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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §1.21.1-1.21.4

Greek Customs in Falerium and Expansion into Campania

Passage 21 of 962 · Greek

Summary

This chunk describes the preservation of Greek customs in places like Falerium once held by the Pelasgians, their expansion into the Campanian plains to found Larissa, and the subsequent desolation of Larissa.

§1.21.1Φαλέριον δὲ καὶ Φασκέννιον ἔτι καὶ εἰς ἐμὲ ἦσαν οἰκούμεναι ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων, μίκρʼ ἄττα διασώζουσαι ζώπυρα τοῦ Πελασγικοῦ γένους, Σικελῶν ὑπάρχουσαι πρότερον.
Falerium and Fascennium were still inhabited by Romans even down to my time, preserving some small embers of the Pelasgian race, having belonged to the Sicels before.
ἐν ταύταις διέμεινε πολλὰ τῶν ἀρχαίων διαιτημάτων, οἷς τὸ Ἑλληνικόν ποτʼ ἐχρήσατο, ἐπὶ μήκιστον χρόνον, οἷον ὅ τε τῶν ὅπλων τῶν πολεμιστηρίων κόσμος, ἀσπίδες Ἀργολικαὶ καὶ δόρατα, καὶ ὁπότε πολέμου ἄρχοντες ἢ τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἀμυνόμενοι στρατὸν ὑπερόριον ἀποστέλλοιεν ἱεροί τινες ἄνδρες ἄνοπλοι πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἰόντες σπονδοφόροι, τῶν τε ἱερῶν αἱ κατασκευαὶ καὶ τὰ ἕδη τῶν θεῶν ἁγισμοί τε καὶ θυσίαι καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἕτερα·
In these cities many of the ancient customs which the Greek world once used remained for a very long time, such as the equipment of military weapons—Argolic shields and spears—and whenever, either beginning war or defending against attackers, they sent an army beyond their borders, certain sacred men going unarmed ahead of the others as treaty-bearers, the arrangements of the temples, the statues of the gods, purifications and sacrifices, and many other such things.
§1.21.2πάντων δὲ περιφανέστατον μνημεῖον τῆς ἐν Ἄργει ποτὲ οἰκήσεως τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐκείνων οἳ τοὺς Σικελοὺς ἐξήλασαν, ὁ τῆς Ἥρας νεὼς ἐν Φαλερίῳ κατεσκευασμένος ὡς ἐν Ἄργει, ἔνθα καὶ τῶν θυηπολιῶν ὁ τρόπος ὅμοιος ἦν καὶ γυναῖκες ἱεραὶ θεραπεύουσαι τὸ τέμενος ἥ τε λεγομένη κανηφόρος ἁγνὴ γάμων παῖς καταρχομένη τῶν θυμάτων χοροί τε παρθένων ὑμνουσῶν τὴν θεὸν ᾠδαῖς πατρίοις.
But the most conspicuous monument of the former habitation in Argos of those men who drove out the Sicels is the temple of Hera built in Falerium in the same manner as in Argos, where also the manner of the sacrifices was similar, and sacred women served the sanctuary, and the so-called kanephoros, a pure unmarried girl, began the sacrifices, and choruses of maidens praised the goddess with ancestral songs.
§1.21.3ἔσχον δέ τινα καὶ οὗτοι τῶν καλουμένων Καμπανῶν εὐβότων πάνυ καὶ τὴν ὄψιν ἡδίστων πεδίων οὐκ ἐλαχίστην μοῖραν, ἔθνος τι βαρβαρικὸν Αὐρωνίσσους ἐκ μέρους ἀναστήσαντες αὐτῶν· καὶ πόλεις αὐτόθι κατεσκεύασαν ἄλλας τε καὶ Λάρισαν, ἐπὶ τῆς ἐν Πελοποννήσῳ σφῶν μητροπόλεως ὄνομα θέμενοι αὐτῇ.
These people also held a not insignificant portion of the so-called Campanian plains, which are very fertile and most pleasant to the sight, having partially dispossessed a certain barbarian nation, the Auronissans, of them; and they built other cities there, and especially Larissa, giving it this name after their mother-city in the Peloponnese.
§1.21.4τῶν μὲν οὖν ἄλλων πολισμάτων ἔστιν ἃ καὶ μέχρις ἐμοῦ ὀρθὰ ἦν, διαμείψαντα πολλάκις τοὺς οἰκήτορας· ἡ δὲ Λάρισα ἐκ πολλῶν πάνυ χρόνων ἐρημωθεῖσα οὐδʼ εἰ πώποτε ᾠκήθη γνώρισμα φανερὸν οὐδὲν ἔχει τοῖς νῦν ὅτι μὴ τοὔνομα, καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο πολλοὶ ἴσασιν· ἦν δὲ ἀγορᾶς Ποπιλίας καλουμένης οὐ πρόσω.
Now, of the other cities, some remained standing even down to my time, though they changed their inhabitants many times; but Larissa, having been deserted for a very long time, has no clear sign for people of today that it was ever inhabited, except for its name, and not even this is known to many; and it was not far from the so-called Market of Popilius.
πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἄλλα τῆς τε παραθαλαττίου καὶ ἐν τῇ μεσογείῳ χωρία κατέσχον ἀφελόμενοι τοὺς Σικελούς.
They also held many other places, both along the coast and in the interior, having taken them from the Sicels.

Notes

  1. 1.21.1Φαλέριον δὲ καὶ Φασκέννιον ἔτι καὶ εἰς ἐμὲ ἦσαν οἰκούμεναι ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων, μίκρʼ ἄττα διασώζουσαι ζώπυρα τοῦ Πελασγικοῦ γένους, Σικελῶν ὑπάρχουσαι πρότερον — The main verb ἦσαν οἰκούμεναι and the participles διασώζουσαι and ὑπάρχουσαι are in the feminine plural. Although the subjects Φαλέριον and Φασκέννιον are neuter singular nouns, they are construed in the feminine plural by agreement according to sense (ad sensum), as they refer to 'cities' (πόλεις, which is feminine).
  2. 1.21.1καὶ ὁπότε πολέμου ἄρχοντες ἢ τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἀμυνόμενοι στρατὸν ὑπερόριον ἀποστέλλοιεν — The optative verb ἀποστέλλοιεν introduced by the conjunction ὁπότε expresses past general repetition ('whenever they sent'). This entire clause is part of the list of examples of 'ancient customs' (διαιτημάτων) introduced by οἷον.
  3. 1.21.2καταρχομένη τῶν θυμάτων — The verb κατάρχομαι (to begin a sacrificial rite) takes the genitive τῶν θυμάτων as its object, which is a traditional Greek construction for verbs of beginning or taking part in.
  4. 1.21.3ἔσχον δέ τινα καὶ οὗτοι ... οὐκ ἐλαχίστην μοῖραν — The direct object of the verb ἔσχον is μοῖραν (a portion), which is modified by οὐκ ἐλαχίστην (not the least, an instance of litotes). The indefinite pronoun τινα qualifies this entire object phrase, meaning 'a certain not insignificant portion.'

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §1.21.1-1.21.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.21.1-1.21.4

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