Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §3.32.1-3.32.4

Customs and Way of Life of the Troglodytes

Passage 193 of 406 · Greek

Summary

The social customs of the Troglodytes, including their shared wives under rulers, their seasonal diet, their practice of calling livestock parents, and their clothing and unique circumcision rites, are described.

§3.32.1οἱ τοίνυν Τρωγλοδύται προσαγορεύονται μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν Ἑλλήνων Νομάδες, βίον δʼ ἔχοντες ἀπὸ θρεμμάτων νομαδικὸν κατὰ συστήματα τυραννοῦνται, καὶ μετὰ τῶν τέκνων τὰς γυναῖκας ἔχουσι κοινὰς πλὴν μιᾶς τῆς τοῦ τυράννου· τὸν δὲ ταύτῃ πλησιάσαντα πρόστιμον ὁ δυνάστης πράττεται τεταγμένον ἀριθμὸν προβάτων.

Now, the Troglodytes are called Nomads by the Greeks, and having a nomadic life from their herds, they are ruled by tyrants in groups, and they have their wives in common together with their children, except for one, who belongs to the tyrant; and from the man who approaches her, the ruler exacts as a fine a fixed number of sheep.

§3.32.2κατὰ δὲ τὸν τῶν ἐτησίων καιρὸν γινομένων παρʼ αὐτοῖς ὄμβρων μεγάλων, ἀφʼ αἵματος καὶ γάλακτος διατρέφονται, μίσγοντες ταῦτα καὶ βραχὺν χρόνον ἑψήσαντες.

During the season of the Etesian winds, when great rains occur among them, they support themselves on blood and milk, mixing these and boiling them for a short time.

μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα διὰ τὴν τῶν καυμάτων ὑπερβολὴν τῆς νομῆς ξηραινομένης καταφεύγουσιν εἰς τοὺς ἑλώδεις τόπους, καὶ περὶ τῆς τῆς χώρας νομῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαμάχονται.

But after this, when the pasture is dried up due to the excess of heat, they flee to marshy places, and fight with one another for the pasture of the land.

§3.32.3τῶν δὲ βοσκημάτων τὰ πρεσβύτερα καὶ νοσεῖν ἀρχόμενα καταναλίσκοντες ἀπὸ τούτων τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον διατρέφονται.

Consuming the older beasts and those that are beginning to fall ill, they support themselves on these all the time.

διόπερ τὴν τῶν γονέων προσηγορίαν ἀνθρώπων μὲν οὐδενὶ προσάπτουσι, ταύρῳ δὲ καὶ βοῒ καὶ πάλιν κριῷ καὶ προβάτῳ· τούτων δὲ τοὺς μὲν πατέρας, τὰς δὲ μητέρας καλοῦσι διὰ τὸ πορίζεσθαι τὰς ἐφημέρους τροφὰς ἀεὶ παρὰ τούτων, ἀλλὰ μὴ παρὰ τῶν γεγεννηκότων.

For this reason, they apply the title of parents to no human being, but to a bull, a cow, and again to a ram and a sheep; and of these, they call the males fathers and the females mothers, because they always obtain their daily food from them, and not from those who begot them.

ποτῷ δʼ οἱ μὲν ἰδιῶται συγχρῶνται παλιούρων βρέγματι, τοῖς δὲ δυνάσταις ἀπό τινος ἄνθους κατασκευάζεται πόμα παραπλήσιον τῷ χειρίστῳ παρʼ ἡμῖν γλεύκει.

For drink, the common people use a decoction of Christ's thorn, but for the rulers there is prepared from a certain flower a drink resembling the worst must among us.

ταῖς δὲ ἀγέλαις τῶν θρεμμάτων ἐπακολουθοῦντες ἄλλην ἐξ ἄλλης χώραν ἐπιπορεύονται, φεύγοντες τὸ τοῖς αὐτοῖς τόποις ἐνδιατρίβειν.

Following the herds of their cattle, they traverse one land after another, avoiding staying long in the same places.

§3.32.4καὶ γυμνοὶ μέν εἰσι πάντες τὰ σώματα πλὴν τῶν ἰσχίων, ἃ δέρμασι σκεπάζουσι· τὰ δʼ αἰδοῖα πάντες οἱ Τρωγλοδύται παραπλησίως τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις περιτέμνονται πλὴν τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ συμπτώματος ὀνομαζομένων κολοβῶν· οὗτοι γὰρ μόνοι τὴν ἐντὸς τῶν στενῶν νεμόμενοι χώραν ἐκ νηπίου ξυροῖς ἀποτέμνονται πᾶν τὸ τοῖς ἄλλοις μέρος περιτομῆς τυγχάνον.

And they are all naked in their bodies except for their loins, which they cover with skins; and all the Troglodytes are circumcised in their private parts in a manner similar to the Egyptians, except for those who are called "Coloboi" from their physical condition; for these alone, who inhabit the land inside the straits, have cut off with razors from infancy the entire part that among others undergoes circumcision.

Notes

3.32.1μετὰ τῶν τέκνων τὰς γυναῖκας ἔχουσι κοινὰς — The phrase μετὰ τῶν τέκνων is interpreted as 'together with their children,' indicating that the parent generation shares their wives jointly with their sons. Although it could theoretically mean 'they have both wives and children in common,' the feminine plural adjective κοινὰς agrees only with τὰς γυναῖκας, making it grammatically more natural to view the children as co-possessors of the wives.
3.32.1πρόστιμον — The word πρόστιμον, functioning as a noun or adjective, is used here with the verb πράττεται (which takes a double accusative: to exact something [acc.] from someone [acc.]) as a predicative accusative or accusative of apposition, meaning 'as a fine' or 'by way of penalty.'
3.32.3τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον — An accusative of duration of time. In contrast to the seasonal diet mentioned in the previous sentence (the mixture of blood and milk during the rainy season), it indicates that they support themselves on older or sick animals 'all the year round' or 'at all other times.'
3.32.4ἀποτέμνονται — The third-person plural present middle (or passive) of ἀποτέμνω. It is used here as an indirect middle (or direct middle) where the subjects perform the action upon a part of their own body, meaning 'they cut off for themselves' or 'they have their own part cut off.'

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §3.32.1-3.32.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc5:3.32.1-3.32.4

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