Herodotus · Histories §4.64.1-4.64.4

Scythian Military Customs: Scalping and Processing Human Skin

Passage 628 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The ruthless military customs of the Scythians are described. They drink the blood of the first enemy slain, present severed heads to the king to claim booty, and use human skins and scalps to make hand-wipes, cloaks, and quiver covers.

§4.64.1τὰ δʼ ἐς πόλεμον ἔχοντα ὧδέ σφι διακέαται·

The matters concerning war are established for them in this way.

ἐπεὰν τὸν πρῶτον ἄνδρα καταβάλῃ ἀνὴρ Σκύθης, τοῦ αἵματος ἐμπίνει, ὅσους δʼ ἂν φονεύσῃ ἐν τῇ μάχῃ, τούτων τὰς κεφαλὰς ἀποφέρει τῷ βασιλέι.

When a Scythian man strikes down his first man, he drinks of his blood; and of all those whom he slays in battle, he carries their heads to the king.

ἀπενείκας μὲν γὰρ κεφαλὴν τῆς ληίης μεταλαμβάνει τὴν ἂν λάβωσι, μὴ ἐνείκας δὲ οὔ.

For if he brings a head, he shares in the booty which they may take, but if he does not bring one, he does not.

§4.64.2ἀποδείρει δὲ αὐτὴν τρόπῳ τοιῷδε· περιταμὼν κύκλῳ περὶ τὰ ὦτα καὶ λαβόμενος τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐκσείει, μετὰ δὲ σαρκίσας βοὸς πλευρῇ δέψει τῇσι χερσί, ὀργάσας δὲ αὐτὸ ἅτε χειρόμακτρον ἔκτηται, ἐκ δὲ τῶν χαλινῶν τοῦ ἵππου τὸν αὐτὸς ἐλαύνει, ἐκ τούτου ἐξάπτει καὶ ἀγάλλεται· ὃς γὰρ ἂν πλεῖστα δέρματα χειρόμακτρα ἔχῃ, ἀνὴρ ἄριστος οὗτος κέκριται.

And he flays it in the following manner: making a cut in a circle around the ears, and grasping the head, he shakes it out; then, after scraping off the flesh with the rib of an ox, he tames it with his hands, and having worked it soft, he keeps it as a hand-wipe, and hangs it from the bridle of the horse which he himself rides, and takes pride in it; for whoever has the greatest number of skins for hand-wipes is judged to be the best man.

§4.64.3πολλοὶ δὲ αὐτῶν ἐκ τῶν ἀποδερμάτων καὶ χλαίνας ἐπείνυσθαι ποιεῦσι, συρράπτοντες κατά περ βαίτας.

Many of them even make cloaks to clothe themselves with from these flayed skins, sewing them together like shepherd's coats.

πολλοὶ δὲ ἀνδρῶν ἐχθρῶν τὰς δεξιὰς χεῖρας νεκρῶν ἐόντων ἀποδείραντες αὐτοῖσι ὄνυξι καλύπτρας τῶν φαρετρέων ποιεῦνται.

And many flay the right hands of their dead enemies, together with the very nails, and make covers for their quivers.

δέρμα δὲ ἀνθρώπου καὶ παχὺ καὶ λαμπρὸν ἦν ἄρα, σχεδὸν δερμάτων πάντων λαμπρότατον λευκότητι.

Now the skin of a man turns out to be both thick and shining, perhaps the brightest of all skins in its whiteness.

§4.64.4πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ὅλους ἄνδρας ἐκδείραντες καὶ διατείναντες ἐπὶ ξύλων ἐπʼ ἵππων περιφέρουσι.

Many also flay whole men, and stretching the skins upon pieces of wood, they carry them about on horseback.

Notes

4.64.1τὰ δʼ ἐς πόλεμον ἔχοντα — The verb ἔχω used intransitively with the prepositional phrase ἐς πόλεμον means 'matters pertaining to war.' τὰ ... ἔχοντα functions as a neuter plural subject.
4.64.1τοῦ αἵματος — A partitive genitive serving as the object of the verb ἐμπίνει (to drink). It implies 'drinking some of the blood.'
4.64.1ἀπενείκας μὲν γὰρ ... μὴ ἐνείκας δὲ οὔ — The aorist participles ἀπενείκας and ἐνείκας (from ἀποφέρω) function conditionally ('if he brings,' 'if he does not bring'). The negative μή is used with the latter due to its conditional force. The final οὔ negates the omitted main verb μεταλαμβάνει.
4.64.3αὐτοῖσι ὄνυξι — The dative plural of the pronoun αὐτός combined with the dative noun ὄνυξι expresses accompaniment or inclusion ('together with the very nails').
4.64.3ἦν ἄρα — The combination of the imperfect ἦν and the particle ἄρα is an idiomatic usage expressing the sudden realization or confirmation of a fact ('turns out to be,' 'is after all').

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §4.64.1-4.64.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.64.1-4.64.4

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