Were They Or Weren't They? Patrochilles and 5th century Athens

Gender and sexuality are constructs defined by the society that created them, and there are considerable differences between what ancient Greeks (and later, Romans) believed was queer identity in comparison to our modern ones. It is important to be careful when assigning a modern label or orientation to a person from an ancient culture, and in many cases, it can be dangerous to do so, as it can warp our understanding of the person in question. For example, whereas it is universally known that Sappho transcended heteronormative identity and behavior patterns, people often argue whether Sappho was a lesbian or bisexual, when the reality is that she was simultaneously neither and both, and would not have easily fit into any modern term.

This conflict of identification also existed in ancient times. One of the most obvious examples of this is “Patrochilles,” the relationship between Trojan War veterans Achilles and Patroclus. In Athens during the 5^th century BCE, the prevalent model of same sex relationships was one with an imbalance of power, not of equality. Because they did not understand that Homeric culture would have different concept of the spectrum of gender and sexuality, many Athenians were baffled by the Achilles / Patroclus relationship. This couple did not easily fit into the Athenian model; Patroclus was older of the two, but politically inferior, while Achilles was top-tier socially, but younger than Patroclus. An entire section of Plato’s Symposium was dedicated to the discussion on which of the two was the dominant lover (180a).  Plato’s contemporary, the orator Aeschines, however, argued the opposite. Since the couple did not fit the contemporary model, their relationship must not be romantic, but merely a friendship (In Timarchum 1.142:[Homerus] cum multis locis Patrocli & Achillis meminerit: amorem & Cognomentum amicitiae illorum dissimulat cum insignem illam benevolentiam eruditis auditoribus esse conspicuam existimet, translated into Latin by Jerome Oporinus, 1553). It is clear from this and other contemporary treatments of the Achilles / Patroclus relationship that ancient Athenians struggled with understanding how interpersonal relationships were influenced by the culture they exist in.

One of the ways that LGBT Meets SPQR tries to counteract this difficulty is by using overlapping labels. The blog readily acknowledges that one ancient person or myth might simultaneously fit into multiple conflicting modern identities. Modern labels are provided in the tag section to help sort material into topics of interest, but it is important to remember that ancient people would use their own spectrum and not ours.

M/M: Two Hearts Melting into One, Synesius 152

A Christian Author Using Plato’s Myth of Soulmates

Name:   Synesius of Cyrene Date:   373 – 414 CE Region:   Cyrene [modern Libya] Citation:     Letter 151

Plato’s imagery of soulmates had such a strong impact on Greco-Roman literature that seven hundred years later, a Christian bishop used it to describe his relationship with Pylaemenes.

 

When I put my arms around you,  Pylaemenes, I feel like my soul is embracing your soul. I can’t express in words how much my heart gushes on and on about you, and I can’t even understand the depths of my feelings for you. But one person can—Plato the Athenian, the relationship expert, in his book on Love [Symposium]. He cleverly researched and eloquently described what a person in love wants to happen when they find their soulmate. Therefore, let Plato’s words count as mine: he said that a soulmate would want Vulcan to melt them both down and fuse them together, creating one person out of two.

 

Οΐου με περιπτύσσεσθαι Πυλαιμένην, αὐτὴν τὴν ψυχήν, αὐτῇ τῇ ψυχῇ. Ἀπορῶ λόγων οἷς ἐκχέοιτο ὅσον ἐστὶ τῆς γνώμης μου τὸ βουλόμενον. μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ αὐτό μου τὸ πάθος, ὅ τί ποτέ ἐστι τὸ περὶ σέ μου τῆς ψυχῆς ἐξευρίσκω. Ἐγένετο δὲ τις ἀνὴρ δεινὸς τὰ ἐρωτικὰ, Πλάτων ὁ ̓Αρίστωνος Ἀθηναῖος, εὔπορος εὑρεῖν εὔκολος εἰπεῖν ἐραστοῦ φύσιν, καὶ δὴ καὶ ὅ τι αὐτῷ γενέσθαι περὶ τὰ παιδικὰ βούλεται. καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ τοίνυν ἐξευρηκώς τε ἔστω καὶ εἰρηκώς. Βούλοιτ ἂν οὖν φησὶ, Ηφαίστου τέχνῃ συντακῆναί τε καὶ συμφυῆναι, καὶ ἔν ἄμφω γενέσθαι.

