On February 12, 2019, Dr. Levine received an email from a man on behalf of a military equipment collector, asking about an inscription on the haft of an officer’s sword. Accompanying the question were photos of the sword and its inscription. Here are the photos, and below is the solution.
After a few hours of work (the inscription was misspelled and had the words incorrectly divided), Dr. L. found the answer: A quotation from the Odyssey (3.108), where Nestor is telling Telemachus about the heroes who died in the Trojan War: ἔνθα δ᾿ ἔπειτα κατέκταθεν ὅσσοι ἄριστοι·
Ah, friend, since you have reminded me of pain, which in that
country [Troy] we endured, unbowed in might, we sons of Achaians,
as many wanderings with ships on misty sea
as we wandered for the sake of plunder, wherever Achilleus would lead,
and as many struggles as around the great city of lord Priam
we struggled – there then did they perish, such as were best:
there lies warlike Aias, and there Achilleus,
and there Patroklos, like the gods in counsel, and there my own son, both powerful and fearless,
Antilochos, excelling in speed and battle –
ALWAYS REMEMBER: There are always Classics in Our World, because the Classics speak to us through the generations. Classics give us perspective. Classics give us context. Classics are relevant to all people in every age.
Recent Comments