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Herodotus · Histories §7.84.1

The Cavalry Nations and the Armor of Persian Horsemen

Passage 1147 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The description of the nations serving as cavalry begins, starting with the Persian horsemen who wore the same equipment as their infantry, except for some who wore hammered metal helmets.

§7.84.1ἱππεύει δὲ ταῦτα τὰ ἔθνεα·
These were the nations that served as cavalry.
πλὴν οὐ πάντα παρείχετο ἵππον, ἀλλὰ τοσάδε μοῦνα, Πέρσαι μὲν τὴν αὐτὴν ἐσκευασμένοι καὶ ὁ πεζὸς αὐτῶν· πλὴν ἐπὶ τῇσι κεφαλῇσι εἶχον ἔνιοι αὐτῶν καὶ χάλκεα καὶ σιδήρεα ἐξεληλαμένα ποιήματα.
However, not all of them provided horses, but only these: first, the Persians, equipped in the same manner as their infantry, except that on their heads some of them also had hammered works of bronze and iron.

Notes

  1. §7.84.1ἱππεύει δὲ ταῦτα τὰ ἔθνεα — A typical Classical Greek grammatical feature (often called the "Schema Atticum") where the neuter plural subject ταῦτα τὰ ἔθνεα takes the third-person singular verb ἱππεύει, which is also common in Ionic Greek.
  2. §7.84.1τὴν αὐτὴν — Accusative feminine singular of the adjective meaning "the same." Here, a noun such as σκευήν (equipment) or ἐσθῆτα (garment), which appeared in the preceding chapter (7.83.2), is omitted, meaning "in the same equipment."
  3. §7.84.1καὶ ὁ πεζὸς αὐτῶν — The conjunction καί is used correlatively with τὴν αὐτὴν ("the same") to express comparison or equality ("the same as..."). Literally, "equipped with the same equipment as their infantry."
  4. §7.84.1ποιήματα — A neuter noun derived from the verb ποιέω ("to make"), meaning "things made" or "manufactures." Here it refers to protective gear, specifically helmets, made of hammered (ἐξεληλαμένα) sheets of bronze or iron.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.84.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.84.1

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