Pylaemenem me puta, ipsum animum animo ipso complecti. Desunt mihi verba quibus quanta est voluntatis animi mei vis effundatur, vel potius ne ipse quidem affectus cuiusmodi erga te in animo meo insit, invenio. Sed homo quidam exstitit amatoriarum rerum peritus, Plato Aristonis filius Atheniensis in amatoris natura, eoque quod circa delicias suas sibi accidere vellet, inveniendo solers, in explicando disertus ac facilis. Quare is pro me istud et inveniat et dicat. Vellet igitur, ait ille, Vulcani quadam arte colliquari et coalescere, unumque ex ambobus effici. Translated into Latin by Jacques-Paul Migne

Synesius of Cyrene [373 – 414 CE, modern Libya] was a Greek writer and statesman from Cyrene. He is known as one of Hypatia’s most famous students. His education took him to both Alexandria, Egypt and Athens, Greece; he spent many years in Constantinople advocating on behalf of his community. His letters are still extant, and provide us with unique insights into this time period.

Freeing A Friend: Phaedo of Elis, Aulius Gellius 2.18.1-5

 

Name: Aulus Gellius  Date: 125 – 180 CE Region:  Rome [modern Italy] Citation:  Athenian Nights 2.18.1-5

Socrates' circle of friends included people of multiple social classes, including Phaedo.

Phaedo of Elis was one of Socrates’ circle, who was close to both Socrates and Plato (Plato even named one of his books after him). Yet Phaedo was a slave, with beauty and a freeborn person’s mind, and as some people allege, was driven to serve as a prostitute. At Socrates’ urging, Cebes (another one in Socrates’ circle) bought him and enrolled him into philosophical training. And thus Phaedo became a famous philosopher, and his books are read even today.

 1 Phaedon Elidensis ex cohorte illa Socratica fuit Socratique et Platoni per fuit familiaris. 2 Eius nomini Plato librum illum divinum de immortalitate animae dedit. 3 Is Phaedon servus fuit forma atque ingenio liberali et, ut quidam scripserunt, a lenone domino puer ad merendum coactus. 4 Eum Cebes Socraticus hortante Socrate emisse dicitur habuisseque in philosophiae disciplinis. 5 Atque is postea philosophus inlustris fuit, sermonesque eius de Socrate admodum elegantes leguntur.  

 

Aulus Gellius [125 – 180 CE] lived during the 2nd century CE. His work, the Attic Nights, are a collection of anecdotes about literature, history, and grammar.  From internal evidence, we can deduce that he was in the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius’ social circle, having close friendships with Herodes Atticus and Fronto.

Two Bodies, One Mind United In Love and Friendship: Lucian, Toxaris 62

 

Two Bodies, One Mind United in Love and Friendship

Name: Lucian Date: 125 – 180 CE Region: [modern Turkey] Citation:  Toxaris, or Friendship 62

Lucian uses imagery from the myth of soulmates in Plato's Symposium in his dialogue Toxaris.  In this dialogue, the Scythian Toxaris and the Greek Mnesippus discuss their own culture's perspectives and beliefs on friendship. The dialogue ends with the following speech, which unites the two in a bond of love and friendship.  

 

You know how you seem to think that friendship is great?

Well, I too think that there is nothing else better or more beautiful than friendship!

So why not unite ourselves together as friends?

We can both be winners!

From this day forward, we can love one another forever, and both of us can receive the greatest benefits from it. 

Instead of one tongue and one right hand, we can now have two!

We now can have four eyes and four feet and everything else is doubled, too!

You know how authors depicted Geryon, a person with six hands and three heads? Well, that’s how it goes when two (or even three!) friends come together, doing everything together synchronously, divinely united in friendship! 

ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ σὺ φιλίαν ἐπαινεῖν ἔδοξας, ἐγὼ δὲ οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἡγοῦμαι ἀνθρώποις εἶναι τούτου κτῆμα ἄμεινον ἢ κάλλιον, τί οὐχὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς συνθέμενοι πρὸς ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς φίλοι τε αὐτόθεν εἶναι καὶ εἰσαεὶ ἔσεσθαι ἀγαπῶμεν ἄμφω νικήσαντες, τὰ μέγιστα ἆθλα προσλαβόντες, ἀντὶ μιᾶς γλώττης καὶ μιᾶς δεξιᾶς δύο ἑκάτερος ἐπικτησάμενοι καὶ προσέτι γε καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς τέτταρας καὶ πόδας τέτταρας καὶ ὅλως διπλᾶ πάντα ;

Aut si hoc crudele, quando tu amicitiam admirari visus es: ego nihilo secius puto, nullam esse mortalibus possessionem hac praestantiorem neque pulchriorem: quin ipsi quoque; in unum copulati, illud approbamus: ut ex hoc die in totam usque vitam simus amici, utrique, victores, utrique maximis potiti praemiis: videlicet pro unica lingua, unaque dextra, binas uterque habituri, atque insuper oculos quoque quaternos, pedesque quaternos,

τοιοῦτόν τι γάρ ἐστι συνελθόντες δύο ἢ τρεῖς φίλοι, ὁποῖον τὸν Γηρυόνην οἱ γραφεῖς ἐνδείκνυνται, ἄνθρωπον ἑξάχειρα καὶ τρικέφαλον ἐμοὶ γὰρ δοκεῖν, τρεῖς ἐκεῖνοι ἦσαν ἅμα πράττοντες πάντα, ὥσπερ ἐστὶ δίκαιον φίλους γε ὄντας.

in summa, duplicia omnia eiusmodi namque quiddam est: cum duo tresque copulantur amici, qualem Geryonem scriptores depingunt, senis manibus, ternisque capitibus hominem. Siquidem (ut mea fert opinio) tres illi fuerunt, qui communiter omnia gererent: ut dignum est his, qui amicitia coniuncti sunt.  Translated into Latin by Desiderius Erasmus

Lucian [Lucianus Samosatensis; 125 – 180 CE, modern Turkey] was a Roman satirist from Samosata [modern Turkey] who wrote in ancient Greek. His works are a mixture of sarcasm, wit, and biting social criticism. He is without a doubt one of the most popular authors of the later Roman empire.

M/M: A Lost Soul, Missed by All...and Loved By Me, Plato, Greek Anthology 7.99

Name: Plato Date: 428 BCE – 348 BCE Region: Athens [modern Greece] Citation:  Greek Anthology 7.99

The Fates spun a life of tears

For Hecuba* and the wives of Troy

The minute they were born.

But in your case, Dion**,

after you had completed your accomplishments & achievements,

They dashed all of your hopes and dreams.

And now you lie revered throughout your bustling country,

O Dion, you who have burned my soul with love.

 

* Hecuba (Hekabe) was the Queen of Troy during the Trojan War

** This is Dion of Syracuse

δάκρυα μὲν Ἑκάβῃ τε καὶ Ἰλιάδεσσι γυναιξὶ

Μοῖραι ἐπέκλωσαν δή ποτε γεινομέναις:

σοὶ δέ, Δίων, ῥέξαντι καλῶν ἐπινίκον ἔργων

δαίμονες εὐρείας ἐλπίδας ἐξέχεαν:

κεῖσαι δ᾽ εὐρυχόρῳ ἐν πατρίδι τίμιος ἀστοῖς,

ὦ ἐμὸν ἐκμήνας θυμὸν ἔρωτι Δίων.

Lacrimas quidem Hecubaeque et Iliacis matronis

Parcae neverunt* olim modo nascentibus;

tibi autem, Dio, postquam-confecisti pulchrorum triumphum factorum

dii amplas spes effuderunt.

Iaces vero lata in patria honoratus civibus,

o meus vehementius-qui-incendisti-animum amore Dio.

