Συστομώτερον σκάφης

more mute than a bowl

Translated by David Mirhady4 Jan 2000Vetting: high6 revisions

3 notes · 79 words
[The expression] is applied to those who keep silent because of their humble birth; for Theophrastus in the [treatise] On Laws says 1 that it is derived from the [fact that] metics in Athens2 march in public processions carrying bowls; and whenever [the Athenians] wanted to point out a metic, they would say either "bowl" or "bowl-carrier".3 Because of the lack of freedom of speech [sc. for metics], they could threaten to make [them] "more mute than a bowl".

Greek original · Adler’s text

Συστομώτερον σκάφης· τάσσεται ἐπὶ τῶν διὰ τὸ ἀγεννὲς σιωπώντων· Θεόφραστος γὰρ ἐν τῷ Περὶ νόμων εἰρῆσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ τοὺς μετοίκους Ἀθήνησιν ἐν ταῖς δημοτελέσι πομπαῖς σκάφας φέροντας πομπεύειν· καὶ ὁπότε δὲ ἐβούλοντο μέτοικον δηλῶσαι, ἢ σκάφην ἔλεγον ἢ σκαφηφόρον. διὰ δὲ τὸ ἀπαρρησίαστον εἶναι, συστομώτερον ποιήσειν ἀπειλεῖν σκάφης.

Betacode
*sustomw/teron ska/fhs: ta/ssetai e)pi\ tw=n dia\ to\ a)genne\s siwpw/ntwn: *qeo/frastos ga\r e)n tw=| *peri\ no/mwn ei)rh=sqai a)po\ tou= tou\s metoi/kous *)aqh/nhsin e)n tai=s dhmotele/si pompai=s ska/fas fe/rontas pompeu/ein: kai\ o(po/te de\ e)bou/lonto me/toikon dhlw=sai, h)\ ska/fhn e)/legon h)\ skafhfo/ron. dia\ de\ to\ a)parrhsi/aston ei)=nai, sustomw/teron poih/sein a)peilei=n ska/fhs.

Notes (3)

  1. Same entry in Photius (sigma843 Theodoridis), taken to come from Pausanias the Atticist; see also Apostolius 15.75 and other paroemiographers. As a masculine nominative, the headword phrase itself is Menander fr. 191 Kock (166 Koerte-Thierfelder, 147 Kassel-Austin).
  2. 1Theophrastus fr.103 Wimmer (654 Fortenbaugh). ↩
  3. 2Resident aliens. See mu 819, mu 820, and generally D. Whitehead, The Ideology of the Athenian Metic (Cambridge 1977). ↩
  4. 3cf. Aelian, Varia Historia 6.1; Whitehead 87. ↩

Neighbouring entries

σ1685ΣυστέλλωI contract, I reduce, I shortenσ1686Συστήσαςhaving organizedσ1687Συστομώτερον σκάφηςmore mute than a bowlσ1688Συστρέμματαbands, companiesσ1689Συστροφήgathering
Revision history6 revisions · last 27 May 2016
  1. coding — David Whitehead
  2. updated a ref — David Whitehead
  3. coding — Catharine Roth
  4. another keyword; tweaking — David Whitehead
  5. augmented notes and keywords; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
  6. cosmetics — David Whitehead
  7. Translated — David Mirhady

Keyboard shortcuts

j
Next entry
k
Previous entry
g
Toggle Greek
/
Search
?
Show shortcuts