Ἀθήναιος
Athenaios, Athenaeus
Translated by Malcolm Heath7 Jul 1999Vetting: high14 revisions
Translation
Of Naucratis.1 Grammarian. Lived in the time of Marcus. He wrote a book with the title Deipnosophists, in which he records how many of the ancients had a reputation for munificence in giving banquets.2
Alexander the Great, after that naval victory over the Spartans and after he had fortified the Peiraeus, sacrificed a hecatomb and feasted all the Athenians.3 And after his Olympic victory Alcibiades gave a feast for the whole festival.4 Leophron did the same at the Olympic games.5 And Empedocles of Acragas, being a Pythagorean and an abstainer from animal food, when he won an Olympic victory made an ox out of incense, myrrh and expensive perfumes and divided it among those who came to the festival. And Ion of Chios, when he won a victory in the tragic competition at Athens, gave every Athenian a jar of Chian [sc. wine].6 And Tellias of Acragas, a hospitable man, when 500 horsemen were billeted with him during the winter, gave each of them a cloak and tunic.7 [It is on record] that Charmus of Syracuse used to utter little verses and proverbs for every one of the dishes served at his banquets. Clearchus of Soli calls the poem Deipnology, others Opsology, Chrysippus Gastronomy, others The Life of Luxury [Hedypatheia].8 [It is on record] that in Plato's symposium there were 28 diners.
Alexander the Great, after that naval victory over the Spartans and after he had fortified the Peiraeus, sacrificed a hecatomb and feasted all the Athenians.3 And after his Olympic victory Alcibiades gave a feast for the whole festival.4 Leophron did the same at the Olympic games.5 And Empedocles of Acragas, being a Pythagorean and an abstainer from animal food, when he won an Olympic victory made an ox out of incense, myrrh and expensive perfumes and divided it among those who came to the festival. And Ion of Chios, when he won a victory in the tragic competition at Athens, gave every Athenian a jar of Chian [sc. wine].6 And Tellias of Acragas, a hospitable man, when 500 horsemen were billeted with him during the winter, gave each of them a cloak and tunic.7 [It is on record] that Charmus of Syracuse used to utter little verses and proverbs for every one of the dishes served at his banquets. Clearchus of Soli calls the poem Deipnology, others Opsology, Chrysippus Gastronomy, others The Life of Luxury [Hedypatheia].8 [It is on record] that in Plato's symposium there were 28 diners.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Ἀθήναιος, Ναυκρατίτης, γραμματικὸς, γεγονὼς ἐπὶ τῶν χρόνων Μάρκου. ἔγραψε βιβλίον ὄνομα Δειπνοσοφισταί· ἐν ᾧ μνημονεύει, ὅσοι τῶν παλαιῶν μεγαλοψύχως ἔδοξαν ἑστιᾶν. ὁ μέγας Ἀλέξανδρος κἀκείνην νικήσας ναυμαχίαν Λακεδαιμονίους καὶ τειχίσας τὸν Πειραιᾶ καὶ ἑκατόμβην θύσας πάντας εἱστίασεν Ἀθηναίους. καὶ Ἀλκιβιάδης Ὀλύμπια νικήσας τὴν πανήγυριν ἅπασαν εἱστίασε. τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ Λεόφρων Ὀλυμπιάσι. καὶ Ἐμπεδοκλῆς ὁ Ἀκραγαντῖνος, Πυθαγορικὸς ὢν καὶ ἐμψύχων ἀπεχόμενος, Ὀλύμπια νικήσας, ἐκ λιβανωτοῦ καὶ σμύρνης καὶ τῶν πολυτελῶν ἀρωμάτων βοῦν ἀναπλάσας διένειμε τοῖς εἰς τὴν πανήγυριν ἀπαντήσασι. καὶ ὁ Χῖος Ἴων τραγῳδίαν νικήσας Ἀθήνησιν ἑκάστῳ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἔδωκε Χῖον κεράμιον. καὶ ὁ Ἀκραγαντῖνος Τελλίας φιλόξενος ὢν καταλύσασί ποτε φʹ ἱππεῦσιν ὥρᾳ χειμῶνος, ἔδωκεν ἑκάστῳ χιτῶνα καὶ ἱμάτιον. ὅτι Χάρμος ὁ Συρακούσιος εἰς ἕκαστον τῶν ἐν τοῖς δείπνοις παρατιθεμένων στιχίδια καὶ παροιμίας ἔλεγε. Κλέαρχος δὲ ὁ Σολεὺς δειπνολογίαν καλεῖ τὸ ποίημα, ἄλλοι ὀψολογίαν, Χρύσιππος γαστρονομίαν, ἄλλοι ἡδυπάθειαν. ὅτι ἐν τῷ συμποσίῳ Πλάτωνος κηʹ ἦσαν δαιτυμόνες.