 

*neo, -ere: to spin

 Translated into Latin by Hugo Grottius

 

Plato [428 BCE – 348 BCE, modern Greece] was an Athenian philosopher who is considered one of the most influential minds of Greek thought. Using his predecessor Socrates as his mouthpiece, he composed a number of philosophical dialogues that explored various ethical, philosophical, and moral concepts. He was the founder of the Athenian Academy, and was the mentor of the famous philosopher Aristotle.

M/M: You are my Shining Star: an Epigram Attributed to Plato

Kisses and the Stars

Name: Plato Date: 428 BCE – 348 BCE Region: Athens [modern Greece] Citation:  Florilegium Graeciae 3.28

My star watches the stars.

If only I were the heavens,

I could watch you with many eyes.

Kisses and the Stars

ἀστέρας εἰσάθρεῖς, ἀστήρ ἐμὸς. εἴθε γενοίμην οὐρανός ὥς πολλοῖς ὄμμασιν εἰς σε βλέπω.

Stella vides coeli stellas meus, o ego coelum si sim, quo te oculis pluribus aspiciam. Translated into Latin by Hugh Grotius

 

Plato [428 BCE – 348 BCE, modern Greece] was an Athenian philosopher who is considered one of the most influential minds of Greek thought. Using his predecessor Socrates as his mouthpiece, he composed a number of philosophical dialogues that explored various ethical, philosophical, and moral concepts. He was the founder of the Athenian Academy, and was the mentor of the famous philosopher Aristotle.

In Praise of Sappho: Greek Anthology 9.66 & 9.506

Antipater of Sidon (ix.66):

When Mnemosyne heard Sappho's sweet voice, 

she wondered if there were a tenth Muse.

Mnemosyne Sapphus* audit dum carmina, dixit,

unde novem Musis additur una soror?

 

Μναμοσύναν ἕλε θάμβος, ὅτ᾽ ἔκλυε τᾶς μελιφώνου

Σαπφοῦς, μὴ δεκάταν Μοῦσαν ἔχουσι βροτοί.

Plato (ix.506): 

They say there are nine Muses: nope!

Sappho of Lesbos is the tenth!

Novem Musas dicunt quidam: quam negligenter!

ecce et Sappho e Lexbo decima.

ἐννέα τὰς Μούσας φασίν τινες: ὡς ὀλιγώρως:

ἠνίδε καὶ Σαπφὼ Λεσβόθεν ἡ δεκάτη.

--Antipater of Sidon, Greek Anthology ix.66 and Plato, Greek Anthology ix.506; translated into Latin by Friedrich Duebner, 1872

 Antipater of Sidon was a Greek poet who lived during the 2nd century BCE.  Little is known about him, and only a handful of his poetry was preserved in the Greek Anthology.

M/M: To Die for Love: Achilles and Patroclus, Plato, Symp. 179e–180a

Name: Plato Date: 428 BCE – 348 BCE Region: Athens [modern Greece] Citation:  Symposium 179e-180a

[The gods] honor Thetis' son Achilles, and sent him to the Isles of the Blessed because when he heard from his mother that if he killed Hector it would bring about his death, but if he didn't he would return to his homeland and die an old man. Achilles boldly chose to fight on behalf of his lover Patroclus and avenge his death, and not only die for him, but also be killed once his lover was slain. Indeed the gods loved Achilles even more for this act, and honored him with notable glory because he acted in such a way on behalf of his lover.

οὐχ ὥσπερ Ἀχιλλέα τὸν τῆς Θέτιδος ὑὸν ἐτίμησαν καὶ εἰς μακάρων νήσους ἀπέπεμψαν, ὅτι πεπυσμένος παρὰ τῆς μητρὸς ὡς ἀποθανοῖτο ἀποκτείνας Ἕκτορα, μὴ ποιήσας δὲ τοῦτο οἴκαδε ἐλθὼν γηραιὸς τελευτήσοι, ἐτόλμησεν ἑλέσθαι βοηθήσας τῷ ἐραστῇ Πατρόκλῳ καὶ τιμωρήσας οὐ μόνον ὑπεραποθανεῖν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπαποθανεῖν τετελευτηκότι: ὅθεν δὴ καὶ ὑπεραγασθέντες οἱ θεοὶ διαφερόντως αὐτὸν ἐτίμησαν, ὅτι τὸν ἐραστὴν οὕτω περὶ πολλοῦ ἐποιεῖτο.

