Τιμαγόρας
Timagoras
Translated by David Whitehead27 Jun 2001Vetting: high11 revisions
Translation
This man, sent as an envoy by the Athenians to king Artaxerxes [of Persia], took from him not only gold and silver but also an expensive couch and soldiers in attendance1 and 80 cows,2 and was conveyed to the coast in a litter; and the wage given to those who had conveyed him from the king was 4 talents. So the Athenians destroyed him.
Others, though, say that [it was because] he had promised to undermine the existing friendship between Sparta and Athens. Consequently, this Timagoras was destroyed by the Athenians after he had prostrated himself before the Persian king, contrary to Greek customs,3 and accepted bribes.
Others, though, say that [it was because] he had promised to undermine the existing friendship between Sparta and Athens. Consequently, this Timagoras was destroyed by the Athenians after he had prostrated himself before the Persian king, contrary to Greek customs,3 and accepted bribes.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Τιμαγόρας· οὗτος πρεσβευτὴς πεμφθεὶς πρὸς βασιλέα Ἀρτα- ξέρξην ὑπὸ Ἀθηναίων, οὐ μόνον χρυσίον ἔλαβε παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀργύριον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κλίνην πολυτελῆ καὶ στρατιώτας θεράποντας καὶ βοῦς πʹ καὶ κατέβη ἐπὶ θάλασσαν ἐν φορείῳ κομιζόμενος· καὶ τοῖς κομίσασι παρὰ βασιλέως ἐδόθη μισθὸς τάλαντα δʹ. τοῦτον οὖν ἀνεῖλον Ἀθηναῖοι. οἱ δέ φασιν ὑπεσχῆσθαι αὐτὸν διαλύσειν τὴν οὖσαν Λακεδαιμονίοις καὶ Ἀθηναίοις φιλίαν. οὗτος οὖν ὁ Τιμαγόρας προσκυνήσας τὸν Περσῶν βασιλέα παρὰ τὰ Ἑλλήνων ἔθη καὶ δωροδοκηθεὶς ὑπὸ Ἀθηναίων ἀνῃρέθη.
Betacode
*timago/ras: ou(=tos presbeuth\s pemfqei\s pro\s basile/a *)arta- ce/rchn u(po\ *)aqhnai/wn, ou) mo/non xrusi/on e)/labe par' au)tou= kai\ a)rgu/rion, a)lla\ kai\ kli/nhn polutelh= kai\ stratiw/tas qera/pontas kai\ bou=s p# kai\ kate/bh e)pi\ qa/lassan e)n forei/w| komizo/menos: kai\ toi=s komi/sasi para\ basile/ws e)do/qh misqo\s ta/lanta d#. tou=ton ou)=n a)nei=lon *)aqhnai=oi. oi( de/ fasin u(pesxh=sqai au)to\n dialu/sein th\n ou)=san *lakedaimoni/ois kai\ *)aqhnai/ois fili/an. ou(=tos ou)=n o( *timago/ras proskunh/sas to\n *persw=n basile/a para\ ta\ *(ellh/nwn e)/qh kai\ dwrodokhqei\s u(po\ *)aqhnai/wn a)nh|re/qh.
Notes (3)
- = Photius, Lexicon tau299 Theodoridis, on a scandal of the year 368/7 BCE. Besides Plutarch (Artaxerxes 22 and Pelopidas 30), cited by Adler, see Xenophon, Hellenica 7.1.33ff (web address 1); Demosthenes 19.31,137,191 (web address 2); Athenaeus, Deipnosophists 2.48D-E [2.31 Kaibel], 6.251B [6.58 Kaibel].
- 1So the Suda's text,
stratiw/tas qera/pontas , which Theodoridis notes as a unilateral correction of Photius' (correct)strwta\s qera/pontas "attendants to make up the beds"; the latter phrase is guaranteed by Plutarch and Athenaeus. ↩ - 2Definitely cows rather than oxen; Plutarch says that Timagoras wanted a constant supply of milk. ↩
- 3On proskynesis -- acknowledging a superior with a gesture which, as appropriate, ranged between mere bowing and actual prostration -- see (e.g.) A.B. Bosworth, Conquest and Empire: the reign of Alexander the Great (Cambridge 1988) 284-7. It was "contrary to Greek customs" in the sense that in Greek eyes it was a cult act performed for gods only. ↩
References
M.H. Hansen, Eisangelia (Odense 1975) no.82 (the prosecution of T. by his fellow-envoy Leon)
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
- Web address 2 perseus.tufts.edu
Neighbouring entries
Revision history11 revisions · last 25 Mar 2015
- coding — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- tweaked note numbers — Catharine Roth
- expanded notes — David Whitehead
- Revised — David Whitehead
- fixed links — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- more keywords — David Whitehead
- cosmeticules — Catharine Roth
- another keyword; restorative and other cosmetics — David Whitehead
- added links, set status — Catharine Roth
- Translated — David Whitehead