Humanitext Reader

Strabo · Geography §13.1.52-13.1.53

History of Scepsis and the Legends of Aeneas

Passage 421 of 577 · Greek

Summary

Summarizes the origin, relocation, and political transitions of Scepsis, and discusses the discrepancies between Demetrius's view, popular wandering legends of Aeneas, and Homer's accounts of his lineage.

§13.1.52ἔστι δʼ ἡ μὲν Παλαίσκηψις ἐπάνω Κεβρῆνος κατὰ τὸ μετεωρότατον τῆς Ἴδης ἐγγὺς Πολίχνας·
On the other hand, Palaescepsis is situated above Cebren in the highest part of Ida near Polichna.
ἐκαλεῖτο δὲ τότε Σκῆψις, εἴτʼ ἄλλως εἴτʼ ἀπὸ τοῦ περίσκεπτον εἶναι τὸν τόπον, εἰ δεῖ τὰ παρὰ τοῖς βαρβάροις ἐν τῷ τότε ὀνόματα ταῖς Ἑλληνικαῖς ἐτυμολογεῖσθαι φωναῖς·
And it was called Scepsis at that time, either for some other reason or because the site is "conspicuous," if indeed the names of barbarians at that time must be etymologized by Greek words.
ὕστερον δὲ κατωτέρω σταδίοις ἑξήκοντα εἰς τὴν νῦν Σκῆψιν μετῳκίσθησαν ὑπὸ Σκαμανδρίου τε τοῦ Ἕκτορος καὶ Ἀσκανίου τοῦ Αἰνείου παιδός·
But later, they were relocated sixty stadia lower down to the present Scepsis by Scamandrius, the [son] of Hector, and Ascanius, the son of Aeneas.
καὶ δύο γένη ταῦτα βασιλεῦσαι πολὺν χρόνον ἐν τῇ Σκήψει λέγεται·
And these two families are said to have ruled as kings in Scepsis for a long time.
μετὰ ταῦτα δʼ εἰς ὀλιγαρχίαν μετέστησαν, εἶτα Μιλήσιοι συνεπολιτεύθησαν αὐτοῖς καὶ δημοκρατικῶς ᾤκουν·
After this, they changed to an oligarchy, and then the Milesians joined them in citizenship, and they lived under a democracy.
οἱ δʼ ἀπὸ τοῦ γένους οὐδὲν ἧττον ἐκαλοῦντο βασιλεῖς, ἔχοντές τινας τιμάς·
Nonetheless, those descended from these families were still called kings, holding certain privileges.
εἶτʼ εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν συνεπόλισε τοὺς Σκηψίους Ἀντίγονος, εἶτʼ ἀπέλυσε Λυσίμαχος, καὶ ἐπανῆλθον εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν.
Then Antigonus united the Scepsians in one city with Alexandria, but Lysimachus released them, and they returned to their own land.
§13.1.53οἴεται δʼ ὁ Σκήψιος καὶ βασίλειον τοῦ Αἰνείου γεγονέναι τὴν Σκῆψιν, μέσην οὖσαν τῆς τε ὑπὸ τῷ Αἰνείᾳ καὶ Λυρνησσοῦ, εἰς ἣν φυγεῖν εἴρηται διωκόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀχιλλέως·
And the Scepsian (Demetrius) thinks that Scepsis was also the royal seat of Aeneas, being situated midway between the territory under Aeneas and Lyrnessus, to which he is said to have fled when pursued by Achilles.
φησὶ γοῦν ὁ Ἀχιλλεύς " ἢ οὐ μέμνῃ, ὅτε πέρ σε βοῶν ἄπο μοῦνον ἐόντα σεῦα κατʼ Ἰδαίων ὀρέων ταχέεσσι πόδεσσι, κεῖθεν δʼ ἐς Λυρνησσὸν ὑπέκφυγες·
At any rate, Achilles says: "Or do you not remember when, from the cattle, being alone, I chased you down from the Idaean mountains with swift feet, and from there you escaped to Lyrnessus?
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ τὴν πέρσα, μεθορμηθείς.
But I, having attacked, sacked it.
" οὐχ ὁμολογεῖ δὲ τῷ περὶ τῶν ἀρχηγετῶν τῆς Σκήψεως λόγῳ τῷ λεχθέντι νῦν τὰ περὶ τοῦ Αἰνείου θρυλούμενα.
"But the common stories about Aeneas do not agree with the account just given about the founders of Scepsis.
περιγενέσθαι γὰρ δὴ τοῦτόν φασιν ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου διὰ τὴν πρὸς Πρίαμον δυσμένειαν·
For they say that he survived the war because of his animosity toward Priam: "For he was always angry with noble Priam, because, although he was brave among men, Priam honored him not at all.
" ἀεὶ γὰρ Πριάμῳ ἐπεμήνιε δίῳ, οὕνεκʼ ἄρʼ ἐσθλὸν ἐόντα μετʼ ἀνδράσιν οὔ τι τίεσκε, " τοὺς δὲ συνάρχοντας Ἀντηνορίδας καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Ἀντήνορα διὰ τὴν Μενελάου παρʼ αὐτῷ ξενίαν.
