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Herodotus · Histories §4.18.1-4.18.3

The Farming Scythians and the Androphagi

Passage 582 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Describes the geography to the east and north of the Borysthenes River, detailing the territory of the agricultural Scythians, the vast desert above them, and the Androphagi living beyond it.

§4.18.1ταῦτα μὲν παρὰ τὸν Ὕπανιν ποταμὸν ἐστι ἔθνεα πρὸς ἑσπέρης τοῦ Βορυσθένεος·
These are the nations along the river Hypanis, to the west of the Borysthenes.
ἀτὰρ διαβάντι τὸν Βορυσθένεα ἀπὸ θαλάσσης πρῶτον μὲν ᾗ Ὑλαίη, ἀπὸ δὲ ταύτης ἄνω ἰόντι οἰκέουσι Σκύθαι γεωργοί, τοὺς Ἕλληνές οἱ οἰκέοντες ἐπὶ τῷ Ὑπάνι ποταμῷ καλέουσι Βορυσθενεΐτας, σφέας δὲ αὐτοὺς Ὀλβιοπολίτας.
But for one crossing the Borysthenes from the sea, first there is the Woodland, and going up from this, there dwell agricultural Scythians, whom the Greeks who dwell along the river Hypanis call Borysthenites, while they call themselves Olbiopolites.
§4.18.2οὗτοι ὦν οἱ γεωργοὶ Σκύθαι νέμονται τὸ μὲν πρὸς τὴν ἠῶ ἐπὶ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ὁδοῦ, κατήκοντες ἐπὶ ποταμὸν τῷ οὔνομα κεῖται Παντικάπης, τὸ δὲ πρὸς βορέην ἄνεμον πλόον ἀνὰ τὸν Βορυσθένεα ἡμερέων ἕνδεκα.
These agricultural Scythians, then, occupy the region to the east for a three days' journey, reaching as far as a river whose name is Panticapes; and to the north, a voyage up the Borysthenes of eleven days.
ἤδη δὲ κατύπερθε τούτων ἡ ἔρημος ἐστὶ ἐπὶ πολλὸν.
And above these immediately begins the desert, stretching for a great distance.
§4.18.3μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἔρημον Ἀνδροφάγοι οἰκέουσι, ἔθνος ἐὸν ἴδιον καὶ οὐδαμῶς Σκυθικόν.
Beyond the desert dwell the Androphagi, who are a distinct nation and not Scythian at all.
τὸ δὲ τούτων κατύπερθε ἔρημον ἤδη ἀληθέως καὶ ἔθνος ἀνθρώπων οὐδέν, ὅσον ἡμεῖς ἴδμεν.
And above these, the country is already truly desert, and there is no nation of men, as far as we know.

Notes

  1. 4.18.1διαβάντι — The dative participles διαβάντι (and subsequent ἰόντι) function as a dative of reference or direction, representing the perspective of a hypothetical traveler ('for one crossing / going up').
  2. 4.18.1ᾗ Ὑλαίη — The relative adverb ᾗ implies a local antecedent (such as 'in that place where'), meaning 'where the Woodland (Hylaea) is located'.
  3. 4.18.2πλόον — The accusative πλόον is either governed by the preceding preposition ἐπὶ (understood from ἐπὶ τρεῖς ἡμέρας) or functions independently as an accusative of extent of space ('for a voyage of eleven days').

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.18.1-4.18.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.18.1-4.18.3

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