Stephanos of Byzantium - Ethnika
Plataiai: a city of Boiotia. Homer in the singular: "those who held Plataia". But Eudoxos in the fifth of the Circuit of the Earth in the plural, Plataiai.... because of having the tombs and trophies of brave men, who freed Greece and enslaved the royal army. Herodian, making the plural oxytone because of the of number, judges: "if however it changes the number, it also changes the accent". It is named from the blade of the oar, as Apollodoros in the first of the Catalogue: "when Boiotia had turned to marsh, the Boiotians dwelling by the lakes travelled to one another by boat. Whence from the blade and the oar the cities were named". The citizens Plataieis, and by Attic contraction 'Plataias'. And Plataiatis the feminine and Plataiis. There is also an island before Libya; its citizens Plateieis. And the land Plataike. One must make the primitive singular proparoxytone, Plataia, as 'Lilaia' Histiaia Dikaia. The adverb from the place Plataiothen and to the place Plataiaze.
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.
…α ἐλευθερωσάντων καὶ τὸ βασίλειον στράτευμα δουλωσάντων. τὸ πληθυντικὸν ὀξύνων Ἡρωδιανὸς διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ [μεταβολὴν] ἐπικρίνει “εἰ μέντοι μεταβάλλει τὸν ἀριθμόν, καὶ τὸν τόνον μεταβάλλει”. κέκληται δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς πλάτης τῆς κώπης, ὡς Ἀπολλόδωρος πρώτῳ τοῦ καταλόγου “ἐκλιμνωθείσης τῆς Βοιωτίας τοὺς παροικοῦντας ταῖς λίμναις Βοιωτοὺς πλῷ πορεύεσθαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους. ὅθεν παρὰ τὴν πλάτην καὶ τὴν κώπην τὰς πόλεις κληθῆναι”. οἱ πολῖται Πλαταιεῖς, καὶ κατὰ συναίρεσιν ἀττικὴν τοὺς Πλαταιᾶς. καὶ Πλαταιᾶτις τὸ θηλυκὸν καὶ Πλαταιίς. ἔστι καὶ νῆσος πρὸ τῆς Λιβύης· ταύτης οἱ πολῖται Πλατειεῖς. καὶ ἡ χώρα Πλαταϊκή. δεῖ δὲ τὸ πρωτότυπον ἑνικὸν προ…
… (Β 504). Εὔδοξος δὲ εʹ γῆς περιόδου πληθυντικῶς Πλαταιάς.... δὲ διὰ τὸ τάφους καὶ τρόπαια ἀνδρῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔχειν, τῶν τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἐλευθερωσάντων καὶ τὸ βασίλειον στράτευμα δουλωσάντων. κέκληται δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς πλάτης καθὰ Κῶπαι τῆς κώπης, ὡς Ἀπολλόδωρος πρώτῳ τοῦ καταλόγου «ἐκλιμνωθείσης τῆς Βοιωτίας τοὺς παροικοῦντας ταῖς λίμναις Βοιωτοὺς πλῷ πορεύεσθαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους. ὅθεν παρὰ τὴν πλάτην καὶ τὴν κώπην τὰς πόλεις κληθῆναι». δεῖ δὲ τὸ πρωτότυπον ἑνικὸν προπαροξύνειν Πλάταιαν ὡς Λίλαιαν, Ἱστίαιαν, Δίκαιαν. εἰ μέντοι μεταβάλλει τὸν ἀριθμόν, καὶ τὸν τόνον μεταβάλλει. Τὰ εἰς 'α' συνεσταλμένον μονογενῆ ὑπὲρ δύο συλλαβὰς παραληγόμενα τῇ 'ει' δι…