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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §1.28.1-1.28.4

Alternative Accounts of Tyrrhenian Origins

Passage 28 of 962 · Greek

Summary

The author presents alternative accounts regarding the origin of the Tyrrhenians (descendants of Heracles or Telephus, and Xanthus's denial of their migration), followed by Hellanicus's theory identifying them with the Pelasgians and Myrsilus's opposing view concerning their name change to Pelargoi.

§1.28.1τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ πολλοὺς καὶ ἄλλους συγγραφεῖς περὶ τοῦ Τυρρηνῶν γένους χρησαμένους ἐπίσταμαι, τοὺς μὲν κατὰ ταὐτά, τοὺς δὲ μεταθέντας τὸν οἰκισμὸν καὶ τὸν χρόνον.
I know that many other writers also have made use of this account concerning the race of the Tyrrhenians, some in the same manner, others having changed the settlement and the time.
ἔλεξαν γὰρ δή τινες Ἡρακλέους υἱὸν εἶναι τὸν Τυρρηνὸν ἐξ Ὀμφάλης τῆς Λυδῆς γενόμενον· τοῦτον δʼ ἀφικόμενον εἰς Ἰταλίαν ἐκβαλεῖν τοὺς Πελασγοὺς ἐκ τῶν πόλεων οὐχ ἁπασῶν, ἀλλʼ ὅσαι πέραν ἦσαν τοῦ Τεβέριος ἐν τῷ βορείῳ μέρει.
For some indeed have said that Tyrrhenus was a son of Heracles, born of Omphale the Lydian; and that he, having arrived in Italy, drove out the Pelasgians from their cities, not all of them, but as many as were beyond the Tiber in the northern part.
ἕτεροι δὲ Τηλέφου παῖδα τὸν Τυρρηνὸν ἀποφαίνουσιν, ἐλθεῖν δὲ μετὰ τὴν Τροίας ἅλωσιν εἰς Ἰταλίαν.
And others declare Tyrrhenus to be a son of Telephus, and that he came to Italy after the capture of Troy.
§1.28.2Ξάνθος δὲ ὁ Λυδὸς ἱστορίας παλαιᾶς εἰ καί τις ἄλλος ἔμπειρος ὤν, τῆς δὲ πατρίου καὶ βεβαιωτὴς ἂν οὐδενὸς ὑποδεέστερος νομισθείς, οὔτε Τυρρηνὸν ὠνόμακεν οὐδαμοῦ τῆς γραφῆς δυνάστην Λυδῶν οὔτε ἀποικίαν Μῃόνων εἰς Ἰταλίαν κατασχοῦσαν ἐπίσταται Τυρρηνίας τε μνήμην ὡς Λυδῶν ἀποκτίσεως ταπεινοτέρων ἄλλων μεμνημένος οὐδεμίαν πεποίηται· Ἄτυος δὲ παῖδας γενέσθαι λέγει Λυδὸν καὶ Τόρηβον, τούτους δὲ μερισαμένους τὴν πατρῴαν ἀρχὴν ἐν Ἀσίᾳ καταμεῖναι ἀμφοτέρους· καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὧν ἦρξαν ἐπʼ ἐκείνων φησὶ τεθῆναι τὰς ὀνομασίας, λέγων ὧδε· ʽἀπὸ Λυδοῦ μὲν γίνονται Λυδοὶ, ἀπὸ Τορήβου δὲ Τόρηβοι.
But Xanthus the Lydian, being exceptionally well-versed in ancient history, if anyone else was, and regarded as an authority on his native history second to none, has neither named Tyrrhenus anywhere in his writing as a ruler of the Lydians, nor does he know of any colony of Maeonians that took possession of Italy, and has made no mention of Tyrrhenia as a colony of the Lydians, although he mentions other less important matters; but he says that Lydus and Torrhebus were born as sons of Atys, and that these, having divided their father's dominion, both remained in Asia; and he says that the names were given to the nations over which they ruled after them, speaking thus: "From Lydus come the Lydians, and from Torrhebus the Torrhebians.
τούτων ἡ γλῶσσα ὀλίγον παραφέρει, καὶ νῦν ἔτι σιλλοῦσιν ἀλλήλους ῥήματα οὐκ ὀλίγα, ὥσπερ Ἴωνες καὶ §1.28.3Δωριεῖσʼ. Ἑλλάνικος δὲ ὁ Λέσβιος τοὺς Τυρρηνούς φησι Πελασγοὺς πρότερον καλουμένους, ἐπειδὴ κατῴκησαν ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ, παραλαβεῖν ἣν νῦν ἔχουσι προσηγορίαν.
