Pausanias Analysis

Current sentence-level mythic, historical, and other tags

Chapter 3.12

PassageSentenceBucketConfidenceGreekEnglishRationale
3.12.1 1 other high ἰόντι δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἀγορᾶς κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἣν Ἀφεταΐδα ὀνομάζουσι, τὰ καλούμενα Βοώνητά ἐστι· As one goes from the marketplace along the street called Aphetaïs, there is a place known as the Boöneta. Purely topographical route description naming a place; no mythic or historical event.
3.12.1 2 other high καί με ὁ λόγος ἀπαιτεῖ πρότερα εἰπεῖν τὰ ἐς τὴν ἐπίκλησιν τῆς ὁδοῦ. Here my narrative requires me first to explain the origin of the name of this street. Meta-narrative transition introducing an explanation of a street name, not a mythic or historical event.
3.12.1 3 mythic high τοῖς μνηστῆρσιν Ἰκάριον τῆς Πηνελόπης φασὶν ἀγῶνα προθεῖναι δρόμου· καὶ ὅτι μὲν Ὀδυσσεὺς ἐκράτει, δῆλά ἐστιν, It is said that Icarius set up a footrace for the suitors of Penelope, and it is clear that Odysseus won this race. Mentions Odysseus, Penelope, and a race among the suitors, which belongs to the mythic cycle.
3.12.1 4 historical high ἀφεθῆναι δὲ αὐτοὺς λέγουσιν ἐς τὸν δρόμον διὰ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς Ἀφεταΐδος. They also say that the runners were started along this very road, which for that reason is called Aphetaïs ("Starting-Place Road"). Explains a place-name based on a later remembered athletic starting point, not a mythic event.
3.12.2 1 mythic high δοκεῖν δʼ ἐμοὶ δρόμου Ἰκάριος τὸ ἀγώνισμα ἐποίησε μιμούμενος Δαναόν. It seems to me that Icarius established the footrace contest in imitation of Danaus. Icarius and Danaus are mythic figures; the sentence explains the origin of a contest by reference to mythic imitation.
3.12.2 2 mythic high Δαναῷ γὰρ τοῦτο ἐπὶ ταῖς θυγατράσιν εὑρέθη, καὶ ὡς γυναῖκα οὐδεὶς ἤθελεν ἐξ αὐτῶν διὰ τὸ μίασμα ἀγαγέσθαι, διέπεμπε δὴ ὁ Δαναὸς ἕδνων ἄνευ δώσειν ᾗ ἂν ἕκαστος κατὰ κάλλος ἀρέσκηται· For this device was originally devised by Danaus concerning his daughters: when no one wished to marry any of them because of their pollution, Danaus made it known far and wide that he would give away without dowry whichever daughter each suitor approved of according to her beauty. Danaus and his daughters are mythic figures; the sentence explains a mythic origin story for a custom.
3.12.2 3 mythic medium ἀφικομένοις δὲ ἀνδράσιν οὐ πολλοῖς ἀγῶνα δρόμου κατέστησε, When a small number of suitors arrived, he set a running contest for them. A contest for suitors belongs to a mythic narrative context rather than historical reportage.
3.12.2 4 historical high καὶ πρώτῳ τε ἐλθόντι ἐγένετο ἑλέσθαι πρώτῳ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ μετʼ ἐκεῖνον τῷ δευτέρῳ καὶ ἤδη κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ ἄχρι τοῦ τελευταίου· The man who finished first was the first allowed to choose among the maidens, and after him the second, and thereafter each similarly until the last competitor. Describes an athletic contest procedure and prize selection, a historical/social practice rather than myth or geography.
3.12.2 5 other high τὰς δὲ ὑπολειφθείσας μένειν ἔφοδον ἄλλην μνηστήρων ἔδει καὶ ἀγῶνα ἄλλον δρόμου. Those daughters left unmarried had to wait for another company of suitors and another footrace competition. Describes a marriage-arrangement detail and athletic contest, not a mythic event or historical event.
