L3 1844 MAIN NOTES ON HERODOTUS. MELPOMENE. IV. ΙΙ. 1. Τούτους ἐσθέντες ἐς τῶν θηλέων ἵππων τὰ ἄρθρα. Inserting those (tubes of bone) into the mares. Homer' calls these people Galactophagi, that is to say, feeders on milk, and Hippomolgi, milkers of mares. "I both saw and heard myself, at Basra," says M. Niebuhr 2, "that when an Arab milks a female buffalo, another thrusts his hand and arm up to the elbow into the vulva of the animal; and they pretend to know from experience, that being thus excited, she yields a greater quantity of milk. This method greatly resembles that practised by the Scythians." [A similar practice with cows was ascribed to the Hottentots by Peter Kolben; but it must be remembered that this author's Description of the Cape of Good Hope' has been pronounced by the Abbé de la Caille, who visited South Africa a few years later, to be no better than a tissue of fables.] 2. Τὸ μὲν αὐτοῦ ἐπιστάμενον. The portion of the milk which floats on the top. This is cream. It is rather remarkable that there is no term either in Greek or in Latin to express this substance. Fortunatus, who lived in the sixth century, has used the word 'crema';' it is derived from 'cremor,' which the Latins employed to signify the gluten which floats on water in which grain has been macerated. III. 3. Táppov ópvžáμɛvoi evpéav. Having dug a wide ditch. The Tauric Chersonesus is surrounded on all sides by the Euxine Sea, the Cimmerian Bosphorus, and the Palus Mæotis, except a narrow neck which separates the gulf Carcinites from the Palus Mæotis: and there, 1 Homer. Iliad. XIII. 5, 6. ? Description de l'Arabic, p. 146. VOL. II. ✦ Journal d'un Voy. p. 316. 5 V. H. Fortunati Poëmat. X. xiii. 2. B 6 I apprehend, the trench which Herodotus mentions must have been cut. It began at a place called Taphræ, where at the present time we find the town of Perecop, which, according to the Abbé Briet, signifies in Tataric, 'a ditch.' The Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus informs us, that in his time this canal was filled up. The mountains of which Herodotus speaks were within the confines of the Chersonesus Taurica; there are none beyond. IV. 4. [Οἱ δ' ἐκπλαγέντες τῷ γινομένῳ, ἔφευγον. They, terrified at this proceeding, took to flight. A similar story is related in the Chronicles of Novgorod'. The citizens of this place were once absent from home seven years, beleaguering a Greek town. Their wives in the mean time, impatient of such delay, and despairing of their husbands' return, cohabited with their slaves. These, on the return of their masters, at first made a show of resistance; but when the latter, laying aside their arms, attacked them with whips, they fled in consternation to a place still called in the 16th century Chloppigrod, or Slaves' Castle.] V. 5. Σκύθαι λέγουσι ὡς εἶναι. The Scythians say that, &c. This is an Atticism, as to which the reader may consult Stephens, de Dialectis, p. 138. This treatise is to be found in the Appendix to his Thesaurus. 6. Νεώτατον ἁπάντων ἐθνέων. The most modern of all nations. Justin says that the Scythians pretended to be more ancient than the Egyptians. This assertion is in express contradiction to Herodotus, and is equally opposed to probability. The descendants of Noah were not likely to have quitted the fine climates of Asia to explore the dreary regions of the north, till the soil of the former could no longer suffice for their nourishment. 7. [To ovvoμa eivaι Tapyíraov. Whose name was Targitaus. This first man of Scythian tradition is identical, according to Von Hammer, with Turk, the supposed ancestor of the Turkish race, and with the Togharma of Scripture'.] 2 8. Τούτου δὲ γενέσθαι παῖδας τρεῖς, Λειπόξαϊν, &c. He had three sons, &c. M. Pelloutier calls these three princes, Leipoxain, Arpoxain, and Kolaxain. He adds, in a note, that this termination xain' seems to come from 'sahn,' the 'sohn' and 'son' of the Teutonic and the English as Anderson, the son of Andrew; Johnson, the son of John, &c. M. Pelloutier seems to me to be in error both in his text and in his note. In his text he gives these three proper names in the accusative case, as he has found them in the Latin versions, without referring to 6 Constant. de Administ. Imper. xlii. p. 166, A. 8 Justin. Hist. II. i. p 57, &c. 9 Gesch. d. Osmann. I. p. 1. See also Rennell's Geogr. Syst. of Herod. p. 73. 