Herodotus' HISTORY BOOK 2 (EUTERPE) Complete

Translated by G. Macaulay.

Herodotus Bilingual Anthology  Studies  Herodotus in Print

86 pages - You are on Page 81

168. The following privilege was specially granted to this class and to none others of the Egyptians except the priests, that is to say, each man had twelve yokes [143] of land specially granted to him free from imposts: now the yoke of land measures a hundred Egyptian cubits every way, and the Egyptian cubit is, as it happens, equal to that of Samos. This, I say, was a special privilege granted to all, and they also had certain advantages in turn and not the same men twice; that is to say, a thousand of the Calasirians and a thousand of the Hermotybians acted as body-guard to the king during each year; [144] and these had besides their yokes of land an allowance given them for each day of five pounds weight [144a] of bread to each man, and two pounds of beef, and four half-pints [145] of wine. This was the allowance given to those who were serving as the king's bodyguard for the time being.

[143] {arourai}, cp. ch. 141.

[144] {ekaston}: if {ekastoi} be read (for which there is more MS. authority) the meaning will be that "a thousand Calasirians and a thousand Hermotybians acted as guards alternately, each for a year," the number at a time being 1000 not 2000.

[144a] {pente mneai}.

[145] {arusteres},={kotulai}.

Previous / First / Herodotus History: Next Page of this Book (Euterpe)

Herodotus History - Table of Contents

Herodotus Home Page ||| Elpenor's Free Greek Lessons

Thucydides

Reference address : https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/ancient-greece/herodotus/history-2.asp?pg=81