Φαρμακός
Pharmakos, scapegoat
Translated by David Whitehead22 Dec 2000Vetting: high7 revisions
Translation
A proper name. Lysias says it.1 They used to pick out two men at Athens to be purifiers of the city during the Thargelia [festival], one representing the men, one the women. That Pharmakos is [also] a proper name is clear: for he stole the sacred bowls of Apollo, was convicted, and was stoned to death by Achilles and his men -- events which what happens at the Thargelia are meant to imitate.2 Istros tells the story.3 When Demosthenes in the [speech] Against Aristogeiton says "so this is the man, the scapegoat, who will beg him off",4 Didymus reckons that the word has a circumflex accent on the penultimate syllable.5 But for our part we cannot find this usage anywhere.
Demosthenes [sc. in the second speech] Against Stephanos said "being drugged".6 Someone "being drugged" has been harmfully affected by drugs, as Theophrastus indicates in [book] 15 of Laws.7
Demosthenes [sc. in the second speech] Against Stephanos said "being drugged".6 Someone "being drugged" has been harmfully affected by drugs, as Theophrastus indicates in [book] 15 of Laws.7
Greek original · Adler’s text
Φαρμακός· ὄνομα κύριον. Λυσίας φησί. δύο ἄνδρας Ἀθήνησιν ἐξῆγον καθάρσια ἐσομένους τῆς πόλεως ἐν τοῖς Θαργηλίοις, ἕνα μὲν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀνδρῶν, ἕνα δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν γυναικῶν. ὅτι δὲ ὄνομα κύριόν ἐστιν ὁ Φαρμακός, δῆλον· ἱερὰς γὰρ φιάλας τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος κλέψας καὶ ἁλοὺς ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἀχιλλέα κατελεύσθη· καὶ τὰ τοῖς Θαργηλίοις ἀγόμενα τούτων ἀποτμήματά ἐστιν. Ἴστρος ἱστορεῖ. Δημοσθένους δὲ ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ἀριστογείτονος λέγοντος, οὗτος οὖν αὐτὸν ἐξαιρήσεται ὁ φαρμακός· Δίδυμος προπερισπᾶν ἀξιοῖ τοὔνομα. ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς οὐχ εὕρομεν οὕτω που τὴν χρῆσιν. Φαρμάκοντα δὲ Δημοσθένης κατὰ Στεφάνου ἔφη. ἔστι δὲ φαρμάκων ὁ ὑπὸ φαρμάκων βεβλαμμένος· ὡς καὶ Θεόφραστος ἐν ιεʹ Νόμῳ ὑποσημαίνει.
Betacode
*farmako/s: o)/noma ku/rion. *lusi/as fhsi/. du/o a)/ndras *)aqh/nhsin e)ch=gon kaqa/rsia e)some/nous th=s po/lews e)n toi=s *qarghli/ois, e(/na me\n u(pe\r tw=n a)ndrw=n, e(/na de\ u(pe\r tw=n gunaikw=n. o(/ti de\ o)/noma ku/rio/n e)stin o( *farmako/s, dh=lon: i(era\s ga\r fia/las tou= *)apo/llwnos kle/yas kai\ a(lou\s u(po\ tw=n peri\ to\n *)axille/a kateleu/sqh: kai\ ta\ toi=s *qarghli/ois a)go/mena tou/twn a)potmh/mata/ e)stin. *)/istros i(storei=. *dhmosqe/nous de\ e)n tw=| kata\ *)aristogei/tonos le/gontos, ou(=tos ou)=n au)to\n e)cairh/setai o( farmako/s: *di/dumos properispa=n a)cioi= tou)/noma. a)ll' h(mei=s ou)x eu(/romen ou(/tw pou th\n xrh=sin. *farma/konta de\ *dhmosqe/nhs kata\ *stefa/nou e)/fh. e)/sti de\ farma/kwn o( u(po\ farma/kwn beblamme/nos: w(s kai\ *qeo/frastos e)n ie# *no/mw| u(poshmai/nei.
Notes (7)
- From Harpokration s.v. -- but here the material is unhelpfully rearranged, producing confusion between the proper name and the technical term. See also phi 104, phi 106.
A second, adjacent entry from Harpokration is added at the end. - 1[Lysias] 6.53 (web address 1). ↩
- 2Reading
a)pomimh/mata (nota)potmh/mata ) from Harpok. ↩ - 3Istros FGrH 334 F50. ↩
- 4Demosthenes 25.80 (web address 2) ↩
- 5Didymus p.314 Schmidt. According to Herodian the Grammarian (De prosodia catholica 1.150), in the sense of "scapegoat" the word is accented on the last syllable, but in the sense of "sorcerer" it is accented on the first syllable. The alpha is long in Hipponax and Callimachus, short in Aristophanes. See also epsilon 1925. ↩
- 6Demosthenes 46.16 (web address 3), on one of the circumstances which, under Athenian law, could invalidate a will. ↩
- 7Theophrastus fr.11 Szegedy-Maszak. ↩
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
- Web address 2 perseus.tufts.edu
- Web address 3 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from2 entries
- φ104ΦαρμακόςscapegoatThe one who is killed for purification of a city, which they call katharma. Also [sc. attested is the dative plural] farmakoi=sin. Aristophanes [writes]: "using for everything wicked men [descended] from wicked…
- φ106ΦαρμακούςscapegoatsThose maintained at public expense, who would cleanse the cities by their own death. Aristophanes [writes]. "[if] you maintain [them] like public victims [...]; and then, when you happen to have no food left, sacrifice…
Neighbouring entries
Revision history7 revisions · last 31 Aug 2011
- corrected my cross-references — Catharine Roth
- fixed links, added cross-references — Catharine Roth
- tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- augmented note — Catharine Roth
- more kewyords — David Whitehead
- added links, set status — Catharine Roth
- added keywords — David Whitehead
- Translated — David Whitehead