The language of these differs but little, and even now they still mock each other with not a few words, just as the Ionians and Dorians do." And Hellanicus of Lesbos says that the Tyrrhenians, being formerly called Pelasgians, received the name which they now have after they settled in Italy.
ἔχει δὲ αὐτῷ ἐν Φορωνίδι ὁ λόγος ὧδε· ʽτοῦ Πελασγοῦ τοῦ βασιλέος αὐτῶν καὶ Μενίππης τῆς Πηνειοῦ ἐγένετο Φράστωρ, τοῦ δὲ Ἀμύντωρ, τοῦ δὲ Τευταμίδης, τοῦ δὲ Νάνας.
And the account in his Phoronis runs thus: "From Pelasgus, their king, and Menippe, the daughter of Peneus, was born Phrastor; from him Amyntor; from him Teutamides; from him Nanas.
ἐπὶ τούτου βασιλεύοντες οἱ Πελασγοὶ ὑπʼ Ἑλλήνων ἀνέστησαν, καὶ ἐπὶ Σπινῆτι ποταμῷ ἐν τῷ Ἰονίῳ κόλπῳ τὰς νῆας καταλιπόντες Κρότωνα πόλιν ἐν μεσογείῳ εἷλον καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ὁρμώμενοι τὴν νῦν καλεομένην Τυρσηνίην ἔκτισανʼ. §1.28.4Μυρσίλος δὲ τὰ ἔμπαλιν ἀποφαινόμενος Ἑλλανίκῳ τοὺς Τυρρηνούς φησιν, ἐπειδὴ τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἐξέλιπον, ἐν τῇ πλάνῃ μετονομασθῆναι Πελαργοὺς, τῶν ὀρνέων τοῖς καλουμένοις πελαργοῖς εἰκασθέντας, ὡς κατʼ ἀγέλας ἐφοίτων εἴς τε τὴν Ἑλλάδα καὶ τὴν βάρβαρον· καὶ τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις τὸ τεῖχος τὸ περὶ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν, τὸ Πελαργικὸν καλούμενον, τούτους περιβαλεῖν.
During his reign, the Pelasgians were driven out by the Greeks, and leaving their ships at the Spines river in the Ionian Gulf, they captured Croton, an inland city, and setting out from there, they founded the land now called Tyrsenia." But Myrsilus, declaring the opposite to Hellanicus, says that the Tyrrhenians, when they left their own land, were renamed Pelargoi (storks) during their wanderings, being likened to the birds called pelargoi, because they traveled in flocks both to Greece and to foreign lands; and that these were the ones who built for the Athenians the wall around the Acropolis, called the Pelargikon.

Notes

  1. 1.28.2εἰ καί τις ἄλλος — An idiomatic expression meaning "if anyone else [was/is]," functioning as a superlative booster to express "exceptionally" or "more than anyone else."
  2. 1.28.2ἂν ... νομισθείς — The particle ἄν accompanies the participle νομισθείς, adding a potential force ("who would be regarded").
  3. 1.28.3Πελασγοὺς πρότερον καλουμένους — A participle in agreement modifying τοὺς Τυρρηνούς, which serves as the subject accusative of the infinitive παραλαβεῖν introduced by φησί.
  4. 1.28.4τὰ ἔμπαλιν ἀποφαινόμενος Ἑλλανίκῳ — The dative Ἑλλανίκῳ depends on the expression of opposition (either the adverbial accusative τὰ ἔμπαλιν or the participle ἀποφαινόμενος), meaning "declaring the opposite to Hellanicus."
  5. 1.28.4τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις ... περιβαλεῖν — The infinitive περιβαλεῖν is governed by φησίν, taking the dative τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις (interest/benefit) and the accusative τὸ τεῖχος (direct object), with τούτους as its subject accusative.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §1.28.1-1.28.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.28.1-1.28.4

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