Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §4.49.1-4.49.3

Other tributaries of the Ister and its course through Europe

Passage 613 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The passage lists the various tributaries of the Ister flowing from the territories of the Agathyrsi, Thracians, Illyrians, and Umbrians, explaining how the river flows through all of Europe from the land of the Celts to Scythia.

§4.49.1οὗτοι μὲν αὐθιγενέες Σκυθικοὶ ποταμοὶ συμπληθύουσι αὐτόν, ἐκ δὲ Ἀγαθύρσων Μάρις ποταμὸς ῥέων συμμίσγεται τῷ Ἴστρῳ, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ Αἵμου τῶν κορυφέων τρεῖς ἄλλοι μεγάλοι ῥέοντες πρὸς βορέην ἄνεμον ἐσβάλλουσι ἐς αὐτόν, Ἄτλας καὶ Αὔρας καὶ Τίβισις.
These indigenous Scythian rivers swell its waters; and from the country of the Agathyrsi flows the river Maris and mingles with the Ister; and from the summits of Haemus flow three other large rivers towards the north wind and discharge into it, namely the Atlas, the Auras, and the Tibisis.
διὰ δὲ Θρηίκης καὶ Θρηίκων τῶν Κροβύζων ῥέοντες Ἄθρυς καὶ Νόης καὶ Ἀρτάνης ἐκδιδοῦσι ἐς τὸν Ἴστρον· ἐκ δὲ Παιόνων καὶ ὄρεος Ῥοδόπης Κίος ποταμὸς μέσον σχίζων τὸν Αἷμον ἐκδιδοῖ ἐς αὐτόν.
Flowing through Thrace and the country of the Crobyzi Thracians, the Athrys, the Noes, and the Artanes empty into the Ister; and from the Paeonians and Mount Rhodope, the river Cios, cleaving the Haemus through the middle, empties into it.
§4.49.2ἐξ Ἰλλυριῶν δὲ ῥέων πρὸς βορέην ἄνεμον Ἄγγρος ποταμὸς ἐσβάλλει ἐς πεδίον τὸ Τριβαλλικὸν καὶ ἐς ποταμὸν Βρόγγον, ὁ δὲ Βρόγγος ἐς τὸν Ἴστρον· οὕτω ἀμφοτέρους ἐόντας μεγάλους ὁ Ἴστρος δέκεται.
Flowing from the Illyrians towards the north wind, the river Angrus discharges into the Triballic plain and into the river Brongus, and the Brongus into the Ister; thus the Ister receives both of them, being large.
ἐκ δὲ τῆς κατύπερθε χώρης Ὀμβρικῶν Κάρπις ποταμὸς καὶ ἄλλος Ἄλπις ποταμὸς πρὸς βορέην ἄνεμον καὶ οὗτοι ῥέοντες ἐκδιδοῦσι ἐς αὐτόν·
And from the country of the Umbrians higher up, the river Carpis and another, the river Alpis, flowing also towards the north wind, empty into it.
§4.49.3ῥέει γὰρ δὴ διὰ πάσης τῆς Εὐρώπης ὁ Ἴστρος, ἀρξάμενος ἐκ Κελτῶν, οἳ ἔσχατοι πρὸς ἡλίου δυσμέων μετὰ Κύνητας οἰκέουσι τῶν ἐν τῇ Εὐρώπη· ῥέων δὲ διὰ πάσης τῆς Εὐρώπης ἐς τὰ πλάγια τῆς Σκυθίης ἐσβάλλει.
For the Ister flows indeed through the whole of Europe, starting from the Celts, who, after the Cynetes, dwell furthest towards the setting of the sun among those in Europe; and flowing through the whole of Europe, it enters the flank of Scythia.

Notes

  1. 4.49.1ἐκ δὲ τοῦ Αἵμου τῶν κορυφέων — The genitive "τῶν κορυφέων" stands in apposition or functions as a partitive genitive in relation to "τοῦ Αἵμου", expressing origin: "from the summits of Haemus."
  2. 4.49.1μέσον σχίζων τὸν Αἷμον — The adjective "μέσον" is in the predicative position, meaning "cleaving Haemus through the middle" or "splitting Haemus in half."
  3. 4.49.2ἀμφοτέρους ἐόντας μεγάλους — The accusative plural participle "ἐόντας" modifies the preceding "ἀμφοτέρους" (referring to the Angrus and Brongus rivers), describing the objective fact of their being large.
  4. 4.49.3ἔσχατοι πρὸς ἡλίου δυσμέων — The adverbial phrase "πρὸς ἡλίου δυσμέων" (towards the setting of the sun, i.e., the west) spatially defines and emphasizes the superlative "ἔσχατοι" (furthest/last).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.49.1-4.49.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.49.1-4.49.3

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.