"And his co-rulers, the Antenoridae, and Antenor himself survived because of the hospitality shown to Menelaus at his house.
Σοφοκλῆς γοῦν ἐν τῇ ἁλώσει τοῦ Ἰλίου παρδαλέαν φησὶ πρὸ τῆς θύρας τοῦ Ἀντήνορος προτεθῆναι σύμβολον τοῦ ἀπόρθητον ἐαθῆναι τὴν οἰκίαν.
Sophocles, at any rate, in "The Capture of Ilium," says that a leopard's skin was placed before the door of Antenor as a sign that his house should be left unravaged.
τὸν μὲν οὖν Ἀντήνορα καὶ τοὺς παῖδας μετὰ τῶν περιγενομένων Ἑνετῶν εἰς τὴν Θρᾴκην περισωθῆναι κἀκεῖθεν διαπεσεῖν εἰς τὴν λεγομένην κατὰ τὸν Ἀδρίαν Ἑνετικήν, τὸν δὲ Αἰνείαν μετʼ Ἀγχίσου τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ παιδὸς Ἀσκανίου λαὸν ἀθροίσαντα πλεῦσαι·
Thus Antenor and his children, with the surviving Heneti, escaped safely to Thrace, and from there crossed over to the so-called Henetic land near the Adriatic.
καὶ οἱ μὲν οἰκῆσαι περὶ τὸν Μακεδονικὸν Ὄλυμπον φασίν, οἱ δὲ περὶ Μαντίνειαν τῆς Ἀρκαδίας κτίσαι Καπύας, ἀπὸ Κάπυος θέμενον τοὔνομα τῷ πολίσματι, οἱ δʼ εἰς Αἴγεσταν κατᾶραι τῆς Σικελίας σὺν Ἐλύμῳ Τρωὶ καὶ Ἔρυκα καὶ Λιλύβαιον κατασχεῖν, καὶ ποταμοὺς περὶ Αἴγεσταν προσαγορεῦσαι Σκάμανδρον καὶ Σιμόεντα·
But Aeneas, having gathered a people together with his father Anchises and his son Ascanius, set sail. Some say they settled near the Macedonian Olympus, while others say they founded Capyae near Mantineia in Arcadia, giving the name to the small city from Capys. Others say they landed at Aegesta in Sicily with Elymus the Trojan, and took possession of Eryx and Lilybaeum, and called the rivers around Aegesta Scamandrus and Simois.
ἔνθεν δʼ εἰς τὴν Λατίνην ἐλθόντα μεῖναι κατά τι λόγιον τὸ κελεῦον μένειν ὅπου ἂν τὴν τράπεζαν καταφάγῃ·
And from there, having come to the Latin land, he remained in accordance with an oracle commanding him to stay wherever he should eat his table.
συμβῆναι δὲ τῆς Λατίνης περὶ τὸ Λαουίνιον τοῦτο, ἄρτου μεγάλου τεθέντος ἀντὶ τραπέζης κατὰ ἀπορίαν καὶ ἅμα ἀναλωθέντος τοῖς ἐπʼ αὐτῷ κρέασιν.
And this happened near Lavinium in the Latin land, when, in their need, a large loaf of bread was set down instead of a table and was consumed together with the meat upon it.
Ὅμηρος μέντοι συνηγορεῖν οὐδετέροις ἔοικεν, οὐδὲ τοῖς περὶ τῶν ἀρχηγετῶν τῆς Σκήψεως λεχθεῖσιν·
Homer, however, seems to agree with neither of these, nor with what has been said about the founders of Scepsis.
ἐμφαίνει γὰρ μεμενηκότα τὸν Αἰνείαν ἐν τῇ Τροίᾳ καὶ διαδεδεγμένον τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ παραδεδωκότα παισὶ παίδων τὴν διαδοχὴν αὐτῆς, ἠφανισμένου τοῦ τῶν Πριαμιδῶν γένους· " ἤδη γὰρ Πριάμου γενεὴν ἤχθηρε Κρονίων.
For he indicates that Aeneas remained in Troy, succeeded to the rule, and handed down its succession to his children's children, the race of the Priamidae having disappeared: "For already the son of Cronus has hated the race of Priam.
νῦν δὲ δὴ Αἰνείαο βίη Τρώεσσιν ἀνάξει καὶ παίδων παῖδες, τοί κεν μετόπισθε γένωνται.
But now indeed the mighty Aeneas shall rule over the Trojans, and his children's children, who shall be born hereafter.
" οὕτω δʼ οὐδʼ ἡ τοῦ Σκαμανδρίου διαδοχὴ σώζοιτʼ ἄν.
"But in this way, even the succession of Scamandrius would not be preserved.
πολὺ δὲ μᾶλλον τοῖς ἑτέροις διαφωνεῖ τοῖς μέχρι καὶ Ἰταλίας αὐτοῦ τὴν πλάνην λέγουσι καὶ αὐτόθι ποιοῦσι τὴν καταστροφὴν τοῦ βίου.
And he disagrees much more with the other group, who say that his wandering extended as far as Italy and make that the end of his life.
τινὲς δὲ γράφουσιν " Αἰνείαο γένος πάντεσσιν ἀνάξει, καὶ παῖδες παίδων, " τοὺς Ῥωμαίους λέγοντες.
But some write: "The race of Aeneas shall rule over all, and his children's children, "meaning the Romans.

