Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §7.109.1-7.109.2

March Past Greek Coastal Cities to Pistyros

Passage 1172 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Xerxes crosses the dry bed of the Lisus and passes various Greek cities, lakes, and the river Nestus, eventually reaching Pistyros, where a salt lake was dried up solely by his baggage animals drinking from it.

§7.109.1διαβὰς δὲ τοῦ Λίσου ποταμοῦ τὸ ῥέεθρον ἀπεξηρασμένον πόλιας Ἑλληνίδας τάσδε παραμείβετο, Μαρώνειαν Δίκαιαν Ἄβδηρα.
Having crossed the dried-up bed of the river Lisus, Xerxes passed by the following Greek cities: Maroneia, Dikaia, and Abdera.
ταύτας τε δὴ παρεξήιε καὶ κατὰ ταύτας λίμνας ὀνομαστὰς τάσδε, Μαρωνείης μὲν μεταξὺ καὶ Στρύμης κειμένην Ἰσμαρίδα, κατὰ δὲ Δίκαιαν Βιστονίδα, ἐς τὴν ποταμοὶ δύο ἐσιεῖσι τὸ ὕδωρ, Τραῦός τε καὶ Κόμψαντος.
He indeed passed along these, and by them the following famous lakes: Ismaris, situated between Maroneia and Stryme; and by Dikaia, Bistonis, into which two rivers empty their waters, the Trauus and the Compsantus.
κατὰ δὲ Ἄβδηρα λίμνην μὲν οὐδεμίαν ἐοῦσαν ὀνομαστὴν παραμείψατο Ξέρξης, ποταμὸν δὲ Νέστον ῥέοντα ἐς θάλασσαν.
By Abdera Xerxes passed by no famous lake, since there was none, but he passed by the river Nestus flowing into the sea.
§7.109.2μετὰ δὲ ταύτας τὰς χώρας ἰὼν τὰς ἠπειρώτιδας πόλις παρήιε, τῶν ἐν μιῇ λίμνη ἐοῦσα τυγχάνει ὡσεὶ τριήκοντα σταδίων μάλιστά κῃ τὴν περίοδον, ἰχθυώδης τε καὶ κάρτα ἁλμυρή· ταύτην τὰ ὑποζύγια μοῦνα ἀρδόμενα ἀνεξήρηνε.
Going on past these mainland regions, he passed by other cities, in one of which there happened to be a lake about thirty shades in circumference, full of fish and very salty; this lake the baggage animals alone, merely by being watered, dried up.
τῇ δὲ πόλι ταύτῃ οὔνομα ἐστὶ Πίστυρος.
The name of this city is Pistyros.

Notes

  1. 7.109.2ἐοῦσα τυγχάνει — The combination of the verb τυγχάνω with the present participle ἐοῦσα forming the construction 'happens to be' or 'actually exists'. Here it means 'a lake happened to be there'.
  2. 7.109.2τὴν περίοδον — An accusative of specification (or respect) used alongside the genitive of measure τριήκοντα σταδίων, meaning 'about thirty stades in respect to its circumference'.
  3. 7.109.2ἀρδόμενα — Present passive participle of the verb ἄρδω (to water, irrigate), agreeing with the subject τὰ ὑποζύγια (baggage animals). It means 'being watered' or 'having water supplied to them', which in this context is understood actively as 'by drinking water'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.109.1-7.109.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.109.1-7.109.2

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