M/M: Building A New Life Together, Aristotle, Politics 2.1274a

A Fresh Start Together in a New Home

Name: Aristotle Date:     384 – 322  BCE Region:    Stagira / Athens [modern Greece] Citation:  Politics, 2.1274a-b

Although he was Corinthian by birth, Philolaus became a lawmaker in Thebes.  Philolaus was from the noble Bacchiad family, and was the boyfriend of the Olympic victor Diocles. Diocles was forced to leave his city due to [his mother’s toxic behavior].  He left for Thebes, where he and his lover spent the remainder of their lives. They arranged their tombstones in such a way that they faced each other, but with Diocles’ tomb facing away from Corinth. They say that Diocles arranged it this way, for due to the trauma he experienced in his youth, he did not wish to buried in sight of his homeland, but Philolaus didn’t mind if his own tomb did. 

ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ Φιλόλαος ὁ Κορίνθιος νομοθέτης Θηβαίοις. ἦν δ᾽ ὁ Φιλόλαος τὸ μὲν γένος τῶν Βακχιαδῶν, ἐραστὴς δὲ γενόμενος Διοκλέους τοῦ νικήσαντος Ὀλυμπίασιν, ὡς ἐκεῖνος τὴν πόλιν ἔλιπε διαμισήσας ..., ἀπῆλθεν εἰς Θήβας: κἀκεῖ τὸν βίον ἐτελεύτησαν ἀμφότεροι. καὶ νῦν ἔτι δεικνύουσι τοὺς τάφους αὐτῶν ἀλλήλοις μὲν εὐσυνόπτους ὄντας, πρὸς δὲ τὴν τῶν Κορινθίων χώραν τὸν μὲν σύνοπτον τὸν δ᾽ οὐ σύνοπτον: μυθολογοῦσι γὰρ αὐτοὺς οὕτω τάξασθαι τὴν ταφήν, τὸν μὲν Διοκλέα διὰ τὴν ἀπέχθειαν τοῦ πάθους, ὅπως μὴ ἄποπτος ἔσται ἡ Κορινθία ἀπὸ τοῦ χώματος, τὸν δὲ Φιλόλαον ὅπως ἄποπτος.

Fuit et Philolaus Corinthius Thebanis legum auctor. Erat autem Philolaus ex Bacchiadum genere: sed cum Dioclis, eius qui vicit Olympia, amator esset: ille autem ...aspernatus ac detestatus urbem reliquisset: Thebas una cum eo profectus est, ibique ambo mortui sunt: atque etiam nunc eorum sepulchra ostendunt, ita posita, ut alterum quidem ex altero facile conspici possit: sed Corintiorum agro alterum sit in conspectu positum, alterum non sit. Fabulantur enim, eos ita sua sepulchra fieri ac locari iussisse. Dioclem quidem propter odium calamitatis acceptae, ut ne ex sepulchri aggere ager Corinthius prospici posset: Philolaum, ut posset.  Translated into Latin by Guillaume Du Val

Aristotle [384 – 322 BCE, modern Greece] was a famous Athenian philosopher and scientist.  Not only were his works on philosophy, logic, and science incredibly influential to ancient Mediterranean culture, but he also is known as one of the teachers and mentors of Alexander the Great.