Tales from Herodotus - The Ethiopians
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T H XV. E A B. T E § 1. Cambyses, king of Persia, sends men to spy on the Ethiopians, in preparation for an expedition against them; description of the so-called ‘table of the sun’. Ἐβουλεύσατό ποτε ὁ Καμβύσης στταν ἐπὶ τοὺς μακροβί- Cambyses once planned an expedition against the long- ους Αἰθίοπ οἰκουμένους Λιβύης ἐπὶ τῇ νοτίᾳ θαλάττῃ. ἔδοξε lived Ethiopians who lived in Libya on he southern sea. δὲ αὐτῷ πρῶτον κατόπτ ἀποστέν, ὀψομένους τε τὴν ἐν He decided rst to send spies to see what 5 among these τούτοις τοῖς Αἰθίοψι λεγομένην εἶν ἡλίου τράπεζαν εἰ ἔστιν Libyans was said to be the table of the Sun, to see if it 5 ἀληθῶς, καὶ πρὸς ταύτῃ τὰ ἄα κατοψομένουσ, δῶ δὲ truly existed, and in addition to this to see other things τῷ λόγῳ φέροντ τῷ βασιλ αὐτῶν. too, and as a pretext to take gifts to their king. Ἡ δὲ τράπεζα τοῦ ἡλίου τοιάδε τις λέγετ εἶν. λμών The table of the sun is said to be like this: 10 a meadow on ἐστιν ἐν τῷ προαστῳ ἐπίπλεως κρεῶν ἑφθῶν πάντων τῶν the outskirts of the city which is full of boiled meat of all τετπόδων, εἰς ὃν τὰς μὲν νύκτ τιθέασι τὰ κρέα οἱ ἐν τέλ kinds of animals (quadrupeds), into which at night-time 10 ὄντες, τὰς δὲ ἡμές δαίνυτ προσιὼν ὁ βουλόμενος. οἱ δὲ those in authority place the meats, by day-time anyone ἐπιχώριοί φασι ταῦτα τὴν γῆν αὐτὴν ἀναδιδόν ἑκάστοτε. who wishes may come and eat it. The local inhabitants say that the land itself brings 15 it forth on each occasion. Ἡ μὲν δὴ τράπεζα τοῦ ἡλίου καλουμένη λέγετ εἶν τοιάδε. What is called the table of the sun is said to be like this. Καμβύσῃ δὲ ὡς ἔδοξε πέμπν τοὺς κατασκόπους, αὐτίκα με- When Cambyses decided to send the spies, he at once τεπέμπετο ἐξ Ἐλεφαντίνης πόλεως τῶν Ἰχθυοφάγων ἀνδρῶν sent for men from the sh-eating men from Elephant- 15 τιν ἐπισταμένους τὴν Αἰθιοπίδα γλῶτταν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀφίκοντο, ine who 20 knew the Ethiopian language. When they ar- ἔπεμπεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τοὺς Αἰθίοπ, ἐντλάμενος ἃ λέγν ῆν, rived, he sent them to the Ethiopians, having instructed δῶ φέροντ πορφυροῦν τε εἷμα καὶ υσοῦν στρεπτὸν πε- them what they should say, and bearing gifts, a purple ριαυχένιον καὶ ψέλια καὶ μύρου ἀλάβαστρον καὶ φοινικου robe, and a twisted gold necklace, and bracelets, and an οἴνου κάδον. alabaster jar of myrrh, and 25 a ask of palm-wine. 20 Οἱ δὲ Αἰθίοπες οὗτοι λέγοντ εἶν μέγιστοι καὶ κάιστοι These Ethiopians are said to be the biggest and most ἀνθρώπων πάντων· νόμοις δὲ καὶ ἄοις ῶντ κεχωρισμέ- handsome of all men. They use laws that are dierent νοις τῶν ἄων ἀνθρώπων καὶ δὴ καὶ κατὰ τὴν βασιλαν from other people and indeed with regard to the king- τοιῷδε· ὃν ἂν τῶν ἀστῶν κρίνωσι μέγιστόν τε εἶν καὶ κατὰ ship it is as 30 follows: the one of the citizens whom they τὸ μέγεθος ἔχν τὴν ἰύν, τοῦτον ἀξιοῦσι βασιλεύν. judge to be the biggest and to have the strength in ac- cordance with their size, this man they deem worthy to be the king. 1
description
In this extract from his Histories, Herodotus tells of Cambyses' expedition to the Ethiopians, and the strange customs he encounters there. The original Greek is given in parallel with a translation.
Transcript of Tales from Herodotus - The Ethiopians
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