Τιμόθεος
Timotheos, Timotheus
Translated by Debra Hamel12 Aug 1999Vetting: high5 revisions
Translation
A proper name.
"And the tower of Timotheos--may it fall on you." [So says] Aristophanes in Plutus.1 This Timotheos, a rich man, a general of the Athenians,2 built a wall. He was raised to so great a level of fortune [tyche] that the spirit [of fortune] appeared [to him] in this vision.3 The painters portrayed him in pictures asleep, with tychai bringing him cities in nets, and him plundering them - [by this the painters were] hinting at his good luck. But Timotheos bragged at his good fortune, saying that his successes belonged to him rather than to tyche. For this reason he was unfortunate later on, tyche showing its displeasure with him. Many Timotheoses are ridiculed in comedy; but here he means the general.4
"And the tower of Timotheos--may it fall on you." [So says] Aristophanes in Plutus.1 This Timotheos, a rich man, a general of the Athenians,2 built a wall. He was raised to so great a level of fortune [tyche] that the spirit [of fortune] appeared [to him] in this vision.3 The painters portrayed him in pictures asleep, with tychai bringing him cities in nets, and him plundering them - [by this the painters were] hinting at his good luck. But Timotheos bragged at his good fortune, saying that his successes belonged to him rather than to tyche. For this reason he was unfortunate later on, tyche showing its displeasure with him. Many Timotheoses are ridiculed in comedy; but here he means the general.4
Greek original · Adler’s text
Τιμόθεος· ὄνομα κύριον. ὁ Τιμοθέου δὲ πύργος ἐμπέσοι γέ σοι. Ἀριστοφάνης Πλούτῳ. οὗτος ὁ Τιμόθεος πλούσιος ὤν, στρατηγὸς Ἀθηναίων, τεῖχος ᾠκοδόμησεν. ὃς ἐς τοσοῦτον ἤρθη τύχης, ὡς τὸν δαίμονα φαίνεσθαι ὄψει τούτῳ. ἐποίουν τε αὐτὸν ἐν εἰκόσιν οἱ ζωγράφοι κοιμώμενον, καὶ τὰς τύχας φερούσας αὐτῷ εἰς δίκτυα πόλεις, καὶ πορθοῦντα αὐτάς, αἰνιττόμενοι τὴν εὐδαιμονίαν αὐτοῦ. ἀλαζονευόμενος δὲ ἐπὶ εὐτυχίᾳ ὁ Τιμόθεος ἔφη, αὐτοῦ εἶναι μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς τύχης τὰ κατορθώματα. διὸ καὶ ἠτύχησεν ὕστερον, νεμεσησάσης αὐτῷ τῆς τύχης. πολλοὶ δὲ Τιμόθεοι κωμῳδοῦνται· νῦν δὲ τὸν στρατηγὸν λέγει.
Betacode
*timo/qeos: o)/noma ku/rion. o( *timoqe/ou de\ pu/rgos e)mpe/soi ge/ soi. *)aristofa/nhs *plou/tw|. ou(=tos o( *timo/qeos plou/sios w)/n, strathgo\s *)aqhnai/wn, tei=xos w)|kodo/mhsen. o(\s e)s tosou=ton h)/rqh tu/xhs, w(s to\n dai/mona fai/nesqai o)/yei tou/tw|. e)poi/oun te au)to\n e)n ei)ko/sin oi( zwgra/foi koimw/menon, kai\ ta\s tu/xas ferou/sas au)tw=| ei)s di/ktua po/leis, kai\ porqou=nta au)ta/s, ai)nitto/menoi th\n eu)daimoni/an au)tou=. a)lazoneuo/menos de\ e)pi\ eu)tuxi/a| o( *timo/qeos e)/fh, au)tou= ei)=nai ma=llon h)\ th=s tu/xhs ta\ katorqw/mata. dio\ kai\ h)tu/xhsen u(/steron, nemeshsa/shs au)tw=| th=s tu/xhs. polloi\ de\ *timo/qeoi kwmw|dou=ntai: nu=n de\ to\n strathgo\n le/gei.
Notes (4)
- 1Aristophanes, Plutus [Wealth] 180. What follows here draws on the scholia to this line. ↩
- 2For Timotheos' career see generally Robert Develin, Athenian Officials 684-321 BC (Cambridge 1989) Index I, no.3112; also OCD(4) s.v. Timotheos(2), by C.J. Tuplin. ↩
- 3In some of the Aristophanic scholia it is a female spirit. ↩
- 4For discussion of the present passage see J.K. Davies, Athenian Propertied Families 600-300 BC (Oxford 1971) 509: he suggests that it refers to part of the Athenian Long Walls, demolished in 404, having been rebuilt (in or after 394/3) at the personal expense of Timotheos' father Konon, with the (then young) T acting as agent. ↩
Neighbouring entries
Revision history5 revisions · last 28 May 2016
- cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Revised — David Whitehead
- tweaks — David Whitehead
- more keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- supplied headword; modified translation; augmented notes and keywords — David Whitehead
- Translated — Debra Hamel