Pseudo-Diocles
9th century CE
trans. B. H. Cowper
1861
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NOTE |
Virtually nothing can be said about the hand behind the Pseudo Diocles Fragmentum, a ninth-century Syriac manuscript telling of the early history of the city of Rome. It is a virtual certainty that the Syriac text translates or adapts a Greek original, though how old that original is remains unclear. The author writes under the name of the third century BCE scholar Diocles of Paparethus, mentioned by Plutarch (Romulus 8) as an authority on early Rome, though he is obviously not this Diocles. The anecdote about Hercules and the discovery of purple can be found in Julian Pollux's Onomasticon (1.45) in the second century CE and John Malalas's Chronicle (2.9) in the sixth. The unusual story about Romulus ("Romāyā" in Syriac) and Remus in the fragment parallels the version given in at the start of Book 7 of Malalas's Chronicle, but it differs markedly in conclusion and context, suggesting a different source or an intentional polemic against the version known to Malalas.
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The Writing of Diocles the Wise
Now there was after the division of tongues in the days of Peleg, a certain man of the sons of Japhet, and he was called Ag'ur (Agenor). This man went up from the east and came and dwelt on the sea shore, and built a city and called the name of it Ge'ur, which, in the Syrian tongue, is called Tyre. And he had three sons, Syrus his first born, Cylicus his second, and Punicus his third. Now Geur, their father, reigned in Tyre 13 years, and when he died he divided the land for his sons, and gave to Punicus, Phœnicia, and to Cylicus, he gave Cilicia, and to Syrus he gave Syria.
And in the time of Punicus was Heracles, a wise man, and a mighty man of strength, for he was a mighty man (or giant). He was amusing himself upon the sea-shore of Tyre, and saw a certain shepherd's dog which had caught a shellfish of the sea, called Conchylium, and was eating it, and the mouth of the dog was dyed with the blood of the shellfish. And Heracles called to him the shepherd of the flock and told him about the dog, and the shepherd at once brought wool and wiped the mouth of the dog with it. And the shepherd made for himself of the wool a wreath and put it on his head. And when the sun shone upon it Heracles saw the wreath of wool that it was very splendid, and was astonished at its beauty, and he took the wreath from the shepherd.
And another day Heracles took the shepherd and the dog, and went to the sea shore, and the dog saw a certain shellfish as he went along, and the dog ran and caught it, and Heracles snatched the shellfish from his mouth, and sent the shepherd to go to his flock. And Heracles walked all day upon the sea shore, and as soon as one of these shellfish came out of the sea, he ran and caught it quickly, and he collected 30 of them, and boiled them over the fire, and dyed white wool with their blood. And he gave it to a certain woman and she made him a robe of it, and he took and brought the garment to Punicus, King of Tyre, and when he saw it he marvelled at its beauty, and commanded that no other man should wear it, except the King alone. Moreover, he gave to Heracles authority to command for him, and wrote that he was the Father of the Kingdom. And this Heracles taught the dyeing of all beautiful colours, and showed and taught men how pearls go up from the sea.
In those days there was a man in the west country and his name was Romias, and he was a mighty man of strength; and in his days there was in the province of Cilicia a certain virgin beautiful of countenance, and she was made a priestess in the temple of Mars (Ares) the God. And when Romias beheld her, he longed for her, and went in unto her, and she conceived by him: and when she perceived that she had conceived by him she was in great fear, and kept herself, lest the priests of Ares the God should be enraged with her and slay her. And when she produced twins, their father took them and gave them to a certain woman, and she reared them. And when the children grew up and became men, their father gave them names, to the one Romlaus and to the other Romus, and they built the city of Rome and [ruled] it, and all their subjects they called Romans, after the name of their father: and for this cause are the sons of Rome called Romans. And they built the Capitol, which is interpreted Head of the City, and it was one of the wonders of the whole earth. And they brought a great image, which was in Hylas, and went up and set it on the top of the Capitol, and it was a great wonder, the like of which was not in the earth. And they built the great demosion which is in Athens, and the Philosophers call it the demosion of Wisdom.
