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Herodotus · Histories §5.25.1-5.25.2

Appointments of Artaphernes and Otanes and Sisamnes' Skin

Passage 794 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Darius appoints Artaphernes as governor of Sardis and Otanes as general of the coastal region before departing for Susa. Otanes' father Sisamnes had been executed and flayed by Cambyses for corruption, and his skin was used to cover the judicial chair where his son is now ordered to sit and judge.

§5.25.1ταῦτα Δαρεῖος εἴπας, καὶ καταστήσας Ἀρταφρένεα ἀδελφεὸν ἑωυτοῦ ὁμοπάτριον ὕπαρχον εἶναι Σαρδίων, ἀπήλαυνε ἐς Σοῦσα ἅμα ἀγόμενος Ἱστιαῖον, Ὀτάνεα δὲ ἀποδέξας στρατηγὸν εἶναι τῶν παραθαλασσίων ἀνδρῶν·
Darius, having said these things and having appointed Artaphernes, his own brother by the same father, to be governor of Sardis, set out for Susa, taking Histiaeus with him, and having appointed Otanes to be general of the people of the coastal region.
τοῦ τὸν πατέρα Σισάμνην βασιλεὺς Καμβύσης γενόμενον τῶν βασιληίων δικαστέων, ὅτι ἐπὶ χρήμασι δίκην ἄδικον ἐδίκασε, σφάξας ἀπέδειρε πᾶσαν τὴν ἀνθρωπέην, σπαδίξας δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸ δέρμα ἱμάντας ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔταμε καὶ ἐνέτεινε τὸν θρόνον ἐς τὸν ἵζων ἐδίκαζε·
The father of this Otanes was Sisamnes, who had been one of the royal judges; King Cambyses, because Sisamnes had given an unjust judgment for money, had him slain and flayed of all his human skin, and having stretched his skin, he cut leather thongs from it and covered the seat of the chair upon which Sisamnes used to sit when he judged.
§5.25.2ἐντανύσας δὲ ὁ Καμβύσης ἀπέδεξε δικαστὴν εἶναι ἀντὶ τοῦ Σισάμνεω, τὸν ἀποκτείνας ἀπέδειρε, τὸν παῖδα τοῦ Σισάμνεω, ἐντειλάμενός οἱ μεμνῆσθαι ἐν τῷ κατίζων θρόνῳ δικάζει.
Having stretched this, Cambyses appointed as judge in place of Sisamnes, the son of Sisamnes whom he had killed and flayed, commanding him to remember on what kind of chair he sat to judge.

Notes

  1. §5.25.1τοῦ τὸν πατέρα Σισάμνην — The relative pronoun in the genitive, τοῦ, refers back to the preceding Ὀτάνεα (Otanes) as its antecedent, forming the beginning of a relative clause meaning 'the father of whom, Sisamnes'. The accusative phrase τὸν πατέρα Σισάμνην serves as the object of the main action performed by the subject, βασιλεὺς Καμβύσης (King Cambyses).
  2. §5.25.2τὸν ἀποκτείνας ἀπέδειρε — The accusative relative (or demonstrative) pronoun τὸν refers to the person of Sisamnes, whose genitive form Σισάμνεω precedes. The participle ἀποκτείνας modifies the subject (Cambyses), meaning 'whom having killed, he flayed'. This clause modifies 'the son of Sisamnes', identifying the father as the one whom Cambyses had executed and flayed.
  3. §5.25.2ἐν τῷ κατίζων θρόνῳ δικάζει — Some manuscripts read ἐν ᾧ κατίζων θρόνῳ δικάζει, presenting a relative clause with an indirect deliberative nuance ('on what kind of chair he sits to judge'). The present participle κατίζων ('sitting') modifies the verb δικάζει. It conveys the king's grim warning to the new judge to remain constantly aware of the terrible origin of the seat on which he performs his duties.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §5.25.1-5.25.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.25.1-5.25.2

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