Νίσαιον
Nisaion, Nisaeum, Nisaia
Translated by Nick Nicholas25 Nov 2009Vetting: high4 revisions
Translation
A place of [ = in] Persis, where very fast horses are born, called Nisaean.1
But some [say] that [there is] a large plain of Media, whose name is Nisaeum.2 So this plain brings forth the large horses.
Also [sc. attested is] Nisaios, a proper name; both the citizen [sc. of Nisaia], and the horse [from there].
So note, that the author of the Ethnica has truly made an error, in writing 'the Nisaean plain' and the 'Nisaean horses' with an eta.3
But some [say] that [there is] a large plain of Media, whose name is Nisaeum.2 So this plain brings forth the large horses.
Also [sc. attested is] Nisaios, a proper name; both the citizen [sc. of Nisaia], and the horse [from there].
So note, that the author of the Ethnica has truly made an error, in writing 'the Nisaean plain' and the 'Nisaean horses' with an eta.3
Greek original · Adler’s text
Νίσαιον· τόπος Περσίδος, ἔνθα ἵπποι ὤκιστοι γίνονται, Νισαῖοι λεγόμενοι. οἱ δέ, ὅτι πεδίον μέγα τῆς Μηδικῆς, τῷ οὔνομά ἐστι Νίσαιον. τοὺς οὖν δὴ ἵππους τοὺς μεγάλους φέρει τὸ πεδίον τοῦτο. καὶ Νισαῖος, ὄνομα κύριον· καὶ ὁ πολίτης, καὶ ὁ ἵππος. σημείωσαι οὖν, ὅτι ἔσφαλται ἀληθῶς παρὰ τῷ ἀναγραψαμένῳ τὰ ἐθνικά, τὸ Νισαῖον πεδίον καὶ οἱ Νισαῖοι ἵπποι παραδεδομένα διὰ τοῦ η γράφεσθαι.
Betacode
*ni/saion: to/pos *persi/dos, e)/nqa i(/ppoi w)/kistoi gi/nontai, *nisai=oi lego/menoi. oi( de/, o(/ti pedi/on me/ga th=s *mhdikh=s, tw=| ou)/noma/ e)sti *ni/saion. tou\s ou)=n dh\ i(/ppous tou\s mega/lous fe/rei to\ pedi/on tou=to. kai\ *nisai=os, o)/noma ku/rion: kai\ o( poli/ths, kai\ o( i(/ppos. shmei/wsai ou)=n, o(/ti e)/sfaltai a)lhqw=s para\ tw=| a)nagrayame/nw| ta\ e)qnika/, to\ *nisai=on pedi/on kai\ oi( *nisai=oi i(/ppoi paradedome/na dia\ tou= h gra/fesqai.
Notes (3)
- The Suda offers the back-formation
*ni/saion for the adjective*nisai=os ; the place-name is most probably Nisaia (see How & Wells' commentary on Herodotus 7.40.2 -- cf. next note). - 1See Herodotus 3.106.2, 7.40.2 (web address 1, web address 2); see also iota 578. ↩
- 2Photius (nu200 Theodoridis) calls Nisaion a plain of [= near] the Red Sea, while Eustathius of Thessalonica, Commentary on Dionysius' Description of the World 1017, refers to it as a plain in Media. ↩
- 3i.e. Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica p. 474 Meineke. In fact both spellings occur in Herodotus, the spelling with eta in Herodotus 9.20.4 (web address 3). ↩
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
- Web address 2 perseus.tufts.edu
- Web address 3 perseus.tufts.edu
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Revision history4 revisions · last 19 Sep 2013
- Revised — David Whitehead
- tweaked note — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- more keywords; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Nick Nicholas