And there happened a quarrel between the two brothers, and Armelaus arose and slew Romus, his brother; and at once the city began to quake. And when the sons of Rome saw that their city quaked, they feared with great fear, and all its inhabitants sought to flee from it. And when Romulus saw that the sons of Rome were in commotion, he entered the temple of the goddess Pythonia, asking her to reveal to him why the city trembled; and she replied, "Because thou didst murder thy brother the city trembles and laments, for he built it with thee, and it will not cease quaking till it sees thy brother sit with thee on the throne of the kingdom, and command, and write, and summon with thee as before." And when this saying was heard in all the city, they met to stone Romlaus with stones, because he slew his brother. And he fled from them and went up to Athens; and when Punitus, the philosopher, heard it, he came and heard the words of Romlaus, and he promised him that if he would write Athens free, that the King of the Romans had no authority over it, he would go to Rome and pacify the sons of the city and their forces. And he confirmed this covenant which he made with him. And Punitus went to Rome, and talked with them, and said to them, "If ye receive your king in peace, this trembling will at once cease from your city, and it will quake no more; but if ye will not receive him, all your city will be destroyed." And at once the sons of Rome all met, and went up after their king to Athens, and when they arrived and came and reached Rome all the city went out to meet him. And they answered and said to him, "If thou knowest that at thy entering our city the quaking will cease from it, come, enter with pomp and glory, and sit on the throne of thy kingdom; but if the trembling does not cease from us, thou shalt not enter." Now he promised them that the quaking should cease from the city. And this philosopher made an image of gold, like his brother, and set it with him upon the throne of his kingdom, and bade them that everything should be done and written as from the mouth of both of them. And they did so, and at once the trembling ceased from their city, and this quaking ceased by the wisdom of this man, and its inhabitants were at peace with their king. Hence the Romans took for a custom to write and command, "We say," "We command." And from that time Athens received its freedom, that the king had no authority over it, to do in it anything by force.
And this Romulus introduced equestrian representations (?) of pleasure, and he introduced gladiators (?) (martios), and he first introduced Veneti and Prasii, because he was afraid of the sons [of the Romans that] they might kill him as he had killed his brother. He first set up two men who were hostile to one another, one from the Veneti and one from the Prasii, and said, 'If the Veneti conspire against me, the Prasii will inform me: and if the Prasii conspire against me, the Veneti will let me know.' He [therefore set] two men before [an assembly] of the city as for pleasure, and clothed one in the Venetian clothing of the sea (i.e. blue) and the other in clothing of Prasian (i.e. green) like the grass of the earth. And he said if the one clothed in Venetian (blue) conquers, the sea will be quiet and the barbarians will not enter and get authority in the islands of the sea, because those who dwell in the sea gain the victory and those who dwell on the dry land are conquered. But if he that is clothed in Prasian (green) conquers, those who dwell in the dry land conquer and defeat those who dwell in the water. And as soon as these two men come together to fight one with another, those who dwelt in the sea prayed that the Venetian might conquer; and those who dwelt on the land, that the Prasian might conquer. And from that time till now there have been these two factions of the kingdom of the Romans, the Venetian and the Prasian.
And Armelaus instituted the Brumalia, because he was a man fond of teaching, and fond of amusement, and fond of youth. And he commanded that, in the days of winter, men should invite one another, and many meeting together with one, and eating and drinking, should take their pleasure. And he ordered that every one of the letters of the alphabet should go in one after another, and every one of them should be invited on its day. And they called them Brumalia, which is interpreted in the Greek tongue, 'let us eat and drink what is others' (a)llotriofa&goi) that is 'for nothing' (gratis).
"And [he instituted the] rank of nobility at Rome: and gave the free born great honour of position and authority, that they might command and be obeyed. And he appointed that there should be heralds in the kingdom of the Romans, ----that is, that there should be ministers in the palace. And he sent to Athens and brought thence Gelasus, and Lathrus, the Philosophers, and he made for them an organ, that they might be amused with sweet sounds. And Armelaus instituted the stadium, and commanded that when the sons of Rome fought at the Capitol, children should be let down by a rope from the top of the Capitol, sitting upon a wheel, and holding out a crown for the kingdom (? to the victor, or a kingly crown), as came down to Nimrod the mighty man a crown, and that the kings should give gifts to these children when they returned and went up. Moreover, he appointed that the Romans should receive spoils (capta), in order that they might be supported all winter; and that in summer they might go forth to war against their enemies.
