| Keywords |
|
| ID |
5053 |
| Text |
Theophylacti Simocattae Historiarum libri octo (630 - 640) Theophylact Simocatta |
| Quotation |
ὁ μὲν οὖν τῶν Τούϱϰων Χαγάνος τὸν ἐμφύλιον ϰαταλυσάμενος πόλεμον εὐδαιμόνως ἐχειϱαγώγει τὰ πϱάγματα, ποιεῖται δὲ ϰαὶ συνϑήϰας πϱὸς τοὺς Ταυγάστ, ὅπως βαϑεῖαν πάντοϑεν τὴν γαλήνην ἐμποϱευόμενος ἀστασίαστον τὴν ἀϱχὴν ϰαταστήσηται. ὁ δὲ τῆς Ταυγὰστ ϰλιματάϱχης Ταϊσὰν ὀνομάζεται, ὅπεϱ υἱὸς ϑεοῦ ταῖς Ἑλληνιϰαῖς φωναῖς ἐνσημαίνεται. ἡ δὲ ἀϱχὴ τῆς Ταυγὰστ οὐ στασιάζεται· γένος γὰϱ αὐτοῖς τὴν χειϱοτονίαν τοῦ ἡγεμόνος παϱέχεται. τούτῳ δὲ τῷ ἔϑνει ϑϱησϰεία ἀγάλματα, νόμοι δὲ δίϰαιοι, ϰαὶ σωφϱοσύνης ἔμπλεος ὁ βίος αὐτοῖς. ἔϑος δὲ τούτοις νόμον μιμούμενον, μηδέποτε ϰόσμῳ χϱυσῷ ϰαλλωπίζεσϑαι ἄϱϱενας, ϰαίτοι ἀφϑονίας πολλῆς ἀϱγύϱου τε ϰαὶ χϱυσοῦ ϰύϱιοι ϰαϑεστῶτες διὰ τὰς μεγάλας ϰαὶ ἐπωφελεῖς ἐμποϱίας. ταύτην τὴν Ταυγὰστ ποταμὸς διοϱίζει. πάλαι τοίνυν ποτὲ δύο μεγίστοις ἔϑνεσιν ὁ ποταμὸς ἐμεσίτευεν ἀντιϑέτοις ἀλλήλοις· ἐσϑὴς δὲ τῷ μὲν ἑνὶ μέλαινα, τῷ δὲ ἑτέϱῳ ϰοϰϰόβαφος. ἐν τοῖς χϱόνοις τοίνυν τοῖς ϰαϑ᾿ ἡμᾶς, Μαυϱιϰίου τὰ Ῥωμαίων σϰῆπτϱα ἐπέχοντος, ϰαὶ τὸ ἔϑνος τῶν μελαινοφόϱων τοῖς τὴν ἐϱυϑϱὰν πεϱιβεβλημένοις ἐσϑῆτα διαπεϱαιωσάμενον τὸν ποταμὸν συνίστησι πόλεμον, εἶτα νενιϰηϰὸς τῆς ὅλης ἡγεμονίας γίνεται ϰύϱιον. ταύτην δὴ τὴν Ταυγὰστ οἱ βάϱβαϱοι λέγουσι ϰτίσαι τὸν Μαϰεδόνα Ἀλέξανδϱον, ὁπηνίϰα τούς τε Βαϰτϱιανοὺς ϰαὶ τὴν Σογδοανὴν ἐδουλώσατο δέϰα ϰαὶ δύο ϰαταφλέξας μυϱιάδας βαϱβάϱων. ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ πόλει τὰ τοῦ βασιλεύοντος γύναια ἐϰ χϱυσοῦ πεποιημένας ἔχονσι τὰς ἁϱμαμάξας, ἑλϰομένην ἑϰάστην ὑπὸ βοϊδίον ἑνὸς ϰεϰοσμημένου πολυτελῶς ἐϰ χϱυσοῶ ϰαὶ λίϑου μεγατιμίου· εἰσὶ δὲ ϰαὶ χαλενοὶ τοῖς βουσι χϱυσοϰόλλητοι. ὁ μὲν οὖν τῆν ἡγεμονίαν τῆς Ταυγὰστ ἀνειληφὼς ἑπταϰοσίαις γυναιξὶ ϰατεπαννυχίζετο. τὰ δὲ γύναια τῶν πεϱιφανεστέϱων τῆς Ταυγὰστ ἀϱγυϱαῖς ϰέχϱηνται ταῖς ἁϱμαμάξαις. λόγος δὲ ϰαὶ ἑτέϱαν τὸν Ἀλέξανδϱον δείμασϑαι πόλιν ἀπὸ σημείων ὀλίγων· Χουβδὰν ὀνομάζουσι ταύτην οἱ βάϱβαϱοι. τεϑνηϰότα δὲ τὸν ἡγεμόνα ὑπὸ τῶν γυναίων πενϑεῖσϑαι διὰ παντὸς ξυϱομένων μὲν τὰς ϰεφαλὰς ϰαὶ μέλαιναν πεϱιβαλλομένων ἐσϑῆτα· ϰαὶ νόμος αὐταῖς μηδέποτε τὸν τάφον ἀπολιπεῖν. ἡ δὲ Χουβδὰν δύο μεγάλοις διείληπται ποταμοῖς, αἱ δὲ τούτων ὄχϑαι ταῖς ϰυπαϱίττοις ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν ϰατανεύονται. ἐλέφαντες δὲ τῷ ἔϑνει πολλοί. τοῖς δὲ Ἰνδοῖς ϰατὰ τὰς ἐμποϱίας συναναμίγνυνται· τούτους δέ φασι τοὺς πεϱὶ τὰ βόϱεια τετϱαμμένους Ἰνδοὺς ϰαὶ λευϰοὺς πεφυϰέναι. οἱ δὲ σϰώληϰες, ἐξ ὧν τὰ Σηϱώων ϰαϑέστηϰε νήματα, πάνυ παϱὰ τῷ τοιούτῳ ἔϑνει πολλοὶ ἐναλλὰξ ϰαὶ ποιϰίλην τὴν χϱοιὰν ϰεϰτημένοι, τήν τε πεϱὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ζῶα φιλοτεχνίαν φιλοτίμως ἀσϰοῦσιν οἱ βάϱβαϱοι. ἵνα δὲ μὴ ἔξω τῆς νύσσγς τὴν ἱστοϱίαν παϱοδηγήσωμεν, μέχϱι τούτων πεϱὶ τῶν Σϰυϑῶν τὼν πϱὸς τῇ Βαϰτϱιανῇ ϰαὶ Σογδοανῇ ϰαὶ τῷ Μέλανι ποταμῷ. |
| Translation |
