| Keywords |
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| ID |
4974 |
| Text |
De Bellis (530 - 560) Procopius |
| Quotation |
ταῦτα δὲ ὧδέ πη γεγονέναι καὶ ξὺν τοῖς ἀνδράσι τὰς Ἀμαζόνας στρατεύσασθαι καὶ αὐτὸς οἴομαι, τεκμηριούμενος οἷς δὴ καὶ χρόνῳ τῷ κατ᾿ ἐμὲ ξυνηνέχθη γενέσθαι. τὰ γὰρ ἐπιτηδεύματα μέχρι ἐς τοὺς ἀπογόνους παραπεμπόμενα τῶν προγεγενημένων τῆς φύσεως ἴνδαλμα γίνεται. γίνεται. Οὔννων τοίνυν καταδραμόντων πολλάκις τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχήν, τοῖς τε ὐπαντιάσασιν ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθόντων, τινὰς μὲν αὐτῶν πεσεῖν ἐνταῦθα τετύχηκε, μετὰ δὲ τῶν βαρβάρων τὴν ἀναχώρησιν Ῥωμαῖοι διερευνώμενοι τῶν πεπτωκότων τὰ σώματα καὶ γυναῖκας ἐν αὐτοῖς εὗρον. ἄλλο μέντοι γυναικῶν στράτευμα οὐδαμῆ τῆς Ἀσίας ἢ τῆς Εὐρώπης ἐπιχωρίαζον ἐφάνη. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τὰ Καυκάσια ὄρη ἀνδρῶν ἔρημα γεγενῆσθαι πώποτε ἀκοῇ ἴσμεν, περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν Ἀμαζόνων τοσαῦτα εἰρήσθω. |
| Translation |
That this is about what happened and that the Amazons (Amazónes) did make an expedition with their husbands, I too believe, basing my judgment on what has actually taken place in my time. For customs which are handed down to remote descendants give a picture of the character of former generations. I mean this, that on many occasions when Huns (Oúnnoi) have made raids into the Roman domain and have engaged in battle with those who encountered them, some, of course, have fallen there, and after the departure of the barbarians (Barbároi) the Romans (Rhōmaíoi), in searching the bodies of the fallen have actually found women among them. No other army of women, however, has made its appearance in any locality of Asia or Europe. On the other hand, we have no tradition that the mountains of the Caucasus were ever devoid of men. Concerning the Amazons then let this suffice. |
| Summary |
Explanation of the myth of the Amazons. They are not α "race of women endowed with the qualities of men" but women that by sheer necessity (their husbands were killed) had to display mainly valour. According to Procopius, on many occasions Romans have found women among the bodies of fallen Huns. |
| Quotation source |
8. 3. 8-11. Dewing (1928) (pp. 76-79) |
| Associated use case(s) |
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| Comment |
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