Dying words...

[Steve]

Does anyone know the Ancient Greek translation of Alexander's last words "to the strongest"?Thanks

[ancientlibrary]

"Chratisto"
(Chi-rho-ALPHA-tau-iota-sigma-tau-omega, with
an iota-subscript)

[marcus]

I thought it was Kappa at the beginning - as in "Kratistos".All the bestMarcus

[ancientlibrary]

Of course you're right. I'll slink off now.

[ancientlibrary]

And the accent's on the penult, of course. So
let's just repeat for those keeping track at home:to kratistotau-OMEGA (w/iota subscript) (space)
kappa-rho-alpha-tau-IOTA-sigma-tau-omega
(w/iota subscript)However, it's quite possible he *said* Chratisto.
He was a very sick man, and sick men aspirate
and slur. So, technically, you see, I was right.

[xxx]

ha to kratisto.It also translates 'to the best man,' but 'to the strongest' is more colorful.

[ancientlibrary]

Okay, I'm going to try to redeem myself by giving
this a more complete treatment.
(1) "ha to aristo"? What's the "ha"? Modern
Greek "na"? Not "sto"? (I'm a Modern Greek
idiot, and only have the Kaktos edition up to
book four.)
(2) Arrian writes (7.26.4):
Hoi de kai tade anegrapsan, eresthai men tous
hetairous auton hoto ten basileian apoleipei,
ton de hupokrinasthai oti to kratisto."But others wrote that his companions asked
him to whom he was leaving his kingdom, and
he replied 'to the strongest.'"
(3) Diodorus writes (18.1.4):
Houtos en Babuloni metallattwn ton bion, kata
ten eschaten anapnoen erotetheis hupo ton
philon tini ten basileian apoleitei, eipen to
aristo."For when he was in Babylon dying*, at his final
breath he was asked by his friends to whom he
was leaving the kingdom, he relied 'to the best'"
(to aristo)
(4) Justin writes (12.16):
Quum deficere eum amici viderent, quaerunt,
quem imperii faciat heredem. Respondit,
dignissimum."When his friends saw him dying, they asked,
whom he would make the heir of his power. He
responded 'to the most worthy.'"
(5) Curtius writes (10.5.5):
Quaerentibusque his cui relinqueret regnum,
respondit, ei qui esset optimus."To those asking to whom he would leave his
kingdom, he responded, to him who was the
best."
(6) Funny, the Loeb of Curtius says that
Diodorus says "to kratisto." I don't see anything
in the apparatus of Diodorus but, again, I just
have the Loeb. Perseus is down.
(7) (Griping) It's irritating to lack sources. In my
current situation, my personal library is pretty
much it. Hence, Loebs, stray
commentaries (anyone have a question on
Arrian's middle books?), old school editions,
Penguins. What other sources
that have this scene?
*metalasso, primary meaning "to exchange," but
used as "to exchange by leaving." Liddell and
Scott gives m- ton bion as something Isocrates
used, and others. It would take some tracking
down to see whether it's a euphemism that's
"worn down" its euphemistic qualities (like "she
passed away," which doesn't really imply a
belief that the deceased has "moved," eg., to a
better place) or whether Diodorus is implying
Alexander's death was something of a
"passage."

[xxx]

But the more important point being, it is unlikely he said these words at all. I'll let you explain that one

[marcus]

That's a reasonable explanation! "Ch-ratisto?" query his generals. "Shurely Shome Mishtake?"Marcus