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Herodotus · Histories §3.7.1-3.7.2

Cambyses Secures Safe Passage with the Arabians

Passage 411 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Summarizes how the Persians secured the desert route to Egypt with water after their conquest, and explains that prior to this, Cambyses obtained safe passage from the Arabian king by exchanging pledges on the advice of his Halicarnassian guest.

§3.7.1οὕτω μέν νυν Πέρσαι εἰσὶ οἱ τὴν ἐσβολὴν ταύτην παρασκευάσαντες ἐς Αἴγυπτον, κατὰ δὴ τὰ εἰρημένα σάξαντες ὕδατι, ἐπείτε τάχιστα παρέλαβον Αἴγυπτον. §3.7.2τότε δὲ οὐκ ἐόντος κω ὕδατος ἑτοίμου, Καμβύσης πυθόμενος τοῦ Ἁλικαρνησσέος ξείνου, πέμψας παρὰ τὸν Ἀράβιον ἀγγέλους καὶ δεηθεὶς τῆς ἀσφαλείης ἔτυχε, πίστις δούς τε καὶ δεξάμενος παρʼ αὐτοῦ.
Thus it was the Persians who prepared this entrance into Egypt, by filling it with water in the manner described, as soon as they had taken possession of Egypt.\n But at that time, as there was not yet any water ready, Cambyses, having learned from his Halicarnassian guest-friend, sent messengers to the Arabian and, having made his request, obtained safe passage, after both giving and receiving pledges of good faith from him.

Notes

  1. §3.7.1οἱ τὴν ἐσβολὴν ταύτην παρασκευάσαντες — The participle phrase with the article acts as the grammatical subject, while the noun Πέρσαι is the predicate, forming a cleft-like emphatic construction: 'it was the Persians who prepared...'
  2. §3.7.2οὐκ ἐόντος κω ὕδατος ἑτοίμου — A genitive absolute construction expressing cause ('since there was not yet water ready'). ἐόντος is the Ionic form of the present participle ὄντος, and κω is the Ionic form of πω ('yet').
  3. §3.7.2πίστις — Accusative plural. This is the Ionic form corresponding to Attic πίστεις, serving as the common direct object of the two following participles, δούς ('giving') and δεξάμενος ('receiving').

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §3.7.1-3.7.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.7.1-3.7.2

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