3.12.3 1 mythic medium Λακεδαιμονίοις δὲ κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ταύτην ἐστίν, ὡς ἤδη λέλεκταί μοι, τὰ ὀνομαζόμενα Βοώνητα, Πολυδώρου ποτὲ οἰκία τοῦ βασιλέως· Along this route the Lacedaemonians have, as I previously mentioned, a place called Boöneta, once the house of king Polydorus. Refers to the former house of king Polydorus, a heroic/mythic king, affecting the landscape.
3.12.3 2 historical low ἀποθανόντος δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Πολυδώρου τῆς γυναικὸς ἐπρίαντο ἀντιδόντες βοῦς. After his death, they purchased it from Polydorus' wife, paying with oxen in exchange. Refers to an exchange transaction after Polydorus' death; this is non-mythic, but context is uncertain, so I tag it historical cautiously.
3.12.3 3 other high ἀργύρου γὰρ οὐκ ἦν πω τότε οὐδὲ χρυσοῦ νόμισμα, κατὰ τρόπον δὲ ἔτι τὸν ἀρχαῖον ἀντεδίδοσαν βοῦς καὶ ἀνδράποδα καὶ ἀργὸν τὸν ἄργυρον καὶ χρυσόν· For at that time there was as yet no currency in silver or gold, but according to the ancient custom, they exchanged oxen, slaves, and ingots of silver and gold. Describes ancient exchange practices and lack of coinage, which is antiquarian/economic description rather than mythic or historical event.
3.12.4 1 other high οἱ δὲ ἐς τὴν Ἰνδικὴν ἐσπλέοντες φορτίων φασὶν Ἑλληνικῶν τοὺς Ἰνδοὺς ἀγώγιμα ἄλλα ἀνταλλάσσεσθαι, νόμισμα δὲ οὐκ ἐπίστασθαι, καὶ ταῦτα χρυσοῦ τε ἀφθόνου καὶ χαλκοῦ παρόντος σφίσι. Those who sail to India say that the Indians exchange their goods for Greek cargoes, but that they do not understand the use of coined money, although they possess abundant gold and bronze. Descriptive ethnographic/geographical report about India and trade, not a mythic or historical event.
3.12.4 2 mythic high τοῦ δὲ τῶν Βιδιαίων ἀρχείου πέραν ἐστὶν Ἀθηνᾶς ἱερόν· Ὀδυσσεὺς δὲ ἱδρύσασθαι τὸ ἄγαλμα λέγεται καὶ ὀνομάσαι Κελεύθειαν, τοὺς Πηνελόπης μνηστῆρας τῷ δρόμῳ νικήσας. Beyond the precinct of the Bidiaeans is a sanctuary of Athena; Odysseus, it is said, set up the statue and named it Keleuthea ("of the Road") after defeating the suitors of Penelope in a footrace. Odysseus naming and dedicating the sanctuary is tied to a mythic episode involving the suitors.
3.12.4 3 mythic medium ἱδρύσατο δὲ τῆς Κελευθείας ἱερὰ ἀριθμῷ τρία διεστηκότα ἀπʼ ἀλλήλων. He established sanctuaries for Keleuthea, three in number, separated from one another. Founding sanctuaries for a divine figure belongs to cultic mythic tradition rather than historical narrative.
3.12.5 1 mythic high προϊόντων δὲ κατὰ τὴν Ἀφεταΐδα ἡρῷά ἐστιν Ἴοπός τε κατὰ Λέλεγα ἢ Μύλητα γενέσθαι δοκοῦντος καὶ Ἀμφιαράου τοῦ Ὀικλέους· As one advances along the Afetaïd region, there are hero-shrines to Iops, who is said to have been born from Lelex or Myles, and also to Amphiaraus, son of Oïkles. Hero-shrines to Iops and Amphiaraus concern legendary/mythic figures rather than post-500 BC history.
3.12.5 2 mythic medium τοῦτο δὲ τοὺς Τυνδάρεω παῖδας νομίζουσιν ἅτε ἀνεψιῷ τῷ Ἀμφιαράῳ ποιῆσαι· It is believed that the sons of Tyndareus established this shrine to Amphiaraus because he was their cousin. Attributed shrine foundation by the mythic figures the sons of Tyndareus and linked to Amphiaraus, a heroic mythic context.
