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Herodotus · Histories §4.47.1-4.47.2

Geography of Scythia and list of its rivers

Passage 611 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The factors enabling the Scythian strategy are attributed to their suitable land and rivers, and the names of the major rivers navigable from the sea are listed.

§4.47.1ἐξεύρηται δέ σφι ταῦτα τῆς τε γῆς ἐούσης ἐπιτηδέης καὶ τῶν ποταμῶν ἐόντων σφι συμμάχων.
This has been devised by them because their land is suitable and the rivers are their allies.
ἥ τε γὰρ γῆ ἐοῦσα πεδιὰς αὕτη ποιώδης τε καὶ εὔυδρος ἐστί, ποταμοί τε διʼ αὐτῆς ῥέουσι οὐ πολλῷ τεῳ ἀριθμὸν ἐλάσσονες τῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ διωρύχων.
For this land, being a plain, is grassy and well-watered, and rivers flow through it which are not much fewer in number than the canals in Egypt.
§4.47.2ὅσοι δὲ ὀνομαστοί τε εἰσὶ αὐτῶν καὶ προσπλωτοὶ ἀπὸ θαλάσσης, τούτους ὀνομανέω Ἴστρος μὲν πεντάστομος, μετὰ δὲ Τύρης τε καὶ Ὕπανις καὶ Βορυσθένης καὶ Παντικάπης καὶ Ὑπάκυρις καὶ Γέρρος καὶ Τάναϊς.
Those of them that are famous and navigable from the sea, I will name: first the Ister with five mouths, and after it the Tyras, the Hypanis, the Borysthenes, the Panticapes, the Hypacyris, the Gerrhus, and the Tanais.
ῥέουσι δὲ οἵδε κατὰ τάδε.
And these flow as follows.

Notes

  1. 4.47.1τῆς τε γῆς ἐούσης ἐπιτηδέης — A genitive absolute construction expressing cause. It is coordinated with καὶ τῶν ποταμῶν ἐόντων... to present the underlying reasons why the Scythians were able to make their tactical devices (ταῦτα).
  2. 4.47.1οὐ πολλῷ τεῳ — πολλῷ is a dative of measure of difference. τεῳ is the Ionic dative singular (for τῳ / τινί) of the indefinite pronoun τις. The phrase functions adverbially, meaning 'not by much' or 'not significantly'.
  3. 4.47.1ἀριθμὸν — An accusative of specification (respect), modifying the comparative ἐλάσσονες, meaning 'less in number (than the canals in Egypt)'.
  4. 4.47.2προσπλωτοὶ — A verbal adjective in -τος expressing capability, derived from the compound verb προσπλέω (to sail towards), meaning 'navigable' or 'accessible by boat' from the sea.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.47.1-4.47.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.47.1-4.47.2

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