Plato, Timaeus 23c · 23c

Athens before the great flood

Critias — πόλις ἔστιν τὰ νῦν ὑμῶν, περιλειφθέντος ποτὲ σπέρματος βραχέος, ἀλλʼ ὑμᾶς λέληθεν διὰ τὸ τοὺς περιγενομένους ἐπὶ πολλὰς γενεὰς γράμμασιν τελευτᾶν ἀφώνους. ἦν γὰρ δή ποτε, ὦ Σόλων, ὑπὲρ τὴν μεγίστην φθορὰν ὕδασιν ἡ νῦν Ἀθηναίων οὖσα πόλις ἀρίστη πρός τε τὸν πόλεμον καὶ κατὰ πάντα εὐνομωτάτη διαφερόντως· ᾗ κάλλιστα ἔργα καὶ πολιτεῖαι γενέσθαι λέγονται κάλλισται πασῶν ὁπόσων ὑπὸ

city of yours now exists, when a small seed was once left over. But it has escaped you, because the survivors for many generations died voiceless in writing. For once, Solon, before the greatest destruction by water, the city that is now the city of the Athenians was the best in war and outstandingly well governed in everything. Its finest deeds and constitutions are said to have been the finest of all that are under

Word by word

Critias

πόλιςpóliscityἔστινéstinexistτὰtà—νῦνnŷnnowὑμῶνhymônof yours,περιλειφθέντοςperileiphthéntosleft overποτὲpotèonceσπέρματοςspérmatosseedβραχέοςbrachéossmall,ἀλλʼallʼbutὑμᾶςhymâsyouλέληθενlélēthenhas escapedδιὰdiàbecauseτὸtò—τοὺςtoùstheπεριγενομένουςperigenoménoussurvivorsἐπὶepìforπολλὰςpollàsmanyγενεὰςgeneàsgenerationsγράμμασινgrámmasinin writingτελευτᾶνteleutândiedἀφώνουςaphṓnousvoiceless.ἦνênwasγὰρgàrforδήdḗ—ποτεpoteonce,ὦô—ΣόλωνSólōnSolon,ὑπὲρhypèrbeforeτὴνtḕntheμεγίστηνmegístēngreatestφθορὰνphthoràndestructionὕδασινhýdasinby waterἡhētheνῦνnŷnnowἈθηναίωνAthēnaíōnof the Atheniansοὖσαoûsathat isπόλιςpóliscityἀρίστηarístēbestπρόςprósinτεte—τὸνtòn—πόλεμονpólemonwarκαὶkaìandκατὰkatàinπάνταpántaeverythingεὐνομωτάτηeunomōtátēwell governedδιαφερόντωςdiapheróntōsoutstandingly·ᾗhêiwhoseκάλλισταkállistanoblestἔργαérgadeedsκαὶkaìandπολιτεῖαιpoliteîaiconstitutionsγενέσθαιgenésthaito have beenλέγονταιlégontaiare saidκάλλισταιkállistaifinestπασῶνpasônof allὁπόσωνhopósōnthoseὑπὸhypòunder

The setting

The priest says that the best city of men lived in Solon's own land before the greatest destruction by water, and that its survivors left no writing.

A note on this passage

The surviving seed is a farmer's image: perileiphthéntos spérmatos brachéos, "a small seed having been left over." It stands in a genitive absolute, so it comes as a background fact, and the clause itself is about the Greeks' ignorance, hymâs lélēthen, "it has escaped you." The reason is that the survivors for many generations teleutân aphṓnous, "died voiceless," grámmasin, in writing, meaning they left no written word.

Then the priest makes his first statement about Athens. Before tḕn megístēn phthoràn hýdasin, "the greatest destruction by waters," the city was arístē for war and eunomōtátē, best governed, a word built from eu and nómos, good and law. The deeds and constitutions are only légontai, "said" to have been the finest, so the claim stays at the level of report.

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