Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §4.199.1-4.199.2

Three Harvest Seasons and Eight Months of Reaping in Cyrene

Passage 763 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The passage explains that Cyrene, due to its elevation differences, has three distinct harvest seasons progressing from the coast to the hills and high ground, lasting for eight months.

§4.199.1ἔχει δὲ καὶ ἡ Κυρηναίη χώρη, ἐοῦσα ὑψηλοτάτη ταύτης τῆς Λιβύης τὴν οἱ νομάδες νέμονται, τρεῖς ὥρας ἐν ἑωυτῇ ἀξίας θώματος.
And the Cyrenaic land, which is the highest part of this Libya which the nomads inhabit, has in itself three harvest seasons worthy of wonder.
πρῶτα μὲν γὰρ τὰ παραθαλάσσια τῶν καρπῶν ὀργᾷ ἀμᾶσθαι τε καὶ τρυγᾶσθαι· τούτων τε δὴ συγκεκομισμένων τὰ ὑπὲρ τῶν θαλασσιδίων χώρων τὰ μέσα ὀργᾷ συγκομίζεσθαι, τὰ βουνοὺς καλέουσι·
For first, the crops of the coastal regions are ripe for reaping and gathering; and when these have been harvested, the middle regions above the coastal areas—which they call the "Hills"—are ripe for gathering.
§4.199.2συγκεκόμισται τε οὗτος ὁ μέσος καρπὸς καὶ ὁ ἐν τῇ κατυπερτάτῃ τῆς γῆς πεπαίνεταί τε καὶ ὀργᾷ, ὥστε ἐκπέποται τε καὶ καταβέβρωται ὁ πρῶτος καρπὸς καὶ ὁ τελευταῖος συμπαραγίνεται.
And when this middle crop has been harvested, that in the highest part of the land ripens and is ripe for harvest, so that the first crop has been drunk up and consumed when the last one arrives.
οὕτω ἐπʼ ὀκτὼ μῆνας Κυρηναίους ὀπώρη ἐπέχει.
In this way, the harvest season occupies the Cyrenaeans for eight months.
ταῦτα μέν νυν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον εἰρήσθω.
Now, let so much have been said about these matters.

Notes

  1. §4.199.1ταύτης τῆς Λιβύης τὴν οἱ νομάδες νέμονται — ταύτης τῆς Λιβύης is a partitive genitive depending on the superlative adjective ὑψηλοτάτη ('the highest part of this Libya'). The relative pronoun τὴν is in the accusative case, referring back to ταύτης τῆς Λιβύης and serving as the direct object of the transitive verb νέμονται.
  2. §4.199.1ὀργᾷ — The verb ὀργάω originally means 'to swell with lust or passion, to teem'. Here, in reference to crops and harvesting, it is used with infinitives (ἀμᾶσθαι, τρυγᾶσθαι, συγκομίζεσθαι) in an idiomatic sense meaning 'to be ripe for' or 'to be ready for' reaping or gathering.
  3. §4.199.2ὥστε ἐκπέποται τε καὶ καταβέβρωται — In this result clause introduced by ὥστε, indicative perfect verbs (ἐκπέποται, καταβέβρωται) are used instead of infinitives. This emphasizes that the result is an actual, accomplished fact ('has been already drunk up and consumed') rather than a merely anticipated or potential outcome.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.199.1-4.199.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.199.1-4.199.2

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