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Theophrastus · Fragments §184.1

Fish Frozen by Cold Shattering Like Pottery

Passage 190 of 196 · Greek

Summary

Theophrastus reports that fish frozen by extreme cold will shatter like glass or pottery if they are dropped onto the ground.

§184.1Fr. 184 Ἰχθῦς ἱστορεῖ Θ. ὑπὸ ῥίγους πεπηγότας, ἂν ἀφειευ θῶσιν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, κατάγνυσθαι καὶ συντρίβεσθαι δίκην ὑέλων ἢ κεραμεῶν σωμάτων.
Theophrastus reports that fish frozen by the cold, if they are cast onto the ground, break and shatter like glass or earthenware objects.

Notes

  1. §184.1Ἰχθῦς ... κατάγνυσθαι καὶ συντρίβεσθαι — An accusative with infinitive construction in indirect speech introduced by the verb ἱστορεῖ (reports). Ἰχθῦς (fish, accusative plural) is the subject of the infinitives, and is modified by the participle πεπηγότας (frozen).
  2. §184.1δίκην — The accusative singular of the noun δίκη (custom, usage) used adverbially with a following genitive (ὑέλων ἢ κεραμεῶν σωμάτων) to mean 'like' or 'in the manner of.'
  3. §184.1ἀφειευ θῶσιν — The form ἀφειευ θῶσιν in the text (a corruption or variant) is understood as ἀφεθῶσιν, the third-person plural aorist passive subjunctive of ἀφίημι (to cast, drop), which with the conditional particle ἂν forms a general condition ('if they are cast').

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §184.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:184.1

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