Ὀφθαλμὸς βασιλέως
King's Eye
Translated by David Whitehead30 Sep 2002Vetting: high4 revisions
Translation
Meaning someone very influential with the [sc. Persian] king. This is what they used to call the satraps,1 through whom the king keeps a watch on everybody; as the 'King's Ears' [were] the eavesdroppers, through whom he listens to what is happening to everyone everywhere.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Ὀφθαλμὸς βασιλέως· ἀντὶ τοῦ μέγα δυνάμενος παρὰ βα- σιλεῖ. οὕτως δὲ ἐκάλουν τοὺς σατράπας, δι' ὧν πάντας ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπισκοπεῖ· ὡς βασιλέως ὦτα τοὺς ὠτακουστάς, δι' ὧν ἀκούει τὰ πραττόμενα ἑκάστῳ πανταχοῦ.
Betacode
*)ofqalmo\s basile/ws: a)nti\ tou= me/ga duna/menos para\ ba- silei=. ou(/tws de\ e)ka/loun tou\s satra/pas, di' w(=n pa/ntas o( basileu\s e)piskopei=: w(s basile/ws w)=ta tou\s w)takousta/s, di' w(=n a)kou/ei ta\ pratto/mena e(ka/stw| pantaxou=.
Notes (1)
- From the scholia to Aristophanes, Acharnians 92, where this dignitary is mentioned; see web address 1. For other attestations see LSJ s.v.
o)fqalmo/s , under II. - 1For Persia's satraps see generally sigma 153. (It is not, however, the case that 'King's Eye' was a generic term for them.) ↩
References
J.M. Balcer, 'The Athenian Episkopos and the Achaemenid "King's Eye"', American Journal of Philology 98 (1977) 252-263
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from1 entry
Neighbouring entries
Revision history4 revisions · last 20 Feb 2021
- tweaked link — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- augmented notes — David Whitehead
- added link, set status — Catharine Roth
- Translated — David Whitehead