And he appointed and instituted augurs to convey and bring the response to (of) the Molosii from the hosts. Now the day on which the Romans go forth to war, they call Mars (Martius) which signifies victory. And [Armelaus] made and established at Rome great wonders, and various undertakings, and fair laws, and righteous ordinances. There was not among all the Romans a man who excelled in all knowledge and wisdom like him, or that more honoured those who have understanding. Therefore he was rich in his intellect, so that by its appearance and speech he would discern the evil from the good, and the false from the true. .......
And in the time of Punicus was Heracles, a wise man, and a mighty man of strength, for he was a mighty man (or giant). He was amusing himself upon the sea-shore of Tyre, and saw a certain shepherd's dog which had caught a shellfish of the sea, called Conchylium, and was eating it, and the mouth of the dog was dyed with the blood of the shellfish. And Heracles called to him the shepherd of the flock and told him about the dog, and the shepherd at once brought wool and wiped the mouth of the dog with it. And the shepherd made for himself of the wool a wreath and put it on his head. And when the sun shone upon it Heracles saw the wreath of wool that it was very splendid, and was astonished at its beauty, and he took the wreath from the shepherd.
And another day Heracles took the shepherd and the dog, and went to the sea shore, and the dog saw a certain shellfish as he went along, and the dog ran and caught it, and Heracles snatched the shellfish from his mouth, and sent the shepherd to go to his flock. And Heracles walked all day upon the sea shore, and as soon as one of these shellfish came out of the sea, he ran and caught it quickly, and he collected 30 of them, and boiled them over the fire, and dyed white wool with their blood. And he gave it to a certain woman and she made him a robe of it, and he took and brought the garment to Punicus, King of Tyre, and when he saw it he marvelled at its beauty, and commanded that no other man should wear it, except the King alone. Moreover, he gave to Heracles authority to command for him, and wrote that he was the Father of the Kingdom. And this Heracles taught the dyeing of all beautiful colours, and showed and taught men how pearls go up from the sea.
In those days there was a man in the west country and his name was Romias, and he was a mighty man of strength; and in his days there was in the province of Cilicia a certain virgin beautiful of countenance, and she was made a priestess in the temple of Mars (Ares) the God. And when Romias beheld her, he longed for her, and went in unto her, and she conceived by him: and when she perceived that she had conceived by him she was in great fear, and kept herself, lest the priests of Ares the God should be enraged with her and slay her. And when she produced twins, their father took them and gave them to a certain woman, and she reared them. And when the children grew up and became men, their father gave them names, to the one Romlaus and to the other Romus, and they built the city of Rome and [ruled] it, and all their subjects they called Romans, after the name of their father: and for this cause are the sons of Rome called Romans. And they built the Capitol, which is interpreted Head of the City, and it was one of the wonders of the whole earth. And they brought a great image, which was in Hylas, and went up and set it on the top of the Capitol, and it was a great wonder, the like of which was not in the earth. And they built the great demosion which is in Athens, and the Philosophers call it the demosion of Wisdom.
