From the book
Empedocles’ The Testimonia, Volume II
Empedocles of Acragas · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordThe printed phrase means “the dark ones,” understood as eyes.
- In this workAristotle attributes to Empedocles the claim that dark eyes possess more water than fire.
- In this editionThe apparatus gives μέλανα in Z, μελανόμματα in PS, and μεγαλόμματα in Y. The last means large-eyed and shows why the printed colour classification should be cited with its textual basis.
- A place to readReports watery dark eyes and their alleged nighttime deficiency.
Meaning
The printed phrase means “the dark ones,” understood as eyes. Melanommata, “dark-eyed,” is a manuscript variant cited in the apparatus. These forms describe an eye type in a report about its elemental composition.
Use in the book
Aristotle attributes to Empedocles the claim that dark eyes possess more water than fire. They therefore see less sharply at night through deficient fire, in contrast with fiery grey eyes deficient in water during daytime. The colour distinction functions as a sign within the proposed physiology, not as a general judgment about the character or intelligence of persons with such eyes.
The passage is openly critical. Aristotle says this is not well said if visual substance is water in all eyes. His preferred uniform account is not a concession made by Empedocles. Comparison with Theophrastus shows a shared explanatory pattern involving excess, deficiency, and external conditions, but the precise relationship between the two reports cannot be established merely from their agreement in outline.
Places to read
- A 91 (polemical)Aristotle, On the Generation of Animals. Reports watery dark eyes and their alleged nighttime deficiency.
- A 86 §§ 7–8 (testimony)2Theophrastus, On the Senses 8. Describes excess water overtaking visual fire at night.
Translation in this edition
The apparatus gives μέλανα in Z, μελανόμματα in PS, and μεγαλόμματα in Y. The last means large-eyed and shows why the printed colour classification should be cited with its textual basis.