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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §3.7.1-3.7.3

Customs of the King's Companions to Suffer and Die with Him

Passage 168 of 406 · Greek

Summary

This passage describes the extraordinary customs of the king's friends among the Ethiopians, including self-mutilation corresponding to the king's injuries and voluntary martyrdom upon his death, explaining how this prevents conspiracies, and concludes the description of these people's customs.

§3.7.1τὸ δὲ περὶ τοὺς φίλους τοῦ βασιλέως νόμιμον, καίπερ ὂν παράδοξον, διαμένειν ἔφασαν ἕως τῶν καθʼ ἡμᾶς χρόνων.
But they said that the custom concerning the friends of the king, although being strange, continues down to our times.
ἔθος γὰρ ὑπάρχειν λέγουσι τοῖς Αἰθίοψιν, ἐπὰν ὁ βασιλεὺς μέρος τι τοῦ σώματος πηρωθῇ διʼ ἡνδηποτοῦν αἰτίαν, ἅπαντας τοὺς συνήθεις συναποβάλλειν τοῦτο κατὰ προαίρεσιν· αἰσχρὸν γὰρ ὑπολαμβάνειν τοῦ βασιλέως πεπηρωμένου τὸ σκέλος ἀρτίποδας εἶναι τοὺς φίλους, καὶ μὴ πάντας ἐν ταῖς ἐξόδοις συνέπεσθαι χωλοὺς ὁμοίως·
For they say that a custom exists among the Ethiopians, whenever the king is mutilated in any part of his body for whatever cause, all his companions voluntarily lose this same part; for they consider it disgraceful that, when the king's leg is mutilated, his friends should have sound feet, and not all follow him in his outings limping in like manner.
§3.7.2ἄτοπον γὰρ εἶναι τὸ συμπενθεῖν μὲν καὶ συλλυπεῖσθαι καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὁμοίως ἀγαθῶν ἁπάντων τε καὶ κακῶν κοινωνεῖν τὴν βεβαίαν φιλίαν, τῆς δʼ εἰς τὸ σῶμα λύπης ἄμοιρον γίνεσθαι.
For it is absurd that true friendship, while sympathizing, sharing grief, and participating equally in all other good and bad things, should have no share in the pain of the body.
φασὶ δὲ σύνηθες εἶναι καὶ τὸ συντελευτᾶν ἑκουσίως τοὺς ἑταίρους τοῖς βασιλεῦσι, καὶ τοῦτον εἶναι τὸν θάνατον ἔνδοξον καὶ φιλίας ἀληθινῆς μάρτυρα.
And they say that it is also a custom for companions to die voluntarily with their kings, and that this death is glorious and a witness of true friendship.
§3.7.3διόπερ μὴ ῥᾳδίως ἐπιβουλὴν γίνεσθαι παρὰ τοῖς Αἰθίοψι κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, ὡς ἂν τῶν φίλων ἁπάντων ἐπʼ ἴσης προνοουμένων τῆς τʼ ἐκείνου καὶ τῆς ἰδίας ἀσφαλείας.
For this reason, conspiracies against the king do not easily occur among the Ethiopians, since all his friends care equally for his safety and their own.
ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τὰ νόμιμα παρὰ τοῖς Αἰθίοψίν ἐστι τοῖς τὴν μητρόπολιν αὐτῶν οἰκοῦσι καὶ νεμομένοις τήν τε νῆσον τὴν Μερόην καὶ τὴν χώραν τὴν πλησίον Αἰγύπτου.
These, then, are the customs among those of the Ethiopians who inhabit their metropolis and occupy both the island of Meroe and the land adjacent to Egypt.

Notes

  1. §3.7.1διαμένειν ἔφασαν — An accusative with infinitive construction (indirect speech) dependent on the main verb `ἔφασαν` (they said). In context, 'they' refers to the sources or historians reporting on Ethiopian matters.
  2. §3.7.1τοῦ βασιλέως πεπηρωμένου τὸ σκέλος — A genitive absolute construction with `τοῦ βασιλέως` as the subject of the participle `πεπηρωμένου` (having been mutilated). `τὸ σκέλος` is an accusative of respect ('with respect to the leg').
  3. §3.7.2τὸ συμπενθεῖν ... τὴν βεβαίαν φιλίαν — The entire articular infinitive clause `τὸ συμπενθεῖν ... γίνεσθαι` serves as the subject of the impersonal expression `ἄτοπον εἶναι` (it is absurd). The accusative `τὴν βεβαίαν φιλίαν` (true friendship) acts as the subject of these infinitives.
  4. §3.7.3ὡς ἂν τῶν φίλων ἁπάντων ἐπʼ ἴσης προνοουμένων — The conjunction `ὡς` indicating reason combined with the potential particle `ἄν` introduces a genitive absolute construction (`τῶν φίλων ... προνοουμένων`). It expresses a subjective and highly probable cause: 'since all his friends would, as a matter of course, care for...'.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §3.7.1-3.7.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc5:3.7.1-3.7.3

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