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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §12.15.1

The Fertile Land and Healthy Environment of Veii

Passage 879 of 962 · Greek

Summary

Describes the city of Veii, explaining how it was in no way inferior to Rome for habitation, thanks to its fertile land, pure air, and abundant natural water sources.

§12.15.1ἦν δὲ ἡ Οὐιεντανῶν πόλις οὐθὲν ὑποδεεστέρα τῆς Ῥώμης ἐνοικεῖσθαι γῆν τε πολλὴν καὶ πολύκαρπον ἔχουσα, τὴν μὲν ὀρεινήν, τὴν δὲ πεδιάδα, καὶ τὸν ὑπερκείμενον ἀέρα καθαρώτατον καὶ πρὸς ὑγιείαν ἀνθρώποις ἄριστον, οὔτε ἕλους πλησίον ὄντος, ὅθεν ἕλκονται βαρεῖς ἀτμοὶ καὶ δυσώδεις, οὔτε ποταμοῦ τινος ψυχρὰς ἕωθεν ἀνιέντος αὔρας, ὑδάτων τε οὐ σπανίων ὄντων οὐδʼ ἐπακτῶν, ἀλλʼ αὐθιγενῶν καὶ πλουσίων καὶ πίνεσθαι κρατίστων.
And the city of the Veientes was in no way inferior to Rome to dwell in, having a large and fertile territory, partly mountainous and partly plain, and the air hanging over it was most pure and best for human health, since there was no marsh nearby from which heavy and noxious vapours are drawn, nor any river sending up cold breezes in the morning, and since waters were not scarce nor imported, but native, abundant, and best to drink.

Notes

  1. ¦21¦ἐνοικεῖσθαι — An epexegetic or limitative infinitive modifying the adjective `ὑποδεεστέρα` (inferior), meaning "to be inhabited" or "to dwell in".
  2. ¦21¦ἔχουσα — A nominative present participle agreeing with the subject `ἡ Οὐιεντανῶν πόλις`. It governs both `γῆν` (land) and `ἀέρα` (air) as its objects, tightly connecting the descriptive clauses.
  3. ¦21¦ἕλους πλησίον ὄντος — The beginning of a series of genitive absolute constructions (`οὔτε ... οὔτε ... ὑδάτων τε ...`), which function adverbially to explain the reasons (causal force) why the city of Veii was suitable for habitation.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §12.15.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:12.15.1

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