From the book
Empedocles’ The Testimonia, Volume II
Empedocles of Acragas · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordAproikos means without a dowry; proikizō means to provide one.
- In this workNeanthes’ reported account says Empedocles used his wealth to provide dowries for many women of the city who lacked them.
- In this editionThe translation’s “this was why” renders a narrative connection to dress that remains puzzling.
- A place to readConnects provision of dowries, existing wealth, and the subsequent account of public costume.
Meaning
Aproikos means without a dowry; proikizō means to provide one. Politides identifies women belonging to the civic community. The words name a specific form of material assistance, not a general redistribution of property.
Use in the book
Neanthes’ reported account says Empedocles used his wealth to provide dowries for many women of the city who lacked them. The benefaction is placed beside efforts to end faction and practice equality. It shows one way the biography reconciles elite resources with popular-minded civic conduct: wealth becomes useful through voluntary expenditure. The narrative then passes to conspicuous costume and a quasi-royal badge acknowledged by citizens, linking generosity to public distinction. The passage does not disclose the women’s names, the sums involved, or the arrangements under which the gifts were made. It would therefore overreach to infer a detailed marriage policy or a comprehensive program for women’s civic rights. What is attested is a remembered image of targeted benefaction and its role in explaining public honor.
Places to read
- A 1 §§ 73–74 (biography)2Diogenes Laertius VIII 72–73, reporting Neanthes and Favorinus. Connects provision of dowries, existing wealth, and the subsequent account of public costume.
Translation in this edition
The translation’s “this was why” renders a narrative connection to dress that remains puzzling. It should not be expanded into a documented civic decree authorizing the costume.