Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §7.198.1-7.198.2

Geography and Rivers of the Malian Gulf

Passage 1261 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Xerxes' army advances into Malis, and the geographical features of the region, along with the locations of Anticyra, the Spercheus, Dyras (associated with Heracles), and Melas rivers, are described.

§7.198.1ταῦτα μὲν τὰ ἐν Θεσσαλίῃ καὶ τὰ ἐν Ἀχαιίῃ·
These were the events in Thessaly and in Achaia.
ἀπὸ δὲ τούτων τῶν χώρων ἤιε ἐς τὴν Μηλίδα παρὰ κόλπον θαλάσσης, ἐν τῷ ἄμπωτίς τε καὶ ῥηχίη ἀνὰ πᾶσαν ἡμέρην γίνεται.
From these territories he marched into Malis along a gulf of the sea, in which ebb and flow of the tide occur every day.
περὶ δὲ τὸν κόλπον τοῦτον ἐστὶ χῶρος πεδινός, τῇ μὲν εὐρὺς τῇ δὲ καὶ κάρτα στεινός·
Around this gulf there is a flat area, in one part wide, and in another indeed very narrow.
περὶ δὲ τὸν χῶρον ὄρεα ὑψηλὰ καὶ ἄβατα περικληίει πᾶσαν τὴν Μηλίδα γῆν, Τρηχίνιαι πέτραι καλεόμεναι.
Around this area high and impassable mountains, called the Trachinian Cliffs, enclose the whole Malian land.
§7.198.2πρώτη μέν νυν πόλις ἐστὶ ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ ἰόντι ἀπὸ Ἀχαιίης Ἀντικύρη, παρʼ ἣν Σπερχειὸς ποταμὸς ῥέων ἐξ Ἐνιήνων ἐς θάλασσαν ἐκδιδοῖ.
Now, the first city on this gulf for one going from Achaia is Anticyra, past which the river Spercheus, flowing from the territory of the Enienes, empties into the sea.
ἀπὸ δὲ τούτου διὰ εἴκοσί κου σταδίων ἄλλος ποταμὸς τῷ οὔνομα κεῖται Δύρας, τὸν βοηθέοντα τῷ Ἡρακλέι καιομένῳ λόγος ἐστὶ ἀναφανῆναι.
And about twenty stades from this is another river, whose name is Dyras, which, legend says, appeared to help Heracles when he was burning.
ἀπὸ δὲ τούτου διʼ ἄλλων εἴκοσι σταδίων ἄλλος ποταμός ἐστι ὃς καλέεται Μέλας.
And from this, at a distance of another twenty stades, is another river which is called Melas.

Notes

  1. 7.198.2ἰόντι — The dative present participle ἰόντι is a dative of relation (or reference), meaning 'for one going' or 'as one goes' from Achaia.
  2. 7.198.2τὸν βοηθέοντα τῷ Ἡρακλέι καιομένῳ λόος ἐστὶ ἀναφανῆναι — This is an accusative and infinitive construction consisting of the infinitive ἀναφανῆναι (second aorist passive of ἀναφαίνω) with its subject accusative τὸν (the relative pronoun referring to the river Δύρας) and the participle βοηθέοντα. The whole construction depends on λόγος ἐστί ('there is a legend that...').

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.198.1-7.198.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.198.1-7.198.2

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