Oracle singers Bakis Sibyl and Amphilytus

Use in the book

Socrates inserts the oracle-singers between his list of rulers and the question about the title of Hippias and Periander (124d–e2). The interruption models the form of answer he wants. Theages can give a common designation for several familiar names without listing each person's biography. He is then asked to do the same for the rulers and replies “tyrants”.

This is a classificatory analogy, not a claim that political rulers possess prophecy or that oracle-singers hold civic power. Nor does the shared designation prove that every ruler named earlier belongs to an identical constitutional class. Socrates selects Hippias and Periander for the final naming question, and then moves from the scope of rule over all citizens to tyrannical rule. Theages subsequently qualifies the manner of rule by requiring willing subjects. The title exercise thus helps make a contested inference look natural; it does not resolve the omitted distinction.

“Our own Amphilytus” is the text's phrase. The source note adds that Herodotus calls him an Acarnanian and relates him to Pisistratus' victory. A lexicon can record the difference without claiming to have settled why the dialogue uses a local designation. Likewise, “Sibyl” need not be expanded into a catalogue of all later Sibylline traditions, since none is supplied by the passage.

Places to read

1. 124dτίνα ἐπωνυμίαν ἔχει — Socrates asks for a common title
2. 124dΒάκις τε καὶ Σίβυλλα καὶ ὁ ἡμεδαπὸς Ἀμφίλυτος — The three exemplars, including the local description
3. 124dπλήν γε χρησμῳδοί — Theages' answer is the plural “oracle-singers”
4. 124eτίνα ἐπωνυμίαν ἔχει Ἱππίας καὶ Περίανδρος — The same question-form is transferred to the rulers

Translation in this edition

“Oracle-singers” retains a specificity lost in the generic “prophets”. The note supplies Herodotus, Heraclitus and Aristophanes as contextual references. Those reports are secondary to the immediate function here: eliciting a shared name. The final proposal about diviners at 131a concerns ritual advice, a distinct role and setting.

Amphilytus — Ἀμφίλυτος (Amphilytos)

Ἀμφίλυτος (Amphilytos)

Amphilytus. The oracle-singer called “our own” by Socrates; the edition notes Herodotus' Acarnanian identification. Attested: Ἀμφίλυτος (124d). Oracle singers Bakis Sibyl and Amphilytus.

Bakis — Βάκις (Bakis)

Βάκις (Bakis)

Bakis. One of the named oracle-singers, serving as an example of a familiar class. Attested: Βάκις (124d). Oracle singers Bakis Sibyl and Amphilytus.

Oracle singers — χρησμῳδός (chrēsmōdos)

χρησμῳδός (chrēsmōdos)

Oracle singers. The common designation supplied for Bakis, Sibyl and Amphilytus; the example teaches the form of a naming answer. Attested: χρησμῳδοί (124d). Oracle singers Bakis Sibyl and Amphilytus.

Our own — ἡμεδαπός (hēmedapos)

ἡμεδαπός (hēmedapos)

Our own. The local or affiliative description of Amphilytus, whose exact historical implication is not settled by the dialogue. Attested: ἡμεδαπὸς (124d). Oracle singers Bakis Sibyl and Amphilytus.

Sibyl — Σίβυλλα (Sibylla)

Σίβυλλα (Sibylla)

Sibyl. The prophetic figure grouped with Bakis and Amphilytus; no later catalogue of Sibyls is given here. Attested: Σίβυλλα (124d). Oracle singers Bakis Sibyl and Amphilytus.

Title — ἐπωνυμία (epōnymia)

ἐπωνυμία (epōnymia)

Title. A shared designation for named persons; the oracle-singer example prepares the question about tyrants. Attested: ἐπωνυμίαν (124d). Oracle singers Bakis Sibyl and Amphilytus.