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Herodotus · Histories §3.13.1-3.13.4

The Siege of Memphis and the Surrender of Egypt

Passage 417 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The defeated Egyptians retreat to Memphis and brutally kill the Persian heralds who offer terms. Subsequently, Egypt and neighboring territories surrender and send gifts to Cambyses.

§3.13.1οἱ δὲ Αἰγύπτιοι ἐκ τῆς μάχης ὡς ἐτράποντο, ἔφευγον οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ· κατειληθέντων δὲ ἐς Μέμφιν, ἔπεμπε ἀνὰ ποταμὸν Καμβύσης νέα Μυτιληναίην κήρυκα ἄγουσαν ἄνδρα Πέρσην, ἐς ὁμολογίην προκαλεόμενος Αἰγυπτίους.
And when the Egyptians turned to flight from the battle, they fled in utter disorder; and when they were shut up in Memphis, Cambyses sent a Mytilaean ship up the river carrying a Persian herald, inviting the Egyptians to come to terms.
§3.13.2οἳ δὲ ἐπείτε τὴν νέα εἶδον ἐσελθοῦσαν ἐς τὴν Μέμφιν, ἐκχυθέντες ἁλέες ἐκ τοῦ τείχεος τήν τε νέα διέφθειραν καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας κρεουργηδὸν διασπάσαντες ἐφόρεον ἐς τὸ τεῖχος.
But they, as soon as they saw the ship entering Memphis, pouring out of the fortress in a crowd, both destroyed the ship and, tearing the men limb from limb like butchers, carried them into the fortress.
§3.13.3καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι μὲν μετὰ τοῦτο πολιορκεύμενοι χρόνῳ παρέστησαν, οἱ δὲ προσεχέες Λίβυες δείσαντες τὰ περὶ τὴν Αἴγυπτον γεγονότα παρέδοσαν σφέας αὐτοὺς ἀμαχητὶ καὶ φόρον τε ἐτάξαντο καὶ δῶρα ἔπεμπον.
And the Egyptians, being besieged after this, in time surrendered; while the neighboring Libyans, fearing what had happened to Egypt, surrendered themselves without a fight, imposed a tribute upon themselves, and sent gifts.
ὣς δὲ Κυρηναῖοι καὶ Βαρκαῖοι, δείσαντες ὁμοίως καὶ οἱ Λίβυες, τοιαῦτα ἐποίησαν.
In like manner the Cyrenaeans and Barcaeans, fearing just as the Libyans did, did the same.
§3.13.4Καμβύσης δὲ τὰ μὲν παρὰ Λιβύων ἐλθόντα δῶρα φιλοφρόνως ἐδέξατο· τὰ δὲ παρὰ Κυρηναίων ἀπικόμενα μεμφθείς, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκέει, ὅτι ἦν ὀλίγα· ἔπεμψαν γὰρ δὴ πεντακοσίας μνέας ἀργυρίου οἱ Κυρηναῖοι· ταύτας δρασσόμενος αὐτοχειρίῃ διέσπειρε τῇ στρατιῇ.
Cambyses graciously received the gifts that came from the Libyans; but those which arrived from the Cyrenaeans he disdained, as it seems to me, because they were so few; for the Cyrenaeans had sent only five hundred minas of silver; these he grabbed with his own hands and scattered to the army.

Notes

  1. 3.13.1κατειληθέντων — A genitive absolute construction where the subject pronoun (αὐτῶν, referring to the Egyptians) is omitted, meaning "when they were shut up (in Memphis)".
  2. 3.13.2οἳ δὲ — An epic and Ionic usage of the relative pronoun with δέ acting as a demonstrative pronoun ("but they"), serving to shift the subject of the sentence.
  3. 3.13.4μεμφθείς — The aorist passive participle of the deponent verb μέμφομαι, carrying an active (middle) meaning "to blame / disdain". It functions here as the main predicate or with an ellipsis of a finite verb.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §3.13.1-3.13.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.13.1-3.13.4

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