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The form συβαρίζειν is a textual crux in this passage of Aristophanes' Peace. While the majority of manuscripts read συβαρίζειν (to act like a Sybarite, i.e., to indulge in luxury), some editors and scholars have proposed emending it to σιβαρίζειν or analyzing it as a hapax legomenon with a different etymological root, arguing that the context of the play (which satirizes the war and the restoration of peace) might call for a term related to the specific political faction or a different dialectal usage. The standard interpretation, however, treats it as a derivative of Συβάρις, playing on the contemporary reputation of Sybaris as the epitome of decadence, which Aristophanes uses to mock the Tragedy's perceived softness or the Athenian desire for comfort over war.
390.
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†μὴ γένῃ παλίγκοτος ἀντιβολοῦσιν ἡμῖν,†
The text is corrupt at the beginning of the clause; the transmitted reading μὴ γένῃ is metrically impossible in this position and syntactically awkward as a future subjunctive with this specific particle combination in Aristophanic comedy. Editors (e.g., Kock, Thackeray) generally propose a conjecture such as μὴ γένοιτο or μὴ γένησθε to fit the iambic trimeter and restore the sense of a warning against becoming a 'counter-pleader' (παλίγκοτος) who 'meets us' (ἀντιβολοῦσιν). The verb ἀντιβολοῦσιν is plural, yet the subject of the warning (implied 'you') is singular in the transmitted text, creating a number agreement issue that further supports textual corruption.
395.
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εἴ τι Πεισάνδρου βδελύττει τοὺς λόφους καὶ τὰς ὀφρῦς.
The verb βδελύττει (from βδελύττω) is a rare hapax legomenon in Aristophanes and Attic comedy generally, appearing here as a denominative formation from βδέλυγμα ('disgust' or 'offense'). While the root βδελυσ- is common, the specific transitive verbal usage meaning 'to disgust' or 'to offend' with the direct object τοὺς λόφους ('the mounds' or 'the hills') is syntactically and semantically distinctive. The phrase likely alludes to the physical appearance of the hills of Pisanthros (a reference to the character's name, often associated with the 'mounds' of his body or perhaps a specific topographical feature of his hometown) being so repulsive that they cause disgust. The construction βδελύττει + accusative is not the standard pattern for this root, which typically appears in middle/passive forms or with abstract objects, making this a unique syntactic instance of the verb's transitive application to physical topography.
443.
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ἐκ τῶν ὀλεκράνων ἀκίδας ἐξαιρούμενον.
The phrase ἐκ τῶν ὀλεκράνων ἀκίδας ἐξαιρούμενον describes the action of pulling thorns or spikes out of the 'olekranoi'. While ὀλεκράνιον literally means 'elbow' (from ὀλένη + κράνος), in this comic context it is used metaphorically for the 'spurs' or 'thorns' of the shield (or perhaps the shield itself in a grotesque metonymy), creating a visual pun on the physical act of disarming a warrior by removing the protruding spikes that made them dangerous. This usage relies on the audience recognizing the anatomical term being repurposed for a military object, a characteristic Aristophanic device that conflates bodily anatomy with the mechanics of warfare.
536.
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† κόλπου † γυναικῶν διατρεχουσῶν εἰς ἀγρόν,
The transmitted text here is corrupt. The phrase † κόλπου † (genitive of κόλπος, 'bosom' or 'lap') is syntactically incoherent with the participle διατρεχουσῶν ('running through') modifying γυναικῶν ('women'). A running woman does not run 'of the bosom'. Scholars have long recognized this as a textual crux. The most widely accepted conjecture, supported by the context of the play where the chorus of women is fleeing to the fields, is to read ὁλκῶν (genitive of ὁλκός, 'drawing' or 'dragging') or perhaps to emend κόλπου to a word indicating the direction or manner of their flight, such as κολυμβῶν (diving/swimming) in a metaphorical sense, though the exact emendation remains debated. The corruption likely stems from a visual confusion between similar-looking letters in the archetype or a scribal gloss that entered the main text.
547.
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κατέπαρδεν ἄρτι τοῦ ξιφουργοῦ ʼκεινουί.
The phrase τοῦ ξιφουργοῦ refers to the 'sword-maker' or 'armorer,' a term that appears in Aristophanic comedy to denote a specific type of artisan often associated with the chaotic mobilization of the citizenry or the absurdity of war production. In this context, the verb κατέπαρδεν (aorist active indicative of καταπαρδάω, 'to make a pounce upon' or 'to pounce down on') suggests a sudden, predatory action by the subject (likely Hermes or a similar divine figure in the immediate context of the play) against the sword-maker. The construction with the genitive τοῦ ξιφουργοῦ is notable for its directness and the use of the verb in a metaphorical sense, highlighting the dramatic tension between the divine intervention and the human figure of the armorer.
554.
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ὡς ἅπαντʼ ἤδη ʼστὶ μεστὰ τἀνθάδʼ εἰρήνης σαπρᾶς.
The phrase σαπρᾶς εἰρήνης ('rotten peace') is a sharp ironic inversion of the standard heroic or diplomatic ideal of εἰρήνη. Aristophanes uses σαπρός, typically describing decaying food or moral corruption, to characterize the peace as not merely imperfect, but actively putrid and useless, suggesting a peace that has ceased to provide sustenance or order. This lexical choice is deliberate satire, contrasting the audience's expectation of a 'good' peace with the reality of a corrupt settlement.
561.
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ἥπερ ἡμῶν τοὺς λόφους ἀφεῖλε καὶ τὰς Γοργόνας·
The phrase 'τὰς Γοργόνας' functions as a comic hyperbole for the Aeginetans. In the context of the play, Aristophanes is satirizing the Aeginetans' martial reputation and their historical piracy; by equating them with the Gorgons (monstrous female figures whose gaze turned men to stone), the poet suggests they are not merely dangerous enemies but mythical monsters. This identification relies on the specific historical rivalry between Athens and Aegina, where Aegina was often depicted as a thorn in the side of the city, and the 'lophous' (crests of enemies) refers to the spoils of war or the heads of defeated foes. The use of the plural 'Gorgons' rather than a singular is a deliberate rhetorical choice to emphasize the collective threat and the monstrous nature of the Aeginetan fleet.
562.
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εἶθʼ ὅπως Λιταργιοῦμεν οἴκαδʼ ἐς τὰ χωρία,
The verb Λιταργιοῦμεν is a comic neologism coined by Aristophanes, derived from the name of the minor god Litaios (or a corruption of Lityerses, a figure associated with threshing). It functions as a verb meaning 'to thresh' or 'to trample grain,' here used humorously to suggest returning home to thresh grain in the fields, playing on the agricultural context of the play's conclusion. This is a rare example of Aristophanic wordplay where a proper name is verbalized for comic effect.
563.
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ἐμπολήσαντές τι χρηστὸν εἰς ἀγρὸν ταρίχιον.
The phrase ταρίχιον (tarichion) is a diminutive of τάρῑχος (salted fish), here used with a specific comedic effect to describe a meager purchase ('a little salted fish') that the characters have managed to acquire for the farm, contrasting sharply with the grandiose agricultural aspirations implied by the context of the play. This usage highlights the economic desperation of the setting and the triviality of the 'good' (χρηστὸν) they can afford.