Achillem autem Thetidis filium honorarunt, et in beatorum insulas miserunt, quia cum accepisset a matre, si Hectorem occidisset, statim sibi moriendum fore: sin minus, in patriam se rediturum, et senem denique, moriturum, audacter elegit pro Patroclo amatore suo pugnare, eiusque mortem ulcisi, nec pro illo mori solum, sed et perempto illo interfici. Quod quidem magnopere probantes dii, insigni eum gloria decorarunt, quia tanti amatorem suum fecisset. 

 Translated from Greek into Latin by Marcilio Ficino 1592

Plato [428 BCE – 348 BCE, modern Greece] was an Athenian philosopher who is considered one of the most influential minds of Greek thought. Using his predecessor Socrates as his mouthpiece, he composed a number of philosophical dialogues that explored various ethical, philosophical, and moral concepts. He was the founder of the Athenian Academy, and was the mentor of the famous philosopher Aristotle.

Soulmates, Celestial Bodies, and The Origin of Love: Aristophanes' Speech in Plato's Symposium (Symp.189ff)

Name: Plato Date: 428 BCE – 348 BCE Region: Athens [modern Greece] Citation:  Symposium 189d – 191b

It’s really important to learn about the early nature of mankind and what happened to them. For it did not used to be what it is now, but rather it was far different.

In the beginning, there were three types of people, not just the two we have now (male and female); there was also a third type, a mix of both. Nowadays, only its name remains (androgynous), but back then it was as the name implies, a mixture of male and female.

Furthermore, these humans were round in shape, having round backs and sides. They had four hands, four legs, and two faces conjoined at the neck, and were completely symmetrical. They had one head, with both faces turned in opposite directions.

This is the reason there were three types of people: the masculine type was born from the Sun; the feminine type was born from the Earth; and the third type was born from the moon (for the moon shares properties of both. [1])

Like their heavenly parents, people were spherical in both form and motion. For this reason, they had both strong bodies and powerful wills. In fact, they attempted to contend with the gods, and ascend the heavens the same way that Homer describes the feats of Ephialtes and Otis.

Therefore, Zeus assembled the other gods together and deliberated on what to do. There was a great discussion on options, since he found that they could not simply kill off humanity, as he had done with the Giants. They realized that if the human race was destroyed, their worship would end. On the other hand, he reckoned that such insolence should not be allowed to go on unchecked.

Finally, Zeus explained his plan. He said, “I have found a way that humans can still exist, but yet become more modest. This will happen if they become weaker. I will divide each and every one of them into two. Then they will become weaker, and there will be twice as many to worship us. From now on, they will walk upright on two legs. But if they again seem to become arrogant, I will cut them in half again, and they will be forced to hop forward on one foot.”

Having said this, he divided them in two, like how we cut eggs with a thread. And then he ordered Apollo to heal them and turn their faces and necks towards the part that was cut, so that upon looking at the wound they would become more modest. Apollo immediately turned their faces forward, and pulled together the skin in the middle of the stomach that we now call the navel.

From then on, the nature of mankind has been divided in such a way that when each one yearned to find their other half, they ran around each other, embracing one another and trying to fuse together again.

 

[1] The moon emits no light of its own, like the earth, but also resembles the sun because is a heavenly body that shines.

