2 Ath. 1.30f
Ἀρχίλοχος τὸν Νάξιον τῷ νέκταρι παραβάλλει (fr. 290)· ὃς καί πού φησιν·
ἐν δορὶ μέν μοι μᾶζα μεμαγμένη, ἐν δορὶ δ᾿ οἶνος Ἰσμαρικός· πίνω δ᾿ ἐν δορὶ κεκλιμένος.
3 Plut. Theseus 5.2–3
οἱ δ᾿ Ἄβαντες ἐκείραντο πρῶτοι τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον . . . ὄντες πολεμικοὶ καὶ ἀγχέμαχοι καὶ μάλιστα δὴ πάντων εἰς χεῖρας ὠθεῖσθαι τοῖς ἐναντίοις μεμαθηκότες, ὡς μαρτυρεῖ καὶ Ἀρχίλοχος ἐν τούτοις·
οὔτοι πόλλ᾿ ἐπὶ τόξα τανύσσεται, οὐδὲ θαμειαὶ σφενδόναι, εὖτ᾿ ἂν δὴ μῶλον Ἄρης συνάγῃ ἐν πεδίῳ· ξιφέων δὲ πολύστονον ἔσσεται ἔργον· ταύτης γὰρ κεῖνοι δάμονές εἰσι μάχης 5δεσπόται Εὐβοίης δουρικλυτοί.
- 1-2Synes. epist. 130 (p. 717 Hercher, 223 Garzya), Suda s.v. ὑπνομαχῶ (iv.666.6 Adler) et s.v. Ἰσμαρικὸς οἶνος (ii.669.25)
- 1μοι Synes., τοι Suda, om. Ath.
- 4δαήμονες codd. (δαίμονες recc. duo), corr. Fick
- 5Εὐβοίας codd., corr. Schneidewin
2 Athenaeus, Scholars at Dinner
Archilochus compares Naxian wine to nectar (fr. 290) and he also says somewhere:
On board ship I have kneaded barley bread, on board ship Ismarian wine,1 and I drink it while reclining on board ship.2
3 Plutarch, Life of Theseus
The Abantes1 were the first to cut their hair short in this manner . . . since they were warlike and fought at close quarters and had learned better than all others to press forward into hand-to-hand combat with their enemies, as Archilochus attests in these verses:
Not many bows will be stretched nor will there be numerous slings, whenever Ares brings together the press of battle on the plain; it will be the woeful work of swords. This is the warfare in which those spear-famed lords of Euboea are skilled.2
- 1From Ismaros in Thrace.
- 2The meaning of ἐν δορί is much disputed and the phrase is often translated “on my spear,” but see Bossi 68–76 and n. 3 on fr. 4. If “on board ship” is incorrect, it is probably best to translate by “under arms.”
- 1A tribe in Euboea (see Il. 2.536–45).
- 2Often assumed to refer to the Lelantine War between Eretria and Chalcis, but there is much uncertainty. See V. Parker, Untersuchungen zum Lelantischen Krieg und verwandten Problemen der frühgriechischen Geschichte (Stuttgart 1997).