10-13-2006, 10:20 PM
Greek, eh? Well, for what it's worth...
He's talking about infantry (οἱ... πεζοὶ) oi( pezoi\\, "footmen".
μαχαιροφοροῦντες ἀμφοτέρωθεν maxairofou~ntes )amfote/rwqen
"bearing machairai on both sides." The LSJ defines ma/xaira as a "large knife or dirk," as opposed to the ci/fos (xiphos) or sword -- but we shouldn't make too much of that distinction here, just understand "blades on both sides of the body".
makro/teron d' au)tw~n to\\ laio\\n ci/fos pollwi~
"but their left-hand/left-side xiphos (sword) is longer by far"
to\\ ga\\r kata\\ to\\ decio\\n spiqamh~s ou) ple/on e)/xei to\\ mh~kos.
"For the one (sc. xiphos) on the right side/right hand (kata to dexion) has a measure not more than a span."
He's talking about infantry (οἱ... πεζοὶ) oi( pezoi\\, "footmen".
μαχαιροφοροῦντες ἀμφοτέρωθεν maxairofou~ntes )amfote/rwqen
"bearing machairai on both sides." The LSJ defines ma/xaira as a "large knife or dirk," as opposed to the ci/fos (xiphos) or sword -- but we shouldn't make too much of that distinction here, just understand "blades on both sides of the body".
makro/teron d' au)tw~n to\\ laio\\n ci/fos pollwi~
"but their left-hand/left-side xiphos (sword) is longer by far"
to\\ ga\\r kata\\ to\\ decio\\n spiqamh~s ou) ple/on e)/xei to\\ mh~kos.
"For the one (sc. xiphos) on the right side/right hand (kata to dexion) has a measure not more than a span."
Dan Diffendale
Ph.D. candidate, University of Michigan
Ph.D. candidate, University of Michigan
