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Herodotus · Histories §5.17.1-5.17.2

Megabazus Sends Persian Envoys to Macedonia

Passage 786 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Following the conquest of the Paeonians, Megabazus sends Persian envoys to Amyntas in Macedonia, and the short route from Lake Prasias to Macedonia via a rich mine is described.

§5.17.1παιόνων μὲν δὴ οἱ χειρωθέντες ἤγοντο ἐς τὴν Ἀσίην.
Thus, those of the Paeonians who had been conquered were led away into Asia.
Μεγάβαζος δὲ ὡς ἐχειρώσατο τοὺς Παίονας, πέμπει ἀγγέλους ἐς Μακεδονίην ἄνδρας ἑπτὰ Πέρσας, οἳ μετʼ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον ἦσαν δοκιμώτατοι ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ·
And when Megabazus had conquered the Paeonians, he sent as messengers to Macedonia seven Persian men, who after himself were the most highly esteemed in the army.
ἐπέμποντο δὲ οὗτοι παρὰ Ἀμύντην αἰτήσοντες γῆν τε καὶ ὕδωρ Δαρείῳ βασιλέι.
These were sent to Amyntas to demand earth and water for King Darius.
§5.17.2ἔστι δὲ ἐκ τῆς Πρασιάδος λίμνης σύντομος κάρτα ἐς τὴν Μακεδονίην·
Now, there is a very short route from Lake Prasias into Macedonia.
πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἔχεται τῆς λίμνης τὸ μέταλλον ἐξ οὗ ὕστερον τούτων τάλαντον ἀργυρίου Ἀλεξάνδρῳ ἡμέρης ἑκάστης ἐφοίτα, μετὰ δὲ τὸ μέταλλον Δύσωρον καλεόμενον ὄρος ὑπερβάντα εἶναι ἐν Μακεδονίν.
For first, bordering on the lake is the mine, from which at a later time than these events a talent of silver came in every day to Alexander; and after the mine, for one who has crossed the mountain called Dysorum, one is in Macedonia.

Notes

  1. §5.17.1αἰτήσοντες — Future active participle, expressing the purpose of the main verb ἐπέμποντο ('in order to demand').
  2. §5.17.2ἔχεται — Middle voice of ἔχω, which takes the genitive (τῆς λίμνης) to mean 'to border on' or 'be close to'.
  3. §5.17.2ὕστερον τούτων — The comparative adverb ὕστερον ('later') is construed with the genitive of comparison τούτων ('these things'), meaning 'at a time later than these events'.
  4. §5.17.2ὑπερβάντα — An aorist active participle in the accusative singular masculine. It functions as the indefinite subject of the infinitive εἶναι ('for one who has crossed' or 'after crossing'), representing a general traveler.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §5.17.1-5.17.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.17.1-5.17.2

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