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Herodotus · Histories §2.21.1

The Second Theory: Nile Floods Caused by Ocean

Passage 237 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Introduces the second explanation for the flooding of the Nile, which attributes it to the Ocean and is described as less scientific but more marvelous than the first.

§2.21.1ἡ δʼ ἑτέρη ἀνεπιστημονεστέρη μὲν ἐστὶ τῆς λελεγμένης, λόγῳ δὲ εἰπεῖν θωμασιωτέρη· ἣ λέγει ἀπὸ τοῦ Ὠκεανοῦ ῥέοντα αὐτὸν ταῦτα μηχανᾶσθαι, τὸν δὲ Ὠκεανὸν γῆν περὶ πᾶσαν ῥέειν.
The second explanation is less scientific than the one already mentioned, but more marvelous to relate; it says that the Nile produces these effects by flowing from the Ocean, and that the Ocean flows around the entire earth.

Notes

  1. §2.21.1λόγῳ δὲ εἰπεῖν — The infinitive εἰπεῖν is used as an absolute infinitive to qualify the expression, meaning "so to speak" or "to tell of it in words" when combined with λόγῳ ("in word").
  2. §2.21.1αὐτὸν — This is the subject of the infinitive μηχανᾶσθαι in the indirect discourse (accusative with infinitive construction), referring back to the Nile (τὸν Νεῖλον). The participle ῥέοντα agrees with it in gender, number, and case.
  3. §2.21.1γῆν περὶ πᾶσαν — An instance of anastrophe, where the preposition περί is placed after the noun γῆν which it governs. It is equivalent in meaning to the standard order περὶ πᾶσαν γῆν ("around the entire earth").

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §2.21.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.21.1

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