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Herodotus · Histories §4.185.1-4.185.3

Houses of Salt and the Desert to the Pillars of Heracles

Passage 749 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Herodotus states that he does not know the names of the inhabitants beyond the Atlantes, but notes that the ridge extends to the Pillars of Heracles, where houses are built of salt due to the lack of rain, and describes the desolate desert to the south.

§4.185.1μέχρι μὲν δὴ τῶν Ἀτλάντων τούτων ἔχω τὰ οὐνόματα τῶν ἐν τῇ ὀφρύῃ κατοικημένων καταλέξαι, τὸ δʼ ἀπὸ τούτων οὐκέτι.
As far as these Atlantes, indeed, I am able to list the names of those who dwell along the ridge, but no longer of those beyond them.
διήκει δʼ ὦν ἡ ὀφρύη μέχρι Ἡρακλέων στηλέων καὶ τὸ ἔξω τουτέων.
However, the ridge does indeed extend as far as the Pillars of Heracles, and even beyond them.
§4.185.2ἔστι δὲ ἁλός τε μέταλλον ἐν αὐτῇ διὰ δέκα ἡμερέων ὁδοῦ καὶ ἄνθρωποι οἰκέοντες.
And in it, at intervals of ten days' journey, there is a salt mine and people dwelling there.
τὰ δὲ οἰκία τούτοισι πᾶσι ἐκ τῶν ἁλίνων χόνδρων οἰκοδομέαται. ταῦτα γὰρ ἤδη τῆς Λιβύης ἄνομβρα ἐστί·
The houses of all these people are built of lumps of salt; for these parts of Libya are already rainless.
οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἠδυνέατο μένειν οἱ τοῖχοι ἐόντες ἅλινοι, εἰ ὗε.
For the walls, being of salt, would not be able to stand if it rained.
§4.185.3ὁ δὲ ἃλς αὐτόθι καὶ λευκὸς καὶ πορφύρεος τὸ εἶδος ὀρύσσεται.
The salt quarried there is both white and purple in appearance.
ὑπὲρ δὲ τῆς ὀφρύης τὸ πρὸς νότου καὶ ἐς μεσόγαιαν τῆς Λιβύης ἔρημος καὶ ἄνυδρος καὶ ἄθηρος καὶ ἄνομβρος καὶ ἄξυλος ἐστὶ ἡ χώρη, καὶ ἰκμάδος ἐστὶ ἐν αὐτῇ οὐδέν.
Above the ridge, towards the south and into the interior of Libya, the land is desert, waterless, without wild beasts, rainless, and woodless, and there is no moisture in it.

Notes

  1. §4.185.1ἔχω ... καταλέξαι — When the verb ἔχω is followed by an infinitive (here καταλέξαι, 'to list'), it does not mean 'to have' but expresses ability, meaning 'to be able to' or 'can'.
  2. §4.185.2διὰ δέκα ἡμερέων ὁδοῦ — The preposition διά followed by a genitive case here denotes spatial or temporal intervals. It means 'at intervals of ten days' journey' (i.e., every ten days of travel), indicating that salt mines and settlements are situated at regular intervals across the Libyan desert.
  3. §4.185.2οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἠδυνέατο μένειν ... εἰ ὗε — A contrary-to-fact conditional sentence. The apodosis contains ἂν ἠδυνέατο, where ἠδυνέατο is the Ionic 3rd person plural imperfect (corresponding to Attic ἐδύναντο), and the protasis has εἰ ὗε, using the imperfect 3rd person singular of ὕω ('to rain') in an impersonal sense ('if it rained').
  4. §4.185.3τὸ εἶδος — This is an accusative of respect (or specification), modifying the adjectives λευκὸς καὶ πορφύρεος ('white and purple') to mean 'in appearance' or 'with respect to its appearance'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.185.1-4.185.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.185.1-4.185.3

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