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Herodotus · Histories §7.76.1

Equipment and Oracle of Ares of an Unnamed Tribe

Passage 1139 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

This section describes the equipment of a certain tribe, including small shields of raw ox-hide, Lycian javelins, bronze helmets decorated with ox ears and horns, and scarlet shin-wraps, noting that they possess an oracle of Ares.

§7.76.1ἀσπίδαςδὲ ὠμοβοΐνας εἶχον σμικράς, καὶ προβόλους δύο λυκιοεργέας ἕκαστος εἶχε, ἐπὶ δὲ τῇσι κεφαλῇσι κράνεα χάλκεα· πρὸς δὲ τοῖσι κράνεσι ὦτά τε καὶ κέρεα προσῆν βοὸς χάλκεα, ἐπῆσαν δὲ καὶ λόφοι· τὰς δὲ κνήμας ῥάκεσι φοινικέοισι κατειλίχατο.
They had small shields of raw ox-hide, and each man had two javelins of Lycian workmanship, and on their heads bronze helmets; and on these helmets were attached the ears and horns of an ox in bronze, and there were also crests upon them; and their shins were wrapped with strips of scarlet cloth.
ἐν τούτοισι τοῖσι ἀνδράσι Ἄρεος ἐστὶ χρηστήριον.
Among these men there is an oracle of Ares.

Notes

  1. §7.76.1κατειλίχατο — The third-person plural pluperfect middle/passive of the verb κατειλίσσω (to wrap round). The ending -ατο is an Ionic feature corresponding to the Attic -ντο, typically used for consonant-stem verbs in the perfect and pluperfect passive. The accusative τὰς δὲ κνήμας functions as an accusative of specification ('with respect to their shins'), with the dative ῥάκεσι φοινικέοισι expressing the instrument ('with scarlet rags').
  2. §7.76.1ὦτά τε καὶ κέρεα... βοὸς χάλκεα — The neuter plural adjective χάλκεα (bronze) modifies both of the coordinated neuter plural nouns ὦτα (ears) and κέρεα (horns), while the genitive singular βοός (of an ox) restricts them, meaning 'bronze ears and horns of an ox'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.76.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.76.1

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