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Herodotus, Histories 1.58.1 · 1.58.1

The Hellenic stock grows

Τὸ δὲ Ἑλληνικὸν γλώσσῃ μὲν ἐπείτε ἐγένετο αἰεί κοτε τῇ αὐτῇ διαχρᾶται, ὡς ἐμοὶ καταφαίνεται εἶναι· ἀποσχισθὲν μέντοι ἀπὸ τοῦ Πελασγικοῦ ἐὸν ἀσθενές, ἀπὸ σμικροῦ τεο τὴν ἀρχὴν ὁρμώμενον αὔξηται ἐς πλῆθος τῶν ἐθνέων, Πελασγῶν μάλιστα προσκεχωρηκότων αὐτῷ καὶ ἄλλων ἐθνέων βαρβάρων συχνῶν. πρόσθε δὲ ὦν ἔμοιγε δοκέει οὐδὲ τὸ Πελασγικὸν ἔθνος, ἐὸν βάρβαρον, οὐδαμὰ μεγάλως αὐξηθῆναι.

But the Greek stock, it seems clear to me, has always used one and the same language since it first came to be. Yet being weak when it first split off from the Pelasgian stock, starting from a small beginning it has grown into a multitude of peoples, above all because many Pelasgians joined it, and many other foreign peoples besides. Before that, I think, the Pelasgian nation, being foreign, never grew very large.

Word by word

ΤὸTò—δὲdèbutἙλληνικὸνHellēnikònthe Greek stockγλώσσῃglṓssēiin languageμὲνmèn—ἐπείτεepeítesinceἐγένετοegénetoaroseαἰείaieíalwaysκοτεkoteeverτῇtêi—αὐτῇautêithe sameδιαχρᾶταιdiachrâtaiuses,ὡςhōsasἐμοὶemoìto meκαταφαίνεταιkataphaínetaiappearsεἶναιeînaito be·ἀποσχισθὲνaposchisthènhaving split offμέντοιméntoihoweverἀπὸapòfromτοῦtoû—ΠελασγικοῦPelasgikoûthe Pelasgian stockἐὸνeònbeingἀσθενέςasthenésweak,ἀπὸapòfromσμικροῦsmikroûsmallτεοteosomethingτὴνtḕn—ἀρχὴνarchḕnat firstὁρμώμενονhormṓmenonstarting outαὔξηταιaúxētaihas grownἐςesintoπλῆθοςplêthosa great numberτῶνtôn—ἐθνέωνethnéōnof peoples,ΠελασγῶνPelasgônthe Pelasgiansμάλισταmálistaespeciallyπροσκεχωρηκότωνproskechōrēkótōnhaving joinedαὐτῷautôiitκαὶkaìandἄλλωνállōnotherἐθνέωνethnéōnpeoplesβαρβάρωνbarbárōnforeignσυχνῶνsychnônmany.πρόσθεprósthebefore thisδὲdè—ὦνônindeedἔμοιγεémoigeto me at leastδοκέειdokéeiit seemsοὐδὲoudènot evenτὸtò—ΠελασγικὸνPelasgikònthe Pelasgianἔθνοςéthnosnation,ἐὸνeònbeingβάρβαρονbárbaronforeign,οὐδαμὰoudamàeverμεγάλωςmegálōsgreatlyαὐξηθῆναιauxēthênaiincreased.

The setting

Herodotus turns to the Hellenic side of the story: one language from the start, but a people that grew large only by absorbing others.

A note on this passage

Herodotus states the Hellenic case as a plain contrast to the Pelasgian one he has just closed: the Greek-speaking people, he says, diachrātai, "makes continual use of," the very same language, tēi autēi, from the moment it existed. Where the Pelasgian evidence was scattered survivors and changed names, the Greek case needs no detective work; it is, he says, hōs emoi kataphainetai, "as it appears to me," a matter of plain observation rather than inference.

But the second half of the sentence undercuts any pride a Greek reader might take in that continuity: the Hellenic stock began asthenes, "weak," a small splinter aposchisthen, "split off," from the Pelasgian mass, and grew into a multitude of peoples chiefly because Pelasgians proskechōrēkotōn, "having come over and joined," it, along with many other barbarōn peoples. The language stayed pure; the people did not. Herodotus is quietly dismantling the idea of a Greek race untouched by outsiders in the same sentence where he praises Greek linguistic continuity.

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