Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §4.184.1-4.184.4

The Atarantes and the People of Mount Atlas

Passage 748 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Describes the Atarantes, a nameless people living in the Libyan desert ten days beyond the Garamantes, Mount Atlas which is believed to be the pillar of heaven, and the Atlantes who live near it and never dream.

§4.184.1ἀπὸ δὲ Γαραμάντων διʼ ἀλλέων δέκα ἡμερέων ὁδοῦ ἄλλος ἁλός τε κολωνὸς καὶ ὕδωρ, καὶ ἄνθρωποι περὶ αὐτὸν οἰκέουσι τοῖσι οὔνομα ἐστὶ Ἀτάραντες, οἳ ἀνώνυμοι εἰσὶ μοῦνοι ἀνθρώπων τῶν ἡμεῖς ἴδμεν· ἁλέσι μὲν γάρ σφι ἐστὶ Ἀτάραντες οὔνομα, ἑνὶ δὲ ἑκάστῳ αὐτῶν οὔνομα οὐδὲν κέεται.
From the Garamantes, at a distance of another ten days' journey, there is another hill of salt and water, and men dwell around it whose name is Atarantes, who are the only nameless people of all whom we know; for while they have the name Atarantes as a whole, to each single one of them no individual name is given.
§4.184.2οὗτοι τῷ ἡλίῳ ὑπερβάλλοντι καταρῶνται καὶ πρὸς τούτοισι πάντα τὰ αἰσχρὰ λοιδορέονται, ὅτι σφέας καίων ἐπιτρίβει, αὐτούς τε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ τὴν χώρην αὐτῶν.
These curse the sun when he rises high, and besides this they abuse him with all kinds of shameful words, because he burns and harasses them, both the men themselves and their country.
§4.184.3μετὰ δὲ διʼ ἀλλέων δέκα ἡμερέων ἄλλος κολωνὸς ἁλὸς καὶ ὕδωρ, καὶ ἄνθρωποι περὶ αὐτὸν οἰκέουσι.
After this, at a distance of another ten days' journey, there is another hill of salt and water, and men dwell around it.
ἔχεται δὲ τοῦ ἁλὸς τούτου ὄρος τῷ οὔνομα ἐστὶ Ἄτλας, ἔστι δὲ στεινὸν καὶ κυκλοτερὲς πάντῃ, ὑψηλὸν δὲ οὕτω δή τι λέγεται ὡς τὰς κορυφὰς αὐτοῦ οὐκ οἶά τε εἶναι ἰδέσθαι. οὐδέκοτε γὰρ αὐτὰς ἀπολείπειν νέφεα οὔτε θέρεος οὔτε χειμῶνος.
Adjoining this salt is a mountain whose name is Atlas; it is narrow and circular on all sides, and is said to be so exceedingly high that it is impossible to see its summits; for clouds never leave them, either in summer or in winter.
τοῦτο τὸν κίονα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ λέγουσι οἱ ἐπιχώριοι εἶναι.
The natives say that this is the pillar of heaven.
§4.184.4ἐπὶ τούτου τοῦ ὄρεος οἱ ἄνθρωποι οὗτοι ἐπώνυμοι ἐγένοντο· καλέονται γὰρ δὴ Ἄτλαντες.
From this mountain these men got their name, for they are indeed called Atlantes.
λέγονται δὲ οὔτε ἔμψυχον οὐδὲν σιτέεσθαι οὔτε ἐνύπνια ὁρᾶν.
And it is said that they eat nothing that has life, and that they never dream.

Notes

  1. §4.184.1ἁλέσι — Dative plural of the adjective ἁλής ('all together', 'as a whole'), here meaning 'collectively' or 'as a whole group', modifying the dative of possession σφι ('to them').
  2. §4.184.3ἔχεται — Third-person singular middle of ἔχω, which takes the genitive (τοῦ ἁλὸς τούτου) to mean 'to border on' or 'to be adjacent to'.
  3. §4.184.3οὐκ οἶά τε εἶναι — An impersonal construction of οἷός τέ εἰμι ('to be able') in the accusative and infinitive structure introduced by ὡς. The neuter plural οἷα is used here (or attracted to the feminine plural subject τὰς κορυφὰς), and together with εἶναι and the infinitive ἰδέσθαι ('to see/be seen') it expresses the impossibility of seeing the summits.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.184.1-4.184.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.184.1-4.184.4

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