And there happened a quarrel between the two brothers, and Armelaus arose and slew Romus, his brother; and at once the city began to quake. And when the sons of Rome saw that their city quaked, they feared with great fear, and all its inhabitants sought to flee from it. And when Romulus saw that the sons of Rome were in commotion, he entered the temple of the goddess Pythonia, asking her to reveal to him why the city trembled; and she replied, "Because thou didst murder thy brother the city trembles and laments, for he built it with thee, and it will not cease quaking till it sees thy brother sit with thee on the throne of the kingdom, and command, and write, and summon with thee as before." And when this saying was heard in all the city, they met to stone Romlaus with stones, because he slew his brother. And he fled from them and went up to Athens; and when Punitus, the philosopher, heard it, he came and heard the words of Romlaus, and he promised him that if he would write Athens free, that the King of the Romans had no authority over it, he would go to Rome and pacify the sons of the city and their forces. And he confirmed this covenant which he made with him. And Punitus went to Rome, and talked with them, and said to them, "If ye receive your king in peace, this trembling will at once cease from your city, and it will quake no more; but if ye will not receive him, all your city will be destroyed." And at once the sons of Rome all met, and went up after their king to Athens, and when they arrived and came and reached Rome all the city went out to meet him. And they answered and said to him, "If thou knowest that at thy entering our city the quaking will cease from it, come, enter with pomp and glory, and sit on the throne of thy kingdom; but if the trembling does not cease from us, thou shalt not enter." Now he promised them that the quaking should cease from the city. And this philosopher made an image of gold, like his brother, and set it with him upon the throne of his kingdom, and bade them that everything should be done and written as from the mouth of both of them. And they did so, and at once the trembling ceased from their city, and this quaking ceased by the wisdom of this man, and its inhabitants were at peace with their king. Hence the Romans took for a custom to write and command, "We say," "We command." And from that time Athens received its freedom, that the king had no authority over it, to do in it anything by force.
And this Romulus introduced equestrian representations (?) of pleasure, and he introduced gladiators (?) (martios), and he first introduced Veneti and Prasii, because he was afraid of the sons [of the Romans that] they might kill him as he had killed his brother. He first set up two men who were hostile to one another, one from the Veneti and one from the Prasii, and said, 'If the Veneti conspire against me, the Prasii will inform me: and if the Prasii conspire against me, the Veneti will let me know.' He [therefore set] two men before [an assembly] of the city as for pleasure, and clothed one in the Venetian clothing of the sea (i.e. blue) and the other in clothing of Prasian (i.e. green) like the grass of the earth. And he said if the one clothed in Venetian (blue) conquers, the sea will be quiet and the barbarians will not enter and get authority in the islands of the sea, because those who dwell in the sea gain the victory and those who dwell on the dry land are conquered. But if he that is clothed in Prasian (green) conquers, those who dwell in the dry land conquer and defeat those who dwell in the water. And as soon as these two men come together to fight one with another, those who dwelt in the sea prayed that the Venetian might conquer; and those who dwelt on the land, that the Prasian might conquer. And from that time till now there have been these two factions of the kingdom of the Romans, the Venetian and the Prasian.
And Armelaus instituted the Brumalia, because he was a man fond of teaching, and fond of amusement, and fond of youth. And he commanded that, in the days of winter, men should invite one another, and many meeting together with one, and eating and drinking, should take their pleasure. And he ordered that every one of the letters of the alphabet should go in one after another, and every one of them should be invited on its day. And they called them Brumalia, which is interpreted in the Greek tongue, 'let us eat and drink what is others' (a)llotriofa&goi) that is 'for nothing' (gratis).
"And [he instituted the] rank of nobility at Rome: and gave the free born great honour of position and authority, that they might command and be obeyed. And he appointed that there should be heralds in the kingdom of the Romans, ----that is, that there should be ministers in the palace. And he sent to Athens and brought thence Gelasus, and Lathrus, the Philosophers, and he made for them an organ, that they might be amused with sweet sounds. And Armelaus instituted the stadium, and commanded that when the sons of Rome fought at the Capitol, children should be let down by a rope from the top of the Capitol, sitting upon a wheel, and holding out a crown for the kingdom (? to the victor, or a kingly crown), as came down to Nimrod the mighty man a crown, and that the kings should give gifts to these children when they returned and went up. Moreover, he appointed that the Romans should receive spoils (capta), in order that they might be supported all winter; and that in summer they might go forth to war against their enemies.
And he appointed and instituted augurs to convey and bring the response to (of) the Molosii from the hosts. Now the day on which the Romans go forth to war, they call Mars (Martius) which signifies victory. And [Armelaus] made and established at Rome great wonders, and various undertakings, and fair laws, and righteous ordinances. There was not among all the Romans a man who excelled in all knowledge and wisdom like him, or that more honoured those who have understanding. Therefore he was rich in his intellect, so that by its appearance and speech he would discern the evil from the good, and the false from the true. .......
Source: B. H. Cowper, Syriac Miscellanies (London: Williams & Norgate, 1861), 48-53.