Betacode
*)aqh/naios, *naukrati/ths, grammatiko\s, gegonw\s e)pi\ tw=n xro/nwn *ma/rkou. e)/graye bibli/on o)/noma *deipnosofistai/: e)n w(=| mnhmoneu/ei, o(/soi tw=n palaiw=n megaloyu/xws e)/docan e(stia=n. o( me/gas *)ale/candros ka)kei/nhn nikh/sas naumaxi/an *lakedaimoni/ous kai\ teixi/sas to\n *peiraia= kai\ e(kato/mbhn qu/sas pa/ntas ei(sti/asen *)aqhnai/ous. kai\ *)alkibia/dhs *)olu/mpia nikh/sas th\n panh/gurin a(/pasan ei(sti/ase. to\ au)to\ kai\ *leo/frwn *)olumpia/si. kai\ *)empedoklh=s o( *)akraganti=nos, *puqagoriko\s w)\n kai\ e)myu/xwn a)pexo/menos, *)olu/mpia nikh/sas, e)k libanwtou= kai\ smu/rnhs kai\ tw=n polutelw=n a)rwma/twn bou=n a)napla/sas die/neime toi=s ei)s th\n panh/gurin a)panth/sasi. kai\ o( *xi=os *)/iwn tragw|di/an nikh/sas *)aqh/nhsin e(ka/stw| tw=n *)aqhnai/wn e)/dwke *xi=on kera/mion. kai\ o( *)akraganti=nos *telli/as filo/cenos w)\n katalu/sasi/ pote f# i(ppeu=sin w(/ra| xeimw=nos, e)/dwken e(ka/stw| xitw=na kai\ i(ma/tion. o(/ti *xa/rmos o( *surakou/sios ei)s e(/kaston tw=n e)n toi=s dei/pnois paratiqeme/nwn stixi/dia kai\ paroimi/as e)/lege. *kle/arxos de\ o( *soleu\s deipnologi/an kalei= to\ poi/hma, a)/lloi o)yologi/an, *xru/sippos gastronomi/an, a)/lloi h(dupa/qeian. o(/ti e)n tw=| sumposi/w| *pla/twnos kh# h)=san daitumo/nes.
Notes (8)
- Fl. c. AD 200. See generally RE Athenaios(22); NP Athenaios(3); OCD4 Athenaeus(1); Olson (2006), vii.↩
- 1In Egypt (see nu 58). ↩
- 2cf. delta 359, sigma 1397. What follows is excerpted from Athenaeus 1.3D-4A [1.5 Kaibel], 4E (epit.). ↩
- 3Two of Athenaeus' examples (3D) have been run together here (and again at alpha 1123): the 'naval victory over the Spartans' refers to Conon's victory at Cnidus (394 BC). ↩
- 4cf. alpha 1280 (end). ↩
- 5Athenaeus says (3E) that Simonides wrote a victory ode commemorating this (PMG 515, and Olson, 2006, 15 n.34). ↩
- 6cf. iota 487 (end) and chi 314. On "Chian" and other wines with specific (though not necessarily simple) city-connections see A. Dalby, "Topikos Oinos", in D. Harvey and J. Wilkins (eds.), The Rivals of Aristophanes (London 2000) 397-405. ↩
- 7cf. tau 272. ↩
- 8cf. chi 132. The poem in question was in fact by Archestratus of Gela; see discussion of the title (most probably Hedypatheia) in S. D. Olson and A. Sens (eds.), Archestratos of Gela: Greek Culture and Cuisine in the Fourth Century BCE(Oxford 2000) xxii-xxiv.
References
D. Braund and J. Wilkins, eds. Athenaeus and his World. Exeter, 2000
S.D. Olson, Athenaeus: The Learned Banqueters (Loeb Classical Library: 2006-)
S.D. Olson, Athenaeus: The Learned Banqueters (Loeb Classical Library: 2006-)
Linked from4 entries
- α1123υνκνοων—Ὅτι οὗτος ὁ μέγας Ἀλέξανδρος νικήσας ναυμαχίαν Λακεδαιμονίους καὶ—Alexander, AlexandrosThis Alexander the Great, having defeated the Lakedaimonians in a sea-battle and fortified Peiraieus and sacrificed a hecatomb, feasted all the Athenians.
- δ359ΔειπνοσοφισταίDeipnosophistai, Deipnosophistae, Deipnosophists, Dinner-Sophists, Sophists at DinnerThere is a book thus titled (the one who wrote it [is] Athenaeus by name) which is helpful. [It records] that Ulpian, one of the Dinner-Sophists, who was called "Attested-or-Unattested" [Keitoukeitos] because of his…
- χ132ΧάρμοςCharmus, Charmos, Kharmos[It is on record] that Charmus of Syracuse used to utter little verses and proverbs for every one of the dishes served at his banquets. Clearchus of Soli calls the poem Deipnology, others Opsology, Chrysippus…
- χ314Χῖον κεράμειονChian jugLook under Athenaeus.
Neighbouring entries
Revision history14 revisions · last 18 May 2023
- cosmeticule — Catharine Roth
- coding — Catharine Roth
- expanded a ref — David Whitehead
- coding — Catharine Roth
- updated a ref — David Whitehead
- another x-ref — David Whitehead
- tweaked bibliographical item — David Whitehead
- more keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Augmented and corrected notes; added bibliography — Aikaterini Oikonomopoulou
- Added italics; cosmetics — Elizabeth Vandiver
- augmented initial note; added bibliography; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- augmented note 6 — David Whitehead
- augmented notes and keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Added transliteration to headword — Elizabeth Vandiver
- Translated — Malcolm Heath