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Cornelius Nepos · Datames §1.1-1.2

Datames' Lineage and Succession to His Father's Province

Passage 1 of 11 · Latin

Summary

The lineage of Datames and how his father Camisares obtained his province through loyalty are described, followed by Datames distinguishing himself in his first military service and inheriting his father's province after the latter's death in battle.

§1.1Datames, patre Camisare, natione Care, matre Scythissa natus, primum militum in numero fuit apud Artaxerxen eorum, qui regiam tuebantur.
Datames, born of a Carian father, Camisares, and a Scythian mother, was at first among the number of those soldiers who guarded the palace under Artaxerxes.
pater eius Camisares, quod et manu fortis et bello strenuus et regi multis locis fidelis erat repertus, habuit provinciam partem Ciliciae iuxta Cappadociam, quam incolunt Leucosyri.
His father Camisares, because he had been found to be both brave in hand, active in war, and faithful to the king on many occasions, held as a province that part of Cilicia adjacent to Cappadocia, which the Leucosyrians inhabit.
§1.2Datames militare munus fungens primum, qualis esset, aperuit in bello, quod rex adversus Cadusios gessit.
Datames, performing his first military duty, showed what sort of man he was in the war which the king waged against the Cadusians.
namque hic magni fuit eius opera.
For here his service was of great value.
quo factum est, cum in eo bello cecidisset Camisares, ut paterna ei traderetur provincia.
Whereby it came to pass, when Camisares had fallen in that war, that his father's province was delivered to him.

Notes

  1. §1.1patre Camisare, natione Care, matre Scythissa natus — The phrases 'patre Camisare' and 'matre Scythissa' are ablatives of origin depending on the participle 'natus'. 'natione' is an ablative of specification ('by nation / by birth') modifying 'Care' (ablative singular of Care, Carian).
  2. §1.1eorum, qui regiam tuebantur — The antecedent 'eorum' functions in apposition to, or as a partitive genitive with, the preceding 'militum'. The structure means 'one in the number of those soldiers who protected the palace'. 'regiam' is the noun meaning 'palace' (regia, -ae, f.).
  3. §1.2militare munus fungens — The verb 'fungor' (to perform) generally governs the ablative case ('militari munere') in classical Latin, but here it takes the accusative 'militare munus'. This construction is occasionally found in early Latin as well as some classical and post-classical prose.
  4. §1.2magni fuit eius opera — 'magni' is a genitive of value or price. Used here with the verb 'sum' (fuit), it expresses that 'his service (opera) was of great value' or 'mattered greatly'.

Cite this passage

Cornelius Nepos, Datames §1.1-1.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0588.abo014.humanitext-lat2:1.1-1.2

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