Plato, Timaeus 21e · 21e

Saïs in the Delta

Critias — ἔστιν τις κατʼ Αἴγυπτον, ἦ δʼ ὅς, ἐν τῷ Δέλτα, περὶ ὃν κατὰ κορυφὴν σχίζεται τὸ τοῦ Νείλου ῥεῦμα Σαϊτικὸς ἐπικαλούμενος νομός, τούτου δὲ τοῦ νομοῦ μεγίστη πόλις Σάις— ὅθεν δὴ καὶ Ἄμασις ἦν ὁ βασιλεύς— οἷς τῆς πόλεως θεὸς ἀρχηγός τίς ἐστιν, Αἰγυπτιστὶ μὲν τοὔνομα Νηίθ, Ἑλληνιστὶ δέ, ὡς ὁ ἐκείνων λόγος, Ἀθηνᾶ· μάλα δὲ φιλαθήναιοι καί τινα τρόπον οἰκεῖοι τῶνδʼ εἶναί φασιν. οἷ δὴ Σόλων ἔφη πορευθεὶς σφόδρα τε γενέσθαι παρʼ αὐτοῖς ἔντιμος,

Critias: In Egypt, he said, there is a district in the Delta, around whose top the stream of the Nile splits, called the Saitic district. The greatest city of this district is Saïs, from which King Amasis also came. A certain goddess is the founder of their city. Her name in Egyptian is Neith, and in Greek, as their account has it, Athena. They are very friendly to Athens and, they say, in some way akin to these people. To this place, Solon said, he travelled, and was greatly honoured among them,

Word by word

Critias

ἔστινéstinthere isτιςtisa certainκατʼkatʼinΑἴγυπτονAígyptonEgypt,ἦêsaidδʼdʼ—ὅςhóshe,ἐνeninτῷtôitheΔέλταDéltaDelta,περὶperìaroundὃνhònwhichκατὰkatàatκορυφὴνkoryphḕnthe topσχίζεταιschízetaisplitsτὸtòtheτοῦtoûof theΝείλουNeílouNileῥεῦμαrheûmastreamΣαϊτικὸςSaïtikòsSaiticἐπικαλούμενοςepikaloúmenoscalledνομόςnomósdistrict,τούτουtoútouthisδὲdèandτοῦtoû—νομοῦnomoûdistrictμεγίστηmegístēgreatestπόλιςpóliscityΣάιςSáisSaïs—ὅθενhóthenfrom whereδὴdḕ—καὶkaìalsoἌμασιςÁmasisAmasisἦνênwasὁhotheβασιλεύςbasileúsking—οἷςhoîsfor whomτῆςtês—πόλεωςpóleōscityθεὸςtheòsgoddessἀρχηγόςarchēgósfounderτίςtísa certainἐστινestinis,ΑἰγυπτιστὶAigyptistìin Egyptianμὲνmèn—τοὔνομαtoúnomanameΝηίθNēíthNeith,ἙλληνιστὶHellēnistìin Greekδέdéand,ὡςhōsasὁho—ἐκείνωνekeínōntheirλόγοςlógosaccount,ἈθηνᾶAthēnâAthena·μάλαmálaveryδὲdè—φιλαθήναιοιphilathḗnaioifriendly to Athensκαίkaíandτιναtinasomeτρόπονtróponwayοἰκεῖοιoikeîoiakinτῶνδʼtôndʼto us hereεἶναίeînaíareφασινphasinthey say.οἷhoîthereδὴdḕ—ΣόλωνSólōnSolonἔφηéphēsaidπορευθεὶςporeutheìshe wentσφόδραsphódragreatlyτεte—γενέσθαιgenésthaihe becameπαρʼparʼamongαὐτοῖςautoîsthemἔντιμοςéntimoshonoured,

What was left of Saïs in the Delta, where Solon met the priests — Plato, Timaeus — What was left of Saïs in the Delta, where Solon met the priests · Ruins of Sais in the Delta, lithograph by Stannard & Dixon, from G. T. Lowth, The Wanderer in Arabia (London, 1855) · British Library · public domain

The setting

The tale starts in Egypt, in the Delta, in the district of Saïs. Its city goddess is called Neith by the Egyptians and, they say, Athena by the Greeks, and the people of Saïs are friendly to Athens. Solon travelled there and was greatly honoured.

A note on this passage

The geography is given by a chain of genitives and relative clauses, Delta, Saïtikos nomos, Sáis, and the king Amasis is named as someone who came from that city, which anchors the story in a known place and time. The verb schizetai, "is split," describes the Nile dividing at its head, kata koryphēn. Burnet prints the goddess's Egyptian name as Nēith, and the sentence gives it twice over by language, Aigyptisti and Hellēnisti, with hōs ho ekeinōn logos, "as their account has it," so the Greek name is stated on the Egyptians' authority.

The friendship of Saïs for Athens is also reported at one remove, phasin, "they say," and it is described with two words, philathēnaioi, "friendly to Athens," and oikeioi, "of the same household," meaning akin. A new turn of speech opens at hoi dē Sólōn ephē, where the grandfather's report of Solon begins: Solon poreutheis, having made the journey, was entimos, held in honour, among them.

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