3.12.5 3 mythic medium καὶ αὐτοῦ Λέλεγός ἐστιν ἡρῷον, There is also a shrine there for Lelex himself. A hero shrine to Lelex concerns a legendary founder figure and cultic commemoration, not a historical event.
3.12.5 4 other high τούτων δὲ οὐ πόρρω τέμενος Ποσειδῶνος Ταιναρίου ---Ταινάριον δὲ ἐπονομάζουσιν--- Not far from these stands a precinct sacred to Poseidon Tainarios, who is called Tainarion. Purely topographical description of a sanctuary and its name; no event is narrated.
3.12.6 1 historical medium οὐ μακρὰν δὲ Ἀθηνᾶς ἄγαλμα, ὃ τοὺς ἐς Ἰταλίαν τε καὶ Τάραντα ἀποικισθέντας ἀναθεῖναι λέγουσι. Not far from it is a statue of Athena, which they say was dedicated by those who colonized Italy and Tarentum. Refers to a dedication by colonists of Tarentum/Italy, a historical colonial act rather than myth or mere description.
3.12.6 2 historical high τὸ δὲ χωρίον, ὃ καλοῦσιν Ἑλλήνιον, ἐστὶν εἰρημένον ὡς οἱ τῶν Ἑλλήνων Ξέρξην διαβαίνοντα ἐς τὴν Εὐρώπην παρεσκευάζοντο ἀμυνούμενοι, κατὰ τοῦτο τὸ χωρίον βουλευσάμενοι τρόπον ὅντινα ἀνθέξουσιν. The place, called Hellenion, is said to have received its name because the Greeks assembled here when Xerxes was crossing into Europe, preparing to resist him, and deliberated in this very spot on how they would offer opposition. Refers to Xerxes' invasion and Greek resistance, a post-500 BC historical event affecting the place-name.
3.12.6 3 mythic high ὁ δὲ ἕτερος τῶν λόγων τοὺς Μενελάου χάριτι στρατεύσαντας ἐπὶ Ἴλιον βουλεύσασθαί φησιν ἐνταῦθα ὅπως ἀναπλεῦσαί τε ἐς Τροίαν καὶ δίκας δυνήσονται παρὰ Ἀλεξάνδρου λαβεῖν τῆς Ἑλένης ἁρπαγῆς. Another account reports that those who sailed with Menelaus to war against Ilium, gathered here to decide how they might sail to Troy and exact justice from Alexander for abducting Helen. Refers to the legendary gathering before the Trojan War and Helen's abduction by Alexander.
3.12.7 1 mythic high τοῦ δὲ Ἑλληνίου πλησίον Ταλθυβίου μνῆμα ἀποφαίνουσι· Near the Hellēnion, they point out the tomb of Talthybius. The tomb of Talthybius is a legendary hero-cult landmark tied to mythic tradition.
3.12.7 2 mythic high δεικνύουσι δὲ καὶ Ἀχαιῶν Αἰγιεῖς ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς, Ταλθυβίου καὶ οὗτοι φάμενοι μνῆμα εἶναι. The Achaeans of Aigion also show a monument in their agora, claiming it as that of Talthybius. The monument is identified with Talthybius, a legendary/mythic figure from the Trojan cycle.
3.12.7 3 historical high Ταλθυβίου δὲ τούτου μήνιμα ἐπὶ τῷ φόνῳ τῶν κηρύκων, οἳ παρὰ βασιλέως Δαρείου γῆν τε καὶ ὕδωρ αἰτήσοντες ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἐπέμφθησαν, Λακεδαιμονίοις μὲν ἐπεσήμαινεν ἐς τὸ δημόσιον, ἐν Ἀθήναις δὲ ἰδίᾳ τε καὶ ἐς ἑνὸς οἶκον ἀνδρὸς κατέσκηψε Μιλτιάδου τοῦ Κίμωνος· The wrath of this Talthybius over the murder of the heralds who had been sent by King Darius into Greece to demand earth and water fell upon the state of the Lacedaemonians as a whole; but among the Athenians it descended privately, and upon the household of one man—Miltiades, son of Cimon. Refers to the Persian envoy incident and its effects on Sparta and the household of Miltiades, an event within historical period.
