§5.29.1ἐν δὲ ταῖς ὁδοιπορίαις καὶ ταῖς μάχαις χρῶνται συνωρίσιν, ἔχοντος τοῦ ἅρματος ἡνίοχον καὶ παραβάτην.
In their journeys and in battles they use two-horse chariots, the chariot having a charioteer and a combatant.
ἀπαντῶντες δὲ τοῖς ἐφιππεύουσιν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις σαυνιάζουσι τοὺς ἐναντίους, καὶ καταβάντες τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ ξίφους συνίστανται μάχην.
And when they encounter those who ride on horseback in wars, they hurl their javelins at their opponents, and dismounting, they engage in sword combat.
§5.29.2ἔνιοι δʼ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτο τοῦ θανάτου καταφρονοῦσιν, ὥστε γυμνοὺς καὶ περιεζωσμένους καταβαίνειν εἰς τὸν κίνδυνον.
Some of them so despise death that they go down into danger naked, girt only with a belt.
ἐπάγονται δὲ καὶ θεράποντας ἐλευθέρους ἐκ τῶν πενήτων καταλέγοντες, οἷς ἡνιόχοις καὶ παρασπισταῖς χρῶνται κατὰ τὰς μάχας.
And they also bring along free servants, selecting them from among the poor, whom they use as charioteers and shield-bearers in battles.
κατὰ δὲ τὰς παρατάξεις εἰώθασι προάγειν τῆς παρατάξεως καὶ προκαλεῖσθαι τῶν ἀντιτεταγμένων τοὺς ἀρίστους εἰς μονομαχίαν, προανασείοντες τὰ ὅπλα καὶ καταπληττόμενοι τοὺς ἐναντίους.
And in the formations of battle, they are accustomed to advance before the line and challenge the bravest of the opponents to single combat, brandishing their weapons beforehand and terrifying their opponents.
§5.29.3ὅταν δέ τις ὑπακούσῃ πρὸς τὴν μάχην, τάς τε τῶν προγόνων ἀνδραγαθίας ἐξυμνοῦσι καὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἀρετὰς προφέρονται, καὶ τὸν ἀντιταττόμενον ἐξονειδίζουσι καὶ ταπεινοῦσι καὶ τὸ σύνολον τὸ θάρσος τῆς ψυχῆς τοῖς λόγοις προαφαιροῦνται.
And when anyone accepts the challenge to battle, they sing the praises of the brave deeds of their ancestors and boast of their own virtues, while they revile and belittle their opponent, and in short, by their words, they strip away beforehand the courage of his soul.
§5.29.4τῶν δὲ πεσόντων πολεμίων τὰς κεφαλὰς ἀφαιροῦντες περιάπτουσι τοῖς αὐχέσι τῶν ἵππων· τὰ δὲ σκῦλα τοῖς θεράπουσι παραδόντες ᾑμαγμένα λαφυραγωγοῦσιν, ἐπιπαιανίζοντες καὶ ᾅδοντες ὕμνον ἐπινίκιον, καὶ τὰ ἀκροθίνια ταῦτα ταῖς οἰκίαις προσηλοῦσιν ὥσπερ οἱ ἐν κυνηγίοις τισὶ κεχειρωμένοι τὰ θηρία.
And cutting off the heads of the fallen enemies, they fasten them to the necks of their horses; and handing over the blood-stained spoils to their servants, they carry them off as booty, chanting a paean and singing a song of victory, and they nail these trophies to their houses, just as those who have subdued wild beasts in certain hunts.
§5.29.5τῶν δʼ ἐπιφανεστάτων πολεμίων κεδρώσαντες τὰς κεφαλὰς ἐπιμελῶς τηροῦσιν ἐν λάρνακι, καὶ τοῖς ξένοις ἐπιδεικνύουσι σεμνυνόμενοι διότι τῆσδε τῆς κεφαλῆς τῶν προγόνων τις ἢ πατὴρ ἢ καὶ αὐτὸς πολλὰ χρήματα διδόμενα οὐκ ἔλαβε.
Of the most illustrious enemies, they embalm the heads in cedar-oil and keep them carefully in a chest, and exhibit them to strangers, boasting that for this head one of their ancestors, or their father, or they themselves, did not accept a large sum of money when it was offered.
φασὶ δέ τινας αὐτῶν καυχᾶσθαι διότι χρυσὸν ἀντίσταθμον τῆς κεφαλῆς οὐκ ἐδέξαντο, βάρβαρόν τινα μεγαλοψυχίαν ἐπιδεικνύμενοι· οὐ γὰρ τὸ μὴ πωλεῖν τὰ σύσσημα τῆς ἀρετῆς εὐγενές, ἀλλὰ τὸ πολεμεῖν τὸ ὁμόφυλον τετελευτηκὸς θηριῶδες.
And they say that some of them boast that they did not accept gold of equal weight with the head, displaying a certain barbarian magnanimity; for not to sell the signs of one's virtue is noble, but to wage war against a dead fellow countryman is beastly.