From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordPhoinikous designates a strong red shade, rendered scarlet in the rainbow account.
- In StobaeusThe report divides the rainbow into differently colored regions, assigning phoinikoun to the first and sea-purple and purple to the second.
- In this edition“Scarlet” preserves the adopted translation; “crimson” indicates the broader red range without prescribing a modern shade.
- A place to beginScarlet is distinguished from the two purple expressions and from blue and green.
- English renderings
- scarlet; crimson
Meaning
Phoinikous designates a strong red shade, rendered scarlet in the rainbow account. It should be distinguished from the separate purple terms beside it.
Use in the book
The report divides the rainbow into differently colored regions, assigning phoinikoun to the first and sea-purple and purple to the second. Treating all these words as “purple” would erase the report’s own distinctions. The vocabulary describes color appearances reflected in droplets.
Places to read
- I.30.1.6Scarlet is distinguished from the two purple expressions and from blue and green.
Translation in this edition
“Scarlet” preserves the adopted translation; “crimson” indicates the broader red range without prescribing a modern shade.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 239. The sequence differs from the Aristotelian account quoted nearby. The two sequences should remain separate.