ἡ γὰρ πάλαι ἡμῶν φύσις οὐχ αὑτὴ ἦν ἥπερ νῦν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀλλοία. πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ τρία ἦν τὰ γένη τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οὐχ ὥσπερ νῦν δύο, ἄρρεν καὶ θῆλυ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τρίτον προσῆν κοινὸν ὂν ἀμφοτέρων τούτων, οὗ νῦν ὄνομα λοιπόν, αὐτὸ δὲ ἠφάνισται: ἀνδρόγυνον γὰρ ἓν τότε μὲν ἦν καὶ εἶδος καὶ ὄνομα ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων κοινὸν τοῦ τε ἄρρενος καὶ θήλεος…. ἔπειτα ὅλον ἦν ἑκάστου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ εἶδος στρογγύλον, νῶτον καὶ πλευρὰς κύκλῳ ἔχον, χεῖρας δὲ τέτταρας εἶχε, καὶ σκέλη τὰ ἴσα ταῖς χερσίν, καὶ πρόσωπα δύ᾽ ἐπ᾽ αὐχένι κυκλοτερεῖ, ὅμοια πάντῃ: κεφαλὴν δ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀμφοτέροις τοῖς προσώποις ἐναντίοις κειμένοις μίαν, ... ἦν δὲ διὰ ταῦτα τρία τὰ γένη καὶ τοιαῦτα, ὅτι τὸ μὲν ἄρρεν ἦν τοῦ ἡλίου τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔκγονον, τὸ δὲ θῆλυ τῆς γῆς, τὸ δὲ ἀμφοτέρων μετέχον τῆς σελήνης, ὅτι καὶ ἡ σελήνη ἀμφοτέρων μετέχει: περιφερῆ δὲ δὴ ἦν καὶ αὐτὰ καὶ ἡ

Oportet in primis qualis hominum quondam natura fuerit, quaeve illius passiones, perdiscere. Neque enim qualis nunc est, olim erat, sed longe diversa. Principio tria hominum erant genera non solum quae nunc duo, mas & femina, verum etiam tertium quoddam aderat ex utrisque compositum. Cuius solum nobis restat nomen ipsum periit, Androgynum, quippe tunc erat, et specie et nomine, ex maris et feminae sexu commixtum... Praeterea tota cuiusque hominis species erat rotunda, dorsum & latera circum habens, manus quatuor, totidemque, crura, vultus item duos tereti cervice connexos, et omnino consimiles. Caput utrique vultibus contra versis, unum... Ob hanc vero causam tria genera et talia erant, quia masculum Sole genitum erat. Femina, Terra; promiscuum denique

πορεία αὐτῶν διὰ τὸ τοῖς γονεῦσιν ὅμοια εἶναι. ἦν οὖν τὴν ἰσχὺν δεινὰ καὶ τὴν ῥώμην, καὶ τὰ φρονήματα μεγάλα εἶχον, ἐπεχείρησαν δὲ τοῖς θεοῖς, καὶ ὃ λέγει Ὅμηρος περὶ Ἐφιάλτου τε καὶ Ὤτου, περὶ ἐκείνων λέγεται, τὸ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνάβασιν ἐπιχειρεῖν ποιεῖν, ὡς ἐπιθησομένων τοῖς θεοῖς. ὁ οὖν Ζεὺς καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι θεοὶ ἐβουλεύοντο ὅτι χρὴ αὐτοὺς ποιῆσαι, καὶ ἠπόρουν: οὔτε γὰρ ὅπως ἀποκτείναιεν εἶχον καὶ ὥσπερ τοὺς γίγαντας κεραυνώσαντες τὸ γένος ἀφανίσαιεν—αἱ τιμαὶ γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἱερὰ τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἠφανίζετο— οὔτε ὅπως ἐῷεν ἀσελγαίνειν. μόγις δὴ ὁ Ζεὺς ἐννοήσας λέγει ὅτι ‘δοκῶ μοι,’ ἔφη, ‘ἔχειν μηχανήν, ὡς ἂν εἶέν τε ἅνθρωποι καὶ παύσαιντο τῆς ἀκολασίας ἀσθενέστεροι γενόμενοι. νῦν μὲν γὰρ αὐτούς, ἔφη, διατεμῶ δίχα ἕκαστον, καὶ ἅμα μὲν ἀσθενέστεροι ἔσονται, ἅμα δὲ χρησιμώτεροι ἡμῖν διὰ τὸ πλείους τὸν ἀριθμὸν γεγονέναι: καὶ βαδιοῦνται ὀρθοὶ ἐπὶ δυοῖν σκελοῖν. ἐὰν δ᾽ ἔτι δοκῶσιν ἀσελγαίνειν καὶ μὴ 'θέλωσιν ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν, πάλιν αὖ, ἔφη, τεμῶ δίχα, ὥστ᾽ ἐφ᾽ ἑνὸς πορεύσονται σκέλους

