Reginald Walter Macan, Herodotus, The Seventh, Eighth, & Ninth Books with Introduction and Commentary

---

---

Ὀτάσπης ὁ Ἀρταχαίεω: the son is not named elsewhere, but the father is presumably the Artachaies, son of Artaios, who was superintending the Athos-canal (c. 22 supra), a man of the Achaimenid stock, whose apotheosis Hdt. commemorates, c. 117 infra.

Βάκτριοι: the inhabitants of a satrapy in the NE. of the Persian empire, named from the chief town, (τὰ) Βάκτρα (Ζαρίασπα, Arrian), or river (Βάκτριος). In 3. 93 the Βακτριανοί (sic） appear in the twelfth satrapy. Baktria was one of the most important of the eastern provinces in the Persian empire (cp. 9. 113 infra), its name cropping up in the Greek literature of the fifth century (Aischyl. Persai 306, 318, 732), and destined in the time of Alexander and his successors to still greater importance; according to some traditions Baktria was indeed the cradle of the Zarathrustrian religion; cp. Maspero, Histoire ancienne iii. (1899) 573; Tomaschek ap. Pauly-Wissowa ii. 2807.

---

ἀγχότατα: a rather vague neuter plural; the reading is not quite certain (cp. App. Crit.), but the meaning clearly is that the Baktrians wore on their heads felt caps, like the Median fez. (It was, perhaps, originally Baktrian, and of black colour.)

τόξα καλάμινα ἐπιχώρια: the distinctive weapon, a bow of reed (bamboo), perhaps of Indian origin. Unless ἐπιχωρίας is to be supplied with αἰχμάς, the only difference between Median and Baktrian equipment would be that the Median bow was not of bamboo; moreover, how could the Ἄριοι, who have Median bows, be in other respects like the Baktrians, if the bow is the only point of difference between Baktrian and Mede? But perhaps to question thus, is to take Hdt. too seriously.

---

Σάκαι δὲ οἱ Σκύθαι: the last two words look like a gloss. The ‘Sakai,’ or ‘Skyths’ in this passage are doubtless the tribes, more or less nomad, of the NE. frontier of the empire (Jaxartes), or between Oxus and Jaxartes (cp. Hdt. IV.-VI. ii. p. 11). Their habitat might seem to fall into the Europe of Hdt. (op. cit. i. 28), but it would be rash to assume that his (perhaps later) geographical scheme was present to his mind in writing this passage. Hdt. is dealing with Asia here.

---

κυρβασίας ἐς ὀξὺ ἀπηγμένας ὀρθὰς εἶχον πεπηγυίας. These ‘Skyths,’ or ‘Sakai,’ with upright pointed caps, have been identified with the Çakâ tigrakhauda of the Behistun inscription: who are these distinct from Çakâ Haumavargâ or Ἀμύργιοι? Hdt. (or his authority) has perhaps confounded two hordes, or breeds of Saka distinguished by Dareios. Cp. J. Oppert in Records of the Past, ix. 76, also Tomaschek ap. Pauly-Wissowa i. 2010 f. 2. 28 δύο ὄρεα ἐς ὀξὺ τὰς κορυφὰς ἀπηγμἐνα decides the reading. Cf. App. Crit.

---

ἀναξυρίδας: c. 61 supra.

ἐνεδεδύκεσαν: the pluperfect seems to have no reference to a remoter past, but if they ‘had put on,’ they ‘were wearing’ trousers, the tense becomes materially almost ‘descriptive.’

---

Ἀμυργίους Σάκας: Steph. B. sub v. Ἀμυ<*>ργιον: πέδον <πεδιον̣γτ; Σακω_ν: Ἐλλάνικος Σκύθαις <Σκυθικαῖς̣> τὸ ἐθνικὸν Ἀμύργιος, ὡς αὐτός φησιν. Cooley (ap. Blakesley) identified them with the inhabitants of the valley of the “Moorg”: this is better than von Hammer's idea (ap. Baehr) that the Ἀμύργιοι were the Turks, Τούργιοι. J. Oppert, l.c., apparently renders Haumavargã, “who drink Haoma leaves.”

οἱ γὰρ Πέρσαι πάντας τοὺς Σκύθας καλέουσι Σάκας. This is an amusing instance of Hellenic insolence, and only means that the ‘Skyths’ of the Greek are identical with the ‘Saka’ of the Persians, a statement undoubtedly correct even a point beyond what Hdt. intends. Saka was applied to the nomad tribes all along the northern frontier of the Persian empire. from the Danube to the Oxus and Jaxartes, and the Greek used ‘Skyth’ with a similar extension. Moreover, the two words are apparently identical. Cp. my note to 4. 6. 4.

---

Ὑστάσπης. His name and parentage are remarkable, and evidence of the importance of this command. He is the king's full brother; cp. c. 2 supra.