{"id":11945,"date":"2023-01-16T13:27:47","date_gmt":"2023-01-16T18:27:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/?p=11945"},"modified":"2024-06-19T21:37:01","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T01:37:01","slug":"dyrbaians-ktesias-on-an-extremely-just-people-between-baktria-and-india-early-fourth-century-bce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/2023\/01\/dyrbaians-ktesias-on-an-extremely-just-people-between-baktria-and-india-early-fourth-century-bce\/","title":{"rendered":"Dyrbaians: Ktesias on an extremely just people between Baktria and India (early fourth century BCE)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i><b>Ancient authors: <\/b><\/i>Ktesias of Knidos (early fourth century BCE), <em>Persian Matters\u00a0<\/em>as cited by Stephanus of Byzantium (sixth century CE), <em>Ethnika<\/em> at &#8220;Dyrbaians&#8221; (142) = Nichols F11.<\/p>\n<p><i><b>Comments: <\/b><\/i>This is one of the very few references to Dyrbaians (or: Dyrbaeans) as a people to the east, presumably pictured as living between Baktria and India. Another reference is found on a fragmentary papyrus of a now lost work, perhaps by Nymphodoros (<a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Blog\/?p=11949\">link<\/a>). In both cases, there is emphasis on both honesty (regarding not taking things that do not belong to them) and diet. In Ktesias, at least (the other passage is fragmentary), there is a reference to this being a &#8220;most just&#8221; people, having the ring of ancient Greek notions of the noble barbarian (on which compare the most just Abians of Homer as discussed by Strabo and\/or Ephoros &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/philipharland.com\/Blog\/?p=7387\">link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>\u2017\u2017\u2017\u2017\u2017\u2017\u2017<\/p>\n<p>Dyrbaians (<em>Dyrbaioi<\/em>): This is a people (<em>ethnos<\/em>) belonging to the Baktrians and India. In <em>Persian Matters<\/em> book 10, <strong>Ktesias<\/strong> says:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">&#8220;A country which is situated towards the south is that of the Dyrbaians, extending from Baktria to India. These are happy men who are also wealthy and extremely just (\u03ba\u1f71\u03c1\u03c4\u03b1 \u03b4\u1f77\u03ba\u03b1\u03b9\u03bf\u1f77). They neither treat unjustly nor kill another person. Now if they \ufb01nd gold, clothing, silver, or anything else in the street, they do not take it away. They do not make or eat bread, nor do they consider . . . unless it is for sacri\ufb01ces. But they make barley meal very fine just like Greeks, and they eat cakes made from plants.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u0394\u03c5\u03c1\u03b2\u03b1\u1fd6\u03bf\u03b9, \u1f14\u03b8\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u03b8\u1fc6\u03ba\u03bf\u03bd \u03b5\u1f30\u03c2 \u0392\u03ac\u03ba\u03c4\u03c1\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u1f38\u03bd\u03b4\u03b9\u03ba\u03ae\u03bd. \u039a\u03c4\u03b7\u03c3\u03af\u03b1\u03c2 \u1f10\u03bd \u03a0\u03b5\u03c1\u03c3\u03b9\u03ba\u1ff6\u03bd \u03b9, \u03c7\u03ce\u03c1\u03b1 \u03b4\u1f72 \u03c0\u03c1\u1f78\u03c2 \u03bd\u03cc\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd \u03c0\u03c1\u03cc\u03c3\u03ba\u03b5\u03b9\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9, \u0394\u03c5\u03c1\u03b2\u03b1\u1fd6\u03bf\u03b9, \u03c0\u03c1\u1f78\u03c2 \u03c4\u1f74\u03bd \u0392\u03b1\u03ba\u03c4\u03c1\u03af\u03b7\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f38\u03bd\u03b4\u03b9\u03ba\u1f74\u03bd \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03c4\u03b5\u03af\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03c2. \u03bf\u1f57\u03c4\u03bf\u03b9 \u03b5\u1f50\u03b4\u03b1\u03af\u00b5\u03bf\u03bd\u03b5\u03c2 \u1f04\u03bd\u03b4\u03c1\u03b5\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c0\u03bb\u03bf\u03cd\u03c3\u03b9\u03bf\u03b9 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03ba\u03ac\u03c1\u03c4\u03b1 \u03b4\u03af\u03ba\u03b1\u03b9\u03bf\u03af \u03b5\u1f30\u03c3\u03b9\u00b7 \u03bf\u1f57\u03c4\u03bf\u03b9 \u03bf\u1f54\u03c4\u03b5 \u1f00\u03b4\u03b9\u03ba\u03bf\u1fe6\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u03bf\u1f54\u03c4\u03b5 \u1f00\u03c0\u03bf\u03ba\u03c4\u03ad\u03bd\u03bd\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u1f04\u03bd\u03b8\u03c1\u03c9\u03c0\u03bf\u03bd \u03bf\u1f50\u03b4\u03ad\u03bd\u03b1. \u1f10\u1f70\u03bd \u03b4\u03ad \u03c4\u03b9 \u03b5\u1f55\u03c1\u03c9\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u1f10\u03bd \u03c4\u1fc7 \u1f41\u03b4\u1ff7 \u1f22 \u03c7\u03c1\u03c5\u03c3\u03af\u03bf\u03bd \u1f22 \u1f31\u00b5\u03ac\u03c4\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd \u1f22 \u1f00\u03c1\u03b3\u03cd\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd \u1f22 \u1f04\u03bb\u03bb\u03bf \u03c4\u03b9, \u03bf\u1f50\u03b4\u1f72\u03bd &lt;\u1f02\u03bd&gt; \u1f00\u03c0\u03bf\u03ba\u03b9\u03bd\u03ae\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9\u03b1\u03bd. \u03bf\u1f57\u03c4\u03bf\u03b9 \u03bf\u1f54\u03c4\u03b5 \u1f00\u03c1\u03c4\u03bf\u03c0\u03bf\u03b9\u03ad\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u03bf\u1f54\u03c4\u2019 \u1f10\u03c3\u03b8\u03af\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9 \u03bf\u1f54\u03c4\u03b5 \u2020\u03bd\u03bf\u00b5\u03af\u03b6\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9\u2020 \u1f10\u1f70\u03bd \u00b5\u1f74 \u1f31\u03b5\u03c1\u1ff6\u03bd \u03bf\u1f55\u03bd\u03b5\u03ba\u03b5\u03bd. \u1f04\u03bb\u03c6\u03b9\u03c4\u03b1 \u03b4\u1f72 \u03c0\u03bf\u03b9\u03bf\u1fe6\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u03bb\u03b5\u03c0\u03c4\u03cc\u03c4\u03b5\u03c1\u03b1 \u03ba\u03b1\u03b8\u03ac\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1 \u03bf\u1f31 \u1f1d\u03bb\u03bb\u03b7\u03bd\u03b5\u03c2\u00b7 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f10\u03c3\u03b8\u03af\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9 \u00b5\u03ac\u03b6\u03b1\u03c2 \u03c0\u03bf\u1ff6\u03bd<\/p>\n<p>\u2017\u2017\u2017\u2017\u2017\u2017\u2017<\/p>\n<p><i><b>Source of the translation:<\/b><\/i> Translations by Harland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ancient authors: Ktesias of Knidos (early fourth century BCE), Persian Matters\u00a0as cited by Stephanus of Byzantium (sixth century CE), Ethnika at &#8220;Dyrbaians&#8221; (142) = Nichols F11. Comments: This is one of the very few references to Dyrbaians (or: Dyrbaeans) as a people to the east, presumably pictured as living between Baktria and India. Another reference [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71,77,244,218],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-02-greek-and-roman-ethnography-on-barbarians","category-04-greeks-on-wise-barbarians-noble-savages","category-ktesias-greek","category-stephanos-of-byzantion-greek"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11945"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21244,"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11945\/revisions\/21244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.philipharland.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}