3.12.7 4 historical high ἐγεγόνει δὲ καὶ τῶν κηρύκων τοῖς ἐλθοῦσιν ἐς τὴν Ἀττικὴν ὁ Μιλτιάδης ἀποθανεῖν αἴτιος ὑπὸ Ἀθηναίων. Miltiades had, indeed, been primarily responsible, in the eyes of the Athenians, for the killing of the heralds who had come to Attica. Refers to Miltiades and the killing of Persian heralds, a historical event associated with the Persian Wars.
3.12.8 1 other high Λακεδαιμονίοις δὲ ἔστι μὲν Ἀπόλλωνος Ἀκρίτα βωμός, ἔστι δʼ ἐπονομαζόμενον Γάσηπτον ἱερὸν Γῆς· The Lacedaemonians possess an altar of Apollo Acritas and a sanctuary sacred to Earth, called Gasepton; Describes cult sites and local religious geography, not a mythic event or historical occurrence.
3.12.8 2 other high Ἀπόλλων δὲ ὑπὲρ αὐτὸ ἵδρυται Μαλεάτης. Above it stands Apollo Maleatas. A topographical/descriptive statement identifying the placement of Apollo Maleatas above the site.
3.12.8 3 historical high ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ πέρατι τῆς Ἀφεταΐδος, ἐγγύτατα ἤδη τοῦ τείχους, Δικτύννης ἐστὶν ἱερὸν καὶ βασίλειοι τάφοι τῶν καλουμένων Εὐρυπωντιδῶν· On the far end of Aphetaïs, very near the city wall, is a sanctuary dedicated to Dictynna and the royal tombs of those known as the Eurypontidae. Mentions royal tombs of the Eurypontidae, a historically attested Spartan dynastic feature rather than a mythic event.
3.12.8 4 mythic high παρὰ δὲ τὸ Ἑλλήνιον Ἀρσινόης ἱερόν, Λευκίππου τε θυγατρὸς καὶ γυναικῶν τῶν Πολυδεύκους καὶ Κάστορος ἀδελφῆς. By the Hellenion stands the sanctuary of Arsinoë, the daughter of Leucippus and sister of the wives of Polydeuces and Castor. Refers to Arsinoë as a mythic/heroic figure linked by kinship to Castor and Polydeuces.
3.12.8 5 other high πρὸς δὲ τοῖς Φρουρίοις καλουμένοις ναός ἐστιν Ἀρτέμιδος, καὶ προελθοῦσιν ὀλίγον πεποίηται μνῆμα τοῖς ἐξ Ἤλιδος μάντεσι, καλουμένοις δὲ Ἰαμίδαις. Near the place called the Phrouroi (the Guards) is a temple of Artemis, and after advancing slightly further, there is a tomb erected in honor of the seers from Elis, who are called the Iamidae. Purely topographical/descriptive: notes a temple and a tomb near a named place, without recounting a mythic or historical event.
3.12.9 1 mythic medium καὶ Μάρωνός ἐστιν ἱερὸν καὶ Ἀλφειοῦ· There is also a sanctuary of Maron and of Alpheios. A sanctuary of Maron and Alpheios refers to cultic figures linked with mythic tradition rather than a historical event or mere geography.
3.12.9 2 historical high Λακεδαιμονίων δὲ τῶν ἐς Θερμοπύλας στρατευσαμένων λόγου μάλιστα ἀξίως μαχέσασθαι μετά γε αὐτὸν δοκοῦσι Λεωνίδαν. Among the Lacedaemonians who marched out to Thermopylae, they seem, after Leonidas himself, to have fought most worthily of mention. Refers to the Persian War battle of Thermopylae and Leonidas' force, a historical event after 500 BC.
3.12.9 3 mythic high τοῦ δὲ Τροπαίου Διὸς τὸ ἱερὸν ἐποίησαν οἱ Δωριεῖς πολέμῳ τούς τε ἄλλους Ἀχαιούς, οἳ γῆν τὴν Λακωνικὴν τηνικαῦτα εἶχον, καὶ τοὺς Ἀμυκλαιεῖς κρατήσαντες. The sanctuary of Zeus Tropaios (Zeus of the Trophy) was built by the Dorians when they conquered in war both the rest of the Achaeans, who at that time held the land of Laconia, and the Amyclaeans. The sentence explains a sanctuary founded by the Dorians after a legendary conquest of the Achaeans and Amyclaeans, which is an etiological mythic-historical origin story for a cult site.
