Pausanias Analysis

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Chapter 3.23

PassageSentenceBucketConfidenceGreekEnglishRationale
3.23.1 1 other high Κύθηρα δὲ κεῖται μὲν ἀπαντικρὺ Βοιῶν, ἐς δὲ Πλατανιστοῦντα---ἐλάχιστον γὰρ τῆς ἠπείρου ταύτῃ διέστηκεν ἡ νῆσος---. Cythera lies opposite Boeae, and nearest to the cape called Platanistus; at this point the island is separated from the mainland by the shortest distance. Purely geographical description of Cythera's location and distance from the mainland.
3.23.1 2 other high ἐς ταύτην τὴν ἄκραν τὸν Πλατανιστοῦντα ἀπὸ ἄκρας τῆς ἠπείρου, καλουμένης δὲ Ὄνου γνάθου, σταδίων πλοῦς τεσσαράκοντά ἐστιν. The distance between the cape Platanistus and the point on the mainland known as Onugnathus ("Donkey's Jaw") is a voyage of about forty stades. Purely geographical: gives a sailing distance between two points.
3.23.1 3 other high ἐν Κυθήροις δὲ ἐπὶ θαλάσσης Σκάνδειά ἐστιν ἐπίνειον. On Cythera itself, Scandeia, the harbor, lies by the sea. Purely geographical description of a harbor location on Cythera.
3.23.1 4 other high Κύθηρα δὲ ἡ πόλις ἀναβάντι ἀπὸ Σκανδείας στάδια ὡς δέκα. The city of Cythera is situated inland, about ten stades' ascent from Scandeia. Purely geographical description of Cythera's location relative to Scandeia.
3.23.1 5 other high τὸ δὲ ἱερὸν τῆς Οὐρανίας ἁγιώτατον καὶ ἱερῶν ὁπόσα Ἀφροδίτης παρʼ Ἕλλησίν ἐστιν ἀρχαιότατον. The sanctuary of Uranian Aphrodite there is most holy, and it is the oldest of all the sanctuaries of Aphrodite in Greece. Describes the sanctuary and its antiquity; this is antiquarian/descriptive, not a specific mythic event or post-500 BC historical event.
3.23.1 6 other high αὐτὴ δὲ ἡ θεὸς ξόανον ὡπλισμένον. The image of the goddess itself is a wooden statue in armor. Descriptive statement about a cult image/statue, not a mythic event or a historical event.
3.23.2 1 other high πλέοντι δὲ ἐκ Βοιῶν τὴν ὑπὸ τὴν ἄκραν τῆς Μαλέας λιμήν ἐστιν ὀνομαζόμενον Νύμφαιον καὶ Ποσειδῶνος ἄγαλμα ὀρθὸν καὶ σπήλαιον θαλάσσης ἐγγύτατα, ἐν δὲ αὐτῷ γλυκέος ὕδατος πηγή· Sailing from Boeae, beneath the headland of Malea, there is a harbor called Nymphaion and a standing statue of Poseidon. A sailing route and description of a harbor, statue, cave, and spring are geographical/descriptive details, not mythic or historical events.
3.23.2 2 other high καὶ ἄνθρωποι περιοικοῦσι πολλοί. Very close by is a cave by the sea, and within it a spring of sweet water; many people dwell nearby. Describes nearby settlement and geography, not a mythic or historical event.
3.23.2 3 other high περιπλεύσαντι δὲ τὴν ἄκραν τῆς Μαλέας καὶ ἑκατὸν στάδια ἀποσχόντι, ἐπὶ θαλάσσῃ χωρίον ἐν ὅροις Βοιατῶν Ἀπόλλωνος μὲν ἱερόν ἐστιν, Ἐπιδήλιον δὲ ὀνομαζόμενον· About a hundred stades after you have navigated around Cape Malea, there is a coastal place on the border of the territory of the Boeatae which contains a sanctuary of Apollo called Epidelion. Purely geographical and descriptive: route, distance, coastal location, and sanctuary name.
3.23.3 1 mythic high τὸ γὰρ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος ξόανον, ὃ νῦν ἐστιν ἐνταῦθα, ἐν Δήλῳ ποτὲ ἵδρυτο. For the wooden image of Apollo which now stands here, was once set up in Delos. Refers to Apollo's cult image originally set up at Delos, a mythic sacred origin rather than a historical event.
3.23.3 2 historical medium τῆς γὰρ Δήλου τότε ἐμπορίου τοῖς Ἕλλησιν οὔσης καὶ ἄδειαν τοῖς ἐργαζομένοις διὰ τὸν θεὸν δοκούσης παρέχειν, Μηνοφάνης Μιθριδάτου στρατηγὸς εἴτε αὐτὸς ὑπερφρονήσας εἴτε καὶ ὑπὸ Μιθριδάτου προστεταγμένον ---ἀνθρώπῳ γὰρ ἀφορῶντι ἐς κέρδος τὰ θεῖα ὕστερα λημμάτων---, οὗτος οὖν ὁ Μηνοφάνης, ἅτε οὔσης At that time Delos was a trading center for the Greeks, and because of the god was thought to provide safe haven to merchants and traders, Menophanes, a general of Mithridates, either from his own arrogance or directed by Mithridates—indeed, to a man who sets profit first, the divine comes only after gain—this Menophanes, therefore, since the island was in this condition... Refers to Delos as a trading center and to Mithridates' general Menophanes, an event/person from the late Hellenistic historical period rather than myth.
