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Of Taras,[1] son of Hestiaios or Mnesarchos or Mnasagetes or Mnasagoras; Pythagorean philosopher. This man saved Plato from being murdered by the tyrant Dionysios.[2] He championed the [Greek-]Italian federation, and was chosen general with full powers by his fellow-citizens and the [other] Greeks of the region. At the same time he taught philosophy and had celebrated pupils and wrote many books. [It is said that] this man was plainly a teacher of Empedocles.[3]
And [there is] a proverb: Archytas' rattle;[4] [coined] because Archytas invented the rattle, which is a kind of instrument producing sound and noise.[5]
"He made a bronze rattle and rattled it".[6]

*)arxu/tas, *taranti=nos, *(estiai/ou ui(o\s h)\ *mnhsa/rxou h)\ *mnasage/tou h)\ *mnasago/rou, filo/sofos *puqagoriko/s. ou(=tos *pla/twna e)/swse mh\ foneuqh=nai u(po\ *dionusi/ou tou= tura/nnou. tou= koinou= de\ tw=n *)italiwtw=n proe/sth, strathgo\s ai(reqei\s au)tokra/twr u(po\ tw=n politw=n kai\ tw=n peri\ e)kei=non to\n to/pon *(ellh/nwn. a(/ma de\ kai\ filosofi/an e)kpaideu/wn maqhta/s t' e)ndo/cous e)/sxe kai\ bibli/a sune/graye polla/. tou=ton fanerw=s gene/sqai dida/skalon *)empedokle/ous. kai\ paroimi/a: *)arxu/tou platagh/: o(/ti *)arxu/tas platagh\n eu(=ren, h(/tis e)sti\n ei)=dos o)rga/nou h)=xon kai\ yo/fon a)potelou=ntos. o( de\ platagh\n xalkeusa/menos e)plata/gei.

First half of C4 BCE. See in brief OCD(4) s.v. (p.145); in full Huffman (below). The present entry draws for its opening sentences on Diogenes Laertius 8.79.
[1] Roman Tarentum (present-day Taranto), in S. Italy; cf. tau 112 and tau 113.
[2] Dionysios II of Syracuse. See generally delta 1179.
[3] Chronologically impossible as it stands; and even changing "teacher" to "pupil" leaves a gap.
[4] See e.g. Aristotle, Politics 1340b26.
[5] cf. Diogenianus 2.98.
[6] For this definition of the rattle, and the appended quotation, see again pi 1697 (and cf. pi 1712). The quotation has been tentatively attributed to Nicolaus of Damascus (nu 393); in any event its subject is evidently the sixth Labour of Herakles, the Stymphalian Birds.

Catharine Roth (cosmetics) on 26 August 2002@00:53:31.
David Whitehead (added note and keyword) on 26 August 2002@04:01:52.
David Whitehead (added bibliography; more keywords) on 21 March 2007@04:15:13.
David Whitehead (cosmetics) on 24 April 2012@03:28:00.
David Whitehead on 24 January 2014@09:11:20.
David Whitehead on 31 July 2014@04:14:19.

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