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Herodotus, Histories 1.51.5 · 1.51.5

The golden breadmaker

ἄλλα τε ἀναθήματα οὐκ ἐπίσημα πολλὰ ἀπέπεμψε ἅμα τούτοισι ὁ Κροῖσος, καὶ χεύματα ἀργύρεα κυκλοτερέα, καὶ δὴ καὶ γυναικὸς εἴδωλον χρύσεον τρίπηχυ, τὸ Δελφοὶ τῆς ἀρτοκόπου τῆς Κροίσου εἰκόνα λέγουσι εἶναι. πρὸς δὲ καὶ τῆς ἑωυτοῦ γυναικὸς τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς δειρῆς ἀνέθηκε ὁ Κροῖσος καὶ τὰς ζώνας.

Croesus sent many other, less notable gifts along with these: round silver castings, and in particular a gold statue of a woman three cubits tall, which the Delphians say is a likeness of Croesus's own baker. Besides these, Croesus also dedicated his wife's necklaces and her belts.

Word by word

ἄλλαállaotherτεte—ἀναθήματαanathḗmatadedicationsοὐκouknotἐπίσημαepísēmanotableπολλὰpollàmanyἀπέπεμψεapépempsesentἅμαhámaalong withτούτοισιtoútoisitheseὁho—ΚροῖσοςKroîsosCroesus,καὶkaìandχεύματαcheúmatacastingsἀργύρεαargýreasilverκυκλοτερέαkykloteréaround,καὶkaìandδὴdḕin particularκαὶkaì—γυναικὸςgynaikòsof a womanεἴδωλονeídōlonstatueχρύσεονchrýseongoldenτρίπηχυtrípēchythree cubits tall,τὸtòwhichΔελφοὶDelphoìthe Delphiansτῆςtês—ἀρτοκόπουartokópoubreadmakerτῆςtês—ΚροίσουKroísouCroesus'sεἰκόναeikónalikenessλέγουσιlégousisayεἶναιeînaiis.πρὸςpròsbesidesδὲdè—καὶkaìalsoτῆςtês—ἑωυτοῦheōutoûhis ownγυναικὸςgynaikòswife'sτὰtàthe thingsἀπὸapòfromτῆςtês—δειρῆςdeirêsneckἀνέθηκεanéthēkededicatedὁho—ΚροῖσοςKroîsosCroesusκαὶkaìandτὰςtàstheζώναςzṓnasbelts.

The setting

Herodotus lists the rest of Croesus's gifts at Delphi: plain silver castings, a gold statue said to be his own baker, and his wife's jewelry.

A note on this passage

Herodotus hands the baker-woman's identity to "the Delphians," Delphoi legousi, not to his own knowledge: it is local color, a story told about the statue by the people who guard it, and he passes it on exactly as that, neither endorsing it nor dismissing it. A gold likeness of a servant standing among shields and mixing-bowls fit for kings is already a strange thing to find at the richest sanctuary in Greece.

Then the list turns suddenly personal. After treasuries and festivals and inscriptions argued over by name, Croesus also gives away tēs heōutou gynaikos, "his own wife's," ornaments, the things taken apo tēs deirēs, "from her neck," and her belts. A queen's jewelry box, emptied into the god's treasury alongside affairs of state, is a small domestic detail inside an otherwise very public, very political catalogue of gifts.

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Herodotus, Histories 1.51.5 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/herodotus/1.51.5/