Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §4.25.1-4.25.2

Mountains North of the Argippaeans and the Unknown North

Passage 589 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The region north of the bald men is impassable due to mountains, and Herodotus rejects the rumors of goat-footed men and people who sleep for six months. To the east live the Issedones, but the extreme north remains unknown.

§4.25.1μέχρι μὲν δὴ τούτων γινώσκεται, τὸ δὲ τῶν φαλακρῶν κατύπερθε οὐδεὶς ἀτρεκέως οἶδε φράσαι.
Now as far as these people, indeed, knowledge extends, but as for the region above the bald men, no one can speak with certainty.
ὄρεα γὰρ ὑψηλὰ ἀποτάμνει ἄβατα καὶ οὐδείς σφεα ὑπερβαίνει.
For high and impassable mountains cut off the way, and no one crosses them.
οἱ δὲ φαλακροὶ οὗτοι λέγουσι, ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐ πιστὰ λέγοντες, οἰκέειν τὰ ὄρεα αἰγίποδας ἄνδρας, ὑπερβάντι δὲ τούτους ἀνθρώπους ἄλλους οἳ τὴν ἑξάμηνον κατεύδουσι.
But these bald men say—telling what is incredible to me—that men with goats' feet inhabit the mountains, and that when one has crossed over these, there are other men who sleep for six months of the year.
τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἐνδέκομαι τὴν ἀρχήν,
This, however, I do not accept at all.
§4.25.2ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν πρὸς ἠῶ τῶν φαλακρῶν γινώσκεται ἀτρεκέως ὑπὸ Ἰσσηδόνων οἰκεόμενον, τὸ μέντοι κατύπερθε πρὸς βορέην ἄνεμον οὐ γινώσκεται οὔτε τῶν φαλακρῶν οὔτε τῶν Ἰσσηδόνων, εἰ μὴ ὅσα αὐτῶν τούτων λεγόντων.
But the region to the east of the bald men is known with certainty to be inhabited by the Issedones; yet the region above them to the north wind is known neither of the bald men nor of the Issedones, except for what these very people themselves say.

Notes

  1. 4.25.1ὑπερβάντι — Dative singular of the aorist active participle, functioning as a dative of reference or direction in a geographical description ("for one who has crossed them").
  2. 4.25.1τὴν ἀρχήν — Adverbial accusative of the noun ἀρχή ("beginning"), which, when accompanied by a negative (οὐκ), means "at all" or "in the first place."
  3. 4.25.2αὐτῶν τούτων λεγόντων — Genitive absolute construction following εἰ μή ("except"), meaning "except for what these very people themselves say" (literally, "except these very people saying").

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.25.1-4.25.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.25.1-4.25.2

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