Stephanus 23

23a sometimes less, but always there is a race of men. And whatever deeds of yours or of ours, or of any other people of whom we have report, were noble or great or otherwise extraordinary, all have been written down from of old and are preserved here in our temples; whereas with you and the others, writing and all that cities need have only lately been devised each time they are founded, 23b and then, after the appointed years, like a sickness, the heavenly flood comes sweeping down upon them and leaves only the unlettered and the unmusical among you, so that once more you become as it were young, knowing nothing of what was here or with you in the ancient days. At least the genealogies just now rehearsed, Solon, about your people—the ones you ran through—differ little from children's tales: first, you remember one flood of the earth only, though many had come before it; and further, you do not know that the fairest and best race of men once lived in your land, 23c from whom you yourself and your whole city as it is today are sprung, a little remnant of seed having then survived; and it escaped you because the survivors for many generations died without leaving a word in writing. For once, Solon, before the greatest destruction by waters, the city that is now the city of Athens was the best in war and by far the most nobly ordered in everything; and its deeds are said to have been the noblest, and its constitutions the finest of all 23d under heaven, so far as we have received report. When Solon heard this, he marveled, they say, and seized on it with all eagerness, beseeching the priests to tell him in exact order everything about the citizens of long ago. Then the priest said: No one grudges you this, Solon; I will tell it for your sake and your city's sake, and above all for the goddess', who chose and reared and trained both your land and this one, yours first 23e by a thousand years, receiving your seed from Earth and Hephaestus, and this one after. And the number of years since the ordering of this land of ours is written among us in our sacred records: eight thousand. Of the citizens of the nine thousand years past, then, I will set before you in brief their laws, and the finest deed they accomplished;

Critias: the exact account of

23a and sometimes fewer. Whatever fine or great or otherwise notable thing has been done anywhere—among you, or here, or anywhere else we know by report—it has all been written down from of old and preserved here in the temples. But among you and the others the writing has only just been set up again each time, and then, after the usual number of years, a stream from the sky comes upon them like a disease and leaves your people 23b without letters and without learning, so that you become like new again from the beginning, knowing nothing of what happened here or among you in the ancient times. At any rate, the family trees you went through just now, Solon, of the people on your side, are barely different from children's stories. In the first place you remember only one flood of the earth, though many have happened before, and you do not know that the finest and best race of human beings once lived in your land 23c, the race from which you and the whole city that exists there now come, after a small seed of them was once left over; but this has escaped your notice, because for many generations the survivors died out without letters or speech. For there was a time, Solon, before the greatest destruction by water, when the city that is now Athens was the best in war and in every way the best governed, surpassing all others; and it is said to have produced the finest deeds and the finest constitution of all those 23d under the heaven of which we have ever heard. When Solon heard this, he said he was amazed and was full of eagerness, begging the priests to tell him everything about the ancient citizens exactly and in order. The priest said: "There is no grudge against you, Solon; I will speak for your sake and for the sake of your city, but most of all to please the goddess, who received and raised and educated both your city and this one—your city 23e first by a thousand years, taking the seed of your people from Earth and Hephaestus, and this one later. Of the founding of the city here, our temple records give the number of eight thousand years. And of the citizens who lived nine thousand years ago I will tell you in short their laws, and the finest of the deeds done by them:"

Critias: But the exact account of

23a And if any event has occurred that is noble or great or in any way conspicuous, whether it be in your country or in ours or in some other place of which we know by report, all such events are recorded from of old and preserved here in our temples; whereas your people and the others are but newly equipped, every time, with letters and all such arts as civilized States require and when, after the usual interval of years, like a plague, the flood from heaven comes sweeping down afresh upon your people, 23b it leaves none of you but the unlettered and uncultured, so that you become young as ever, with no knowledge of all that happened in old times in this land or in your own. Certainly the genealogies which you related just now, Solon, concerning the people of your country, are little better than children’s tales; for, in the first place, you remember but one deluge, though many had occurred previously; and next, you are ignorant of the fact that the noblest and most perfect race amongst men were born in the land where you now dwell, and from them both you yourself are sprung and the whole 23c of your existing city, out of some little seed that chanced to be left over; but this has escaped your notice because for many generations the survivors died with no power to express themselves in writing. For verily at one time, Solon, before the greatest destruction by water, what is now the Athenian State was the bravest in war and supremely well organized also in all other respects. It is said that it possessed the most splendid works of art and the noblest polity of any nation under heaven of which we have heard tell. 23d

Upon hearing this, Solon said that he marvelled, and with the utmost eagerness requested the priest to recount for him in order and exactly all the facts about those citizens of old. The priest then said: I begrudge you not the story, Solon; nay, I will tell it, both for your own sake and that of your city, and most of all for the sake of the Goddess who has adopted for her own both your land and this of ours, and has nurtured and trained them,—yours first by the space of a thousand years, when she had received the seed of you from Ge 23e and Hephaestus, and after that ours. And the duration of our civilization as set down in our sacred writings is 8000 years. Of the citizens, then, who lived 9000 years ago, I will declare to you briefly certain of their laws and the noblest of the deeds they performed:

Critias: