§110ΚΡΙ. μυθολογία γὰρ ἀναζήτησίς τε τῶν παλαιῶν μετὰ σχολῆς ἅμʼ ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις ἔρχεσθον, ὅταν ἴδητόν τισιν ἤδη τοῦ βίου τἀναγκαῖα κατεσκευασμένα, πρὶν δὲ οὔ.
Critias: For mythology and the inquiry into ancient things come to cities together with leisure, when they see that the necessities of life are already provided for some, but not before.
ταύτῃ δὴ τὰ τῶν παλαιῶν ὀνόματα ἄνευ τῶν ἔργων διασέσωται.
In this very way, the names of the ancient people have been preserved without their deeds.
λέγω δὲ αὐτὰ τεκμαιρόμενος ὅτι Κέκροπός τε καὶ Ἐρεχθέως καὶ Ἐριχθονίου καὶ Ἐρυσίχθονος τῶν τε ἄλλων τὰ πλεῖστα ὅσαπερ καὶ Θησέως τῶν ἄνω περὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων ἑκάστων ἀπομνημονεύεται, τούτων ἐκείνους τὰ πολλὰ ἐπονομάζοντας τοὺς ἱερέας Σόλων ἔφη τὸν τότε διηγεῖσθαι πόλεμον, καὶ τὰ τῶν γυναικῶν κατὰ τὰ αὐτά.
I say these things, inferring it from the fact that concerning most of the names of Cecrops, Erechtheus, Erichthonius, Erysichthon, and the others before Theseus, whose names are remembered, Solon said that the priests, when describing the war of that time, used these names for the most part in naming them, and likewise with the names of the women.
καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸ τῆς θεοῦ σχῆμα καὶ ἄγαλμα, ὡς κοινὰ τότʼ ἦν τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα ταῖς τε γυναιξὶ καὶ τοῖς ἀνδράσι τὰ περὶ τὸν πόλεμον, οὕτω κατʼ ἐκεῖνον τὸν νόμον ὡπλισμένην τὴν θεὸν ἀνάθημα εἶναι τοῖς τότε, ἔνδειγμα ὅτι πάνθʼ ὅσα σύννομα ζῷα θήλεα καὶ ὅσα ἄρρενα, τὴν προσήκουσαν ἀρετὴν ἑκάστῳ γένει πᾶν κοινῇ δυνατὸν ἐπιτηδεύειν πέφυκεν.
Moreover, the fashion and the image of the goddess, since at that time military pursuits were common to both women and men, was thus dedicated by the people of that time as an armed goddess according to that custom, as an indication that all female and male animals that live together in herds are naturally able to practice in common the virtue proper to each kind.
ὤικει δὲ δὴ τότʼ ἐν τῇδε τῇ χώρᾳ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἔθνη τῶν πολιτῶν περὶ τὰς δημιουργίας ὄντα καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῆς γῆς τροφήν, τὸ δὲ μάχιμον ὑπʼ ἀνδρῶν θείων κατʼ ἀρχὰς ἀφορισθὲν ᾤκει χωρίς, πάντα εἰς τροφὴν καὶ παίδευσιν τὰ προσήκοντα ἔχον, ἴδιον μὲν αὐτῶν οὐδεὶς οὐδὲν κεκτημένος, ἅπαντα δὲ πάντων κοινὰ νομίζοντες αὑτῶν, πέρα δὲ ἱκανῆς τροφῆς οὐδὲν ἀξιοῦντες παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων δέχεσθαι πολιτῶν, καὶ πάντα δὴ τὰ χθὲς λεχθέντα ἐπιτηδεύματα ἐπιτηδεύοντες, ὅσα περὶ τῶν ὑποτεθέντων ἐρρήθη φυλάκων.
Now at that time, there dwelt in this land the other classes of citizens who were occupied with crafts and sustenance from the earth, but the warrior class, having been set apart from the beginning by divine men, dwelt separately, having everything suitable for sustenance and education, none of them possessing any private property, but regarding all things of all as common to themselves, and deigning to receive from the other citizens nothing beyond sufficient sustenance, and practicing all the pursuits spoken of yesterday, as many as were mentioned concerning the proposed guardians.
καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸ περὶ τῆς χώρας ἡμῶν πιθανὸν καὶ ἀληθὲς ἐλέγετο, πρῶτον μὲν τοὺς ὅρους αὐτὴν ἐν τῷ τότʼ ἔχειν ἀφωρισμένους πρὸς τὸν Ἰσθμὸν καὶ τὸ κατὰ τὴν ἄλλην ἤπειρον μέχρι τοῦ Κιθαιρῶνος καὶ Πάρνηθος τῶν ἄκρων, καταβαίνειν δὲ τοὺς ὅρους ἐν δεξιᾷ τὴν Ὠρωπίαν ἔχοντας, ἐν ἀριστερᾷ δὲ πρὸς θαλάττης ἀφορίζοντας τὸν Ἀσωπόν· ἀρετῇ δὲ πᾶσαν γῆν ὑπὸ τῆς ἐνθάδε ὑπερβάλλεσθαι, διὸ καὶ δυνατὴν εἶναι τότε τρέφειν τὴν χώραν στρατόπεδον πολὺ τῶν περὶ γῆν ἀργὸν ἔργων.
And indeed, what was said about our land was plausible and true, first that it had its boundaries at that time marked off towards the Isthmus, and along the rest of the continent as far as the heights of Cithaeron and Parnes, and the boundaries came down keeping Oropia on the right, and on the left bordering the Asopus towards the sea; and that in fertility all land was surpassed by the land here, which is why the country was then able to support a large army exempt from the labors of the earth.
§111ΚΡΙ. μέγα δὲ τεκμήριον ἀρετῆς· τὸ γὰρ νῦν αὐτῆς λείψανον ἐνάμιλλόν ἐστι πρὸς ἡντινοῦν τῷ πάμφορον εὔκαρπόν τε εἶναι καὶ τοῖς ζῴοις πᾶσιν εὔβοτον.
Critias: And this is a great proof of its fertility; for its current remnant is a match for any land in being all-productive and fertile and good for pasturing all animals.
τότε δὲ πρὸς τῷ κάλλει καὶ παμπλήθη ταῦτα ἔφερεν.
But at that time, in addition to its beauty, it produced these things in vast abundance.
πῶς οὖν δὴ τοῦτο πιστόν, καὶ κατὰ τί λείψανον τῆς τότε γῆς ὀρθῶς ἂν λέγοιτο;
How then is this credible, and in respect to what could it be correctly called a remnant of the land of that time?
πᾶσα ἀπὸ τῆς ἄλλης ἠπείρου μακρὰ προτείνουσα εἰς τὸ πέλαγος οἷον ἄκρα κεῖται· τὸ δὴ τῆς θαλάττης ἀγγεῖον περὶ αὐτὴν τυγχάνει πᾶν ἀγχιβαθὲς ὄν.
The whole land lies like a promontory stretching out long from the rest of the continent into the sea; and the basin of the sea around it happens to be entirely deep close to the shore.
πολλῶν οὖν γεγονότων καὶ μεγάλων κατακλυσμῶν ἐν τοῖς ἐνακισχιλίοις ἔτεσι—τοσαῦτα γὰρ πρὸς τὸν νῦν ἀπʼ ἐκείνου τοῦ χρόνου γέγονεν ἔτη—τὸ τῆς γῆς ἐν τούτοις τοῖς χρόνοις καὶ πάθεσιν ἐκ τῶν ὑψηλῶν ἀπορρέον οὔτε χῶμα, ὡς ἐν ἄλλοις τόποις, προχοῖ λόγου ἄξιον ἀεί τε κύκλῳ περιρρέον εἰς βάθος ἀφανίζεται·
Many and great floods having occurred during the nine thousand years—for so many years have passed from that time to the present—the soil that washed down from the high places during these times and disasters did not, as in other places, form any noteworthy accumulation, but always flowing around in a circle, vanished into the deep.
