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Herodotus · Histories §2.182.1-2.182.2

Amasis's Offerings to Greek Temples and Conquest of Cyprus

Passage 404 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Amasis dedicates various offerings in Greece (Cyrene, Lindus, and Samos), explaining their backgrounds based on diplomatic friendship or mythological origins, and finally achievements the conquest of Cyprus for the first time in history.

§2.182.1ἀνέθηκε δὲ καὶ ἀναθήματα ὁ Ἄμασις ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα, τοῦτο μὲν ἐς Κυρήνην ἄγαλμα ἐπίχρυσον Ἀθηναίης καὶ εἰκόνα ἑωυτοῦ γραφῇ εἰκασμένην, τοῦτο δὲ τῇ ἐν Λίνδῳ Ἀθηναίῃ δύο τε ἀγάλματα λίθινα καὶ θώρηκα λίνεον ἀξιοθέητον, τοῦτο δʼ ἐς Σάμον τῇ Ἥρῃ εἰκόνας ἑωυτοῦ διφασίας ξυλίνας, αἳ ἐν τῷ νηῷ τῷ μεγάλῳ ἱδρύατο ἔτι καὶ τὸ μέχρι ἐμεῦ, ὄπισθε τῶν θυρέων.
Amasis also dedicated offerings in Greece: first, to Cyrene, a gilded statue of Athena and a painted portrait of himself; second, to Athena in Lindus, two stone statues and a marvelous linen corslet; third, to Hera in Samos, two wooden images of himself, which were set up in the great temple even down to my time, behind the doors.
§2.182.2ἐς μέν νυν Σάμον ἀνέθηκε κατὰ ξεινίην τὴν ἑωυτοῦ τε καὶ Πολυκράτεος τοῦ Αἰάκεος, ἐς δὲ Λίνδον ξεινίης μὲν οὐδεμιῆς εἵνεκεν, ὅτι δὲ τὸ ἱρὸν τὸ ἐν Λίνδῳ τὸ τῆς Ἀθηναίης λέγεται τὰς Δαναοῦ θυγατέρας ἱδρύσασθαι προσσχούσας, ὅτε ἀπεδίδρησκον τοὺς Αἰγύπτου παῖδας.
Now his dedication in Samos was made on account of the friendship between himself and Polycrates, the son of Aeaces; but that in Lindus was for no friendship, but because it is said that the temple of Athena in Lindus was founded by the daughters of Danaus when they touched land there, fleeing from the sons of Aegyptus.
ταῦτα μὲν ἀνέθηκε ὁ Ἄμασις, εἷλε δὲ Κύπρον πρῶτος ἀνθρώπων καὶ κατεστρέψατο ἐς φόρου ἀπαγωγήν.
These were the offerings Amasis dedicated; and he was the first of men to capture Cyprus and subdue it to the payment of tribute.

Notes

  1. §2.182.1τοῦτο μὲν ... τοῦτο δὲ ... τοῦτο δʼ — Adverbial accusative of the demonstrative pronoun (neuter singular), used to introduce a series of parallel or contrasting items ('firstly... secondly... thirdly...'). Here it coordinates the three dedications in Cyrene, Lindus, and Samos.
  2. §2.182.1ἱδρύατο — Third-person plural pluperfect passive of the verb ἱδρύω ('to set up, dedicate'). This is the Ionic form equivalent to Attic ἵδρυντο, where the ending -ατο is typical in the Ionic dialect after consonants or close vowels.
  3. §2.182.2λέγεται τὰς Δαναοῦ θυγατέρας ἱδρύσασθαι — An accusative with infinitive construction introduced by the impersonal verb λέγεται ('it is said'). It consists of the subject accusative τὰς Δαναοῦ θυγατέρας ('the daughters of Danaus') and the aorist middle infinitive ἱδρύσασθαι ('to have founded').
  4. §2.182.2κατεστρέψατο ἐς φόρου ἀπαγωγήν — Literally, 'subdued into the payment of tribute.' The prepositional phrase ἐς... indicates the result or purpose of the subjection (κατεστρέψατο), meaning that he reduced Cyprus to a tributary state.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §2.182.1-2.182.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.182.1-2.182.2

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