| Keywords |
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| ID |
5035 |
| Text |
Historia (continuatio Agathiae) (557 - 582) Menander, the Guardsman |
| Quotation |
Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῷ Σιζαβούλῳ τὰ ξυγκυρήσαντα ἔφρασαν, αὐτίκα ὅγε καὶ ἑτέρᾳ πρεσβείᾳ ἐχρῆτο ὠς Πέρσας φιλοποιήσασθαι τὴν κατὰ σφᾶς πολιτείαν βουλόμενος. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ Τούρκων πρεσβεία αὖθις ἀφῖκτο, ὁ βασιλεὺς ἅμα τοῖς ἐν τέλει Περσῶν καὶ τῷ Κατούλφῳ ἐγνωμάτευε, πάντη ἀξύμφορον εἶναι Πέρσαις φιλίαν θέσθαι ὡς Τούρκους· τὸ γὰρ Σκυθικὸν εἶναι παλίμβολον. ταύτῃ τοι καὶ παρενεγύησε δηλητηρίῳ φαρμάκῳ ἐνίονς διαφθαρῆναι τὼν πρέσβεων, ὅπως ἀπείποιεν τῆς ἐκεῖσε μετέπειτα παρουσίας. καὶ δὴ οἱ πλεῖστοι τῶν πρεσβευσαμένων Τούρκων τῇ περὶ τὴν ἐδωδὴν μίξει τῶν ἀναιρετικῶν φαρμάκων αὐτοῦ που τὸν βίον κατέλυσαν πλὴν τριῶν ἢ τεσσάρων. θροῦς δὲ ἐφοίτησε Πέρσαις ὡς διώλοντο τῷ πνιγηρῷ τῶν Περσῶν αὐχμῷ τῶν Τούρκων οἱ πρέσβεις, ἅτε τῆς αὐτῶν χώρας θαμὰ νιφετῷ παλυνομένης, καὶ ἀδύνατον ὂν αὐτοῖς ἄνευ κρυμώδους καταστήματος βιοτεύειν. |
| Translation |
When the Sogdians (Sogdaῗtai) told Sizabul what had occurred, he himself sent another embassy to the Persians (Pérsai) , since he wished to establish friendly relations between them and his own state. When this second Turkish embassy arrived, the king, after discussion with the Persian high officials and with Katulph, decided that because of the untrustworthy nature of the Scythians (Skúthai) it was completely against Persian interest to establish friendly relationship with the Turks (Toȗrkoi). At this he ordered that some of the envoys be poisoned, so that henceforth they would refuse to come there. The majority of the Turkish envoys, all but three or four, were murdered by a deadly poison mixed in with their food. A report was circulated amongst the Persians (Pérsai) that the Turkish envoys had been killed by the stifling dryness of Persia, because their own land was often covered with snow and they could not survive away from cold weather. |
| Summary |
Turkish envoys are poisoned by the Persians. Ethnographic topoi regarding the Scythians. |
| Quotation source |
Fr. 10.1.27-41 (pp. 112-113) |
| Temporal Coverage |
569 - 571 |
| Associated use case(s) |
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| Comment |
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