Stephanos of Byzantium - Ethnika
Asty: the city in general. But it differs, in that it denotes the built structure, while 'polis' also the citizens. "It was called 'asty'", as Philochoros in the first of the Atthis, "because those formerly living as nomads and scattered then came together and stood from their wandering in common dwellings, whence they have not removed. The Athenians first of all others settled towns and cities". The citizen 'astos' and 'aste', and 'aston'. From 'astos' 'astites'. Sophokles in the Alexandros: "for ordinances do not befit townsmen ". And "that a herdsman should defeat townsmen. What of it?" Hence also in common usage 'proastites'. For it is not from 'proastion'; for that would be 'proastieus' as 'Doulichieus', or 'proastios' as 'Byzantios'. For so also the feminine is found, 'proastia ge' in the Phrixos of Sophokles: "boundaries of the road of this suburban land". From the genitive 'asteos' 'asteios', which is contrasted with 'agroikos', and 'asteizo' and 'asteismos'. A deme too is called 'asty', as Eratosthenes in the Erigone: "and she, when she came to the fair seat of Thorikos...." That Thorikos is a deme is clear. There is also a village near Kanobos by Alexandreia. The ethnonym the same. That Alexandreia too was called 'asty' has been said.
External translation supplied by Brady Kiesling; reported Claude Fable 5.5 translation. Credit: Brady Kiesling and the Stephanos project (Greg Baker, Gabriel Jower, Greta Hawes, Brady Kiesling). Not individually verified; exact Greek input not supplied.
Stephanos excerpt (left) is aligned with matched Herodian passages (right). Colors indicate corresponding overlap spans.
Ἄστυ, ἡ κοινῶς πόλις. διαφέρει δέ, ὅτι τὸ μὲν κτίσμα δηλοῖ ἡ δὲ πόλις καὶ τοὺς πολίτας. “ἐκλήθη δὲ ἄστυ” ὡς Φιλόχορος ἐν αʹ τῆς Ἀτθίδος “διὰ τὸ πρότερον νομάδας καὶ σποράδην ζῶντας τότε συνελθεῖν καὶ στῆναι ἐκ τῆς πλάνης εἰς τὰς κοινὰς οἰκήσεις, ὅθεν οὐ μετανεστήκασιν. Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ πρῶτοι τῶν ἄλλων ἄστη καὶ πόλεις ᾤκησαν”. ὁ πολίτης ἀστός καὶ ἀστή, καὶ ἀστόν. ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀστός τὸ ἀστίτης. Σοφοκλῆς Ἀλεξάνδρῳ “οὐ γάρ τι θεσμὰ τοῖσιν ἀστίταις πρέπει”. καί “βοτῆρα νικᾶν ἄνδρας ἀστίτας. τί γάρ;” ἐντεῦθεν καὶ τὸ ἐν τῇ συνηθείᾳ προαστίτης. οὐ γὰρ …
…ν. Τὰ δὲ εἰς 'ι' ἐπιθετικὰ ὁμοτονεῖ τοῖς ἀρσενικοῖς, λειπόπατρις λειπόπατρι, φυγόπολις φυγόπολι, φιλόπατρις φιλόπατρι, εὔχαρις εὔχαρι. Τὰ εἰς 'υ' μονογενῆ ὑπὲρ μίαν συλλαβὴν βαρύνεται, δόρυ, γόνυ, μέθυ, δάκρυ, πῶϋ, ἄστυ—ἐκλήθη δὲ ἄστυ, ὡς Φιλόχορος ἐν αʹ τῆς Ἀτθίδος »διὰ τὸ πρότερον νομάδας καὶ σποράδην ζῶντας τότε συνελθεῖν καὶ στῆναι ἐκ τῆς πλάνης εἰς τὰς κοινὰς οἰκήσεις, ὅθεν οὐ μετανεστήκασιν. Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ πρῶτοι τῶν ἄλλων ἄστη καὶ πόλεις ᾤκησαν«. λέγεται ἄστυ καὶ ὁ δῆμος, ὡς Ἐρατοσθένης ἐν Ἠριγόνῃ »ἡ δ´ ὅτε δὴ Θορικοῦ καλὸν ἵκανεν ἕδος....« ὅτι δὲ δῆμος Θορικός δῆλον. ἔστι καὶ κώμη πλησίον Κανώβου παρὰ τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν—νᾶπυ τὸ σίνηπι, κόνδυ, κάχρυ, φῖτυ τὸ φίτ…
…ὲ πρῶτοι τῶν ἄλλων ἄστη καὶ πόλεις ᾤκησαν”. ὁ πολίτης ἀστός καὶ ἀστή, καὶ ἀστόν. ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀστός τὸ ἀστίτης. Σοφοκλῆς Ἀλεξάνδρῳ “οὐ γάρ τι θεσμὰ τοῖσιν ἀστίταις πρέπει”. καί “βοτῆρα νικᾶν ἄνδρας ἀστίτας. τί γάρ;” ἐντεῦθεν καὶ τὸ ἐν τῇ συνηθείᾳ προαστίτης. οὐ γὰρ παρὰ τὸ προάστιον· ἦν γὰρ προαστιεύς ὡς Δουλιχιεύς, ἢ προάστιος ὡς Βυζάντιος. οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τὸ θηλυκὸν εὑρίσκεται προαστία γῆ ἐν Φρίξῳ Σοφοκλέους “ὅρια κελεύθου τῆσδε γῆς προαστίας”. ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς ἄστεος …
…αιμόνιοι τὸν οἰκογενῆ δοῦλον καλοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ Ἀθηναῖοι οἰκότριβά φασι, σημαίνει δὲ καὶ εἶδος αἰσχρᾶς καὶ ἀπρεποῦς ὀρχήσεως, Ὄθων, Μάθων ὁ Θηβαῖος, πίθων ὁ πίθηκος ὑποκοριστικῶς, Ῥίνθων, αἴθων, ῥώθων, κώθων εἶδος ποτηρίου καὶ τὸ ἐν τῇ συνηθείᾳ ἐφ´ ὕβρει λεγόμενον καὶ νῆσος οὐ πόρρω Κυθήρων. Ἀρτεμίδωρος. μάλθων ὁ μαλθακός. Πύθων ὁ δράκων.