Humanitext Reader

Herodotus · Histories §8.104.1

Hermotimus Appointed to Escort the King's Sons

Passage 1412 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Xerxes sent Hermotimus, a highly esteemed eunuch of Pedasian origin in the king's favor, to accompany and guard his children on their journey to Ephesus.

§8.104.1συνέπεμπε δὲ τοῖσι παισὶ φύλακον Ἑρμότιμον, γένος μὲν ἐόντα Πηδασέα, φερόμενον δὲ οὐ τὰ δεύτερα τῶν εὐνούχων παρὰ βασιλέι·
And he sent along with the children as a guardian Hermotimus, who was by birth a Pedasian, and who was held in not the second but the highest estimation among the eunuchs by the king.

Notes

  1. §8.104.1γένος — Accusative of respect (or specification), meaning "by birth" or "with respect to race."
  2. §8.104.1οὐ τὰ δεύτερα — A litotes ("not the second"), meaning "the first" or "the highest." It functions adverbially or as the object of the participle φερόμενον (meaning "held in estimation" or "regarded").

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §8.104.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.104.1

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.