7.9, pp. 191-193: And so, after concluding the civil war, the Chagan (Khagános) of the Turks (Toȗrkoi) managed affairs prosperously, while he made an agreement with the men of Taugast so that he might bring in secure peace from all sides and make his rule unchallenged. The regional commander of Taugast is called Taisan, which signifies `son of god' in the Greek tongue. The realm of Taugast is not troubled by discord, for lineage provides them with the selection of their leader. Statues are the cult of this nation, the laws are just, and their life is full of discretion. They have a custom, which resembles law, that males should never embellish themselves with gold adornment, even though they have become owners of a great abundance of silver and gold as a result of their large and advantageous trading. A river divides this Taugast; now once long ago the river was interposed between two great nations who were mutually hostile; the dress of one was black, and of the other scarlet-hued. Then in our times, while Maurice was in possession of the Roman sceptres, the black-robed nation (éthnos) crossed the river and joined battle with those wearing the red clothing; next, having gained victory, it became master of the whole dominion. This Taugast in fact, the barbarians (bárbaroi) say, was founded by the Macedonian Alexander when he enslaved the Bactrians and Sogdoane (Sogdoanḗ) and burnt twelve myriads of barbarians. In this city the ruler's wives have carriages made of gold, each of which is drawn by one bullock lavishly decorated with gold and precious stones; and even the oxen's reins are gold-inlaid. And so the man who has assumed the dominion of Taugast used to pass the night with seven hundred women. The wives of the nobility of Taugast used silver carriages. There is a report that Alexander also founded another city a few miles away, which the barbarians (bárbaroi) name Chubdan; and that when the leader dies, he is mourned for ever by his wives, who have their heads shaved and who wear black clothing; and that it is the custom for these women never to leave the tomb. Chubdan is divided by two great rivers, whose banks nod, so to speak, with cypresses. The nation (éthnos) has many elephants. They associate in trade with the Indians (Indoí), and they say that these Indians who face the northern regions are actually born white. The worms, from which come the Seric threads, are possessed by the said nation (éthnos) in very great numbers and are in turn possessed of varied colour; the barbarians (bárbaroi) eagerly practise the husbandry of the said creatures. But, so as not to misdirect our narrative away from its goal, this is enough about the Scythians (Skúthai) around Baktriane (Baktrianḗ), Sogdoane (Sogdoanḗ), and the Melas river. |
| Summary |
Reference to Taugast, i.e. the empire of the Tuoba Wei in northern China. |
| Quotation source |
7.9 (pp. 260-262) |
| Temporal Coverage |
595 - 595 |
| Associated use case(s) |
|
| Spatial Coverage Objects |
|
| Comment |
|
