Reading for Review: Herodotos I. 1-4

Before beginning the passage, study the basic rules and exx. for Herodotos’ Ionic dialect:

Ionic has η where Attic has ᾱ

as in  ἱστορίη for ἱστορίᾱ;  διαφορὴ for διαφορὰ, ‘difference, dispute’;  

αἰτίη, cause;   ἡμέρη, day;    χώρη, land, territory  ~ χῶρον, place.

—and note fem.pl. dat. end in -ῃσι, rather than –αισι:  ναυτιλίῃσι μακρῇσι = in/with long boats

Ionic leaves vowel-stem verbs uncontracted: οἰκέουσι, they dwell (for οἰκοῦσι)΄

ἡ Ἐρυθρὴ καλεομένη θάλασσα = the (so-) called Red Sea  (for καλουμένη < καλέω)

Odd or lost diphthongs: Ionic handles vowel combinations differently (esp. where digamma [w] was lost): 

θαυμαστὰ, marvelous --> θωμαστὰ;  τὠυτὸ = τὸ αὐτὸ,  the same thing

ἀπο-δέξις = ἀπο-δείξις, exposition, description from  δείκνυμι, ‘show’;

similarly ἀποδεχθείς, acc. ἀποδεχθέντα = aor. pass. partcip., ‘shown, displayed’

            For ἀπ-άγω, take away (plunder), Ionic has ἀπ-αγινέω --> participle ἀπαγινέων.

            The main word for ‘ship’ (Attic ναῦς, νεὼς, νηί, ναῦν) νηῦς, νεός, νηί, νέα...

similarly βασιλέος, gen. for Attic βασιλέως

οὔνομα for Attica ὄνομα, name.

            And remember ἐς  for εἰς, in(to), among, against.

Loss of aspiration (‘psilosis’): ἀπικόμενοι, ἀφ-ικόμενοι, from ἀφικνέομαι, arrive.

Pronouns: esp. dative, σφι (=αὐτοῖς), 'to/for them' οἱ (= αὐτῷ), 'to/for him(self)'.

    Article for relative pronoun: τὸν χῶρον τὸν καὶ νῦν οἰκέουσι=the place that they now inhabit.

Middle verbs 3rd plural athematic in -ατο: pluperf. ἀπ-ίκατο (~ (aor.) ἀφ-ίκοντο,  'they (had) arrived').

And note that Herodotos is fond of ὅδε, ἥδε, τόδε (κτλ.) for ‘this, the following’.

Now return to Herodotos’ ‘preface’ (which we read in ch. 23) and continue with the first cause of quarrels between Europe and Asia. Keep an eye on vocabulary and names in margin.

I. Ἡροδότου Ἁλικαρνησσέος ἱστορίης ἀπόδεξις ἥδε, ὡς μήτε τὰ γενόμενα ἐξ ἀνθρώπων τῷ χρόνῳ ἐξίτηλα γένηται, μήτε ἔργα μεγάλα τε καὶ θωμαστά, τὰ μὲν Ἕλλησι τὰ δὲ βαρβάροισι ἀποδεχθέντα, ἀκλεᾶ γένηται, τά τε ἄλλα καὶ δι' ἣν αἰτίην ἐπολέμησαν ἀλλήλοισι. Περσέων μέν νυν οἱ λόγιοι Φοίνικας αἰτίους φασί γενέσθαι τῆς διαφορῆς. τούτους γὰρ ἀπό τῆς Ἐρυθρῆς καλεομένης θαλάσσης ἀπικομένους ἐπὶ τήνδε τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ οἰκήσαντας τοῦτον τὸν χῶρον τὸν καὶ νῦν οἰκέουσι, αὐτίκα ναυτιλίῃσι μακρῇσι ἐπιθέσθαι, ἀπαγινέοντας δὲ φορτία Αἰγύπτιά τε καὶ Ἀσσύρια τῇ τε ἄλλῃ ἐσαπικνέεσθαι καὶ δὴ καὶ ἐς Ἄργος. [2] τὸ δὲ Ἄργος τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον προεῖχε ἅπασι τῶν ἐν τῇ νῦν Ἑλλάδι καλεομένῃ χωρῇ. ἀπικομένους δὲ τούς Φοίνικας ἐς δὴ τὸ Ἄργος τοῦτο διατίθεσθαι τὸν φόρτον. [3] πέμπτῃ δὲ ἢ ἕκτῃ ἡμέρῃ ἀπ' ἧς ἀπίκοντο, ἐξεμπολημένων σφι σχεδόν πάντων, ἐλθεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν γυναῖκας ἄλλας τε πολλάς καὶ δὴ καὶ τοῦ βασιλέος θυγατέρα: τὸ δέ οἱ οὔνομα εἶναι, κατὰ τὠυτὸ τὸ καὶ Ἕλληνές λέγουσι, Ἰοῦν τὴν Ἰνάχου: [4] ταύτας στάσας κατά πρύμνην τῆς νεὸς ὠνέεσθαι τῶν φορτίων τῶν σφι ἦν θυμός μάλιστα: καὶ τοὺς Φοίνικας διακελευσαμένους ὁρμῆσαι ἐπ' αὐτάς.  τὰς μὲν δὴ πλεῦνας τῶν γυναικῶν ἀποφυγεῖν, τὴν δὲ Ἰοῦν σὺν ἄλλῃσι ἁρπασθῆναι. ἐσβαλομένους δὲ ἐς τὴν νέα οἴχεσθαι ἀποπλέοντας ἐπ' Αἰγύπτου.

ὡς ... γένηται, purpose (ὡς for ὅπως) ἐξίτηλα ... ἀκλεᾶ, near synonyms,  = ‘faded ... without fame’ τά τε ἄλλα καὶ, lit, ‘the rest and...’ = especially on what account λόγιος, chronicler, scholar Φοίνικας (acc.) -- Phoenicians φασί -- (they) say, introducing acc. & infin. construction ἐπιθέσθαι--‘put on (board), from ἐπι-τίθημι  (form?) φορτία  -- cargo (neut. pl.) ἐσαπικνέεσθαι < εἰς-αφικνέομαι Argos is on a peninsula on the east coast of Hellas, including Mycenae. προ-εχω – excel, lead (in importance) διατίθεσθαι --  dispose of (sell) ἐξεμπολημένων ... πάντων – when nearly everything was sold οἱ οὔνομα (= ὄνομα αὐτῇ) name for her Io, the daughter of Inachus κατά πρύμνην - 'at the prow' ὠνέεσθαι – to buy, purchase (some) σφι ἦν θυμός – they had a desire ‘on command (they) pounced’ (< ὁρμάω) = πλέονας,  more, most ἁρπάζω – seize, capture; οἴχομαι - go, depart