In this analysis of the tragedy Oedipus Tyrannos, by Sophocles, the concern regards the issue
of how a fragment that expresses an important characteristic, not only from the Polis but also
from the Archaic period, is suppressed, becoming a common pattern to the various Portuguese
language translators between the period of 1765( the oldest version found in Rio de Janeiro) and
2001 ( the last version found at afore mentioned city). This fragment refers to the description
given by Jocasta to Laius, her husband and Oedipus’ father. The passage (vv 740-745) refers to
the moment the protagonist (Oedipus) asks his wife (Jocasta) to describe her deceased husband,
Laius. The first word she uses, marks a physical characteristic of both characters. However, all
the versions analysed, when compared to the English versions, omit or modify the sense in
which the term referred to was known in the archaic Greek. Thus, we aim to demonstrate the
close relationship between the omission/ modification of this fragment and the construction/
re-invention of an archaic Greek that, in the past, produced a very diverse documentation;
the racialization seemed not to be so determinant, although during a later period, also rich in
documentation, it seems to be diffused with racialized profile.