Humanitext Reader

Aristotle · Politics §7.1331a

Necessity of City Walls and Layout of Public Spaces

Passage 135 of 155 · Greek

Summary

After reaffirming the necessity of walls in light of advanced siege machinery, the text discusses the spatial planning of the city, such as locating common messes in guard-posts, and arranging temples, magistrates' messes, the 'free market', and gymnasia for elders.

§7.1331aἄλλως τε καὶ νῦν εὑρημένων τῶν περὶ τὰ βέλη καὶ τὰς μηχανὰς εἰς ἀκρίβειαν πρὸς τὰς πολιορκίας.
especially so now that missiles and siege engines have been invented with great precision for siege warfare.
ὅμοιον γὰρ τὸ τείχη μὴ περιβάλλειν ταῖς πόλεσιν ἀξιοῦν καὶ τὸ τὴν χώραν εὐέμβολον ζητεῖν καὶ περιαιρεῖν τοὺς ὀρεινοὺς τόπους, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ταῖς οἰκήσεσι ταῖς ἰδίαις μὴ περιβάλλειν τοίχους ὡς ἀνάνδρων ἐσομένων τῶν κατοικούντων.
For to demand that states should not be surrounded by walls is similar to seeking to make the territory easy for enemies to invade and removing mountainous places, and likewise to not surrounding private dwellings with walls on the ground that the inhabitants will become cowardly.
ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐδὲ τοῦτό γε δεῖ λανθάνειν, ὅτι τοῖς μὲν περιβεβλημένοις τείχη περὶ τὴν πόλιν ἔξεστιν ἀμφοτέρως χρῆσθαι ταῖς πόλεσιν, καὶ ὡς ἐχούσαις τείχη καὶ ὡς μὴ ἐχούσαις, τοῖς δὲ μὴ κεκτημένοις οὐκ ἔξεστιν.
Moreover, this at least must not be overlooked: that for those who have surrounded their city with walls, it is possible to use their states in both ways, both as having walls and as not having them, whereas for those who do not possess them, this is not possible.
εἰ δὴ τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον, οὐχ ὅτι τείχη μόνον περιβλητέον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτων ἐπιμελητέον, ὅπως καὶ πρὸς κόσμον ἔχῃ τῇ πόλει πρεπόντως καὶ πρὸς τὰς πολεμικὰς χρείας, τάς τε ἄλλας καὶ τὰς νῦν ἐπεξευρημένας.
If indeed this is the case, one must not only surround the city with walls, but also take care of them, so that they may be suitable both for the decorum of the city and for military needs, both other needs and those recently invented.
ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῖς ἐπιτιθεμένοις ἐπιμελές ἐστι διʼ ὧν τρόπων πλεονεκτήσουσιν, οὕτω τὰ μὲν εὕρηται τὰ δὲ δεῖ ζητεῖν καὶ φιλοσοφεῖν καὶ τοὺς φυλαττομένους· ἀρχὴν γὰρ οὐδʼ ἐπιχειροῦσιν ἐπιτίθεσθαι τοῖς εὖ παρεσκευασμένοις.
For just as those who attack are concerned with the methods by which they will gain an advantage, so too for those who guard themselves, some means have been found, and others they must seek and philosophize upon; for to begin with, people do not even attempt to attack those who are well prepared.
ἐπεὶ δὲ δεῖ τὸ μὲν πλῆθος τῶν πολιτῶν ἐν συσσιτίοις κατανενεμῆσθαι, τὰ δὲ τείχη διειλῆφθαι φυλακτηρίοις καὶ πύργοις κατὰ τόπους ἐπικαίρους, δῆλον ὡς ταῦτα προκαλεῖται παρασκευάζειν ἔνια τῶν συσσιτίων ἐν τούτοις τοῖς φυλακτηρίοις.
Since the multitude of citizens must be distributed into common messes, and the walls must be divided by guard-posts and towers at convenient places, it is clear that these circumstances invite the establishment of some of the common messes in these guard-posts.
καὶ ταῦτα μὲν δὴ τοῦτον ἄν τις διακοσμήσειε τὸν τρόπον· τὰς δὲ τοῖς θείοις ἀποδεδομένας οἰκήσεις καὶ τὰ κυριώτατα τῶν ἀρχείων συσσίτια ἁρμόττει τόπον ἐπιτήδειόν τε ἔχειν καὶ τὸν αὐτόν, ὅσα μὴ τῶν ἱερῶν ὁ νόμος ἀφορίζει χωρὶς ἤ τι μαντεῖον ἄλλο πυθόχρηστον.
These matters indeed one might arrange in this manner; but for the dwellings dedicated to the gods and the most important common messes of the magistrates, it is fitting that they should have a suitable and the same site, except for those of the temples which the law or some other Pythian oracle sets apart.
εἴη δʼ ἂν τοιοῦτος ὁ τόπος ὅστις ἐπιφάνειάν τε ἔχει πρὸς τὴν τῆς θέσεως ἀρετὴν ἱκανῶς καὶ πρὸς τὰ γειτνιῶντα μέρη τῆς πόλεως ἐρυμνοτέρως.
Such a site would be one that is sufficiently conspicuous for the excellence of its position and more fortified against the neighboring parts of the city.
πρέπει δʼ ὑπὸ μὲν τοῦτον τὸν τόπον τοιαύτης ἀγορᾶς εἶναι κατασκευὴν οἵαν καὶ περὶ Θετταλίαν νομίζουσιν ἣν ἐλευθέραν καλοῦσιν, αὕτη δʼ ἐστὶν ἣν δεῖ καθαρὰν εἶναι τῶν ὠνίων πάντων, καὶ μήτε βάναυσον μήτε γεωργὸν μήτʼ ἄλλον μηδένα τοιοῦτον παραβάλλειν μὴ καλούμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχόντων.
It is fitting that below this site there should be established such a marketplace as is customary around Thessaly, which they call 'free market'; this is one which must be kept clear of all merchandise, and where neither artisan nor farmer nor anyone else of that sort may enter unless summoned by the magistrates.
εἴη δʼ ἂν εὔχαρις ὁ τόπος, εἰ καὶ τὰ γυμνάσια τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἔχοι τὴν τάξιν ἐνταῦθα· πρέπει γὰρ διῃρῆσθαι κατὰ τὰς ἡλικίας καὶ τοῦτον τὸν κόσμον, καὶ παρὰ μὲν τοῖς νεωτέροις ἄρχοντάς τινας διατρίβειν, τοὺς δὲ πρεσβυτέρους παρὰ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν· ἡ γὰρ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς τῶν ἀρχόντων παρουσία μάλιστα ἐμποιεῖ τὴν ἀληθινὴν αἰδῶ καὶ τὸν τῶν ἐλευθέρων φόβον.
The place would be graceful if the gymnasia of the older men also had their arrangement here; for it is fitting that this order also should be divided according to ages, and that some of the magistrates should spend their time with the younger, while the older men should stay with the magistrates; for the presence of the magistrates before their eyes most of all engenders true respect and the fear of free men.

