Stephanos of Byzantium - Ethnika
Boiotia: alone of Greece it has its inhabitants reaching to three seas, some turned toward the Peloponnese and the Sicilian and Adriatic gulf, others toward Egypt and Cyprus and the other islands, others toward the Euripos and the sea of Macedonia and Thessaly. They say Boiotos was born of Itonos son of Amphiktyon, the younger in his generation of the children of Deukalion and Pyrrha. Nikostratos says he was a son of Poseidon and Arne. Euphorion: "that he might prophesy among the sons of Boiotos, whom Arne, overcome by Poseidon, bore and named Boiotos. For so the herdsmen called him, because she laid him away in the dung of her father's cows." And Euripides: "and him who was cast among the cows to call Boiotos". Kastor the land was so called from the cow that guided Kadmos. Some, as the Boiotians being not too quick in their minds. It was called Aonia and Messapia and Ogygia. And Kadmeis, as Thucydides. Ephoros says that the Athenians have busied themselves with naval power, the Thessalians with cavalry skill, the Boiotians with attention to gymnastics, the Kyrenaians with the science of chariot-driving. But we with good order in laws. There is also Boiotia in Thrace. The ethnonym alike Boiotos. Also said Boiotios and Boiotia, from which the proverb 'Boiotian sow', and Boiotis. And Boiotidion from Boiotios. Aristophanes in the Acharnians: "O hail, loaf-eating little Boiotian". And the verb: "you learned to boiotize".
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.
… Σικελικὸν καὶ Ἀδριατικὸν κόλπον, τοὺς δὲ πρὸς Αἴγυπτόν τε καὶ Κύπρον καὶ τὰς ἄλλας νήσους, τοὺς δὲ πρὸς τὸν Εὔριπον καὶ Μακεδονίας καὶ Θεσσαλίας θάλασσαν. γενέσθαι δέ φασι Βοιωτὸν Ἰτώνου τοῦ Ἀμφικτύονος, τοῦ κατ´ αὐτὸν νεωτέρου τῶν Δευκαλίωνος καὶ Πύρρας παίδων. Νικόστρατος δέ φησιν ὅτι Ποσειδῶνος καὶ Ἄρνης ἦν παῖς. Εὐφορίων ὄφρα κε μαντεύοιτο μεθ´ υἱάσι Βοιωτοῖο, τόν ῥα Ποσειδάωνι δαμασσαμένη τέκεν Ἄρνη, Βοιωτὸν δ´ ὀνόμηνε. τὸ γὰρ καλέσαντο νομῆες, ὅττι ῥα πατρῴῃσι βοῶν ἀπεθήκατο κόπροις. καὶ Εὐριπίδης “τὸν δ´ ἀμφὶ βοῦς ῥιφέντα Βοιωτὸν καλεῖν”. Κάστωρ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς καθηγησαμένης Κάδμῳ βοὸς λεχθῆναι τὴν χώραν οὕτω. τινὲς δ´ ὡς οὐκ ὄντας ταῖς διανοίαις τοὺς Βοιωτοὺς ἄγαν εὐκινήτους. ἐκαλεῖτο δὲ Ἀονία καὶ Μεσσαπία καὶ Ὠγυγία. καὶ Καδμηίς, ὡς Θουκυδίδης. Ἔφορος δέ …
…αὶ ποταμὸς προπαροξύνεται ὑπερβαῖνον τὴν τρισυλλαβίαν. Τὰ εἰς 'τος' τρισύλλαβα παραληγόμενα τῷ 'ω' ὀξύνεται, πτερωτός, τορνωτός, χρυσωτός, αὐλωτός, κηρωτός, κροκωτός, Βοιωτός, ὃν γενέσθαι φασὶ Ἰτώνου τοῦ Ἀμφικτύονος τοῦ νεωτέρου τῶν Δευκαλίωνος καὶ Πύρρας παίδων. Νικόστρατος δέ φησιν, ὅτι Ποσειδῶνος καὶ Ἄρνης ἦν παῖς. Εὐφορίων ὄφρα κε μαντεύοιτο μεθ´ υἱάσι Βοιωτοῖο, τόν ῥα Ποσειδάωνι δαμασσαμένη τέκεν Ἄρνη, Βοιωτὸν δ´ ὀνόμηνε. τὸ γὰρ καλέσαντο νομῆες, ὅττι ῥα πατρῴῃσι βοῶν ἀπεθήκατο κόπροις. καὶ Εὐριπίδης «τὸν δ´ ἀμφὶ βοῦς ῥιφέντα Βοιωτὸν καλεῖν». τὸ ἐθνικὸν ὅμοιον Βοιωτός. Ἀποδωτός ἔθνος Αἰτωλίας. Θουκυδίδης τρίτῃ (c. 94) «ἐπιχειρεῖν δ´ ἐκέλευον πρῶτον μὲν Ἀποδωτοῖς, ἔπειτα Ὀφιονεῦσιν». Ἀραχωτός ποταμὸς Ἰνδικῆς ῥέων ἀπὸ Καυκάσου, ὡς Φαβωρῖνος καὶ Στράβων ἑνδεκ…
… περὶ τὴν διφρευτικὴν ἐπιστήμην ἠσχόληνται. ἡμεῖς δὲ περὶ τὴν τῶν νόμων εὐταξίαν. ἔστι δὲ καὶ Βοιωτία ἐν Θρᾴκῃ. τὸ ἐθνικὸν ὅμοιον Βοιωτός. λέγεται καὶ Βοιώτιος καὶ Βοιωτία, ἀφ´ οὗ ἡ παροιμία Βοιωτία ὗς, καὶ Βοιωτίς. καὶ Βοιωτίδιον ἐκ Βοιώτιος. Ἀριστοφάνης Ἀχαρνεῦσιν “ὦ χαῖρε κολλικοφάγε Βοιωτίδιον”. καὶ ῥῆμα “βοιωτιάζειν ἔμαθες”.
τῷ ἀράχνιον· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ὑποκοριστικόν, ἀλλ´ ἀπὸ ῥήματος ἐσχημάτισται. Τὰ διὰ τοῦ 'διον' ἀπὸ παραγωγῆς ἔχοντα τὸ 'δ' προπαροξύνεται, μύδιον, βοτρύδιον, ἰχθύδιον, σικύδιον, ὀφρύδιον, πιτύδιον, ὀσφύδιον. Βοιωτίδιον ἐκ Βοιώτιος. Ἀριστοφάνης Ἀχαρνεῦσιν (v. 872) »ὦ χαῖρε κολλικοφάγε Βοιωτίδιον. κῴδιον, βοΐδιον, βιβλίδιον, ὀΐδιον καὶ ἐν συναιρέσει οἴδιον, ζῴδιον, στῴδιον, καλώδιον, φυσείδιον, λεξείδιον, γῄδιον, κλινήδιον, πορνήδιον. τὸ δὲ παιδίον, κλειδίον, δᾳδίον τὸ 'δ' οὐκ ἔχει ἐκ παραγωγῆς. τὸ δὲ δορκάδιον, ἀσ…