Stephanos of Byzantium - Ethnika
Argyra: metropolis of the island Taprobane in India, which is 'island of barley'; for it is most fertile and produces very much gold. The ethnonym Argyrites or Argyrenos; for both types are customary.
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.
Ἀργυρᾶ, μητρόπολις [τῆς] ἐν Ἰνδικῇ Ταπροβάνης νήσου, ὅ ἐστι κριθῆς νήσου· καὶ γὰρ εὐφορωτάτη ἐστὶ καὶ πλεῖστον ποιεῖ χρυσόν. τὸ ἐθνικὸν Ἀργυρίτης ἢ Ἀργυρηνός· ἀμφότεροι γὰρ οἱ τύποι συνήθεις.
…ός σοφή, καλός καλή, φίλος φίλη. τὸ μέντοι βαρύτερος βαρυτέρα καὶ τὰ ὅμοια, εἰ καὶ τὸν τόπον ἐνήλλαξαν, ἀλλ´ οὐ τὸν τόνον. Τὰ εἰς 'α' μακρὸν καὶ εἰς 'η' τῶν εἰς 'ους' περισπωμένων περισπᾶται ἀργυροῦς ἀργυρᾶ, ἔστι δὲ καὶ μητρόπολις τῆς ἐν Ἰνδικῇ Ταπροβάνης νήσου. χρυσοῦς χρυσῆ, διπλοῦς διπλῆ. Τὰ ἔχοντα τὸ 'α' βραχὺ διὰ τοῦ 'τρια' προπαροξύνεται, αὐλήτρια, ψάλτρια, ποιήτρια, μεσήτρια, ὁδηγήτρια, ὀρχήστρια, μαθήτρια, λεκάστρια ἡ πόρνη. Ἐρέτρια πόλις Εὐβοίας. Ὅμηρος »Χαλκίδα τ´ Ἐρ…