Lucian, Anacharsis, ed. Austin Morris Harmon, 34

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Σόλων

οὐ ταῦτα ἔφασαν, ὦ Ἀνάχαρσι, Θρᾳκῶν τε ὅσοι μετʼ Εὐμόλπου ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς ἐστράτευσαν καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες ὑμῶν αἱ μετὰ Ἱππολύτης ἐλάσασαι ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν οὐδὲ οἱ ἄλλοι ὅσοι ἡμῶν ἐν ὅπλοις ἐπειράθησαν. ἡμεῖς γάρ, ὦ μακάριε, οὐκ ἐπείπερ οὕτω γυμνὰ τὰ σώματα ἐκπονοῦμεν τῶν νέων, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἄνοπλα ἐξάγομεν ἐπὶ τοὺς κινδύνους, ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὰν καθʼ αὑτοὺς ἄριστοι γένωνται, ἀσκοῦνται τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο σὺν τοῖς ὅπλοις, καὶ πολὺ ἄμεινον χρήσαιντʼ ἂν αὐτοῖς οὕτω διακείμενοι.

Ἀνάχαρσις

καὶ ποῦ τοῦτο ὑμῖν ἐστι τὸ γυμνάσιον τὸ ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις; οὐ γὰρ εἶδον ἔγωγε ἐν τῇ πόλει τοιοῦτον οὐδέν, ἅπασαν αὐτὴν ἐν κύκλῳ περιελθών.

Σόλων

ἀλλὰ ἴδοις ἄν, ὦ Ἀνάχαρσι, ἐπὶ πλέον ἡμῖν συνδιατρίψας, καὶ ὅπλα ἑκάστῳ μάλα πολλά, οἷς χρώμεθα ὁπόταν ἀναγκαῖον ᾖ, καὶ λόφους καὶ φάλαρα καὶ ἵππους, καὶ ἱππέας σχεδὸν τὸ τέταρτον τῶν πολιτῶν. τὸ μέντοι ὁπλοφορεῖν ἀεὶ καὶ ἀκινάκην παρεζῶσθαι περιττὸν ἐν εἰρήνῃ οἰόμεθα εἶναι, καὶ πρόστιμόν γʼ ἔστιν, ὅστις ἐν ἄστει σιδηροφοροίη μηδὲν δέον ἢ ὅπλα ἐξενέγκοι¹ εἰς τὸ δημόσιον. ὑμεῖς δὲ συγγνωστοὶ ἐν ὅπλοις ἀεὶ βιοῦντες· τό τε γὰρ ἐν ἀφράκτῳ οἰκεῖν ῥᾴδιον εἰς ἐπιβουλήν, καὶ οἱ πόλεμοι² μάλα πολλοί, καὶ ἄδηλον ὁπότε τις ἐπιστὰς κοιμώμενον κατασπάσας ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμάξης φονεύσειεν· ἥ τε πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀπιστία, αὐθαιρέτως καὶ μὴ ἐν νόμῳ συμπολιτευομένων, ἀναγκαῖον ἀεὶ τὸν σίδηρον ποιεῖ, ὡς πλησίον εἶναι ἀμυνοῦντα, εἴ τις βιάζοιτο.

Anacharsis. Lucian. ed. Austin Morris Harmon. Medford, MA. Perseus 4.0.

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Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities; Harvard Library Arcadia Fund; Google Digital Humanities Awards Program.

Current edition Perseus

Ἀνάχαρσις ἢ Περὶ Γυμνασίων (Greek) (Lucian, Vol. 4. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1925 (printing).)

Translations (2)

Anacharsis, or Athletics Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 4. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1925 (printing).) — 34 focus

[34]

SOLON

The Thracians who campaigned against us with Eumolpus did not say so, Anacharsis, nor your women who marched against the. city with Hippolyta,¹ nor any others who have tested us under arms. It does not follow, my unsophisticated friend, that because our young men’s bodies are thus naked while we are developing them, they are therefore undefended by armour when we lead them out into dangers. When they become efficient in themselves, they are then trained with arms and can make far better use of them because they are so well conditioned.

