Humanitext Reader

Plutarch · Comparison of Theseus and Romulus §4.1-4.2

Founding from Scratch Compared to Consolidation

Passage 4 of 6 · Greek

Summary

The author praises Romulus's great achievements in founding a state from the humblest beginnings, contrasting his creative state-building with Theseus's mere consolidation and destruction of older towns.

§4.1ἐκείνῳ δὲ πρῶτον μὲν ὑπάρχει μέγα τὸ μικροτάτας λαβεῖν ἀρχὰς ἐπὶ τὰ πράγματα.
For the former, in the first place, it is a great advantage to have had the smallest beginnings for his achievements.
δοῦλοι γὰρ δὴ καὶ συφορβῶν παῖδες ὀνομαζόμενοι, πρὶν ἐλεύθεροι γενέσθαι, πάντας ὀλίγου δεῖν ἠλευθέρωσαν Λατίνους, ἑνὶ χρόνῳ τῶν καλλίστων ὀνομάτων ἅμα τυχόντες, φονεῖς ἐχθρῶν καὶ σωτῆρες οἰκείων καὶ βασιλεῖς ἐθνῶν καὶ οἰκισταὶ πόλεων, οὐ μετοικισταὶ, καθάπερ ἦν ὁ Θησεύς, ἐκ πολλῶν συντιθεὶς καὶ συνοικοδομῶν ἓν οἰκητήριον, ἀναιρῶν δὲ πολλὰς πόλεις ἐπωνύμους βασιλέων καὶ ἡρώων παλαιῶν.
For being called indeed slaves and sons of swineherds, before they became free, they liberated almost all the Latins, attaining at one and the same time the most honorable titles: slayers of enemies, saviors of their kin, kings of nations, and founders of cities—not mere resettlers, as Theseus was, who put together and built one dwelling-place out of many, while destroying many cities named after ancient kings and heroes.
§4.2Ῥωμύλος δὲ ταῦτα μὲν ὕστερον ἔδρα, τοὺς πολεμίους ἀναγκάζων τὰ οἰκεῖα καταβάλλοντας καὶ ἀφανίζοντας τοῖς νενικηκόσι προσνέμεσθαι· τὸ δὲ πρῶτον οὐ μετατιθεὶς οὐδʼ αὔξων τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν, ἀλλὰ ποιῶν ἐξ οὐχ ὑπαρχόντων καὶ κτώμενος ἑαυτῷ χώραν ὁμοῦ, πατρίδα, βασιλείαν, γένη, γάμους, οἰκειότητας, ἀνῄρει μὲν οὐδένα οὐδὲ ἀπώλλυεν, εὐεργέτει δὲ τοὺς ἐξ ἀοίκων καὶ ἀνεστίων δῆμον ἐθέλοντας εἶναι καὶ πολίτας, λῃστὰς δὲ καὶ κακούργους οὐκ ἀπέκτεινεν, ἀλλʼ ἔθνη προσηγάγετο πολέμῳ καὶ πόλεις κατεστρέψατο καὶ βασιλεῖς ἐθριάμβευσε καὶ ἡγεμόνας.
Romulus did these things later, forcing his enemies to tear down and obliterate their own dwellings and to be registered among their conquerors; but at first, not relocating nor increasing an existing city, but creating one out of what did not exist, and acquiring for himself at once territory, fatherland, kingdom, clans, marriages, and relationships, he destroyed no one nor ruined anyone, but benefited those who, from being homeless and hearthless, wished to be a people and citizens; and he did not merely kill robbers and evil-doers, but subdued nations in war, overthrew cities, and celebrated triumphs over kings and commanders.

Notes

  1. §4.1ἐκείνῳ δὲ πρῶτον μὲν ὑπάρχει μέγα τὸ μικροτάτας λαβεῖν ἀρχὰς ἐπὶ τὰ πράγματα — The pronoun ἐκείνῳ refers to Romulus. The adjective μέγα stands in the nominative as a predicate with the verb ὑπάρχει, while the articular infinitive clause τὸ ... λαβεῖν serves as the grammatical subject. This forms a double-predicate structure: 'it belongs to him as a great thing to have taken...'
  2. §4.1οὐ μετοικισταὶ — Meaning 'resettlers' or 'transplanters'. It critically characterizes Theseus, who accomplished the Athenian synoecism, as someone who destroyed existing towns to relocate their populations, in contrast to Romulus and Remus who were true founders (οἰκισταί) from nothing.
  3. §4.2λῃστὰς δὲ καὶ κακούργους οὐκ ἀπέκτεινεν, ἀλλʼ — In this context, this does not mean that Romulus literally spared robbers, but rather serves as a rhetorical contrast in scale: he did not merely limit his exploits to killing local bandits (as Theseus did), but achieved the far grander feat of subduing entire nations and capturing cities.

Cite this passage

Plutarch, Comparison of Theseus and Romulus §4.1-4.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg003.humanitext-grc2:4.1-4.2

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.