Ἱστορίαι Ἡροδότου — β’
Herodotus’ Histories — #2
May 2021
Ancient columns lie in the submerged Egyptian harbour of Tyre (Lebanon) — Roman Deckert
In the second chapter, the Persian account as told my Herodotus continues. We are told how the Greeks kidnapped — as revenge for the taking of Io, I’d imagine — the daughters of two kings and when asked for reparations did not pay any as they were not paid any.
Ὅυτω μὲν Ἰοῦν ἐς Αἴγυπτον ἀπικέσθαι λέγουσι Πέρσαι, οὐκ ὡς Ἕλληνές, καὶ τῶν ἀδικημάτων πρῶτον τοῦτο ἄρξαι. μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Ἑλλήνων τινάς （οὐ γὰρ ἔχουσι τοὔνομα ἀπηγήσασθαι） φασὶ τῆς Φοινίκης ἐς Τύρον προσσχόντας ἁρπάσαι τοῦ βασιλέος τὴν θυγατέρα Εὐρώπην. εἴησαν δ᾽ ἄν οὗτοι Κρῆτες. ταῦτα μὲν δὴ ἴσα πρὸς ἴσα σφι γενέσθαι, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Ἕλληνας αἰτίους τῆς δευτέρης ἀδικίης γενέσθαι: καταπλώσαντας γὰρ μακρῇ νηί ἐς Αἶαν τε τὴν Κολχίδα καὶ ἐπὶ Φᾶσιν ποταμόν, ἐνθεῦτεν, διαπρηξαμένους καὶ τἄλλα τῶν εἵνεκεν ἀπίκατο, ἁρπάσαι τοῦ βασιλέος τὴν θυγατέρα Μηδείην. πέμψαντά δὲ τὸν Κόλχων βασιλέα ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα κήρυκα αἰτέειν τε δίκας τῆς ἁρπαγῆς καὶ ἀπαιτέειν τὴν θυγατέρα. τοὺς δὲ ὑποκρίνασθαι ὡς οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνοι Ἰοῦς τῆς Ἀργείης ἔδοσάν σφι δίκας τῆς ἁρπαγῆς: οὐδὲ ὤν αὐτοὶ δώσειν ἐκείνοισι.
Houtō men Ioun es Aigypton apikesthai legousi Persai, ouk hōs Hellēnes, kai tōn adikēmatōn prōton touto arxai. meta de tauta Hellēnōn tinas （ou gar echousi tounoma apēgēsasthai） phasi tēs Phoinikēs es Tyron prosschontas harpasai tou basileos tēn thygatera Eurōpēn. eiēsan d᾽ an houtoi Krētes. tauta men dē isa pros isa sphi genesthai, meta de tauta Hellēnas aitious tēs deuterēs adikiēs genesthai: kataplōsantas gar makrē nēi es Aian te tēn Kolchida kai epi Phasin potamon, entheuten, diaprēxamenous kai talla tōn heineken apikato, harpasai tou basileos tēn thygatera Mēdeiēn. pempsanta de ton Kolchōn basilea es tēn Hellada kēryka aiteein te dikas tēs harpagēs kai apaiteein tēn thygatera. tous de hypokrinasthai hōs oude ekeinoi Ious tēs Argeiēs edosan sphi dikas tēs harpagēs: oude ōn autoi dōsein ekeinoisi.
In this manner, the Persians — unlike the Greeks — say (claim?), Io came to Egypt. This was the first of wrongdoings (misdeeds). After this, some of the Greeks (whose names are unknown) came to Tyre (then a Phoenician port)— according to the the Persians — to kidnap the king’s daughter Europa. These Greeks would have been Cretans. So far, things would have been equal between them; but after this, the Persians say that the Greeks did the second wrongdoing (misdeed). For they sailed into Aia and Colchis and on the Phasis river and after having finished the matters for which they came there, they kidnapped the king’s daughter Medea. The king of Colchis sent a herald (messenger) to demand punishment for the kindnapping of his daughter and to demand that she be returned. They, however, answered that they did not receive any penalties for the kidnapping of Io of Argos and would, thus, not be paying any (for the kidnapping of Medea) either.