Stephanos of Byzantium - Ethnika
Borysthenes: a city and river of the Pontos by the Maiotic lake and the river Tanais. So too the Hellespont was called before Helle. It is a Greek city toward the west, a colony of Milesians, which others Borysthenes but they themselves Olbia. It is formed by the Borysthenes and the Hypanis. The citizen Borysthenites, and the feminine Borysthenitis, not from the city but from the river. It wants to have the diphthong 'ei' in the penult. For from the nominative in 'os' the derivation in 'ites' exceeds by one syllable, as 'topos' 'topites', Kanopites Adonis in Parthenios. But 'Ietes' from 'Ios' because of the 'i' was expressed with 'e'; and from the genitive 'Askalonos' 'Askalonites', 'Heleos' 'Heleites' and 'Heleites' the one dwelling in Helos, 'Oreos' 'Oreites' and 'Oreites'. So it ought to have been Borystheneites too with the diphthong; for it is not like 'temenites' nor 'herkites'. For these are not from the genitive but from the nominative in 'os' and reasonably have the 'i'; but 'Borysthenes' does not end in 'os'. What then shall we say? That it followed the more common form with 'i'. For those with the diphthong are few, 'Zeleites' 'Samareites' 'Dikaiarcheites' 'Maroneites'.
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.
Βορυσθένης, πόλις καὶ ποταμὸς τοῦ Πόντου παρὰ τὴν Μαιῶτιν λίμνην καὶ Τάναϊν τὸν ποταμόν. οὕτως καὶ ὁ Ἑλλήσποντος πρὸ τῆς Ἕλλης ἐκαλεῖτο. ἔστι δὲ πόλις Ἑλληνὶς πρὸς ἑσπέραν, Μιλησίων ἀποικία, ἣν οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι Βορυσθένην αὐτοὶ δὲ Ὀλβίαν. ἣν ποιοῦσιν ὅ τε Βορυσθένης καὶ Ὕπανις. ὁ πολίτης Βορυσθενίτης, καὶ τὸ θηλυκὸν Βορυσθενῖτις, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως, ἀλλ´ ἀπὸ τοῦ ποτ…
…ς. καὶ τὰ εἰς 'νης' παραληγόμενα τῷ 'ρ'. Βαστάρνης ἔθνος ὑπὲρ τὸν Ἴστρον οἰκοῦν. καὶ τὰ εἰς 'ης' Περσικὰ πάντα, Ἀρταφέρνης, Ἰνταφέρνης. * Τὰ διὰ τοῦ 'ενης' κύρια βαρύνονται, Δημοσθένης, Διογένης, Ἀντιγένης, Ἀριστομένης, Βορυσθένης πόλις καὶ ποταμὸς τοῦ Πόντου παρὰ τὴν Μαιῶτιν λίμνην καὶ Τάναϊν τὸν ποταμόν. οὕτως καὶ ὁ Ἑλλήσποντος πρὸ τῆς Ἕλλης ἐκαλεῖτο. ἔστι δὲ καὶ πόλις Ἑλληνὶς πρὸς ἑσπέραν Βορυσθένου τοῦ ποταμοῦ, Μιλησίων ἄποικος, ἣν οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι Βορυσθένην, αὐτοὶ δὲ Ὀλβίαν. κεῖται δ´ ἐν νήσῳ, ἣν ποιοῦσιν ὅ τε Βορυσθένης καὶ Ὕπανις. ἀμένης ἀμένητος τὸ παιδίον διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν…
…θη διὰ τοῦ « η »· καὶ ἀπὸ γενικῆς Ἀσκάλωνος Ἀσκαλωνίτης, Ἕλεος Ἑλεΐτης καὶ Ἑλείτης ὁ τὸ Ἕλος οἰκῶν, Ὠρεός Ὠρεΐτης καὶ Ὠρείτης. ἔδει οὖν καὶ Βορυσθενείτης διὰ διφθόγγου· οὐ γὰρ ὅμοιον τῷ τεμενίτης οὐδὲ τῷ ἑρκίτης. οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς γενικῆς ἀλλ´ ἀπὸ τῆς εἰς « ος » εὐθείας ταῦτα καὶ εἰκότως ἔχει τὸ « ι »· τὸ δὲ Βορυσθένης οὐκ εἰς « ος » λήγει. τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν; ὅτι ἠκολούθησε τῷ πλείονι χαρακτῆρι διὰ τοῦ « ι ». τὰ γὰρ διὰ διφθόγγου ὀλίγα, Ζελείτης Σαμαρείτης Δικαιαρχε…
…τῆς ἐχόντων. τὸ ἕως καὶ ἀνταποδοτικὸν τὸ τέως πρωτότυπά ἐστι καὶ οὐχ ὡς τὰ λοιπὰ παρῆκται. τὸ ὥς παρ´ εὐθεῖαν γέγονε τὸ ὅς, ὅθεν καὶ ὀξύνεται καὶ συνετέθη καθώς. καὶ τὸ οὕτως καὶ τὸ αὕτως βαρύνεται. οὐκ ἔστι δὲ τὸ οὕτως ἀπὸ τῆς γενικῆς, ἀλλ´ ἀπὸ εὐθείας γίνεται. εἰ γὰρ ἀπὸ γενικῆς, ὤφειλεν εἶναι τούτως. καὶ ὅτε μὲν ἐπιφέρεται σύμφωνον, ἐξέρχεται τὸ 'ς'. ὅτε δὲ φωνῆεν, φυλάττεται τὸ 'ς'. ἔστι δὲ οὕτως ἀναλογώτερον τοῦ οὕτω· ἐπειδὴ τὰ ἀπὸ τριγενῶν ὀνομάτων γινόμε…