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Extra Reading: Units 21 - 24

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Extra Reading
16-20




Extra Reading
Key 21 - 24


Extra reading for units 21-24

1#The tomb of Sardanapalus

εὖ εἰδὼς ὅτι θνητὸς ἔφυς, τὸν θυμὸν ἄεξε,

τερπόμενος θαλίῃσι· θανόντι σοι οὔτις ὄνησις.

καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ σποδός εἰμι, Νίνου μεγάλης βασιλεύσας.

τόσσʼ ἔχω ὅσσʼ ἔφαγον καὶ ἔπινον, καὶ μετʼ ʼερώτων

τέρπνʼ ἐδάην: τὰ δὲ πολλὰ καὶ ὄλβια πάντα λέλειπται.

2 τοιοῦτο τὸ ζῆν ἐστιν ὥσπερ οἱ κύβοι.

3 Spartan education The Spartans were always regarded as different by the other Greeks, and they themselves were of the same opinion. Because they had reduced a neighbouring Greek state (Messene) to slavery, they were obliged to live in a constant state of military alert. In the passage below Xenophon describes the consequences this had on the system of education. Its organization was attributed to its supposed founder, Lycurgus.

ἐγὼ μέντοι βούλομαι καὶ τὴν παιδείαν τῶν τʼ ἄλλων  ̔Ελλήνων καὶ τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων σαφηνίσαι. τῶν μὲν τοίνυν ἄλλων οἱ φάσκοντες κάλλιστα τοὺς υἱεῖς παιδεύειν, ἐπειδὰν τάχιστα αὐτοῖς οἱ παῖδες τὰ λεγόμενα ξυνιῶσιν, εὐθὺς μὲν ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς παιδαγωγοὺς θεράποντας ἐφιστᾶσιν, εὐθὺς δὲ πέμπουσιν εἰς διδασκάλων μαθησομένους καὶ γράμματα καὶ μουσικὴν καὶ τὰ ἐν παλαίστρᾳ. πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τῶν παίδων πόδας ἐν ὑποδήμασιν ἁπαλύνουσι, σώματα δὲ ἱματίων μεταβολαῖς διαθρύπτουσιν· σίτου γε μὴν αὐτοῖς γαστέρα μέτρον νομίζουσιν. ὁ δὲ Λυκοῦργος, ἀντὶ μὲν τοῦ ἰδίᾳ ἕκαστον παιδαγωγοὺς δούλους ἐφιστάναι, ἄνδρα ἐπέστησε κρατεῖν αὐτῶν ἐξ ὧνπερ αἱ μέγισται ἀρχαὶ καθίστανται, ὃς δὴ καὶ παιδονόμος καλεῖται, τοῦτον δὲ κύριον ἐποίησε καὶ ἁθροίζειν τοὺς παῖδας καὶ ἐπισκοποῦντα, εἴ τις ῥᾳδιουργοίη, ἰσχυρῶς κολάζειν. ἔδωκε δʼ αὐτῷ καὶ τῶν ἡβώντων μαστιγοφόρους, ὅπως τιμωροῖεν ὁπότε δέοι, ὥστε πολλὴν μὲν αἰδῶ, πολλὴν δὲ πειθὼ συμπαρεῖναι. ἀντί γε μὴν τοῦ ἁπαλύνειν τοὺς πόδας ὑποδήμασιν ἔταξεν ἀνυποδησίᾳ κρατύνειν, νομίζων, εἰ τοῦτʼ ἀσκήσειαν, πολὺ μὲν ῥᾷον ἂν ὀρθιάδε ἐκβαίνειν, ἀσφαλέστερον δὲ πρανῆ καταβαίνειν, καὶ πηδῆσαι δὲ καὶ ἀναθορεῖν καὶ θᾶττον δραμεῖν. καὶ ἀντί γε τοῦ ἱματίοις διαθρύπτεσθαι ἐνόμιζεν ἑνὶ ἱματίῳ διʼ ἔτους προσεθίζεσθαι, νομίζων οὕτως καὶ πρὸς ψύχη καὶ πρὸς θάλπη ἄμεινον ἂν παρεσκευάσθαι. σῖτόν γε μὴν τοσοῦτον ἔχειν συνεβούλευεν ὥστε ὑπὸ πλησμονῆς μὲν μήποτε βαρύνεσθαι, τοῦ δὲ ἐνδεεστέρως διάγειν μὴ ἀπείρως ἔχειν, νομίζων τοὺς οὕτω παιδευομένους μᾶλλον μὲν ἂν δύνασθαι, εἰ δεήσειεν, ἀσιτήσαντας ἐπιπονῆσαι, μᾶλλον δʼ ἄν, εἰ παραγγελθείη, ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ σίτου πλείω χρόνον ἐπιταθῆναι, ἧττον δʼ ἂν ὄψου δεῖσθαι, εὐχερέστερον δὲ πρὸς πᾶν ἔχειν βρῶμα, καὶ ὑγιεινοτέρως δʼ ἂν διάγειν. ὡς δὲ μὴ ὑπὸ λιμοῦ ἄγαν αὖ πιέζοιντο, ἀπραγμόνως μὲν αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἔδωκε λαμβάνειν ὧν ἂν προσδέωνται, κλέπτειν δʼ ἐφῆκεν ἔστιν ἃ τῷ λιμῷ ἐπικουροῦντας. καὶ ὡς μὲν οὐκ ἀπορῶν ὅτι δοίη ἐφῆκεν αὐτοῖς γε μηχανᾶσθαι τὴν τροφήν, οὐδένα οἶμαι τοῦτο ἀγνοεῖν· δῆλον δʼ ὅτι τὸν μέλλοντα κλωπεύειν καὶ νυκτὸς ἀγρυπνεῖν δεῖ καὶ μεθʼ ἡμέραν ἀπατᾶν καὶ ἐνεδρεύειν, καὶ κατασκόπους δὲ ἑτοιμάζειν τὸν μέλλοντά τι λήψεσθαι. εἴποι δʼ ἄν τις, τί δῆτα, εἴπερ τὸ κλέπτειν ἀγαθὸν ἐνόμιζε, πολλὰς πληγὰς ἐπέβαλλε τῷ ἁλισκομένῳ; ὅτι, φημὶ ἐγώ, καὶ τἆλλα, ἃ ἄνθρωποι διδάσκουσι, κολάζουσι τὸν μὴ καλῶς ὑπηρετοῦντα. κἀκεῖνοι οὖν τοὺς ἁλισκομένους ὡς κακῶς κλέπτοντας τιμωροῦνται.



