Βάττος
Battos, Battus
Translated by Craig Gibson20 Jun 2002Vetting: high10 revisions
Translation
A person's name. [It means] stuttering and lisping.1 There was a Cretan city named Oaxos,2 in which Etearchos [was] king, who for his motherless daughter, whose name was Phronime [...].3 Providing badly for her and contriving everything against her, and finally having accused her of lewdness, she4 convinces her husband that these things are true. Persuaded by his wife, he contrived an unholy deed against his daughter. For there was in Oaxos a man from Thera, a merchant named Themison. Taking this man into guest-friendship, Etearchos made him swear that he would do for him whatever service he asked. When he so swore, he (the king) brought in his daughter, handed her over to him, and ordered him to lead her away and throw her into the sea. But Themison was very angry [...] on the sea,5 and in order to discharge his oath to Etearchos, after binding her with ropes he let her down into the sea, and having pulled her back up again arrived at Thera. Then Polymnestos, being a reputable man of the Theraeans, took Phronime and made her his concubine. As time passed, there was born to him a son who was stuttering and lisping, to whom the name Battos was given.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Βάττος· ὄνομα κύριον. ἰσχνόφωνος καὶ τραυλός. πόλις ἦν Κρητικὴ Ὀαξός, ἐν τῇ Ἐτέαρχος βασιλεὺς, ὃς ἐπὶ θυγατρὶ ἀμήτορι, τῇ οὔνομα ἦν Φρονίμη· παρέχουσά τε κακὰ καὶ πᾶν ἐπ' αὐτῇ μηχανωμένη, καὶ τέλος μαχλοσύνην ἐπενεγκοῦσά οἱ πείθει τὸν ἄνδρα ταῦτα ἔχειν οὕτως. ὁ δὲ ἀναγνωσθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς γυναικὸς ἔργον οὐχ ὅσιον ἐμηχανᾶτο ἐπὶ τῇ θυγατρί. ἦν γὰρ δὴ Θεμίσων ἀνὴρ Θηραῖος ἔμπορος ἐν τῇ Ὀαξῷ· τοῦτον ὁ Ἐτέαρχος παραλαβὼν ἐπὶ ξεινίᾳ ἐξορκοῖ ἦ μέν οἱ διηκονήσειν ὅ τι ἂν δεηθείη. ἐπεί τε δὴ ἐξώρκωσεν, ἀγαγών οἱ παραδιδοῖ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ θυγατέρα καὶ ταύτην ἐκέλευε καταποντῶσαι ἀπαγαγόντα. ὁ δὲ Θεμίσων περιεμέκτησεν ἐν τῷ πελάγει, καὶ ἀφοσιούμενος τὴν ἐξόρκωσιν τοῦ Ἐτεάρχου σχοινίοις αὐτὴν διαδήσας καθῆκεν ἐς τὸ πέλαγος, ἀνασπάσας δὲ ἀφίκετο ἐς τὴν Θήραν. ἐντεῦθεν δὲ τὴν Φρονίμην παραλαβὼν Πολύμνηστος, ἐὼν τῶν Θηραίων ἀνὴρ δόκιμος, ἐπαλλακεύετο. χρόνου δὲ περιιόντος ἐξεγένετό οἱ παῖς ἰσχνόφωνος καὶ τραυλὸς, τῷ οὔνομα ἐτέθη Βάττος.
