Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §4.37.1

Arrangement of the Four Nations of Asia from Sea to Sea

Passage 601 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

As a starting point for describing the geography of Asia, the author explains that four nations—Persians, Medes, Saspeirians, and Colchians—dwell in a continuous line from the southern Erythraean Sea to the northern sea.

§4.37.1Πέρσαι οἰκέουσι κατήκοντες ἐπὶ τὴν νοτίην θάλασσαν τὴν Ἐρυθρὴν καλεομένην, τούτων δὲ ὑπεροικέουσι πρὸς βορέην ἄνεμον Μῆδοι, Μήδων δὲ Σάσπειρες, Σασπείρων δὲ Κόλχοι κατήκοντες ἐπὶ τὴν βορηίην θάλασσαν, ἐς τὴν Φᾶσις ποταμὸς ἐκδιδοῖ.
The Persians dwell extending down to the southern sea, which is called the Erythraean; and above them, toward the north wind, dwell the Medes; and above the Medes, the Saspeirians; and above the Saspeirians, the Colchians, extending down to the northern sea, into which the river Phasis empties.
ταῦτα τέσσερα ἔθνεα οἰκέει ἐκ θαλάσσης ἐς θάλασσαν.
These four nations dwell from sea to sea.

Notes

  1. 4.37.1κατήκοντες — The present participle κατήκοντες (from καθήκω, 'to reach down to' or 'extend to') describes their territory extending all the way to the coast, applied here to the Persians in the south and the Colchians in the north.
  2. 4.37.1ὑπεροικέουσι — The verb ὑπεροικέω (from ὑπέρ, 'above' + οἰκέω, 'to dwell') means 'to dwell north of.' In Greek geographical thought, north was conceptualized as 'above' (upwards), indicating the sequential layout of the nations from the Persians in the south to the Colchians in the north.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.37.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.37.1

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.