# ἀέξω lift up, exalt

θαλίαι, -ῶν, αἱ festivities (θαλίῃσι = θαλίαις)

οὔτις, -τι no

ὄνησις, -εως, ἡ enjoyment

Νίνος, -ου, ἡ Nineveh

τόσσʼ(α) ... ὅσσʼ(α) = τόσα ... ὅσα

τερπνός, -ή, -όν delightful, pleasant

τὰ τερπνά delights, pleasures

ἐδάην (aor. of the defective verb δάω ) I learned

ξυνιῶσιν 3 pl. pres. subj. act. of συνίημι

εἰς διδασκάλων (sc. οἶκον) to [the house] of teachers, i.e. to school

διαθρύπτω pamper

γε μήν here marks a climax and as for food (the two later examples emphasise a further point)

παιδονόμος, -ου, ὁ Director of Education

κύριος, -α, -ον authorised (+ inf.)

ῥᾳδιουργέω do wrong, commit misconduct

μαστιγοφόρος, -ου, ὁ whip-bearer

ὅπως = ἵνα

ἀνυποδησία, -ας, ἡ going barefoot

ὀρθιάδε (adv.) uphill

πρανῆ (adv. acc.) downhill

ἀναθρῴσκω (aor. -έθορον) leap up

δραμεῖν aor. inf. of τρέχω

διαθρύπτομαι be pampered

νομίζω here (but not elsewhere in this extract) in the special sense make a νόμος, enact, legislate

θάλπος, -ους, τό heat, period of hot weather

παρασκευάζομαι (perf. inf. παρεσκευάσθαι ) prepare oneself

ἐνδεεστέρως (compar. adv.) in a more/rather inadequate way

ἀσιτέω be without food

ἐπιτείνομαι (aor. -ετάθην) hold out, endure

εὐχερῶς (compar. -έστερον) ἔχω be indifferent to or tolerant of (πρός + acc.)

βρῶμα, -ατος, τό food

ὑγιεινοτέρως (compar. adv.) more healthily

ὡς = ἵνα

οὐκ ἔδωκε he did not give them an opportunity to (+ inf.)

ἐφίημι (aor. -ῆκα) allow

ἔστιν ἅ lit. there are [things] which, i.e. some things (here the obj. of κλέπτειν)

ὡς here = ὅτι (the clause is in apposition to τοῦτο in the next line)

ὅτι δοίη indirect deliberative question, what he was to give them (dependent on οὐκ ἀπορῶν)

κλωπεύω steal

μεθʼ ἡμέραν by day

 

 

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(c) Gavin Betts, Alan Henry 2001