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Herodotus · Histories §4.44.1-4.44.3

Scylax's voyage and the discovery of Asia

Passage 608 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Darius sent Scylax and others to explore the Indus river; their subsequent westward sea voyage to Egypt revealed the southern extent of Asia and established its geographic similarity to Libya.

§4.44.1τῆς δὲ Ἀσίης τὰ πολλὰ ὑπὸ Δαρείου ἐξευρέθη, ὃς βουλόμενος Ἰνδὸν ποταμόν, ὃς κροκοδείλους δεύτερος οὗτος ποταμῶν πάντων παρέχεται, τοῦτον τὸν ποταμὸν εἰδέναι τῇ ἐς θάλασσαν ἐκδιδοῖ, πέμπει πλοίοισι ἄλλους τε τοῖσι ἐπίστευε τὴν ἀληθείην ἐρέειν καὶ δὴ καὶ Σκύλακα ἄνδρα Καρυανδέα.
As for Asia, the greater part of it was discovered by Darius. Wishing to know of the Indus river—which is the second of all rivers to produce crocodiles—where this river empties into the sea, he sent by ships both others whom he trusted to speak the truth, and in particular Scylax, a man of Caryanda.
§4.44.2οἳ δὲ ὁρμηθέντες ἐκ Κασπατύρου τε πόλιος καὶ τῆς Πακτυικῆς γῆς ἔπλεον κατὰ ποταμὸν πρὸς ἠῶ τε καὶ ἡλίου ἀνατολὰς ἐς θάλασσαν, διὰ θαλάσσης δὲ πρὸς ἑσπέρην πλέοντες τριηκοστῷ μηνὶ ἀπικνέονται ἐς τοῦτον τὸν χῶρον ὅθεν ὁ Αἰγυπτίων βασιλεὺς τοὺς Φοίνικας τοὺς πρότερον εἶπα ἀπέστειλε περιπλώειν Λιβύην.
They, having set out from the city of Caspatyrus and the Pactyic land, sailed down the river towards the east and the rising of the sun to the sea; and sailing through the sea towards the west, in the thirtieth month they arrived at that place from which the king of Egypt sent the Phoenicians, whom I mentioned before, to sail round Libya.
§4.44.3μετὰ δὲ τούτους περιπλώσαντας Ἰνδούς τε κατεστρέψατο Δαρεῖος καὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ ταύτῃ ἐχρᾶτο.
After these had sailed round, Darius both subdued the Indians and made use of this sea.
οὕτω καὶ τῆς Ἀσίης, πλὴν τὰ πρὸς ἥλιον ἀνίσχοντα, τὰ ἄλλα ἀνεύρηται ὃμοια παρεχομένη τῇ Λιβύῃ.
Thus Asia also, except for the parts towards the rising sun, has been found in other respects to show itself similar to Libya.

Notes

  1. 4.44.1Ἰνδὸν ποταμόν ... τοῦτον τὸν ποταμὸν εἰδέναι τῇ ἐς θάλασσαν ἐκδιδοῖ — The phrase Ἰνδὸν ποταμόν is anticipated (prolepsis) as the object of εἰδέναι ("to know"). After the intervening relative clause, it is resumed by the redundant τοῦτον τὸν ποταμὸν. The indirect interrogative adverb τῇ ("where") introduces the clause "where it empties into the sea," which functions as the content of what is to be known.
  2. 4.44.3μετὰ δὲ τούτους περιπλώσαντας — The preposition μετά ("after") takes the accusative pronoun (τούτους) and the agreeing participle (περιπλώσαντας), meaning "after these had sailed round." This is an idiomatic construction in classical Greek, expressing a temporal clause equivalent to a genitive absolute, using the accusative case governed by the preposition.
  3. 4.44.3ὅμοια παρεχομένη τῇ Λιβύῃ — The middle participle παρεχομένη means "showing or presenting itself." The neuter plural ὅμοια either functions adverbially ("in a similar way") or as a predicate to the subject τὰ ἄλλα. The dative τῇ Λιβύῃ ("to Libya") is governed by ὅμοια.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.44.1-4.44.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.44.1-4.44.3

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