On ‘Earth-and-Water’ Again
Author(s)
Date Issued
2023
Type
bookPart
Volume
36
Start Page
61
End Page
77
Abstract
The concern of the present paper is the formula ‘earth-and-water’ contained in Greek idioms generally found in narrative contexts of potential or in progress military actions conducted by Darius or Xerxes especially in Herodotus’ Histories. Despite the curiosity aroused by it and the efforts made by scholars over the years, the origin of this formula, its symbolic and referential value as well as the political implications of the connected transaction are still debated and resist to a shared understanding. On the base of the textual documentation and after a review of the hypotheses put forward so far, the author advances her own suggestions on the different issues.