως καὶ Φώκαια καὶ Κλαζομεναί, Δωριέων δὲ Ῥόδος καὶ Κνίδος καὶ Ἁλικαρνησσὸς καὶ Φάσηλις, Αἰολέων δὲ ἡ Μυτιληναίων μούνη.
Now their greatest precinct, which is also the most famous and the most useful, called the Hellenion, is the one established in common by the following cities: of the Ionians, Chios, Teos, Phocaea, and Clazomenae; of the Dorians, Rhodes, Cnidus, Halicarnassus, and Phaselis; and of the Aeolians, Mytilene alone.
§2.178.3τουτέων μὲν ἐστὶ τοῦτο τὸ τέμενος, καὶ προστάτας τοῦ ἐμπορίου αὗται αἱ πόλιες εἰσὶ αἱ παρέχουσαι· ὅσαι δὲ ἄλλαι πόλιες μεταποιεῦνται, οὐδέν σφι μετεὸν μεταποιεῦνται.
This precinct belongs to these cities, and it is these cities that provide the officers of the trading port; and whatever other cities lay claim to it, they do so having no share in it.
χωρὶς δὲ Αἰγινῆται ἐπὶ ἑωυτῶν ἱδρύσαντο τέμενος Διός, καὶ ἄλλο Σάμιοι Ἥρης καὶ Μιλήσιοι Ἀπόλλωνος.
Separately, the Aeginetans established for themselves a precinct of Zeus, the Samians another of Hera, and the Milesians another of Apollo.

Notes

  1. §2.178.1ἀπεδέξατο — Ionic form corresponding to Attic ἀπεδείξατο (third-person singular aorist middle indicative of ἀποδείκνυμι, "to show, display"). Here it is used in the sense of "to show or exhibit (favors/friendly attitude)."
  2. §2.178.1αὐτοῦ δὲ ναυτιλλομένοισι — Refers to those who do not wish to settle but "sail thither (for trade)." The word αὐτοῦ is an adverb meaning "there" (i.e., in Naucratis). It stands in contrast to οἰκέειν ("to dwell/inhabit") in the preceding clause, distinguishing residents from temporary traders.
  3. §2.178.3οὐδέν σφι μετεὸν — An accusative absolute construction consisting of μετεόν, the neuter singular accusative participle of the impersonal verb μέτεστι ("there is a share"), and the third-person plural dative pronoun σφι ("to them"). It functions concessively: "although they have no share in it."

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §2.178.1-2.178.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.178.1-2.178.3

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