From the book
Alcibiades I
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordMessene names the land contributing to Spartan resources; helotic refers to the enslaved or dependent workers included among possessions in the same comparison.
- In Alcibiades ISocrates says the Spartans’ own territory together with Messene surpasses Athenian holdings in extent and excellence; he then adds slaves, helots, horses and grazing animals.
- In this editionThe edition interprets Messene as Messenia and explains the historical labour system in a note.
- A place to readLand, helotic dependants and grazing wealth enlarge the comparison.
Meaning
Messene names the land contributing to Spartan resources; helotic refers to the enslaved or dependent workers included among possessions in the same comparison.
Use in the book
Socrates says the Spartans’ own territory together with Messene surpasses Athenian holdings in extent and excellence; he then adds slaves, helots, horses and grazing animals. The land is an economic basis of the royal comparison rather than scenery. The list also exposes the social assumptions of the speech: human dependants are counted alongside property and livestock as resources of their possessors. A lexicon should describe that assumption without endorsing it. The precise civic or legal status of helots is not analysed in the dialogue.
Places to read
Translation in this edition
The edition interprets Messene as Messenia and explains the historical labour system in a note. The Greek here gives the resource list but not a constitutional account of helotry.
εἱλωτικός
Attested: εἱλωτικῶν (heilōtikōn; 122d). At 122d: Helot slaves or dependents specifically included in the comparison of Spartan resources. Helotic, describing a category of dependants counted among Spartan resources. Lexical identification: lemma: εἱλωτικός. See Freedom and slavery; Messene.
Μεσσήνη
Attested: Μεσσήνης (messēnēs; 122d); Μεσσήνην (messēnēn; 122e). Messene, the territory contributing to the wealth claimed for Sparta. Lexical identification: lemma: Μεσσήνη. See Messene.