Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §2.31.1

The Known Course of the Nile and the Desert Beyond

Passage 247 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Excluding Egypt, the course of the Nile is known up to a four-month journey and flows from the west, but beyond this, the intense heat makes the land a desert, leaving its source unknown.

§2.31.1μέχρι μέν νυν τεσσέρων μηνῶν πλόου καὶ ὁδοῦ γινώσκεται ὁ Νεῖλος πάρεξ τοῦ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ῥεύματος· τοσοῦτοι γὰρ συμβαλλομένῳ μῆνες εὑρίσκονται ἀναισιμούμενοι ἐξ Ἐλεφαντίνης πορευομένῳ ἐς τοὺς αὐτομόλους τούτους.
Excluding its course in Egypt, the Nile is known for a distance of four months of travel by boat and on foot; for that is the number of months which are found to be spent by one who travels from Elephantine to these deserters, if he reckons them up.
ῥέει δὲ ἀπὸ ἑσπέρης τε καὶ ἡλίου δυσμέων.
And it flows from the west and the setting of the sun.
τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦδε οὐδεὶς ἔχει σαφέως φράσαι· ἔρημος γὰρ ἐστὶ ἡ χώρη αὕτη ὑπὸ καύματος.
But beyond this point, no one is able to speak with certainty; for this country is desert because of the heat.

Notes

  1. §2.31.1συμβαλλομένῳ — A present participle in the dative case, meaning "to one who calculates" or "if one reckons it up." It functions as a dative of relation or reference, indicating the person from whose point of view the calculation is made, and stands in parallel with the subsequent dative `πορευομένῳ` ("to one who travels").
  2. §2.31.1εὑρίσκονται ἀναισιμούμενοι — The verb `εὑρίσκονται` ("they are found") is accompanied by the present passive participle `ἀναισιμούμενοι` ("being spent"), forming a construction where verbs of finding or perceiving take a supplementary participle. It means "are found to be spent" or "are shown to be consumed."
  3. §2.31.1ἔχει — The verb `ἔχω` followed by the infinitive `φράσαι` ("to declare") is used in the sense of "to be able to" (equivalent to "can"), rather than its primary meaning of "to have."

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §2.31.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.31.1

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