This seems to be the only instance of the personal name Sapeir in ancient and Byzantine Greek. However, the name does appear as an ethnic designation for a people based in the inland of Asia Minor. As such, the name appears first in Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 2.395 & 1243, and the Orphic Argonautica 755 (Dottin).
[1] This sentence has been invented by the author of the entry in order to provide context for the following lengthy fragment from Theophylactus Simocatta, Historia 2.18.15-25. See also under alpha 3361, epsilon 1546, epsilon 4050, xi 68.
[2] That is, small in stature, as opposed to Heracles (abiut to be mentioned) who was usually supposed to be very tall (cf. Aulus Gellius, Noctes Atticae 1.1.1-3). For Tydeus see Homer, Iliad 5.801: "τυδεύς τοι μικρὸς μὲν ἔην δέμας, ἀλλὰ μαχητής ." It seems that Theophylactus is echoing the μὲν and δὲ construction from Homer; to understand the allusion fully, one must know the original Homeric passage. Theophylactus claims something similar for Sapeir--that, despite his modest stature, he is a determined warrior.
[3] That is, in mental fortitude, resolve, or purpose. See LSJ s.v. γνωμή III.5 for this uncommon sense. It is also implied that Sapeir's γνωμή is correct, and so the word retains some of the more usual connotation of "judgement."
[4] This entire passage is highly rhetorical, as is common in Theophylactus who is known for "extravagant metaphors" and other stylistic extremes (Whitby xxvii-xxviii). Not only does Theophylactus claim of Sapeir that "in soul he was Heracles", but he even suggests that Sapeir may have been greater than Heracles in respect to courage. Comparisons of Heracles (and sometimes other figures such as Achilles and Odysseus) with historical individuals such as Alexander the Great are common in ancient historiography, and they betray the close connection between history and the older genre of epic poetry which once filled a similar role in ancient Greek society and which never lost its influence upon Greek historiography--see Anderson for such Heraclean figures in history and other genres, and Ring specifically for the historiographic uses of Heracles. Finally, note also that the emperor Herakleios, here mentioned by Theophylactus, was compared with the Heracles on account of his name (George of Pisidia, On Bonus 1-9 ). Furthermore, it was common to call someone "the other Heracles" if he seemed Heraclean in his actions--see alpha 1338. Thus Theophylactus is here operating within both historiographic tradition and contemporary Byzantine practice in this comparison.
[5] Read ἀποκνέω with the text of Theophylactus, in place of the Suda's ἀποκναίω .
[6] That is, Theophylactus claims to be unafraid of denying Heracles the first place in bravery, even if he cannot produce a specific rival. While flatteringly comparing Sapeir's boldness to Heracles', Theophylactus is displaying his own historiographic boldness in comparison to other historians--the implicit comparison flatters the author.
[7] The choice of word, μετεωροπορεῖ , is quite striking as it gives a miraculous aura to the accomplishment; compare Philostratus, Vita Apollonii 3.15, where it describes the magical levitations of Indian sages.
[8] Read τὸν λειπόμενον with the text of Theophylactus, in place of the Suda's τὸ λειπόμενον .
[9] Theophylactus's τὴν ἄνοδον ("pathless") plays on the understood ὁδὸν ("path"). It is possible that Theophylactus actually included ὁδὸν after ἄνοδον to emphasize the word-play; it might have easily fallen out due to haplography. On the other hand, ὁδός in this context is often omitted.
[10] The root of θέαν , "sight," recurs throughout this passage (θεάματος , θεασάμενοι , θεατής ), and it is pertinent to note that this root can imply watching or witnessing an important sight or spectacle. Theophylactus' word choice thus contributes to the vivid, voyeuristic feel of the passage by engaging the reader's sympathy, as if he too were watching with bated breath.
[11] Sapeir's fellow-soldiers are covering his attempt with heavy missile fire.
