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Herodotus · Histories §7.7.1

Xerxes' Subjugation of the Egyptian Revolt

Passage 1052 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Xerxes, persuaded to march against Greece, first subdues the Egyptian revolt in the second year after Darius' death. He then entrusts the government of Egypt to his brother Achaimenes, who is later killed by the Libyan Inaros.

§7.7.1ὡς δὲ ἀνεγνώσθη Ξέρξης στρατεύεσθαι ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα, ἐνθαῦτα δευτέρῳ μὲν ἔτεϊ μετὰ τὸν θάνατον τὸν Δαρείου πρῶτα στρατηίην ποιέεται ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀπεστεῶτας.
When Xerxes had been persuaded to make an expedition against Greece, thereupon, in the second year after the death of Darius, he first made an expedition against the rebels.
τούτους μέν νυν καταστρεψάμενος καὶ Αἴγυπτον πᾶσαν πολλὸν δουλοτέρην ποιήσας ἢ ἐπὶ Δαρείου ἦν, ἐπιτράπει Ἀχαιμένεϊ ἀδελφεῷ μὲν ἑωυτοῦ, Δαρείου δὲ παιδί.
Having subdued them and made all Egypt much more enslaved than it had been under Darius, he entrusted it to Achaimenes, his own brother and a son of Darius.
Ἀχαιμένεα μέν νυν ἐπιτροπεύοντα Αἰγύπτου χρόνῳ μετέπειτα ἐφόνευσε Ἰνάρως ὁ Ψαμμητίχου ἀνὴρ Λίβυς.
This Achaimenes, while governing Egypt, was at a later time slain by Inaros, a Libyan, the son of Psammetichus.

Notes

  1. §7.7.1ἀνεγνώσθη — The verb ἀναγιγνώσκω (Ionic ἀναγινώσκω), which commonly means 'to read' in Attic Greek, is frequently used by Herodotus in the sense of 'to persuade' (passive, 'to be persuaded'). Here it is used in a personal construction with the subject Ξέρξης ('Xerxes was persuaded...'), taking the infinitive στρατεύεσθαι.
  2. §7.7.1ἐπιτράπει — Historical present. The direct object of this verb ('to entrust', i.e., Egypt or its government) is omitted in the Greek text as it is easily supplied from the preceding Αἴγυπτον πᾶσαν. The dative Ἀχαιμένεϊ serves as the indirect object.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.7.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.7.1

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