Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §3.6.1-3.6.2

The Reuse of Wine Jars as Water Containers

Passage 410 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Herodotus explains why no empty wine jars are left in Egypt despite the massive twice-yearly imports. The emptied jars are collected from various cities, filled with water, and transported to the arid regions of Syria.

§3.6.1τὸ δὲ ὀλίγοι τῶν ἐς Αἴγυπτον ναυτιλλομένων ἐννενώκασι, τοῦτο ἔρχομαι φράσων.
I am going to explain something which only a few of those sailing to Egypt have noticed.
ἐς Αἴγυπτον ἐκ τῆς Ἑλλάδος πάσης καὶ πρὸς ἐκ Φοινίκης κέραμος ἐσάγεται πλήρης οἴνου δὶς τοῦ ἔτεος ἑκάστου, καὶ ἓν κεράμιον οἰνηρὸν ἀριθμῷ κεινὸν οὐκ ἔστι ὡς λόγῳ εἰπεῖν ἰδέσθαι.
From the whole of Greece, and moreover from Phoenicia, pottery filled with wine is imported into Egypt twice every year, and yet, so to speak, not a single empty wine jar is to be seen.
§3.6.2κοῦ δῆτα, εἴποι τις ἄν, ταῦτα ἀναισιμοῦται; ἐγὼ καὶ τοῦτο φράσω·
"Where then," someone might ask, "are these consumed?" I will explain this too.
δεῖ τὸν μὲν δήμαρχον ἕκαστον ἐκ τῆς ἑωυτοῦ πόλιος συλλέξαντα πάντα τὸν κέραμον ἄγειν ἐς Μέμφιν, τοὺς δὲ ἐκ Μέμφιος ἐς ταῦτα δὴ τὰ ἄνυδρα τῆς Συρίης κομίζειν πλήσαντας ὕδατος.
Every district governor must collect all the pottery from his own city and bring it to Memphis, and those in Memphis must fill them with water and carry them to these very waterless regions of Syria.
οὕτω ὁ ἐπιφοιτέων κέραμος καὶ ἐξαιρεόμενος ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἐπὶ τὸν παλαιὸν κομίζεται ἐς Συρίην.
Thus the pottery that continually arrives and is emptied in Egypt is carried to Syria to join the old.

Notes

  1. 3.6.1ἔρχομαι φράσων — The verb ἔρχομαι accompanied by the future active participle φράσων expresses an imminent future intention ('I am going to explain').
  2. 3.6.1οὐκ ἔστι ... ἰδέσθαι — The impersonal use of ἔστι ('it is possible') followed by the infinitive (aorist middle ἰδέσθαι) expresses potential negation ('it is not possible to see').
  3. 3.6.2εἴποι τις ἄν — The optative εἴποι with the particle ἄν forms a potential optative, expressing a hypothetical possibility ('someone might say'), introducing a potential question from the audience.
  4. 3.6.2ἐπὶ τὸν παλαιὸν — The preposition ἐπί with the accusative τὸν παλαιὸν ('the old [pottery]') expresses addition or sequence, meaning 'to join the old ones' or 'following the route of the older supply'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §3.6.1-3.6.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.6.1-3.6.2

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