Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §4.158.1-4.158.3

Libyan Guidance of the Greeks to the Spring of Apollo

Passage 722 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The Libyans persuaded the Greeks to leave Aziris and led them westward, passing through the beautiful region of Irasa by night to keep it hidden, before bringing them to the well-watered Spring of Apollo to settle.

§4.158.1τοῦτον οἴκεον τὸν χῶρον ἓξ ἔτεα, ἑβδόμῳ δὲ σφέας ἔτει παραιτησάμενοι οἱ Λίβυες ὡς ἐς ἀμείνονα χῶρον ἄξουσι, ἀνέγνωσαν ἐκλιπεῖν.
They lived in this place for six years, but in the seventh year the Libyans, having entreated them and saying that they would lead them to a better place, persuaded them to abandon it.
§4.158.2ἦγον δὲ σφέας ἐνθεῦτεν οἱ Λίβυες ἀναστήσαντες πρὸς ἑσπέρην, καὶ τὸν κάλλιστον τῶν χώρων ἵνα διεξιόντες οἱ Ἕλληνες μὴ ἴδοιεν, συμμετρησάμενοι τὴν ὥρην τῆς ἡμέρης νυκτὸς παρῆγον.
The Libyans led them from there, having made them move, towards the west; and in order that the Greeks might not see the most beautiful of the regions as they passed through, they calculated the time of day and led them past it by night.
ἔστι δὲ τῷ χώρῳ τούτῳ οὔνομα Ἴρασα.
The name of this place is Irasa.
§4.158.3ἀγαγόντες δὲ σφέας ἐπὶ κρήνην λεγομένην εἶναι Ἀπόλλωνος εἶπαν ἄνδρες Ἕλληνες, ἐνθαῦτα ὑμῖν ἐπιτήδεον οἰκέειν. ἐνθαῦτα γὰρ ὁ οὐρανὸς τέτρηται.
Having led them to a spring said to be Apollo's, they said: "Men of Greece, here it is suitable for you to dwell; for here the heavens are pierced."

Notes

  1. §4.158.1ἀνέγνωσαν — The verb ἀναγινώσκω in Attic Greek primarily means 'to read', but in Herodotus (Ionic dialect) it frequently means 'to persuade' or 'to induce'. Here, taking the infinitive ἐκλιπεῖν ('to abandon'), it describes how the Libyans persuaded the Greeks to leave the region of Aziris.
  2. §4.158.2συμμετρησάμενοι τὴν ὥρην τῆς ἡμέρης — Literally 'having measured the time of day'. This means that the Libyans calculated and adjusted their departure and travel times so that they would pass through the fertile land of Irasa at night, preventing the Greeks from seeing it.
  3. §4.158.3ὁ οὐρανὸς τέτρηται — The expression 'the sky is pierced (has a hole in it)' is a meteorological metaphor indicating a region with abundant rainfall (hence suitable for agriculture). It is used to characterize the high annual rainfall in this specific part of otherwise arid North Africa.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.158.1-4.158.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.158.1-4.158.3

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