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Herodotus · Histories §4.104.1

Customs of the Agathyrsi and Community of Wives

Passage 668 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Describes the luxurious nature of the Agathyrsi, their custom of holding women in common to prevent discord, and the similarity of their other customs to those of the Thracians.

§4.104.1Ἀγάθυρσοι δὲ ἁβρότατοι ἀνδρῶν εἰσι καὶ χρυσοφόροι τὰ μάλιστα, ἐπίκοινον δὲ τῶν γυναικῶν τὴν μῖξιν ποιεῦνται, ἵνα κασίγνητοι τε ἀλλήλων ἔωσι καὶ οἰκήιοι ἐόντες πάντες μήτε φθόνῳ μήτε ἔχθεϊ χρέωνται ἐς ἀλλήλους.
The Agathyrsi are the most luxurious of men and wear gold to the highest degree; and they make their intercourse with women common to all, so that they may be brothers to one another and, being all kinsmen, may feel neither envy nor malice toward one another.
τὰ δὲ ἄλλα νόμαια Θρήιξι προσκεχωρήκασι.
In their other customs they have come close to the Thracians.

Notes

  1. §4.104.1ἐπίκοινον — The neuter singular accusative of the adjective functions predicatively, serving as a predicate accusative that complements the direct object τὴν μῖξιν (intercourse), meaning 'to make their intercourse common'.
  2. §4.104.1τὰ δὲ ἄλλα νόμαια — An accusative of respect (or specification), indicating the limited scope ('with respect to their other customs') in relation to the main subject of the clause.
  3. §4.104.1προσκεχωρήκασι — The third-person plural perfect active of προσχωρέω (to approach, agree with). Here it is used metaphorically to mean 'to resemble closely' or 'to be near to' in terms of customs, taking the dative Θρήιξι.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.104.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.104.1

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