Humanitext Reader

Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §1.61.1-1.61.4

King Mendes and the Construction of the Egyptian Labyrinth

Passage 62 of 406 · Greek

Summary

The Egyptians restored a native king named Mendes, who constructed the famous Labyrinth as his tomb. This structure is said to have inspired the Cretan Labyrinth, and while the latter has completely vanished, the Egyptian one remains intact to this day.

§1.61.1τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως τούτου τελευτήσαντος ἀνεκτήσαντο τὴν ἀρχὴν Αἰγύπτιοι, καὶ κατέστησαν ἐγχώριον βασιλέα Μένδην, ὅν τινες Μάρρον προσονομάζουσιν.
When this king died, the Egyptians recovered the rule and established Mende, whom some call Marros, as their native king.
§1.61.2οὗτος δὲ πολεμικὴν μὲν πρᾶξιν οὐδʼ ἡντινοῦν ἐπετελέσατο, τάφον δʼ αὑτῷ κατεσκεύασε τὸν ὀνομαζόμενον λαβύρινθον, οὐχ οὕτω κατὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῶν ἔργων θαυμαστὸν ὡς πρὸς τὴν φιλοτεχνίαν δυσμίμητον· ὁ γὰρ εἰσελθὼν εἰς αὐτὸν οὐ δύναται ῥᾳδίως τὴν ἔξοδον εὑρεῖν, ἐὰν μὴ τύχῃ τινὸς ὁδηγοῦ παντελῶς ἐμπείρου.
This man performed no military deed whatsoever, but constructed for himself the tomb called the Labyrinth, which was not so much wonderful for the size of its works as difficult to imitate for its artistic skill; for he who enters it is unable easily to find the exit, unless he happens upon a completely experienced guide.
§1.61.3φασὶ δέ τινες καὶ τὸν Δαίδαλον εἰς Αἴγυπτον παραβαλόντα καὶ θαυμάσαντα τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τέχνην κατασκευάσαι τῷ βασιλεύοντι τῆς Κρήτης Μίνῳ λαβύρινθον ὅμοιον τῷ κατʼ Αἴγυπτον, ἐν ᾧ γενέσθαι μυθολογοῦσι τὸν λεγόμενον Μινώταυρον.
And some say that Daedalus also, having visited Egypt and having admired the skill in these works, constructed for Minos, the king of Crete, a labyrinth similar to the one in Egypt, in which they mythologize that the so-called Minotaur lived.
§1.61.4ἀλλʼ ὁ μὲν κατὰ τὴν Κρήτην ἠφανίσθη τελέως, εἴτε δυνάστου τινὸς κατασκάψαντος εἴτε τοῦ χρόνου τοὖργον λυμηναμένου· ὁ δὲ κατʼ Αἴγυπτον ἀκέραιον τὴν ὅλην κατασκευὴν τετήρηκε μέχρι τοῦ καθʼ ἡμᾶς βίου.
But the one in Crete has vanished completely, whether because some ruler demolished it or because time ruined the work; whereas the one in Egypt has preserved its entire structure intact down to our own lifetime.

Notes

  1. 1.61.3καὶ τὸν Δαίδαλον... κατασκευάσαι — An accusative with infinitive construction (indirect discourse) governed by the verb φασί (they say). The accusative subject τὸν Δαίδαλον is modified by two coordinate aorist participles, παραβαλόντα (having visited) and θαυμάσαντα (having admired).
  2. 1.61.4εἴτε δυνάστου τινὸς κατασκάψαντος εἴτε τοῦ χρόνου τοὖργον λυμηναμένου — Two genitive absolute constructions (δυνάστου τινὸς κατασκάψαντος and τοῦ χρόνου ... λυμηναμένου) are coordinated by the correlative conjunctions εἴτε... εἴτε... (whether... or...), presenting alternative reasons for the passive main verb ἠφανίσθη (disappeared).

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §1.61.1-1.61.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc5:1.61.1-1.61.4

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.