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Herodotus, Histories 1.46.2 · 1.46.2

Messengers to every oracle

μετὰ ὦν τὴν διάνοιαν ταύτην αὐτίκα ἀπεπειρᾶτο τῶν μαντείων τῶν τε ἐν Ἕλλησι καὶ τοῦ ἐν Λιβύῃ, διαπέμψας ἄλλους ἄλλῃ, τοὺς μὲν ἐς Δελφοὺς ἰέναι, τοὺς δὲ ἐς Ἄβας τὰς Φωκέων, τοὺς δὲ ἐς Δωδώνην· οἳ δὲ τινὲς ἐπέμποντο παρά τε Ἀμφιάρεων καὶ παρὰ Τροφώνιον, οἳ δὲ τῆς Μιλησίης ἐς Βραγχίδας.

So after this plan, he at once tested the oracles both among the Greeks and in Libya, sending men out, some one way, some another: some to go to Delphi, others to Abae in Phocis, others to Dodona; some were sent to Amphiaraus and to Trophonius, and others to Branchidae in the land of Miletus.

Word by word

μετὰmetàafterὦνônsoτὴνtḕn—διάνοιανdiánoianplanταύτηνtaútēnthisαὐτίκαautíkaat onceἀπεπειρᾶτοapepeirâtotestedτῶνtôntheμαντείωνmanteíōnoraclesτῶνtôn—τεtebothἐνenamongἝλλησιHéllēsithe Greeksκαὶkaìandτοῦtoû—ἐνeninΛιβύῃLibýēiLibya,διαπέμψαςdiapémpsassendingἄλλουςálloussomeἄλλῃállēione way, some another,τοὺςtoùssomeμὲνmèn—ἐςestoΔελφοὺςDelphoùsDelphiἰέναιiénaito go,τοὺςtoùsothersδὲdè—ἐςestoἌβαςÁbasAbaeτὰςtàs—ΦωκέωνPhōkéōnin Phocis,τοὺςtoùsothersδὲdè—ἐςestoΔωδώνηνDōdṓnēnDodona·οἳhoìsomeδὲdè—τινὲςtinèsothersἐπέμποντοepémpontowere sentπαράparátoτεte—ἈμφιάρεωνAmphiáreōnAmphiarausκαὶkaìandπαρὰparàtoΤροφώνιονTrophṓnionTrophonius,οἳhoìothersδὲdè—τῆςtêsin the land ofΜιλησίηςMilēsíēsMiletusἐςestoΒραγχίδαςBranchídasBranchidae.

The setting

Croesus decides to find out which oracle can be trusted.

A note on this passage

Before Croesus asks the gods anything that matters, he tests them. <em>Apepeirato tōn manteiōn</em>, "he made trial of the oracles": the verb is the one Candaules used when he promised Gyges he was not "testing" him (1.9.1). The list of messengers is a map of the Greek religious world: Delphi, Apollo's great seat; Abae, a smaller shrine of Apollo in Phocis; Dodona in the northwest, where Zeus spoke through an oak; the underground hero-oracles of Amphiaraus and Trophonius; Branchidae near Miletus.

It is an astonishing thing to do, and very like Herodotus himself: send out inquirers in every direction and compare the answers. A king who tests the gods like a scientist testing instruments is either very clever or very bold. Herodotus lets the reader decide which, and adds one more destination in the next section, the oracle of Ammon in the Libyan desert.

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Herodotus, Histories 1.46.2 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/herodotus/1.46.2/