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Herodotus · Histories §3.17.1-3.17.2

Cambyses' Three Campaigns and Spies to the Ethiopians

Passage 421 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Cambyses plans three campaigns against the Carthaginians, the Ammonians, and the long-lived Ethiopians, deciding to first send spies to the Ethiopians to investigate the "Table of the Sun" and other matters under the guise of bringing gifts.

§3.17.1μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ὁ Καμβύσης ἐβουλεύσατο τριφασίας στρατηίας, ἐπί τε Καρχηδονίους καὶ ἐπὶ Ἀμμωνίους καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς μακροβίους Αἰθίοπας, οἰκημένους δὲ Λιβύης ἐπὶ τῇ νοτίῃ θαλάσσῃ·
After this, Cambyses planned three campaigns: against the Carthaginians, against the Ammonians, and against the long-lived Ethiopians who dwelt by the southern sea of Libya.
§3.17.2βουλευομένῳ δέ οἱ ἔδοξε ἐπὶ μὲν Καρχηδονίους τὸν ναυτικὸν στρατὸν ἀποστέλλειν, ἐπὶ δὲ Ἀμμωνίους τοῦ πεζοῦ ἀποκρίναντα, ἐπὶ δὲ τοὺς Αἰθίοπας κατόπτας πρῶτον, ὀψομένους τε τὴν ἐν τούτοισι τοῖσι Αἰθίοψι λεγομένην εἶναι ἡλίου τράπεζαν εἰ ἔστι ἀληθέως, καὶ πρὸς ταύτῃ τὰ ἄλλα κατοψομένους, δῶρα δὲ τῷ λόγῳ φέροντας τῷ βασιλέι αὐτῶν.
And as he planned, it seemed good to him to send the navy against the Carthaginians, to dispatch a part of the land army against the Ammonians, and to send spies first to the Ethiopians, who were to see if the "Table of the Sun," which was said to exist among these Ethiopians, truly existed, and besides this to spy out other things, under the pretext of bringing gifts to their king.

Notes

  1. §3.17.2ἀποκρίναντα — Although this participle refers to the dative pronoun οἱ, it is in the accusative case (ἀποκρίναντα instead of dative ἀποκρίναντι) because the accusative is felt as the subject of the implied infinitive (such as ἀποστέλλειν or πέμπειν) in an accusative-with-infinitive construction.
  2. §3.17.2τοῦ πεζοῦ — Partitive genitive, meaning "a part of the land army" (literally "of the infantry"), serving as the direct object of the participle ἀποκρίναντα.
  3. §3.17.2τῷ λόγῳ — Dative of manner or respect, meaning "in word" or "ostensibly", used idiomatically in contrast to reality (ἔργῳ) to indicate a pretext.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §3.17.1-3.17.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.17.1-3.17.2

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