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Φοίνικος. ‘Plutarch’ (de Mal. Herod. 15) attacks this statement, as ‘making Thales barbarian’; H. only means that he was descended from the Thelidae, original settlers of Miletus, who were descended from Cadmus. As the father of Thales bore a Carian name (Examius, Diog. Laer. i. 1. 22), he probably had non-Hellenic blood in him. Thales' proposal shows the practical wisdom for which he was ranked among the Seven Sages (27. 2 n.); he alone of these was also a philosopher. His proposal was to secure united action by a genuine federal government (cf. Freeman, F. G. pp. 187-90). Thucydides (ii. 15.2) uses almost the same phrases of the supposed work of Theseus in Attica, and H. seems to think the proposal of Thales was for complete political unification, as he says the cities were to be mere ‘demes’; but Thales can only have meant that the ἕν βουλευτήριον was to control foreign relations.

Teos was not chosen only for its central position; its insignificance would prevent it being dangerous to the independence of the federated states. So Washington (not New York) was made capital of the United States.

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