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Herodotus · Histories §5.68.1-5.68.2

Renaming and Restoration of the Sicyonian Tribes

Passage 837 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The text describes Cleisthenes' renaming of the Sicyonian tribes to humiliate them and the subsequent restoration and reorganization of the tribal names after his death.

§5.68.1ταῦτα μὲν ἐς Ἄδρηστόν οἱ ἐπεποίητο, φυλὰς δὲ τὰς Δωριέων, ἵνα δὴ μὴ αἱ αὐταὶ ἔωσι τοῖσι Σικυωνίοισι καὶ τοῖσι Ἀργείοισι, μετέβαλε ἐς ἄλλα οὐνόματα.
These things, on the one hand, had been done by him in regard to Adrastus; on the other hand, he changed the tribes of the Dorians to other names, in order that the Sicyonians and the Argives might not have the same tribes.
ἔνθα καὶ πλεῖστον κατεγέλασε τῶν Σικυωνίων· ἐπὶ γὰρ ὑός τε καὶ ὄνου τὰς ἐπωνυμίας μετατιθεὶς αὐτὰ τὰ τελευταῖα ἐπέθηκε, πλὴν τῆς ἑωυτοῦ φυλῆς· ταύτῃ δὲ τὸ οὔνομα ἀπὸ τῆς ἑωυτοῦ ἀρχῆς ἔθετο.
In this, he mocked the Sicyonians most of all; for, changing their names based on pig and ass, he added these very suffixes, except for his own tribe, to which he gave the name derived from his own rule.
οὗτοι μὲν δὴ Ἀρχέλαοι ἐκαλέοντο, ἕτεροι δὲ Ὑᾶται, ἄλλοι δὲ Ὀνεᾶται, ἕτεροι δὲ Χοιρεᾶται.
Thus, these indeed were called Archelaoi, others Hyatae, others Oneatae, and others Choireatae.
§5.68.2τούτοισι τοῖσι οὐνόμασι τῶν φυλέων ἐχρέωντο οἱ Σικυώνιοι καὶ ἐπὶ Κλεισθένεος ἄρχοντος καὶ ἐκείνου τεθνεῶτος ἔτι ἐπʼ ἔτεα ἑξήκοντα· μετέπειτα μέντοι λόγον σφίσι δόντες μετέβαλον ἐς τοὺς Ὑλλέας καὶ Παμφύλους καὶ Δυμανάτας, τετάρτους δὲ αὐτοῖσι προσέθεντο ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀδρήστου παιδὸς Αἰγιαλέος τὴν ἐπωνυμίην ποιεύμενοι κεκλῆσθαι Αἰγιαλέας.
The Sicyonians used these names of the tribes both during the rule of Cleisthenes and, after his death, for sixty years more; later, however, having consulted among themselves, they changed them to the Hylleis, Pamphyli, and Dymanatae, and they added a fourth tribe for themselves, making its name after Adrastus' son Aegialeus, so as to be called Aegialeis.

Notes

  1. §5.68.1οἱ — Dative of agent (dative of interest) accompanying the pluperfect passive verb ἐπεποίητο, translated as 'by him.'
  2. §5.68.1αὐτὰ τὰ τελευταῖα — Literally 'these very last things,' referring here to the suffixes (-ᾶται) that were appended to the stems of the animal names to form the tribal names.
  3. §5.68.2λόγον σφίσι δόντες — Idiomatic expression meaning 'having given an account to themselves,' i.e., 'having consulted among themselves' or 'having deliberated.'

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §5.68.1-5.68.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.68.1-5.68.2

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