Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §2.6.1-2.6.3

Length of Egypt's coast and units of land measure

Passage 222 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The author states that the length of Egypt along the sea is sixty schoinoi, and explains how different units of measurement (fathoms, stadia, parasangs, and schoinoi) are used depending on the scale of landholdings, along with their conversion rates.

§2.6.1αὖτις δὲ αὐτῆς ἐστι Αἰγύπτου μῆκος τὸ παρὰ θάλασσαν ἑξήκοντα σχοῖνοι, κατὰ ἡμεῖς διαιρέομεν εἶναι Αἴγυπτον ἀπὸ τοῦ Πλινθινήτεω κόλπου μέχρι Σερβωνίδος λίμνης, παρʼ ἣν τὸ Κάσιον ὄρος τείνει· ταύτης ὦν ἄπο οἱ ἑξήκοντα σχοῖνοι εἰσί.
Furthermore, the length of Egypt itself along the sea is sixty schoinoi, according to how we define Egypt to be from the Plinthinetan Gulf as far as the Serbonian lake, alongside which Mount Casius stretches; from this lake, then, are the sixty schoinoi.
§2.6.2ὅσοι μὲν γὰρ γεωπεῖναι εἰσὶ ἀνθρώπων, ὀργυιῇσι μεμετρήκασι τὴν χώρην, ὅσοι δὲ ἧσσον γεωπεῖναι, σταδίοισι, οἳ δὲ πολλὴν ἔχουσι, παρασάγγῃσι, οἳ δὲ ἄφθονον λίην, σχοίνοισι.
For those of men who are land-poor measure their land in fathoms, and those who are less land-poor, in stadia, and those who have much land, in parasangs, and those who have an extremely abundant amount, in schoinoi.
§2.6.3δύναται δὲ ὁ παρασάγγης τριήκοντα στάδια, ὁ δὲ σχοῖνος, μέτρον ἐὸν Αἰγύπτιον, ἑξήκοντα στάδια.
And the parasang is equal to thirty stadia, and the schoinos, which is an Egyptian measure, is sixty stadia.

Notes

  1. 2.6.1καexternal_linkτὰ ἡμεῖς διαιρέομεν εἶναι Αἴγυπτον — The preposition κατά here functions virtually as a relative adverb (equivalent to κατ' ἅ, 'according to what' or 'as'). The infinitive εἶναι acts as the complement of διαιρέομεν ('we divide/define'), forming an accusative and infinitive construction with Αἴγυπτον as its subject, meaning 'according to how we define Egypt to be.'
  2. 2.6.2γεωπεῖναι — Nominative plural of the compound γεωπείνης (from γῆ 'land' and πεινάω 'to hunger'), referring to those who are land-hungry or possess very little land. The four-tier contrast with ἧσσον γεωπεῖναι (less land-poor), πολλὴν ἔχουσι (having much), and ἄφθονον λίην (having extremely abundant land) illustrates how the unit of measurement scales up with the size of landholdings.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §2.6.1-2.6.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.6.1-2.6.3

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