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Herodotus · Histories §7.187.1-7.187.2

Provisions for the Persian Army and the Stature of Xerxes

Passage 1250 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The author notes that the number of non-combatants and animals accompanying Xerxes' army was incalculable, making the drying up of rivers unsurprising. He calculates the daily grain consumption of the troops and praises Xerxes as the most fitting leader due to his stature and beauty.

§7.187.1οὗτος μὲν δὴ τοῦ συνάπαντος τοῦ Ξέρξεω στρατεύματος ἀριθμός, γυναικῶν δὲ σιτοποιῶν καὶ παλλακέων καὶ εὐνούχων οὐδεὶς ἂν εἴποι ἀτρεκέα ἀριθμόν·
This indeed was the total number of the whole army of Xerxes; but as for the bread-making women, the concubines, and the eunuchs, no one could tell their exact number.
οὐδʼ αὖ ὑποζυγίων τε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων κτηνέων τῶν ἀχθοφόρων καὶ κυνῶν Ἰνδικῶν τῶν ἑπομένων, οὐδʼ ἂν τούτων ὑπὸ πλήθεος οὐδεὶς ἂν εἴποι ἀριθμόν.
Nor again, as for the beasts of burden and the other pack-animals, and the Indian hounds that followed, could anyone tell their number, because of their multitude.
ὥστε οὐδέν μοι θῶμα παρίσταται προδοῦναι τὰ ῥέεθρα τῶν ποταμῶν ἔστι ὧν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ὅκως τὰ σιτία ἀντέχρησε θῶμά μοι μυριάσι τοσαύτῃσι.
So it is no wonder to me at all that the streams of some rivers failed, but rather it is a wonder to me how the provisions held out for so many tens of thousands.
§7.187.2εὑρίσκω γὰρ συμβαλλόμενος, εἰ χοίνικα πυρῶν ἕκαστος τῆς ἡμέρης ἐλάμβανε καὶ μηδὲν πλέον, ἕνδεκα μυριάδας μεδίμνων τελεομένας ἐπʼ ἡμέρῃ ἑκάστῃ καὶ πρὸς τριηκοσίους τε ἄλλους μεδίμνους καὶ τεσσεράκοντα· γυναιξὶ δὲ καὶ εὐνούχοισι καὶ ὑποζυγίοισι καὶ κυσὶ οὐ λογίζομαι.
For I find by calculation that, if each man received one choenix of wheat a day and no more, eleven tens of thousands of medimni were completed each day, and three hundred and forty more medimni besides; and in this I do not reckon the women, the eunuchs, the beasts of burden, and the dogs.
ἀνδρῶν δὲ ἐουσέων τοσουτέων μυριάδων, κάλλεός τε εἵνεκα καὶ μεγάθεος οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν ἀξιονικότερος ἦν αὐτοῦ Ξέρξεω ἔχειν τοῦτο τὸ κράτος.
Yet, though there were so many tens of thousands of men, none of them for beauty and stature was more worthy than Xerxes himself to hold this supreme power.

Notes

  1. §7.187.1ἔστι ὧν — An idiomatic pronominal expression meaning "some" (derived from ἔστιν οἵ). Here, the genitive ὧν agrees in gender, number, and case with its antecedent τῶν ποταμῶν.
  2. §7.187.1προδοῦναι — Originally meaning "to betray" or "to abandon," this infinitive is used metaphorically with "the streams of some rivers" as the subject, referring to the rivers running dry and failing to sustain the army.
  3. §7.187.2ἀνδρῶν δὲ ἐουσέων τοσουτέων μυριάδων — Genitive absolute. Because μυριάδων is a feminine noun, the participle ἐουσέων (Ionic for ἐουσῶν) is also feminine, while the genitive plural of the masculine noun ἀνδρῶν ("men") is apposed to clarify who make up these tens of thousands.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.187.1-7.187.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.187.1-7.187.2

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