First at the feast

Greek Learning Greek
1

In Lucian Verae Historiae (2.18), describing the symposium in Elysium:

οἱ μέντοι ἀμφ᾽ Ἀρίστιππόν τε καὶ Ἐπίκουρον τὰ πρῶτα παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἐφέροντο ἡδεῖς τε ὄντες καὶ κεχαρισμένοι καὶ συμποτικώτατοι.

I understand τὰ πρῶτα . . . ἐφέροντο as something like “are in highest favor” (LSJ πρότερος and πρῶτος B.II), I would like some help in understanding what ἀμφί is doing here. My guess would be “the followers of A. and E.” But I see that one translator doesn’t have that, and Lucian seems to prefer dealing with the big guys themselves, not with nameless followers. Is there another possibility?

And from now on I’m going to say sympotico instead of sympatico.

2

Looks like οι αμφι X is being used as οι περι X often is, referring to the individual rather than his associates.
Not unrelated: in Italian academe a “big” is measured by the number of acolytes he has trailing along behind him.

I think you have to be already simpatico to be simpotico.

3

Thanks for the help.

I think you have to be already simpatico to be simpotico.

Russian has a great word, собутыльник = co-bottle-er.

4

And here’s another one, in VH 2.20:

κατεγίνωσκον οὖν τῶν ἀμφὶ τὸν Ζηνόδοτον καὶ Ἀρίσταρχον γραμματικῶν πολλὴν τὴν ψυχρολογίαν.

Now I understand this to mean something like “the school of” (as in mwh’s Italian example), which of course includes the founder.

Another great new word: psychrology.