Luna. Utriusque enim luna est particeps. Spherica vero erant et figura, et motu, quia parentum similia. Unde et robusto corpore et elato animo erant. Quare cum diis pugnare temptabant, et in caelum ascendere quemadmodum de Ephialto & Oto scribit Homerus. Jupiter igitur unaque dii ceteri quid agendum esset consultaverunt. Qua in re non parva inerat ambiguitas. Nam neque quomodo eos interficerent, reperiebat, ne eorum sicuti Gigantum, fulminando genus delerent: extincto enim hominum genere, humanus deorum cultus veneratioque periret, neque in tanta insolentia perseverare illos permittendum censebat. Tandem sententiam Jupiter suam explicuit. “Inveni,” inquit, “qua ratione fieri possit, ut & sint homines, & modestiores sint. Idque erit, si imbecilliores fiant. Unumquenque nunc duas in partes dividam. Ex quo et debiliores erunt, et nobis etiam magis id conducit. Numero siquidem plures erunt qui nos colent. Recti duobus cruribus ibunt. Quod si rursus impie insurgere videantur, iterum in duo secabo, ut unico crure nixi,

ἀσκωλιάζοντες.’ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἔτεμνε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους δίχα, ὥσπερ οἱ τὰ ὄα τέμνοντες καὶ μέλλοντες ταριχεύειν, ἢ ὥσπερ οἱ τὰ ᾠὰ ταῖς θριξίν: ὅντινα δὲ τέμοι, τὸν Ἀπόλλω ἐκέλευεν τό τε πρόσωπον μεταστρέφειν καὶ τὸ τοῦ αὐχένος ἥμισυ πρὸς τὴν τομήν, ἵνα θεώμενος τὴν αὑτοῦ τμῆσιν κοσμιώτερος εἴη ὁ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ τἆλλα ἰᾶσθαι ἐκέλευεν. ὁ δὲ τό τε πρόσωπον μετέστρεφε, καὶ συνέλκων πανταχόθεν τὸ δέρμα ἐπὶ τὴν γαστέρα νῦν καλουμένην, ὥσπερ τὰ σύσπαστα βαλλάντια, ἓν στόμα ποιῶν ἀπέδει κατὰ μέσην τὴν γαστέρα, ὃ δὴ τὸν ὀμφαλὸν καλοῦσι.  ἐπειδὴ οὖν ἡ φύσις δίχα ἐτμήθη, ποθοῦν ἕκαστον τὸ ἥμισυ τὸ αὑτοῦ συνῄει, καὶ περιβάλλοντες τὰς χεῖρας καὶ συμπλεκόμενοι ἀλλήλοις, ἐπιθυμοῦντες συμφῦναι, ἀπέθνῃσκον ὑπὸ λιμοῦ καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἀργίας διὰ τὸ μηδὲν ἐθέλειν χωρὶς ἀλλήλων ποιεῖν.

utpote claudi, saltare cogantur.” Haec fatus bifariam partitus est singulos, instar eorum qui ova dividunt, ut sale condiant, vel qui capillis ova secant. Mandavitque Apollini, ut partitione statim facta, cuiusque vultum cervicisque dimidium in eam partem qua sectus est, verteret, ut scissionem sua considerans modestior fieret, reliquis autem mederit iussit. Ille continuo vultum vertit, et contrahens undique cutem in eum qui nunc venter vocatur, tanquam contracta marsupia et os unum faciens, medio in ventre ligavit... Postquam natura hominum ita divisa fuit, cum quisque dimidium sui agnitum cuperet, inter se concurrebant, circumiactisque brachiis se invicem complectebantur, conflari unum affectantes. Translated into Latin by Marsilio Ficino

Plato [428 BCE – 348 BCE, modern Greece] was an Athenian philosopher who is considered one of the most influential minds of Greek thought. Using his predecessor Socrates as his mouthpiece, he composed a number of philosophical dialogues that explored various ethical, philosophical, and moral concepts. He was the founder of the Athenian Academy, and was the mentor of the famous philosopher Aristotle.