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Herodotus · Histories §4.53.1-4.53.6

The Borysthenes River: Its Bounties and Course

Passage 617 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The author describes the Borysthenes (Dnieper), the second largest river in Scythia, detailing its abundant natural benefits, geographical course, and its confluence with the Hypanis.

§4.53.1τέταρτος δὲ Βορυσθένης ποταμός, ὃς ἐστί τε μέγιστος μετὰ Ἴστρον τούτων καὶ πολυαρκέστατος κατὰ γνώμας τὰς ἡμετέρας οὔτι μοῦνον τῶν Σκυθικῶν ποταμῶν ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων, πλὴν Νείλου τοῦ Αἰγυπτίου· τούτῳ γὰρ οὐκ οἷά τε ἐστὶ συμβαλεῖν ἄλλον ποταμόν·
The fourth is the Borysthenes river, which is the largest of these after the Ister, and in our opinion the most productive, not only of the Scythian rivers but of all others as well, except for the Egyptian Nile; for with this latter no other river can be compared.
§4.53.2τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν Βορυσθένης ἐστὶ πολυαρκέστατος, ὃς νομάς τε καλλίστας καὶ εὐκομιδεστάτας κτήνεσι παρέχεται ἰχθύας τε ἀρίστους διακριδὸν καὶ πλείστους, πίνεσθαι τε ἥδιστος ἐστί, ῥέει τε καθαρὸς παρὰ θολεροῖσι, σπόρος τε παρʼ αὐτὸν ἄριστος γίνεται, ποίη τε, τῇ οὐ σπείρεται ἡ χώρη, βαθυτάτη·
But of the remaining rivers, the Borysthenes is the most productive, which provides the fairest and richest pastures for cattle, and fish of the best kind in great abundance, and is most sweet to drink, and flows clear beside muddy waters; and along its banks the finest crops are grown, and where the land is not sown, the grass grows deepest.
§4.53.3ἅλες τε ἐπὶ τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ αὐτόματοι πήγνυνται ἄπλετοι· κήτεά τε μεγάλα ἀνάκανθα, τὰ ἀντακαίους καλέουσι, παρέχεται ἐς ταρίχευσιν, ἄλλα τε πολλὰ θωμάσαι ἄξια.
At its mouth, salt crystallizes naturally in vast quantities, and it provides large spineless fish for salting, which they call antacaioi, and many other things worthy of wonder.
§4.53.4μέχρι μέν νυν Γερρέων χώρου, ἐς τὸν τεσσεράκοντα ἡμερέων πλόος ἐστί, γινώσκεται ῥέων ἀπὸ βορέω ἀνέμου· τὸ δὲ κατύπερθε διʼ ὧν ῥέει ἀνθρώπων οὐδεὶς ἔχει φράσαι·
Now as far as the country of the Gerrhi, to which there is a voyage of forty days, it is known to flow from the north; but of the region above this, through what men it flows, no one is able to say.
φαίνεται δὲ ῥέων διʼ ἐρήμου ἐς τῶν γεωργῶν Σκυθέων τὴν χώρην· οὗτοι γὰρ οἱ Σκύθαι παρʼ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ δέκα ἡμερέων πλόον νέμονται.
But it appears to flow through desert land into the country of the husbandmen Scythians; for these Scythians dwell along its banks for a voyage of ten days.
§4.53.5μούνου δὲ τούτου τοῦ ποταμοῦ καὶ Νείλου οὐκ ἔχω φράσαι τὰς πηγάς, δοκέω δέ, οὐδὲ οὐδεὶς Ἑλλήνων.
Of this river alone and of the Nile I cannot declare the sources, and I think no Greek can either.
ἀγχοῦ τε δὴ θαλάσσης ὁ Βορυσθένης ῥέων γίνεται καὶ οἱ συμμίσγεται ὁ Ὕπανις ἐς τὠυτὸ ἕλος ἐκδιδούς.
The Borysthenes flows near the sea, and the Hypanis mingles with it, emptying into the same marsh.
§4.53.6τὸ δὲ μεταξὺ τῶν ποταμῶν τούτων, ἐὸν ἔμβολον τῆς χώρης, Ἱππόλεω ἄκρη καλέεται, ἐν δὲ αὐτῷ, ἱρὸν Δήμητρος ἐνίδρυται· πέρην δὲ τοῦ ἱροῦ ἐπὶ τῷ Ὑπάνι Βορυσθενεῗται κατοίκηνται.
The space between these rivers, which is a spit of land, is called the Cape of Hippolaos, and upon it is established a temple of Demeter; and opposite the temple, on the Hypanis, dwell the Borysthenites.

Notes

  1. 4.53.1τούτῳ — The dative pronoun `τούτῳ` refers to `Νείλου τοῦ Αἰγυπτίου` (the Egyptian Nile) mentioned immediately before as an exception. Combined with the impersonal construction `οὐκ οἷά τε ἐστὶ` (it is not possible) and the infinitive `συμβαλεῖν` (to compare), it means 'it is not possible to compare any other river with it (the Nile).'
  2. 4.53.2παρὰ θολεροῖσι — A prepositional phrase consisting of `παρά` with the dative neuter (or masculine) plural adjective `θολεροῖσι` (muddy, turbid). This expresses contrast, meaning that the Borysthenes flows clear alongside other waters or tributaries that are muddy.
  3. 4.53.4γινώσκεται ῥέων — The passive verb `γινώσκεται` (it is known) is accompanied by the nominative participle `ῥέων` (flowing) as a supplementary participle. It signifies that the subject (the Borysthenes) 'is known to flow' from a certain direction.
  4. 4.53.5οἱ — The third-person singular dative pronoun in the Ionic dialect, equivalent to `αὐτῷ` in Attic. It refers here to `ὁ Βορυσθένης` (the Borysthenes), the subject of the main clause, serving as the dative object of the verb `συμμίσγεται` (mingles with, joins).

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.53.1-4.53.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.53.1-4.53.6

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