[12] Whitby takes the prefix of ἐπιφανεὶς with the dative ἑνὶ , "appeared at one...", but this does not fit with the usual absolute use of the verb. When ἐπιφαίνω occurs with a dative, it is the person or persons to whom the subject appears. Furthermore, if the Persian here casts Sapeir off with the θυρεός , there is a closer parallel with the Persian's second scheme which Theophylactus describes as "kindred" (ἀδελφὴν ).
[13] Here "warrior" translates the common Homeric term ἀριστεύς , a touch of epic color.
[14] Whitby translates θυρεός as "battlement." This apparently refers specifically to a stone merlon (also called a cop or kneeler), the part of the battlement which sticks up between the cut-out parts called crenels. This meaning for θυρεός occurs in no ancient or modern lexica, and I can find no parallel. Perhaps Whitby follows LSJ s.v. θυρεός which cites Homer, Odyssey 9.240 & 313, with the meaning "stone put against a door." However, there it specifically refers to the massive rock placed over the mouth of the cave by the Cyclops, and I cannot see how that could be transferred to mean part of a battlement. On the other hand, θυρεός usually refers to a large, rectangular (i.e. door-shaped) shield, and this seems to be the meaning here. This would be an actual shield, or perhaps a shield-like defensive screen, hung out in front of the battlement to provide additional protection for the defenders.
[15] Homer,Iliad 5.586.
[16] The πον - root, referring to "labor" appears throughout this passage. The words πόνος and ἆθλος (note also the reference to Sapeir's third ἆθλον below) are the standard Greek terms for the Labors of Heracles, and this wording points to an extended implicit comparison between Heracles and Sapeir as signaled by the previous explicit comparison.
[17] Literally "ἀδελφὴν τῆς ἑτέρας ἐπιβουλῆς " means "a sister of the other scheme." Note the similar adjectival use of ἀδελφὰ below (line 41 in Adler) where proximity suggests a word play with τῷ ἀδελφῷ .
[18] Theophylactus' implicit comparison of Heracles and Sapeir continues. Heracles and other benefactors of mankind are often said to undergo danger (κίνδυνος ) in their labors (e.g., Diodorus Siculus 1.1.1-2, 1.2.4-5). Of course, willingness to face danger is courage. Since Theophylactus has claimed that Sapeir rivaled and perhaps surpassed Heracles in courage (ἀρετή ), the adjective φιλοκίνδυνος is meant to show that Sapeir was not just willing to face danger but even loved it.
[19] The "third contest" might also be translated the "third labor," since ἆθλος is a usual term for the Labors of Heracles. However, it more typically means "contest" and this translation, in fact, emphasizes the literary contest, as it were, between Heracles and his rival Sapeir.
[20] The word ἕρκους ("bulwark's") is common in Homer and again lends epic color to the passage.
[21] That is, a Persian short sword. This word first appears in Herodotus, who defines it at 7.54. In the Suda see alpha 882.
[22] Though here the usual sense "drone" seems primary (cf. kappa 1561), Herodotus at 7.61 says Κηφῆνες is an old Greek name for the Persians. Because the referent here is a Persian, and because both akinake and Kephen occur first in Herodotus who, in fact, defines them in relatively close proximity, Theophylactus may have intended to produce an allusive double-entendre where kephen means both Persian and drone. Such a pun would imply that Persians are, in fact, drones in comparison to true warriors like Sapeir. Such an allusion would be in character since, as Whitby notes (xiii), Theophylactus was the last secular classicizing historian who wrote "in self-conscious imitation of classical historians such as Herodotus, Thucydides, Diodorus Siculus, or Arrian."
[23] My translation reproduces Theophylactus' wordplay "ἀδελφὰ τῷ ἀδελφῷ ."
[24] The verb ἀράττω usually takes an accusative object, so it is strange to see the gates in the dative. Probably this error is due to analogy with a verb like ἐπιβάλλω .