Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §5.53.1

Calculation of Total Distance and Travel Days of the Royal Road

Passage 822 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The author states that the total number of stations from Sardis to Susa is 111, calculates the total distance in parasangs and stades, and estimates that the journey takes exactly 90 days at a rate of 150 stades per day.

§5.53.1οὗτοι οἱ πάντες σταθμοί εἰσι ἕνδεκα καὶ ἑκατόν.
All these stations together are one hundred and eleven.
καταγωγαὶ μέν νυν σταθμῶν τοσαῦται εἰσὶ ἐκ Σαρδίων ἐς Σοῦσα ἀναβαίνοντι.
Now, there are this many lodging-places at the stations for one who goes up from Sardis to Susa.
εἰ δὲ ὀρθῶς μεμέτρηται ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ βασιληίη τοῖσι παρασάγγῃσι καὶ ὁ παρασάγγης δύναται τριήκοντα στάδια, ὥσπερ οὗτός γε δύναται ταῦτα, ἐκ Σαρδίων στάδια ἐστὶ ἐς τὰ βασιλήια τὰ Μεμνόνια καλεόμενα πεντακόσια καὶ τρισχίλια καὶ μύρια, παρασαγγέων ἐόντων πεντήκοντα καὶ τετρακοσίων.
And if the royal road has been measured correctly in parasangs, and if a parasang is equivalent to thirty stades—as indeed it is equivalent to this number—the distance from Sardis to the royal palace called Memnonia is thirteen thousand five hundred stades, the parasangs being four hundred and fifty.
πεντήκοντα δὲ καὶ ἑκατὸν στάδια ἐπʼ ἡμέρῃ ἑκάστῃ διεξιοῦσι ἀναισιμοῦνται ἡμέραι ἀπαρτὶ ἐνενήκοντα.
And for those who travel one hundred and fifty stades each day, exactly ninety days are spent on the journey.

Notes

  1. §5.53.1ἀναβαίνοντι — Present participle in the dative singular, functioning as a dative of reference or relation. It means 'for one who goes up (inland) from Sardis to Susa'.
  2. §5.53.1δύναται — Third-person singular present of the verb δύναμαι (to be able, to have power), used here in the sense of equivalence in weights and measures: 'to be equivalent to' or 'to equal'.
  3. §5.53.1διεξιοῦσι — Dative plural of the present participle of διαέξειμι (to pass through, travel). Like ἀναβαίνοντι, it is a dative of reference, indicating the condition: 'for those who travel one hundred and fifty stades each day'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §5.53.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.53.1

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