Ὀρέστης κατὰ χρησμὸν ἐλθὼν εἰς Ταύρους τῆς Σκυθίας
μετὰ Πυλάδου παραγενηθεὶς παρ᾿ αὐτοῖς τιμώμενον
τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος ξόανον ὑϕελέσθαι προῃρεῖτο. προελθὼν
δ᾿ ἀπὸ τῆς νεὼς καὶ μανείς, ὑπὸ τῶν ἐντοπίων ἅμα τῷ
ϕίλῳ συλληϕθεὶς ἀνήχθη κατὰ τὸν παρ᾿ αὐτοῖς ἐθισμόν,
ὅπως τοῦ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος ἱεροῦ σϕάγιον γένωνται. τοὺς γὰρ
καταπλεύσαντας ξένους ἀπέσϕαττον.
ἡ μὲν σκηνὴ τοῦ δράματος ὑπόκειται ἐν Ταύροις τῆς
Σκυθίας· ὁ δὲ χορὸς συνέστηκεν ἐξ Ἑλληνίδων γυναικῶν,
θεραπαινίδων τῆς Ἰϕιγενείας. προλογίζει δὲ Ἰϕιγένεια.
Orestes, having come to the Taurians of Scythia by oracle,
arrived with Pylades and intended to take away the revered
image of Artemis from them. As he left the ship and went mad,
he and his friend were seized by the locals and brought up,
according to their custom, to become sacrificial victims
for the temple of Artemis. For they used to slay foreigners
who arrived by sea.
The scene of the drama is set among the Taurians of Scythia.
The chorus is composed of Greek women, handmaidens of Iphigenia.
Iphigenia speaks the prologue.