3.12.9 4 other high τὸ δὲ ἱερὸν τῆς Μεγάλης μητρὸς τιμᾶται περισσῶς δή τι. Especially great honour is paid to the sanctuary of the Great Mother. Describes reverence for a sanctuary, a descriptive/religious note rather than a mythic event or historical event.
3.12.9 5 mythic high μετὰ δὲ αὐτὸ ἡρῷα Ἱππολύτου τέ ἐστι τοῦ Θησέως καὶ Αὐλῶνος Ἀρκάδος, υἱοῦ δὲ Τλησιμένους· Next to it are the hero shrines of Hippolytus, the son of Theseus, and of Aulon, an Arcadian, the son of Tlesimenes. Mentions hero shrines of Hippolytus son of Theseus, a mythic figure and cult site.
3.12.9 6 mythic high Τλησιμένη ν δὲ Παρθενοπαίου τοῦ Μελανίωνος ἀδελφόν, οἱ δὲ παῖδα εἶναι λέγουσιν. Tlesimenes was the brother of Parthenopaeus, son of Melanion, although some say he was Parthenopaeus' own son. Parthenopaeus and Melanion are figures from myth, so the kinship notice belongs to mythic genealogy.
3.12.10 1 other high ἑτέρα δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἐστιν ἔξοδος, καθʼ ἣν πεποίηταί σφισιν ἡ καλουμένη Σκιάς, ἔνθα καὶ νῦν ἔτι ἐκκλησιάζουσι. There is another exit from the marketplace, along which stands the building known as the Skias ("Place of Shelter"), where even now the people hold their assemblies. Purely topographical and descriptive: a marketplace exit and the Skias where assemblies are held, with no mythic or historical event.
3.12.10 2 historical medium ταύτην τὴν Σκιάδα Θεοδώρου τοῦ Σαμίου φασὶν εἶναι ποίημα, ὃς πρῶτος διαχέαι σίδηρον εὗρε καὶ ἀγάλματα ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ πλάσαι. They say this Skias was built by Theodorus of Samos, who first discovered the method of casting iron and of shaping images out of it. Attributing a building to Theodorus of Samos is an antiquarian/historical notice about an artisan, not a mythic event.
3.12.10 3 historical high ἐνταῦθα ἐκρέμασαν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι τὴν Τιμοθέου τοῦ Μιλησίου κιθάραν, καταγνόντες ὅτι χορδαῖς ἑπτὰ ταῖς ἀρχαίαις ἐφεῦρεν ἐν τῇ κιθαρῳδίᾳ τέσσαρας χορδάς. Here the Lacedaemonians hung up the lyre of Timotheus of Miletus, having condemned him because he had introduced into musical performance four additional strings beyond the original seven. Refers to Timotheus of Miletus and Spartan action, a post-classical historical anecdote.
3.12.11 1 other high πρὸς δὲ τῇ Σκιάδι οἰκοδόμημά ἐστι περιφερές, ἐν δὲ αὐτῷ Διὸς καὶ Ἀφροδίτης ἀγάλματα ἐπίκλησιν Ὀλυμπίων· Near the Skiás there is a circular building, and within it are statues of Zeus and Aphrodite, surnamed Olympian. Purely topographical and descriptive: identifies a nearby circular building and its statues.
3.12.11 2 mythic medium τοῦτο Ἐπιμενίδην κατασκευάσαι λέγουσιν, οὐχ ὁμολογοῦντες τὰ ἐς αὐτὸν Ἀργείοις, ὅπου μηδὲ πολεμῆσαί φασι πρὸς Κνωσσίους. They say that Epimenides constructed this building, although they do not agree with the Argives concerning him, since the Argives deny even having fought against the Knossians. Epimenides is a legendary figure, and the sentence concerns a traditional attribution tied to mythic/legendary past rather than secure history.