λέλειπται δή, καθάπερ ἐν ταῖς σμικραῖς νήσοις, πρὸς τὰ τότε τὰ νῦν οἷον νοσήσαντος σώματος ὀστᾶ, περιερρυηκυίας τῆς γῆς ὅση πίειρα καὶ μαλακή, τοῦ λεπτοῦ σώματος τῆς χώρας μόνου λειφθέντος.
It has been left, then, just as in the small islands, compared to what it was then, like the bones of a wasted body, all the rich and soft earth having washed away, and only the thin body of the country being left.
τότε δὲ ἀκέραιος οὖσα τά τε ὄρη γηλόφους ὑψηλοὺς εἶχε, καὶ τὰ φελλέως νῦν ὀνομασθέντα πεδία πλήρη γῆς πιείρας ἐκέκτητο, καὶ πολλὴν ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν ὕλην εἶχεν, ἧς καὶ νῦν ἔτι φανερὰ τεκμήρια·
But at that time, being undamaged, it had high earthen hills for mountains, and the plains now called "Phelleus" were filled with rich soil, and it had much timber in the mountains, of which there are clear proofs even now.
τῶν γὰρ ὀρῶν ἔστιν ἃ νῦν μὲν ἔχει μελίτταις μόναις τροφήν, χρόνος δʼ οὐ πάμπολυς ὅτε δένδρων αὐτόθεν εἰς οἰκοδομήσεις τὰς μεγίστας ἐρεψίμων τμηθέντων στεγάσματʼ ἐστὶν ἔτι σᾶ.
For there are some of the mountains which now have food only for bees, but it is not a very long time since trees were cut from there for the largest buildings, of which the roof-beams are still sound.
πολλὰ δʼ ἦν ἄλλʼ ἥμερα ὑψηλὰ δένδρα, νομὴν δὲ βοσκήμασιν ἀμήχανον ἔφερεν.
And there were many other tall cultivated trees, and it bore boundless pasture for beasts.
καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸ κατʼ ἐνιαυτὸν ὕδωρ ἐκαρποῦτʼ ἐκ Διός, οὐχ ὡς νῦν ἀπολλῦσα ῥέον ἀπὸ ψιλῆς τῆς γῆς εἰς θάλατταν, ἀλλὰ πολλὴν ἔχουσα καὶ εἰς αὐτὴν καταδεχομένη, τῇ κεραμίδι στεγούσῃ γῇ διαταμιευομένη, τὸ καταποθὲν ἐκ τῶν ὑψηλῶν ὕδωρ εἰς τὰ κοῖλα ἀφιεῖσα κατὰ πάντας τοὺς τόπους παρείχετο ἄφθονα κρηνῶν καὶ ποταμῶν νάματα, ὧν καὶ νῦν ἔτι ἐπὶ ταῖς πηγαῖς πρότερον οὔσαις ἱερὰ λελειμμένα ἐστὶν σημεῖα ὅτι περὶ αὐτῆς ἀληθῆ λέγεται τὰ νῦν.
And indeed, it enjoyed the annual water from Zeus, not losing it as now by flowing from the bare earth into the sea, but having much soil and receiving it into itself, storing it up in the water-holding clayey soil, and letting down the water absorbed from the high places into the hollows, it provided abundant streams of springs and rivers in all places, of which even now sacred memorials are left at the former springs, showing that what is now said about it is true.
τὰ μὲν οὖν τῆς ἄλλης χώρας φύσει τε οὕτως εἶχε, καὶ διεκεκόσμητο ὡς εἰκὸς ὑπὸ γεωργῶν μὲν ἀληθινῶν καὶ πραττόντων αὐτὸ τοῦτο, φιλοκάλων δὲ καὶ εὐφυῶν, γῆν δὲ ἀρίστην καὶ ὕδωρ ἀφθονώτατον ἐχόντων καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς γῆς ὥρας μετριώτατα κεκραμένας· τὸ δʼ ἄστυ κατῳκισμένον ὧδʼ ἦν ἐν τῷ τότε χρόνῳ.
Now the affairs of the rest of the country were thus by nature, and it was adorned, as was natural, by true husbandmen who practiced this very thing, who were lovers of beauty and of noble disposition, having the best land and most abundant water, and the most moderately tempered seasons over the land; and the city was inhabited thus in the time of then.