Herodotus · Histories §6.56.1

Religious and Military Privileges of the Spartan Kings

Passage 958 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Describes the religious privileges, such as the two priesthoods, and military privileges, including declaring war, campaigning, and receiving sacrificial portions, granted to the Spartan kings.

§6.56.1γέρεά τε δὴ τάδε τοῖσι βασιλεῦσι Σπαρτιῆται δεδώκασι, ἱρωσύνας δύο, Διός τε Λακεδαίμονος καὶ Διὸς οὐρανίου, καὶ πόλεμον ἐκφέρειν ἐπʼ ἣν ἂν βούλωνται χώρην, τούτου δὲ μηδένα εἶναι Σπαρτιητέων διακωλυτήν, εἰ δὲ μὴ αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ἄγεϊ ἐνέχεσθαι.

The Spartans have given these privileges to their kings: two priesthoods, namely of Lacedaemonian Zeus and of Heavenly Zeus; and to wage war against whatever land they wish, no Spartan being permitted to obstruct this, or otherwise to be bound under the curse.

στρατευομένων δὲ πρώτους ἰέναι τοὺς βασιλέας, ὑστάτους δὲ ἀπιέναι· ἑκατὸν δὲ ἄνδρας λογάδας ἐπὶ στρατιῆς φυλάσσειν αὐτούς· προβάτοισι δὲ χρᾶσθαι ἐν τῇσι ἐξοδίῃσι ὁκόσοισι ἂν ὦν ἐθέλωσι, τῶν δὲ θυομένων πάντων τὰ δέρματά τε καὶ τὰ νῶτα λαμβάνειν σφεας.

And when they go on campaign, the kings are to go first, and return last; and a hundred chosen men are to guard them on campaign; and they may use as many small cattle on their departures as they wish, and they themselves are to take the hides and the backs of all the animals sacrificed.

Notes

6.56.1εἰ δὲ μὴ αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ἄγεϊ ἐνέχεσθαι — The phrase εἰ δὲ μή is an idiomatic expression meaning 'otherwise' (reversing the preceding negative clause). The accusative pronoun αὐτόν is the subject of the infinitive ἐνέχεσθαι (passive, 'to be bound in' or 'to be held in'), referring to any person who attempts to hinder. The infinitive continues the list of indirect stipulations concerning the kings' privileges.
6.56.1στρατευομένων — The genitive plural present participle στρατευομένων forms a genitive absolute. Although its subject is unexpressed, it contextually refers to the army or the Spartans going on campaign. This provides the temporal background for the following infinitive clause where τοὺς βασιλέας is the subject.
6.56.1τῶν δὲ θυομένων πάντων τὰ δέρματά τε καὶ τὰ νῶτα λαμβάνειν σφεας — The infinitive λαμβάνειν continues the list of privileges. Its subject is the accusative plural pronoun σφέας (an Ionic form of σφᾶς), referring to the kings. The genitive phrase τῶν θυομένων πάντων functions as a partitive genitive (or genitive of possession) modifying the accusative direct objects τὰ δέρματά τε καὶ τὰ νῶτα ('the hides and the backs').

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §6.56.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.56.1

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