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Herodotus · Histories §2.44.1-2.44.5

Investigation of Heracles in Tyre and Thasos

Passage 260 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The author visits temples in Tyre and Thasos to investigate the antiquity and Phoenician origins of Heracles. Based on these findings, he concludes that those Greeks who worship Heracles both as an immortal god and as a hero act most correctly.

§2.44.1καὶ θέλων δὲ τούτων πέρι σαφές τι εἰδέναι ἐξ ὧν οἷόν τε ἦν, ἔπλευσα καὶ ἐς Τύρον τῆς Φοινίκης, πυνθανόμενος αὐτόθι εἶναι ἱρὸν Ἡρακλέος ἅγιον.
And wishing to obtain some clear knowledge about these matters from whatever sources were possible, I sailed even to Tyre in Phoenicia, inquiring there because I heard there was a holy temple of Heracles.
§2.44.2καὶ εἶδον πλουσίως κατεσκευασμένον ἄλλοισί τε πολλοῖσι ἀναθήμασι, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ἦσαν στῆλαι δύο, ἣ μὲν χρυσοῦ ἀπέφθου, ἣ δὲ σμαράγδου λίθου λάμποντος τὰς νύκτας μέγαθος.
And I saw it richly adorned with many other votive offerings, and in it there were two pillars, one of refined gold, and the other of emerald stone, which shone greatly at night.
ἐς λόγους δὲ ἐλθὼν τοῖσι ἱρεῦσι τοῦ θεοῦ εἰρόμην ὁκόσος χρόνος εἴη ἐξ οὗ σφι τὸ ἱρὸν ἵδρυται.
And having entered into conversation with the priests of the god, I asked them how much time had passed since their temple was founded.
§2.44.3εὗρον δὲ οὐδὲ τούτους τοῖσι Ἕλλησι συμφερομένους· ἔφασαν γὰρ ἅμα Τύρῳ οἰκιζομένῃ καὶ τὸ ἱρὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἱδρυθῆναι, εἶναι δὲ ἔτεα ἀπʼ οὗ Τύρον οἰκέουσι τριηκόσια καὶ δισχίλια.
But I found that not even these men agreed with the Greeks; for they said that the temple of the god was founded at the same time that Tyre was settled, and that it was two thousand three hundred years since they had inhabited Tyre.
εἶδον δὲ ἐν τῇ Τύρῳ καὶ ἄλλο ἱρὸν Ἡρακλέος ἐπωνυμίην ἔχοντος Θασίου εἶναι·
I also saw in Tyre another temple of Heracles, who had the surname of being the Thasian.
§2.44.4ἀπικόμην δὲ καὶ ἐς Θάσον, ἐν τῇ εὗρον ἱρὸν Ἡρακλέος ὑπὸ Φοινίκων ἱδρυμένον, οἳ κατʼ Εὐρώπης ζήτησιν ἐκπλώσαντες Θάσον ἔκτισαν· καὶ ταῦτα καὶ πέντε γενεῇσι ἀνδρῶν πρότερα ἐστὶ ἢ τὸν Ἀμφιτρύωνος Ἡρακλέα ἐν τῇ Ἑλλάδι γενέσθαι.
And I went also to Thasos, where I found a temple of Heracles founded by the Phoenicians, who had sailed out in search of Europa and founded Thasos; and these things occurred even five generations of men before the Heracles of Amphitryon was born in Greece.
§2.44.5τὰ μέν νυν ἱστορημένα δηλοῖ σαφέως παλαιὸν θεὸν Ἡρακλέα ἐόντα, καὶ δοκέουσι δέ μοι οὗτοι ὀρθότατα Ἑλλήνων ποιέειν, οἳ διξὰ Ἡράκλεια ἱδρυσάμενοι ἔκτηνται, καὶ τῷ μὲν ὡς ἀθανάτῳ Ὀλυμπίῳ δὲ ἐπωνυμίην θύουσι, τῷ δὲ ἑτέρῳ ὡς ἥρωι ἐναγίζουσι.
Now these inquiries show clearly that Heracles is an ancient god; and those of the Greeks seem to me to act most correctly who, having established twofold temples of Heracles, possess them, and to the one they offer sacrifice as to an immortal, with the surname Olympian, while to the other they make offerings as to a hero.

Notes

  1. 2.44.2λάμποντος τὰς νύκτας μέγαθος — μέγαθος ('size/magnitude') is an accusative of respect (or adverbial accusative) meaning 'greatly' or 'magnificently', modifying the participle λάμποντος ('shining'), or modifying the description as 'of a great size.' The participle λάμποντος (genitive singular masculine/neuter) agrees with the preceding noun phrase σμαράγδου λίθου ('emerald stone').
  2. 2.44.3ἅμα Τύρῳ οἰκιζομένῃ — The preposition ἅμα followed by the dative noun Τύρῳ ('Tyre') and the present passive dative participle οἰκιζομένῃ ('being founded/settled') expresses simultaneity, meaning 'at the same time as Tyre was being founded.'
  3. 2.44.4πέντε γενεῇσι ἀνδρῶν πρότερα ἐστὶ ἢ τὸν Ἀμφιτρύωνος Ἡρακλέα ἐν τῇ Ἑλλάδι γενέσθαι — πέντε γενεῇσι ('by five generations') is a dative of measure of difference. The comparative adjective πρότερα ('earlier') is followed by the conjunction ἤ ('than') and an accusative-with-infinitve construction (τὸν ... Ἡρακλέα ... γενέσθαι, 'that the Heracles of Amphitryon was born'), expressing temporal priority: 'earlier by five generations than the birth of the Heracles of Amphitryon.'

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §2.44.1-2.44.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.44.1-2.44.5

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