1 Genesis x. 3. 2 Histoire des Celtes, vol. I. P. 136. the nominatives Lipoxais, &c. This mistake has led him into another, namely, to search in the English and Teutonic languages for the termination 'xain,' a termination of the accusative case, the nominative of which ends in xais,' and the genitive in 'xaios.' But this trifling error, and some others of a similar nature, which I may have occasion to point out in the notes upon this book, do not detract from the general merit of M. Pelloutier's Histoire des Celtes, which is a very curious work, distinguished by sound learning and deep research. VI. 9. Σκύθας δὲ Ἕλληνες οὐνόμασαν. The Greeks called them Scythians. Herodotus says that these people called themselves Scoloti, but that the Greeks gave them the name of Scythæ. In all probability 3 they gave them this name from their skill in archery; the Greek colonies established on the borders of the Euxine Sea having afforded them an opportunity of remarking this peculiarity, and also of acquiring their language. At the present day, in Lithuania, ‘szauti' signifies 'jaculari,'' jaculatorem.' From this word are derived 'szaudu,' which we find in Constantine Szyruidus, and which signifies, 'I draw the bow,' 'I shoot arrows,' and 'szaudikie,' which means an arrow. In Livonia, Finland, Courland, and Lapland, skytta,' 'kytta,' or 'kyt,' is an archer. The ancient Prussians, according to Prætorius, in orbe Gothico,' called an archer 'szythi.' This appears to me a more probable account than that of M. Pelloutier +, who derives this word from ' ziehen,' which signifies to travel, or run about, because these people were Nomades. [The derivation of the name of the Scythians here offered, from Bayer, connects that people with the Germanic race. The old Norse word 'skyta,' the Swedish skjuta,' and the English 'shoot,' all point out, according to this etymology, the meaning of the name Scythian, given to the inventors of the bow and arrow". But the resemblance between 'skyta' and Σkúons is more apparent than real. The letter k in the northern languages is generally softened before e, i, and y; thus, in our language, the word' skirt' was originally pronounced shirt;''skiff,' in like manner, was identical with shipf' or 'ship;' and kirke' with 'church.' There is no reason for believing that the Greek k ever lost its hard sound, whatever may have been the case with the X. To derive Zkúons from skyta' is to reason, therefore, on as false an analogy as we should exhibit in deriving 'Scot' from 'shot.' According to Eichwald', the name Scythian or Scyth is identical with Tschúd or Chude, which is the name given by the Russians to the ancient possessors of Siberia, or to a supposed great people, the reputed authors of the barrows and other rude monuments found 3 Bayer in Comment. Acad. Petrop. tom. I. p. 391. + Histoire des Celtes, tom. I. p. 144. 5 Grimm's Deutsche Gramm. I. p. 568. 6 Plin. H. N. VII. lvii. 7 Alte Geogr. d. Casp. Meers. p. 249. throughout that country. There still exists in the north-west of Russia a people of Finnish race, and called Tschúd. This explanation of the name has an appearance of nature and likelihood: it is nevertheless not wholly free from objection; for the Russian epithet Tschúd being of comparatively modern date, might be not unreasonably suspected of being derived from the ancient name Scythus. 9 6 Erman thinks that Σkúns may be derived from the Russian verb 'skitátjsja,' to rove or wander about; and as he found some religious. congregations in Russia styled skití' (in the singular skit'), he supposes that this term originally signified hordes,' and was in that sense applied to the Scythians.] VII. 10. Ετεα δέ σφι χιλίων οὐ πλέω. Their age is not more than a thousand years. The Persian troops were nearly worn out by the siege of Babylon, which was tedious and sanguinary. It was necessary to allow them an interval of repose. The expedition against the Scythians required fresh levies and preparations, and those on a large scale, as Darius, aware that that people did not till their lands, knew that he must carry with him all necessary