ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑΙ

Herodotus, Histories 1.56.3 · 1.56.3

The wandering people

ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ Δευκαλίωνος βασιλέος οἴκεε γῆν τὴν Φθιῶτιν, ἐπὶ δὲ Δώρου τοῦ Ἕλληνος τὴν ὑπὸ τὴν Ὄσσαν τε καὶ τὸν Ὄλυμπον χώρην, καλεομένην δὲ Ἱστιαιῶτιν· ἐκ δὲ τῆς Ἱστιαιώτιδος ὡς ἐξανέστη ὑπὸ Καδμείων, οἴκεε ἐν Πίνδῳ Μακεδνὸν καλεόμενον· ἐνθεῦτεν δὲ αὖτις ἐς τὴν Δρυοπίδα μετέβη καὶ ἐκ τῆς Δρυοπίδος οὕτω ἐς Πελοπόννησον ἐλθὸν Δωρικὸν ἐκλήθη.

In the time of king Deucalion it dwelt in the land of Phthiotis, and in the time of Dorus son of Hellen in the country below Ossa and Olympus, called Histiaeotis. Out of Histiaeotis, when it was driven out by the Cadmeans, it dwelt in Pindus, being called Macednian. From there it moved again to Dryopis, and from Dryopis, having thus come to the Peloponnese, it was called Dorian.

Word by word

ἐπὶepìunderμὲνmèn—γὰρgàrforΔευκαλίωνοςDeukalíōnosDeucalionβασιλέοςbasiléoskingοἴκεεoíkeedwelt inγῆνgênthe landτὴνtḕn—ΦθιῶτινPhthiôtinof Phthiotis,ἐπὶepìunderδὲdèandΔώρουDṓrouDorusτοῦtoûsonἝλληνοςHéllēnosof Hellenτὴνtḕn—ὑπὸhypòbelowτὴνtḕn—ὌσσανÓssanOssaτεte—καὶkaìandτὸνtòn—ὌλυμπονÓlymponOlympusχώρηνchṓrēnthe country,καλεομένηνkaleoménēncalledδὲdè—ἹστιαιῶτινHistiaiôtinHistiaeotis·ἐκekout ofδὲdèandτῆςtês—ἹστιαιώτιδοςHistiaiṓtidosHistiaeotisὡςhōswhenἐξανέστηexanéstēwas driven outὑπὸhypòbyΚαδμείωνKadmeíōnthe Cadmeans,οἴκεεoíkeedweltἐνeninΠίνδῳPíndōiPindusΜακεδνὸνMakednònMacednianκαλεόμενονkaleómenoncalled·ἐνθεῦτενentheûtenfrom thereδὲdè—αὖτιςaûtisagainἐςestoτὴνtḕn—ΔρυοπίδαDryopídaDryopisμετέβηmetébēmovedκαὶkaìandἐκekfromτῆςtês—ΔρυοπίδοςDryopídosDryopisοὕτωhoútōthusἐςestoΠελοπόννησονPelopónnēsonthe Peloponneseἐλθὸνelthònhaving comeΔωρικὸνDōrikònDorianἐκλήθηeklḗthēwas called.

The setting

Herodotus traces the wandering people's migrations down to the Peloponnese, where they become the Dorians.

A note on this passage

Herodotus now narrates the wandering people's whole itinerary in one breath, and every stop is named by a king or a place: Phthiotis under Deucalion, the flood-survivor of Greek myth; then the country under Ossan and Olympon, Ossa and Olympus, under Dorus son of Hellen, called Histiaiōtis. Four names in two sentences, and none of them is Dorian yet. The identity the Spartans will carry forever is still several moves away.

The last two steps do the real work. Driven out of Histiaeotis by the Cadmeans, the people live in Pindus under the name Makednon, "Macednian," then move again, authis, to Dryopis, and only after that, arriving at last in the Peloponnese, are they eklēthē Dōrikon, "called Dorian." The name is the last thing to change, not the first; the people exist for generations under other names before history gives them the one everyone remembers. Herodotus is quietly making a point that will matter for the rest of the book: a nation is its wanderings before it is its name.

Read the full commentary — and tap any word for its dictionary entry — in the interlinear reader.

Open Herodotus, Histories 1.56.3 in the full reader

Always open passages in the reader

From the Great Library

You are reading a page of the Herodotus, Histories — the whole book is free in our interlinear reader.

The Great Library Project presses the classics in their original languages, glossed word by word — free to read, always. Browse the whole library.

Also on our shelves:

❦

Herodotus, Histories 1.56.3 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/herodotus/1.56.3/