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Herodotus · Histories §7.86.1-7.86.2

Equipment and Mounts of the Various Cavalry Nations

Passage 1149 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

After referencing the Sagartians' tactics and deployment, the passage details the equipment and various mounts—such as riding-horses, chariots, wild asses, and camels—used by the other cavalry contingents, including the Medes, Indians, Bactrians, Libyans, and Arabians.

§7.86.1τούτων μὲν αὕτη ἡ μάχη, καὶ ἐπετετάχατο ἐς τοὺς Πέρσας·
Such was the manner of fighting of these men, and they had been marshalled with the Persians.
Μῆδοι δὲ τήν περ ἐν τῷ πεζῷ εἶχον σκευήν, καὶ Κίσσιοι ὡσαύτως.
The Medes had the very same equipment as they had in the infantry, and the Cissians likewise.
Ἰνδοὶ δὲ σκευῇ μὲν ἐσεσάχατο τῇ αὐτῇ καὶ ἐν τῷ πεζῷ, ἤλαυνον δὲ κέλητας καὶ ἅρματα· ὑπὸ δὲ τοῖσι ἅρμασι ὑπῆσαν ἵπποι καὶ ὄνοι ἄγριοι.
The Indians were equipped in the same manner as in the infantry, and they rode riding-horses and chariots; and under their chariots were yoked horses and wild asses.
Βάκτριοι δὲ ἐσκευάδατο ὡσαύτως καὶ ἐν τῷ πεζῷ, καὶ Κάσπιοι ὁμοίως.
The Bactrians were equipped likewise as in the infantry, and the Caspians in like manner.
§7.86.2Λίβυες δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ κατά περ ἐν τῷ πεζῷ· ἤλαυνον δὲ καὶ οὗτοι πάντες ἅρματα.
The Libyans also themselves were equipped just as in the infantry, and these too all drove chariots.
ὣς δʼ αὕτως Κάσπιοι καὶ Παρικάνιοι ἐσεσάχατο ὁμοίως καὶ ἐν τῷ πεζῷ.
In the selfsame manner, the Caspians and the Paricanians were equipped likewise as in the infantry.
Ἀράβιοι δὲ σκευὴν μὲν εἶχον τὴν αὐτὴν καὶ ἐν τῷ πεζῷ, ἤλαυνον δὲ πάντες καμήλους ταχυτῆτα οὐ λειπομένας ἵππων.
The Arabians had the same equipment as in the infantry, and they all rode camels which in speed were not inferior to horses.

Notes

  1. §7.86.1ἐπετετάχατο — The 3rd person plural pluperfect indicative passive of ἐπιτάσσω. As a characteristic of the Ionic dialect, the ending -ατο is attached directly to consonant-stem verbs, instead of the periphrastic construction (participle + ἦσαν) used in Attic. The subsequent forms ἐσεσάχατο (from σάττω) and ἐσκευάδατο (from σ케υάζω) in this chapter are formed in the same manner.
  2. §7.86.2ταχυτῆτα οὐ λειπομένας ἵππων — ταχυτῆτα is an accusative of respect ('in speed'), modifying the participle λειπομένας (present middle/passive participle, feminine plural accusative, agreeing with the preceding noun καμήλους). ἵππων is a genitive of comparison governed by the verb λείπομαι ('to fall short of', 'be inferior to'), meaning 'than horses'.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.86.1-7.86.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.86.1-7.86.2

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