provisions. Five years will not be too long a time to assign for these preparations. I have therefore been induced, in concurrence with Petavius, to fix this expedition . in the year 508 before our era. From this it will follow, that, according to their own account, the origin of the Scythians must be dated in the year 3206 of the Julian period, 1508 years before the vulgar era. If we adopt the opinion of the Greeks of Pontus, the Scythians are less ancient; and can date their origin only from the year 3360 of the Julian period, 1354 years before our era. This is all the authority we can collect as to the origin of the Scythians, and this is not very satisfactory; but, in default of better, we must content ourselves with it. Isidore of Seville, however, who died A. D. 636, has thought proper to date the migration of this people in the time of Sarag, great-grandfather of Abraham. Messenius, in his work entitled 'Scandia illustrata,' has contented himself with copying this author. Liscander fixes the same epoch in the time of Abraham; and Roderic Zanthius, about the time of Gideon. M. Pougens, after quoting these discordant authorities, adds '," that it is difficult to find in the histories of Greece, Rome, or Sweden, a more notable migration of the Goths into Egypt, into Greece, and into the Indies." A fine collection of authorities certainly; the most ancient of which is 560 years posterior to the Christian era, and the others only of the last century. Had 11. METÉρxovrai ȧvà πāv čтоs. They go for it every year. Herodotus meant only that the Scythians offered considerable sacrifices 8 Sjögren, Mém. de l'Acad. de St. Pé tersb. 1830. I. p. 272. 9 Reise um die Erde, I. p. 218. 1 Essai sur les Antiquités du Nord, &c. p. 59. to this gold, he would have been content to say θυσίῃσι μεγάλῃσι μετέρχονται, as he has said in VI. lxix. ἐπεί τέ με λιτῇσι μετέρχεαι. Μ. Wesseling is of opinion that μετέρχονται ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος signifies, that the kings had this gold brought to them every year. I think he is in the right, and I have therefore followed his interpretation. 12. "Οσα ἂν ἵππῳ ἐν ἡμέρῃ μιῇ περιελάσῃ αὐτός. As much as he can ride round in one day on horseback. This was formerly the method of rewarding merit. "Dona amplissima Imperatorum ac fortium civium, quantum quis uno die plurimum circumaravisset." At proceres 2 Ruris honorati tantum tibi, Cipe, dedere, "Cum illi ob virtutem et bene gestam Rempublicam tantum agri decerneretur, quantum arando uno die circuire potuisset." [Add to these authorities the example of the reward bestowed on Horatius Cocles.] 13. 'Yо жтεршν KεXVμévwv. From the pouring of feathers. These feathers are nothing else than flakes of snow, which fall in great abund⚫ance in that country, as we shall find lower down (xxxi.). VIII. 14. Οἱ τὸν Πόντον οἰκέοντες. Who inhabit the borders of the Euxine Sea. In the Greek simply,' those who inhabit the Pontus.' Herodotus and most of the ancients understand by Пlóvros the sea in general; and we are to take it as applying to the Euxine Sea, only when the sense and accompanying circumstances so limit it, that is to say, when our author speaks of countries in the neighbourhood of the Euxine Sea. He here speaks of the Scythians, and of their country situated on the borders of that sea. Circumstances therefore require that by the Greeks of Pontus,' we should understand the Pontic Greeks, in distinction from the Greeks of Greece.-DE LA NAUZE. 15. 'Exaúvovтa ràs Inpuúvew Bous. Driving away Geryon's herds. The Latin has Geryonis vaccas agentem.' This is a misconstruction. The Ionians use the feminine. with the name of the animal to signify a flock or herd. 'H ππоç, is cavalry; ovos, is a herd of asses. Ιστέον δὲ ὅτι οἱ Ιωνες πάσας τὰς ἀγέλας ἐκθηλύνουσι τῇ προφορᾷ, τας ἵππους, καὶ τάς ὄνους, καὶ τὰς βοῦς λέγοντες . 16. "Ežw Tоũ Пóvтov. Beyond the Pontus. This is true with respect to the Græco-Scythians. 17. Εξω Ἡρακληΐων στηλέων. Beyond the pillars of Hercules. We must not believe that it was the Greek Hercules who gave name to 2 Plin. XVIII. iii. vol. II. p. 97. lin. 19. 3 Ovidii Metamorph. XV. v. 616. 4 Senec. de Benef. VII. vii. 5 Liv. Hist. Rom. II. v. 6 Etymol. Mag. p. 473. lin. 34. |