Notes

  1. 1331aνῦν εὑρημένων τῶν περὶ τὰ βέλη — Genitive absolute construction. The verb εὑρημένων is a perfect passive participle, with the neuter plural phrase τῶν περὶ τὰ βέλη καὶ τὰς μηχανὰς (things concerning missiles and engines) acting as its subject. The prepositional phrase εἰς ἀκρίβειαν modifies the participle adverbially ("with precision").
  2. 1331aοὐχ ὅτι τείχη μόνον περιβλητέον — The phrase οὐχ ὅτι, corresponding to the subsequent ἀλλὰ καί, means "not only... but also." Both περιβλητέον and the subsequent ἐπιμελητέον are neuter singular verbal adjectives in -τέος, functioning as an impersonal construction expressing obligation.
  3. 1331aὅσα μὴ τῶν ἱερῶν ὁ νόμος ἀφορίζει χωρὶς — The word ὅσα is the neuter plural of the relative pronoun ὅσος. Accompanied by μὴ, it introduces a conditional restriction ("except such as..."), establishing an exceptional clause. The word χωρὶς functions adverbially as "separately," modifying the verb ἀφορίζει.
  4. 1331aμὴ καλούμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχόντων — The present passive participle καλούμενον refers to the preceding singular nouns (such as βάναυσον and γεωργὸν) as its semantic subjects. Used with the negative particle μὴ, it functions as a conditional participle meaning "unless they are summoned."

Cite this passage

Aristotle, Politics §7.1331a. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg035.humanitext-grc2:7.1331a

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.