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Herodotus · Histories §7.87.1

Total Number of Cavalry and the Arabian Unit's Position

Passage 1150 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

The nations composing the cavalry and their total number (eighty thousand), and the reason why the Arabian contingent was posted at the very rear due to horses' intolerance of camels.

§7.87.1ταῦτα τὰ ἔθνεα μοῦνα ἱππεύει.
These nations alone serve in the cavalry.
ἀριθμὸς δὲ τῆς ἵππου ἐγένετο ὀκτὼ μυριάδες, πάρεξ τῶν καμήλων καὶ τῶν ἁρμάτων.
The number of the cavalry amounted to eighty thousand, excluding the camels and the chariots.
οἱ μέν νυν ἄλλοι ἱππέες ἐτετάχατο κατὰ τέλεα, Ἀράβιοι δὲ ἔσχατοι ἐπετετάχατο· ἅτε γὰρ τῶν ἵππων οὔτι ἀνεχομένων τὰς καμήλους, ὕστεροι ἐτετάχατο, ἵνα μὴ φοβέοιτο τὸ ἱππικόν.
Now the other horsemen were marshalled in squadrons, but the Arabians were posted last; for since the horses could by no means tolerate the camels, they were marshalled behind them, so that the cavalry might not be frightened.

Notes

  1. §7.87.1ἐτετάχατο — The Ionic dialect form for the third-person plural pluperfect passive of the verb τάσσω. Where Attic Greek would use a periphrastic form (participle + εἰμί) for the third-person plural of consonant-stem verbs in the perfect/pluperfect passive, Ionic uses the ending -ατο to form a single word.
  2. §7.87.1ἅτε ... ἀνεχομένων — A genitive absolute construction introduced by the particle ἅτε. The particle ἅτε with a participle (or genitive absolute) presents an objective, matter-of-fact reason ("inasmuch as," "seeing that").
  3. §7.87.1ἵνα μὴ φοβέοιτο — A subordinate clause of purpose introduced by ἵνα. Because the governing verb of the main clause is in a past tense (historical tense), the optative mood (optative of oblique petition/purpose) is used in the purpose clause.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §7.87.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.87.1

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