Notes

  1. §13.1.52εἰ δεῖ τὰ παρὰ τοῖς βαρβάροις ἐν τῷ τότε ὀνόματα ταῖς Ἑλληνικαῖς ἐτυμολογεῖσθαι φωναῖς — "εἰ δεῖ..." is a conditional clause using the conjunction εἰ with the impersonal verb δεῖ, meaning "if indeed one must..." This expresses Strabo's skeptical stance on the practice of etymologizing (ἐτυμολογεῖσθαι) indigenous, non-Greek proper names through Greek words (in this case, connecting Scepsis with περίσκεπτος, "conspicuous").
  2. §13.1.53τοὺς δὲ συνάρχοντας Ἀντηνορίδας καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Ἀντήνορα — This accusative phrase is structurally coordinated with the preceding accusative and infinitive construction "περιγενέσθαι... φασιν" (they say that he survived). Therefore, the infinitive "περιγενέσθαι" and the governing verb "φασιν" are elided, meaning "[they say that] his co-rulers, the Antenoridae, and Antenor himself [survived]."
  3. §13.1.53Ὅμηρος μέντοι συνηγορεῖν οὐδετέροις ἔοικεν — The dative pronoun οὐδετέροις ("neither of the two") refers to the two main competing traditions concerning Aeneas's fate mentioned earlier: (1) the tradition connecting his family with the founders of Scepsis, and (2) the tradition of his wandering to Italy or other foreign lands. Homer is noted as supporting neither camp.

Cite this passage

Strabo, Geography §13.1.52-13.1.53. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0099.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:13.1.52-13.1.53

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