Σύνθημα
agreement, shared signal, password
Translated by Catharine Roth26 Mar 2012Vetting: high3 revisions
Translation
[Meaning a] compact, token, word given in war for recognition of one's own people.1
"It was a sign of friendship for the barbarians to meet carrying wreaths and branches, like the herald's wand among the Greeks, making it clear that they have come for this purpose, not intending either to do or to suffer anything disagreeable."2
"But [the women] en masse charged against Battos, so that they might remove from him what made him still a man."3
"But [the men] were acting with each other, and each kept diligently asking his neighbor the password."4
"It was a sign of friendship for the barbarians to meet carrying wreaths and branches, like the herald's wand among the Greeks, making it clear that they have come for this purpose, not intending either to do or to suffer anything disagreeable."2
"But [the women] en masse charged against Battos, so that they might remove from him what made him still a man."3
"But [the men] were acting with each other, and each kept diligently asking his neighbor the password."4
Greek original · Adler’s text
Σύνθημα· συνθήκη, σύσσημον, λόγος ἐν πολέμῳ ἐπὶ γνωρισμῷ τῶν οἰκείων διδόμενος. σύνθημα φιλίας ἦν τοῖς βαρβάροις συναντᾶν στεφάνους ἔχοντας καὶ θαλλούς, ὥσπερ τὸ κηρύκειον ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησι, διασαφοῦντες, ὅτι πάρεισι διὰ ταῦτα, βουλόμενοι μήτε ποιῆσαι μήτε παθεῖν τι δυσχερὲς μηδέν. αἱ δὲ ἀθρόαι ὑφ' ἑνὶ συνθήματι ἐπὶ τὸν Βάττον ᾖξαν, ἵνα αὐτὸν ἀφέλωνται τὸ ἔτι εἶναι ἄνδρα. οἱ δὲ δι' ἀλλήλων ἐποιοῦντο, καὶ τὸ σύνθημα μετὰ σπουδῆς ἕκαστος τὸν πλησίον ἐπηρώτα.
Betacode
*su/nqhma: sunqh/kh, su/sshmon, lo/gos e)n pole/mw| e)pi\ gnwrismw=| tw=n oi)kei/wn dido/menos. su/nqhma fili/as h)=n toi=s barba/rois sunanta=n stefa/nous e)/xontas kai\ qallou/s, w(/sper to\ khru/keion e)n toi=s *(/ellhsi, diasafou=ntes, o(/ti pa/reisi dia\ tau=ta, boulo/menoi mh/te poih=sai mh/te paqei=n ti dusxere\s mhde/n. ai( de\ a)qro/ai u(f' e(ni\ sunqh/mati e)pi\ to\n *ba/tton h)=|can, i(/na au)to\n a)fe/lwntai to\ e)/ti ei)=nai a)/ndra. oi( de\ di' a)llh/lwn e)poiou=nto, kai\ to\ su/nqhma meta\ spoudh=s e(/kastos to\n plhsi/on e)phrw/ta.
Notes (4)
- See also sigma 1584 (different spelling), and cf. generally sigma 1591, sigma 1592, xi 144.
- 1Same glossing in Photius and elsewhere. ↩
- 2An approximation of Polybius 3.52.3; quoted already at kappa 1544. ↩
- 3Part of Aelian fr. 47c Domingo-Forasté; quoted more fully at sigma 1714. ↩
- 4Quotation not identified in Adler, but it is Josephus, Jewish War 5.295, where the verb is
e)ptoou=nto "they were frightened by each other." See on this C. Theodoridis in his Photius edition. vol.II p.LXXXVII. ↩
Linked from4 entries
- κ1544Κηρύκειονherald's wand"It was a signal of friendship among the barbarians, to meet with those holding wreaths and branches, like the herald's wand among the Greeks" --- making it clear through these things that they are guests, who want…
- σ1584Σύνθεμαagreement, collection, compound, sign"[...] in addition to the others [that] there was neither placability nor any other sign of benevolence."
- σ1592Συνθηματικῶςby signs, in code[Meaning] in symbols. "[He] wrote letters in code, as was their custom, so that he who got possession of the letter was not able to know anything of what had been written in it." And elsewhere: "[... he] often greeting…
- σ1714Σφάκτριαιsacrificing-women, slaughtering-women[Meaning] priestesses. "All the mystically consecrated sacrificing-women, having been left behind with the sacred equipment and raising their naked swords, and having their hands full of blood and even their faces, but…
Neighbouring entries
Revision history3 revisions · last 5 Jan 2014
- cross-reference — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- supplemented tr; augmented notes and keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Catharine Roth