Θητεὺς καὶ Θητικόν
thetes and thetic census
Translated by David Whitehead27 Nov 2000Vetting: high5 revisions
Translation
With the citizen-body in Athens divided into four, the poorest were called thetes, and [were said] to have a thetic census. These men shared in no office and did not serve in the army.1 And "thete-ess" is the name the Attic writers used to give to the impoverished girl.2 It was compulsory for the nearest male relatives either to take her in marriage or to pay [her] five mnai.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Θητεὺς καὶ Θητικόν· εἰς δʹ διαιρουμένης παρ' Ἀθηναίοις τῆς πολιτείας, οἱ ἀπορώτατοι θητεῖς ἐλέγοντο, καὶ θητικὸν τελεῖν. οὗτοι δὲ οὐδεμιᾶς μετεῖχον ἀρχῆς οὐδὲ ἐστρατεύοντο. καὶ θῆσσαν δὲ ὠνόμαζον οἱ Ἀττικοὶ τὴν πενιχρὰν κόρην, ἣν ἐπαναγκὲς ἦν τοὺς ἔγγιστα γένους ἢ λαμβάνειν πρὸς γάμον ἢ πέντε μνᾶς διδόναι.
Betacode
*qhteu\s kai\ *qhtiko/n: ei)s d# diairoume/nhs par' *)aqhnai/ois th=s politei/as, oi( a)porw/tatoi qhtei=s e)le/gonto, kai\ qhtiko\n telei=n. ou(=toi de\ ou)demia=s metei=xon a)rxh=s ou)de\ e)strateu/onto. kai\ qh=ssan de\ w)no/mazon oi( *)attikoi\ th\n penixra\n ko/rhn, h(\n e)panagke\s h)=n tou\s e)/ggista ge/nous h)\ lamba/nein pro\s ga/mon h)\ pe/nte mna=s dido/nai.
Notes (2)
- Abridged from Harpokration s.v., commenting in the first instance on Antiphon fr. 69 Sauppe (and citing Demosthenes, the Aristotelian Athenaion Politeia, Aristophanes and Posidippus).
In the Suda's headword, Harpok.'s pluralqh=tes has become a singularqhteu/s . It does not exist, and must simply be corrected. - 1sc. as hoplites. ↩
- 2cf. theta 359, theta 372. ↩
Linked from3 entries
- θ358Θήςbondsman, serf[Genitive] qhto/s: [meaning] hireling.
- θ359Θῆσσανhired [servant-girl], menial[Meaning] of a wage-earner, or cheap, or servile fare.
- θ372Θῆτταpoor girl[Meaning] an heiress, who does not have a dowry because her father left her in poverty, but is being dowered by her relatives in accordance with the law [to the extent of] 500 drachmas.
Neighbouring entries
Revision history5 revisions · last 28 Apr 2016
- Revised — David Whitehead
- Revised — David Whitehead
- tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- added note and keywords — David Whitehead
- added cross-references — Catharine Roth
- Translated — David Whitehead