Plato, Timaeus 24b · 24b

Warriors, shields and spears

Critias — τῶν γεωργῶν. καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸ μάχιμον γένος ᾔσθησαί που τῇδε ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν γενῶν κεχωρισμένον, οἷς οὐδὲν ἄλλο πλὴν τὰ περὶ τὸν πόλεμον ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου προσετάχθη μέλειν· ἔτι δὲ ἡ τῆς ὁπλίσεως αὐτῶν σχέσις ἀσπίδων καὶ δοράτων, οἷς ἡμεῖς πρῶτοι τῶν περὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν ὡπλίσμεθα, τῆς θεοῦ καθάπερ ἐν ἐκείνοις τοῖς τόποις παρʼ ὑμῖν πρώτοις ἐνδειξαμένης. τὸ δʼ αὖ περὶ τῆς φρονήσεως, ὁρᾷς που τὸν νόμον τῇδε ὅσην ἐπιμέλειαν ἐποιήσατο εὐθὺς κατʼ ἀρχὰς περί τε

the farmers. And then the fighting class: you have surely noticed here that it is kept apart from all the other classes, and the law ordered its members to care about nothing except what concerns war. Their equipment, moreover, is shields and spears, with which we were the first of the peoples around Asia to be armed, the goddess having shown the use of them first to you in those regions. And as for wisdom, you see how much care the law here took, right from the beginning, about both

Word by word

Critias

τῶνtônof theγεωργῶνgeōrgônfarmers.καὶkaìandδὴdḕindeedκαὶkaìalsoτὸtòtheμάχιμονmáchimonfightingγένοςgénosclassᾔσθησαίḗisthēsaíyou have noticedπουpousurelyτῇδεtêidehereἀπὸapòfromπάντωνpántōnallτῶνtôntheγενῶνgenônclassesκεχωρισμένονkechōrisménonkept apart,οἷςhoîswhoοὐδὲνoudènnothingἄλλοálloelseπλὴνplḕnexceptτὰtàthe thingsπερὶperìaboutτὸνtòn—πόλεμονpólemonwarὑπὸhypòbyτοῦtoûtheνόμουnómoulawπροσετάχθηprosetáchthēorderedμέλεινméleinto care·ἔτιétimoreoverδὲdè—ἡhētheτῆςtês—ὁπλίσεωςhoplíseōsarmingαὐτῶνautôntheirσχέσιςschésisstyleἀσπίδωνaspídōnshieldsκαὶkaìandδοράτωνdorátōnspears,οἷςhoîswith whichἡμεῖςhēmeîsweπρῶτοιprôtoifirstτῶνtônof thoseπερὶperìaroundτὴνtḕn—ἈσίανAsíanAsiaὡπλίσμεθαhōplísmethahave been armed,τῆςtêstheθεοῦtheoûgoddessκαθάπερkatháperjust asἐνeninἐκείνοιςekeínoisthoseτοῖςtoîs—τόποιςtópoisplacesπαρʼparʼamongὑμῖνhymînyouπρώτοιςprṓtoisfirstἐνδειξαμένηςendeixaménēshaving shown.τὸtò—δʼdʼandαὖaûagainπερὶperìaboutτῆςtês—φρονήσεωςphronḗseōswisdom,ὁρᾷςhorâisyou seeπουpousurelyτὸνtòntheνόμονnómonlawτῇδεtêidehereὅσηνhósēnhow muchἐπιμέλειανepiméleiancareἐποιήσατοepoiḗsatotookεὐθὺςeuthỳsrightκατʼkatʼfromἀρχὰςarchàsthe beginningπερίperíaboutτεteboth

The setting

The list of classes ends with farmers and moves to the warriors, who are kept apart and trained for war alone. Their shields and spears were taught first to the Athenians by the goddess, and the law of the city is praised for its care for wisdom.

A note on this passage

The warriors are the machimon genos, "fighting class," and the participle kechōrismenon, "kept apart," repeats the separation that was said of the priests with aphōrismenon. The law gave them a single concern, ta peri ton polemon, "the things about war," and the Greek denies them everything else with one ouden allo plēn, "nothing else except." The priest says hēmeis, "we," for the Egyptians, and claims they were the first around Asia to take up shield and spear, while the goddess had shown the same arms first to the Athenians. The verb is the perfect hōplismetha, "we have been armed."

The last sentence turns from arms to wisdom. phronēsis is practical good sense, and the priest asks Solon to see hosēn epimeleian, "how much attention," the law paid to it from the first, kat' archas. The sentence is cut here by the section break and runs on, with peri te, "about both," waiting for its first object.

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