ANACHARSIS

Where do you do this training under arms? I have not seen anything of the sort in the city, though I have gone all about the whole of it.

SOLON

But you would see it, Anacharsis, if you should stop with us longer, and also arms for every man in great quantity, which we use when it is necessary, and crests and trappings and horses, and cavalrymen amounting to nearly a fourth of our citizens. But to bear arms always and carry a dirk at one’s belt is, we think, superfluous in time of peace; in fact, there is a penalty prescribed for anyone who carries weapons unnecessarily within the city limits or brings armour out into a public place. As for your people, you may be pardoned for always living under arms. Your dwelling in unfortified places makes it easy to attack you, and your wars are very numerous, and nobody knows when someone may come upon him asleep, drag him down from his wagon, and kill him. Besides, your distrust of one another, inasmuch as your relations with each other are adjusted by individual caprice and not by law, makes steel always necessary, so as to be at hand for defence if anyone should use violence.

Anacharsis, a Discussion of Physical Training Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 3. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 34 focus

[34]

Solon

Ah, Anacharsis, the Thracians who invaded us with Eumolpus told another tale; so did your women who assailed Athens with Hippolyta; so every one who has met us in the field. My dear sir, it does not follow from our exercising our youths without arms that we expose them in the same condition to the real thing; the independent bodily development once complete, training in arms follows; and to this they come much the fitter for their previous work.

Anacharsis

Where is your military gymnasium, then? I have been all over Athens, and seen no sign of it.

Solon

But if you stay longer you will find that every man has arms enough, for use at the proper time; you will see our plumes and horse-trappings, our horses and horsemen; these last amounting to a quarter of our citizens. But to carry arms and be girded with scimetars we consider unnecessary in peace time; indeed there is a fine for going armed in town without due cause, or producing weapons in public. You of course may be pardoned for living in arms. The want of walls gives conspiracy its chance; you have many enemies; you never know when somebody may come upon you in your sleep, pull you out of your cart, and dispatch you. And then, in the mutual distrust inseparable from an independence that recognizes no law or constitution, the sword must be always at hand to repel violence.

Notes on the current edition

Ἀνάχαρσις ἢ Περὶ Γυμνασίων

1. ἐξενέγκοι vulg.: ἐξενέγκῃ MSS.

2. πολέμιοι du Soul. But the allusion is to the tribal struggles so familiar to readers of Horace. Cf. Herod. 4, 65.

Lucian Anacharsis 34

ed. Austin Morris Harmon

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Ἀνάχαρσις

καὶ ποῦ τοῦτο ὑμῖν ἐστι τὸ γυμνάσιον τὸ ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις; οὐ γὰρ εἶδον ἔγωγε ἐν τῇ πόλει τοιοῦτον οὐδέν, ἅπασαν αὐτὴν ἐν κύκλῳ περιελθών.

Current edition Perseus

SOLON

ANACHARSIS

SOLON

Solon

Anacharsis

Solon

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Ἀνάχαρσις καὶ ποῦ τοῦτο ὑμῖν ἐστι τὸ γυμνάσιον τὸ ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις; οὐ γὰρ εἶδον ἔγωγε ἐν τῇ πόλει τοιοῦτον οὐδέν, ἅπασαν αὐτὴν ἐν κύκλῳ περιελθών.

Current edition Perseus

SOLON

ANACHARSIS

SOLON

Solon

Anacharsis

Solon

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Ἀνάχαρσις

καὶ ποῦ τοῦτο ὑμῖν ἐστι τὸ γυμνάσιον τὸ ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις; οὐ γὰρ εἶδον ἔγωγε ἐν τῇ πόλει τοιοῦτον οὐδέν, ἅπασαν αὐτὴν ἐν κύκλῳ περιελθών.