MONDAY LINKS

Positive review of Michael Schmidt's The Novel: A Biography. Link courtesy of Big Pocket.

Encyclopædia Iranica. Fantastic resource I stumbled upon for all things Persian. Reminds me I need to get to the Shahnama.

And that's all folks. Finished Polybius last night. Interesting description of how the Roman army constructed their marching camps. Also the famous bit on the Roman government. Fun to read from a slightly more primary-ish source.

POLYBIUS MEETS ABRAHAM VAN HELSING, OR NOT

Darius I stomping on Gaumata

Reading Waterfield's translation of Polybius' Histories and in V.43 he states that "Mithridates claimed to be descended from one of the seven Persian Magus-slayers." This evoked images of some  kind of multi-generational series of beturbaned Van Helsings hunting evil magi through decaying ziggurat-topped underground cities, in other words: I had no idea what this referred to (although, turns out I should've). I found an 1889 translation on the Perseus Digital Library by Evelyn S. Shuckburgh which gives the more normal "seven Persians who killed the Magus" and glossed it with a succinct "the false Smerdis," but even then I still didn't recognize the reference.

[For the curious, the original Greek phrase is: τῶν ἑπτὰ Περσῶν ἑνὸς τῶν ἐπανελομένων τὸν μάγον.]

The unfortunately named Shuckburgh also gives a reference to Herodotus 3.61-82. This passage presents a complicated story with that uniquely Herodotean blend of gravity and the bizarre. Severely truncated, the tale relates how a Magus -- Gaumata -- impersonated Smerdis (Gr. Σμέρδις, OP Bardiya), the brother of Cyrus, and ruled for nearly a year before being killed by a group of seven Persian nobles. It's far more complicated than that, so here's a link to the relevant bit on Perseus. Wikipedia also has some info on the Behistun Inscription which refers to Gaumata. And apparently "Mazda" (a la Ahura Mazda) is Avestan for wisdom, which just makes Miatas even more awesome.

So mystery solved. Although the more interesting mystery of why in heck Waterfield chose to use  "Persian Magus-slayers" isn't. Guess it sounds cool.

Also, Herodotus claims the Persians celebrate a festival called the μαγοφόνια ("massacre of the Magi") which was the "greatest holy day that all Persians alike keep" (ταύτην τὴν ἡμέρην θεραπεύουσι Πέρσαι κοινῇ μάλιστα τῶν ἡμερέων) and "while the festival lasts no Magus may go outdoors."

HISTORIES OF POLYBIUS: CARTHAGINIAN BABEL. AND 17TH CENTURY TAPESTRY

Enjoying Robin Waterfield's translation of the Histories of Polybius. Writes a real riproaring batte scene, I must say. Also, a fun little historical anecdote of linguistic interest: he mentions the enormous variety of languages spoken by the mercenaries in the Carthaginian army during the First Punic War, which made direct commands impossible and, as Waterfield renders it, causes a "complete jumble of uncertainty, distrust, and failed communication." Something about B.C.-era cosmopolitanism has always fascinated me.

Besides cinematic battle descriptions, Polybius cultivates a certain drily understated tone. Vide "So the lemboi sailed back home and King Agron received his officer's report of the battle. It afforded him enormous pleasure to think that he had defeated the arrogantly self-assured Aetolians, and he gave himself over to celebration, with so much drinking that he contracted pleurisy and died just a few days later." (79)

I recently read and enjoyed Waterfield's translation of the Anabasis which prompting me to read this. So here we is.

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Neat post over at the Getty tumblr. It's oh so proto-rococo, no?