Νάφθα
naphtha
Translated by Bradley Buszard18 Jun 2003Vetting: high5 revisions
Translation
Greek original · Adler’s text
Νάφθα· τριγενὲς τοῦτο· κοινῶς μὲν γὰρ ἡ νάφθα, εὕρηται δὲ καὶ οὐδετέρως τὸ νάφθα, παρὰ Πλουτάρχῳ δὲ καὶ ὁ νάφθος. ὅτι οἱ μὲν Ἕλληνες Μηδείας ἔλαιον ταύτην καλοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ Μῆδοι νάφθαν.
Betacode
*na/fqa: trigene\s tou=to: koinw=s me\n ga\r h( na/fqa, eu(/rhtai de\ kai\ ou)dete/rws to\ na/fqa, para\ *plouta/rxw| de\ kai\ o( na/fqos. o(/ti oi( me\n *(/ellhnes *mhdei/as e)/laion tau/thn kalou=sin, oi( de\ *mh=doi na/fqan.
Notes (3)
- 1Naphtha appears as a masculine noun in Quaestiones Convivales 681C. Plutarch also provides a long digression on naphtha in Alexander 35, where he employs the substance as a metaphor for Alexander's character. The word is a borrowing from Persian: see the LSJ entry at web address 1. ↩
- 2Plutarch considers this version of the Medea story briefly in Alexander 35.10-12. ↩
- 3From phi 103. ↩
References
Sansone, D. (1980), "Plutarch, Alexander, and the Discovery of Naphtha." Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies 21: 63-74
Whitmarsh, T. (2002), 'Alexander's Hellenism and Plutarch's Textualism'. Classical Quarterly 52.1: 174-192
Whitmarsh, T. (2002), 'Alexander's Hellenism and Plutarch's Textualism'. Classical Quarterly 52.1: 174-192
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from3 entries
- λ515Λίθιναι ὑδρίαι>20 διότι τὰ τριγενῆ προπαροξύνονταιstone water-jars[sc. The phrase is in this form] because the [adjectives] of three genders are accented proparoxytone, [thus in this instance] li/qinos, liqi/nh and li/qinon.
- μ878ΜήδειαMedeia, MedeaA Colchian [woman], the daughter of Aetes, most venomous of women; [it was she] who made it so Jason could yoke the fire-breathing bulls unharmed to plow the earth. And having taken the golden fleece he led Medea…
- φ103Φάρμακονdrug, medicine, remedy, philtre, dye[Meaning] consolation, conversation; it is said from bringing [fe/rein] the cure [a)/kesis]; but it is [sc. also] said from the flowers. Pharmakon is the name for what the Medes call naphtha, but the Greeks [call] the…
Neighbouring entries
Revision history5 revisions · last 18 Sep 2013
- expanded note, tweaked link — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- tweaked translation; added biblio and keywords. — Aikaterini Oikonomopoulou
- added x-ref; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- modified translation, added keyword, cosmetics — Catharine Roth
- Translated — Bradley Buszard