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Herodotus · Histories §2.78.1

Carrying a Model Corpse at Egyptian Banquets

Passage 294 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

On the custom at the banquets of wealthy Egyptians, where a wooden model of a corpse is carried around after dinner to remind the guests of their mortality and urge them to enjoy the present.

§2.78.1ἐν δὲ τῇσι συνουσίῃσι τοῖσι εὐδαίμοσι αὐτῶν, ἐπεὰν ἀπὸ δείπνου γένωνται, περιφέρει ἀνὴρ νεκρὸν ἐν σορῷ ξύλινον πεποιημένον, μεμιμημένον ἐς τὰ μάλιστα καὶ γραφῇ καὶ ἔργῳ, μέγαθος ὅσον τε πηχυαῖον ἢ δίπηχυν, δεικνὺς δὲ ἑκάστῳ τῶν συμποτέων λέγει ἐς τοῦτον ὁρέων πῖνέ τε καὶ τέρπευ· ἔσεαι γὰρ ἀποθανὼν τοιοῦτος. ταῦτα μὲν παρὰ τὰ συμπόσια ποιεῦσι.
In the social gatherings of their wealthy men, when they have finished their dinner, a man carries round a corpse in a coffin, made of wood, painted and carved as realistically as possible, about one or two cubits in length; and showing it to each of the guests, he says: "Look upon this, and drink and be merry; for when you are dead, such as this you shall be." This is what they do at their drinking parties.

Notes

  1. 2.78.1ἀπὸ δείπνου γένωνται — The preposition ἀπό here expresses completion, making the phrase ἀπὸ δείπνου γίνομαι an idiomatic expression meaning "to finish dinner" or "to rise from the meal." The aorist subjunctive γένωνται is used with the conjunction ἐπεάν (= ἐπεί + ἄν) to introduce a general temporal-conditional clause.
  2. 2.78.1μέγαθος — An Ionic form of the noun μέγεθος, functioning as an accusative of respect ("in respect of size" or "in length") qualifying the subsequent adjectives πηχυαῖον ἢ δίπηχυν ("one or two cubits long").
  3. 2.78.1ἀποθανὼν — Aorist active participle of ἀποθνῄσκω, masculine nominative singular, agreeing with the subject of the main future verb ἔσεαι (2nd person singular). It functions as an adverbial participle of time or condition ("when you are dead" or "if you die").

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §2.78.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.78.1

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