Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §4.121.1

Scythian Advance Scouts and the Evacuation Northward

Passage 685 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The Scythians advanced to meet Darius's army, sending their best cavalry as scouts, and sent their families in wagons along with most of their livestock ahead to the north.

§4.121.1ταῦτα οἱ Σκύθαι βουλευσάμενοι ὑπηντίαζον τὴν Δαρείου στρατιήν, προδρόμους ἀποστείλαντες τῶν ἱππέων τοὺς ἀρίστους.
Having resolved on these things, the Scythians went to meet the army of Darius, after sending out the best of their cavalry as scouts.
τὰς δὲ ἁμάξας ἐν τῇσι σφι διαιτᾶτο τὰ τέκνα καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες πάσας καὶ τὰ πρόβατα πάντα, πλὴν ὅσα σφι ἐς φορβὴν ἱκανὰ ἦν τοσαῦτα ὑπολιπόμενοι, τὰ ἄλλα ἅμα τῇσι ἁμάξῃσι προέπεμψαν, ἐντειλάμενοι αἰεὶ τὸ πρὸς βορέω ἐλαύνειν.
But as for the wagons, in which their children and all their wives lived, and all their flocks, leaving behind only as many as were sufficient for their food, they sent the rest forward together with the wagons, commanding them always to drive towards the north.

Notes

  1. 4.121.1προδρόμους — Predicate accusative ("as scouts"), describing the state of the direct object `τοὺς ἀρίστους` (the best [men]) of the participle `ἀποστείλαντες`.
  2. 4.121.1διαιτᾶτο — The verb is singular, although the subjects are `τὰ τέκνα` (neuter plural) and `αἱ γυναῖκες` (feminine plural). This is either an instance of a neuter plural subject taking a singular verb, with the verb agreeing with the nearest subject `τὰ τέκνα`, or a constructio ad sensum.
  3. 4.121.1πάσας — `πάσας` (feminine plural accusative) agrees with the preceding object `τὰς δὲ ἁμάξας` (feminine plural accusative), not with the subject `αἱ γυναῖκες` (feminine plural nominative). Thus, it means "all the wagons," not "all the wives."
  4. 4.121.1πλὴν ὅσα σφι ἐς φορβὴν ἱκανὰ ἦν τοσαῦτα ὑπολιπόμενοι — `τοσαῦτα` (so many) is the correlative to the preceding relative `ὅσα` (as many as). The literal sense is "except leaving behind so many as were sufficient for their food," indicating they kept a portion of the livestock for food while sending the rest away.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.121.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.121.1

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.