Betacode
*ba/ttos: o)/noma ku/rion. i)sxno/fwnos kai\ traulo/s. po/lis h)=n *krhtikh\ *)oaco/s, e)n th=| *)ete/arxos basileu\s, o(\s e)pi\ qugatri\ a)mh/tori, th=| ou)/noma h)=n *froni/mh: pare/xousa/ te kaka\ kai\ pa=n e)p' au)th=| mhxanwme/nh, kai\ te/los maxlosu/nhn e)penegkou=sa/ oi( pei/qei to\n a)/ndra tau=ta e)/xein ou(/tws. o( de\ a)nagnwsqei\s u(po\ th=s gunaiko\s e)/rgon ou)x o(/sion e)mhxana=to e)pi\ th=| qugatri/. h)=n ga\r dh\ *qemi/swn a)nh\r *qhrai=os e)/mporos e)n th=| *)oacw=|: tou=ton o( *)ete/arxos paralabw\n e)pi\ ceini/a| e)corkoi= h)= me/n oi( dihkonh/sein o(/ ti a)\n dehqei/h. e)pei/ te dh\ e)cw/rkwsen, a)gagw/n oi( paradidoi= th\n e(autou= qugate/ra kai\ tau/thn e)ke/leue katapontw=sai a)pagago/nta. o( de\ *qemi/swn perieme/kthsen e)n tw=| pela/gei, kai\ a)fosiou/menos th\n e)co/rkwsin tou= *)etea/rxou sxoini/ois au)th\n diadh/sas kaqh=ken e)s to\ pe/lagos, a)naspa/sas de\ a)fi/keto e)s th\n *qh/ran. e)nteu=qen de\ th\n *froni/mhn paralabw\n *polu/mnhstos, e)w\n tw=n *qhrai/wn a)nh\r do/kimos, e)pallakeu/eto. xro/nou de\ periio/ntos e)cege/neto/ oi( pai=s i)sxno/fwnos kai\ traulo\s, tw=| ou)/noma e)te/qh *ba/ttos.
Notes (5)
- From Herodotus 4.154-155; see further in the notes below.↩
cf. alpha 1584, alpha 1832, alpha 4639, theta 116, pi 1118.- 1According to Herodotus (4.155), "Battos" was either the name or the title of the founder of Cyrene in Libya; cf. beta 186, beta 187. ↩
- 2In central Crete (Barrington Atlas Map 60 grid C2): Mycenean Waxos, more usually Axos thereafter. ↩
- 3The lexicographer has eliminated the important words, "he married another wife," from the end of this sentence; see Herodotus 4.154.1 (web address 1). ↩
- 4The stepmother; cf. n. 3 above. ↩
- 5Seventeen words have been omitted from the original source here (Herodotus 4.154.4).
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from6 entries
- α1584Ὅτι ΦρονίμηPhronime[Note] that Phronime, the daughter of Etearchos, was called motherless. And look under Battos.
- α1832Ἀναγνωσθείςhaving been convinced[Meaning he] having been persuaded. "Having been convinced by his wife, he contrived an unholy act against his daughter. For there was a Theban man Themison [...]".
- α4639Ἀφοσιούμεθαwe make atonement, we fulfill (an obligation), we do (something) for form's sake[Meaning] we perform something holy, of course. Also [sc. attested is the related participle] a)fosiou/menos ["fulfilling"], [meaning he] completing, performing the rite. "But fulfilling the oath of the eparchos he…
- β180Βατταρισμοίstutterings[Meaning] nonsenses.
- β186Βάττου σίλφιονBattos' silphium, Battus' silphium[sc. A proverbial phrase] in reference to those receiving rare honors. For the Cyrenaeans gave a special silphium to one of the Battoi, and on one side of the coin they stamped [a picture of] Ammon, on the other [a…
- β187Βάττου σίλφιονBattos' silphium, Battus' silphiumAristophanes in Wealth [writes]: "you would not even give me Battos' silphium". [This refers to] the [plant] in Libya, which cures many ailments; it is sweet-smelling and very expensive. For Battos founded Cyrene.
Neighbouring entries
Revision history10 revisions · last 19 Sep 2015
- — David Whitehead
- more x-refs; tweaking — David Whitehead
- upgraded link — Catharine Roth
- more keywords — David Whitehead
- added note on (O)axos, at the suggestion of Nicholas Fincher — David Whitehead
- augmented notes; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- added a note — Catharine Roth
- added link — Catharine Roth
- —
- —
- Translated — Craig Gibson