Herodotus, The Histories (ed. A. D. Godley)

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XCVII. These were the governments and appointments of tribute. The Persian country is the only one which I have not recorded as tributary; for the Persians live free from all taxes. [2] As for those on whom no tribute was laid, but who rendered gifts instead, they were, firstly, the Ethiopians nearest to Egypt, whom Cambyses conquered in his march towards the long-lived Ethiopians; and also those who dwell about the holy Nysa,¹ where Dionysus is the god of their festivals. These Ethiopians and their neighbors use the same seed as the Indian Callantiae, and they live underground. [3] These together brought every other year and still bring a gift of two choenixes² of unrefined gold, two hundred blocks of ebony, five Ethiopian boys, and twenty great elephants' tusks. [4] Gifts were also required of the Colchians and their neighbors as far as the Caucasus mountains (which is as far as the Persian rule reaches, the country north of the Caucasus paying no regard to the Persians); these were rendered every four years and are still rendered, namely, a hundred boys and as many maids. [5] The Arabians rendered a thousand talents' weight of frankincense yearly. Such were the gifts of these peoples to the king, besides the tribute.

¹ Probably the mountain called Barkal in Upper Nubia; this is called “sacred” in hieroglyphic inscriptions.

² The choenix was a measure of about the capacity of a quart.

Further comments from W. W. How, J. Wells, A Commentary on Herodotus:
book 3 (general note)
book 3, chapter 97 (general note)
book 3, chapter 97, section 2: Aithiopes
book 3, chapter 97, section 2: spermati
book 3, chapter 97, section 3: sunamphoteroi
book 3, chapter 97, section 3: dia tritou
book 3, chapter 97, section 4: agineon

Cross references from Thomas W. Allen, E. E. Sikes, Commentary on the Homeric Hymns:
* [HYMN TO DIONYSUS]

Cross references from Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898):
ebenus [Ebĕnus]
nysa [Nysa]

Cross references from Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve, Syntax of Classical Greek:
42, 560 [Omission and use of article and oros with names of mountains. ]

This text is based on the following book(s):
Herodotus, with an English translation by A. D. Godley. Cambridge. Harvard University Press. 1920.
OCLC: 1610641
ISBN: 0674991303, 0674991311, 0674991338, 0674991346

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