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Herodotus · Histories §3.129.1-3.129.3

Darius's Injury and the Summoning of Democedes

Passage 533 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Soon after Oroetes' wealth is brought to Susa, King Darius suffers a severe foot injury, which Egyptian doctors worsen. Hearing of the skilled Crotonian physician Democedes, who was neglected among Oroetes' slaves, Darius summons him.

§3.129.1ἀπικομένων δὲ καὶ ἀνακομισθέντων τῶν Ὀροίτεω χρημάτων ἐς τὰ Σοῦσα, συνήνεικε χρόνῳ οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον βασιλέα Δαρεῖον ἐν ἄγρῃ θηρῶν ἀποθρώσκοντα ἀπʼ ἵππου στραφῆναι τὸν πόδα.
After the wealth of Oroetes had arrived and been brought up to Susa, it happened not long afterwards that King Darius, leaping down from his horse while hunting wild beasts, twisted his foot.
§3.129.2καί κως ἰσχυροτέρως ἐστράφη· ὁ γάρ οἱ ἀστράγαλος ἐξεχώρησε ἐκ τῶν ἄρθρων.
And it was twisted rather severely; for his ankle-bone slipped out of its joint.
νομίζων δὲ καὶ πρότερον περὶ ἑωυτὸν ἔχειν Αἰγυπτίων τοὺς δοκέοντας εἶναι πρώτους τὴν ἰητρικήν, τούτοισι ἐχρᾶτο.
Since he had previously believed that he kept about his person those of the Egyptians who were reputed to be the first in the art of medicine, he employed them.
οἳ δὲ στρεβλοῦντες καὶ βιώμενοι τὸν πόδα κακὸν μέζον ἐργάζοντο.
But they, by twisting and applying force to the foot, made the evil greater.
§3.129.3ἐπʼ ἑπτὰ μὲν δὴ ἡμέρας καὶ ἑπτὰ νύκτας ὑπὸ τοῦ παρεόντος κακοῦ ὁ Δαρεῖος ἀγρυπνίῃσι εἴχετο· τῇ δὲ δὴ ὀγδόῃ ἡμέρῃ ἔχοντί οἱ φλαύρως, παρακούσας τις πρότερον ἔτι ἐν Σάρδισι τοῦ Κροτωνιήτεω Δημοκήδεος τὴν τέχνην ἀγγέλλει τῷ Δαρείῳ·
For seven days and seven nights indeed, Darius was held by sleeplessness because of the constant pain; but on the eighth day, while he was in a bad state, someone who had previously heard in Sardis of the skill of Democedes of Croton reported it to Darius.
ὁ δὲ ἄγειν μιν τὴν ταχίστην παρʼ ἑωυτὸν ἐκέλευσε·
He ordered that they bring him into his presence as quickly as possible.
τὸν δὲ ὡς ἐξεῦρον ἐν τοῖσι Ὀροίτεω ἀνδραπόδοισι ὅκου δὴ ἀπημελημένον, παρῆγον ἐς μέσον πέδας τε ἕλκοντα καὶ ῥάκεσι ἐσθημένον.
When they found him among the slaves of Oroetes, where he had been neglected somewhere, they brought him into the midst, dragging chains and dressed in rags.

Notes

  1. §3.129.1συνήνεικε... στραφῆναι — The accusative with infinitive construction 'βασιλέα Δαρεῖον... στραφῆναι' functions as the subject of the impersonal verb 'συνήνεικε' (aorist of συμφέρω, meaning 'it happened').
  2. §3.129.2Αἰγυπτίων τοὺς δοκέοντας εἶναι πρώτους τὴν ἰητρικήν — The genitive 'Αἰγυπτίων' is a partitive genitive qualifying the substantivized participle 'τοὺς δοκέοντας'. 'τὴν ἰητρικήν' is an accusative of specification qualifying the adjective 'πρώτους', meaning 'first in the art of medicine'.
  3. §3.129.3ἔχοντί οἱ φλαύρως — The combination of 'ἔχω' with the adverb 'φλαύρως' (badly) means 'to be in a certain state'. The dative pronoun 'οἱ' functions as a dative of relation with the participle 'ἔχοντι', forming a dative temporal phrase: 'when he was in a bad state'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §3.129.1-3.129.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.129.1-3.129.3

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