3.23.4 1 historical high ἀτειχίστου τῆς Δήλου καὶ ὅπλα οὐ κεκτημένων τῶν ἀνδρῶν, τριήρεσιν ἐσπλεύσας ἐφόνευσε μὲν τοὺς ἐπιδημοῦντας τῶν ξένων, ἐφόνευσε δὲ αὐτοὺς τοὺς Δηλίους· Since Delos was unwalled, and its men possessed no weapons, he sailed into the port with his triremes and slaughtered both the foreigners who were present there, as well as the Delians themselves. Describes a violent attack on Delos by triremes, an event in historical time rather than myth.
3.23.4 2 historical high κατασύρας δὲ πολλὰ μὲν ἐμπόρων χρήματα, πάντα δὲ τὰ ἀναθήματα, προσεξανδραποδισάμενος δὲ καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ τέκνα, καὶ αὐτὴν ἐς ἔδαφος κατέβαλε τὴν Δῆλον. After seizing much of the merchants' wealth and all of the dedications, enslaving also the women and children, he razed Delos to the ground. Describes a destructive historical action against Delos, not a mythic event.
3.23.4 3 historical medium ἅτε δὲ πορθουμένης τε καὶ ἁρπαζομένης, τῶν τις βαρβάρων ὑπὸ ὕβρεως τὸ ξόανον τοῦτο ἀπέρριψεν ἐς τὴν θάλασσαν· ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ὁ κλύδων ἐνταῦθα τῆς Βοιατῶν ἀπήνεγκε, καὶ τὸ χωρίον διὰ τοῦτο Ἐπιδήλιον ὀνομάζουσι. In the midst of this plundering and devastation, one of the barbarians insolently cast this statue into the sea; but the wave caught it and carried it over to this place in Boeotia, which consequently came to be called Epidelion. Describes a barbarian-era plundering and the statue's transfer, with a place-name explained by the historical event's impact on the landscape.
3.23.5 1 historical medium τὸ μέντοι μήνιμα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ διέφυγεν οὔτε Μηνοφάνης οὔτε αὐτὸς Μιθριδάτης· However, neither Menophanes nor Mithridates himself escaped the divine wrath. Refers to Mithridates and divine wrath in a historical context, likely describing a later event rather than a mythic episode.
3.23.5 2 historical high ἀλλὰ Μηνοφάνην μὲν παραυτίκα, ὡς ἀνήγετο ἐρημώσας τὴν Δῆλον, λοχήσαντες ναυσὶν οἱ διαπεφευγότες τῶν ἐμπόρων καταδύουσι, Μιθριδάτην δὲ ὕστερον τούτων ἠνάγκασεν ὁ θεὸς αὐτόχειρα αὑτοῦ καταστῆναι, τῆς τε ἀρχῆς οἱ καθῃρημένης καὶ ἐλαυνόμενον πανταχόθεν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων· For soon afterward, as Menophanes sailed away after devastating Delos, merchants who had previously escaped laid an ambush for him with their ships and sank him. Refers to Menophanes, Delos being devastated, and Mithridates under Roman pressure—events of the Hellenistic/Roman historical period.
3.23.5 3 historical high εἰσὶ δὲ οἵ φασιν αὐτὸν παρά του τῶν μισθοφόρων θάνατον βίαιον ἐν μέρει χάριτος εὕρασθαι. Mithridates too, later suffered divine vengeance and was compelled to take his own life, stripped of his empire and hunted down on every side by the Romans. Refers to Mithridates and the Roman defeat of a historical ruler after 500 BC.
3.23.6 1 mythic high τούτοις μὲν τοιαῦτα ἀπήντησεν ἀσεβήσασι· Such then was the fate that overtook those who committed impiety. Refers to punishment for impiety, which in Pausanias typically concerns mythic events or divine retribution.
3.23.6 2 other high τῇ δὲ Βοιαῶν ὅμορος Ἐπίδαυρός ἐστιν ἡ Λιμηρά, σταδίους ὡς διακοσίους ἀπέχουσα Ἐπιδηλίου. Bordering upon Boiai is Epidaurus Limera, situated about two hundred stades from Epidelion. Purely geographical location and distance description.
3.23.6 3 mythic medium φασὶ δὲ οὐ Λακεδαιμονίων, τῶν δὲ ἐν τῇ Ἀργολίδι Ἐπιδαυρίων εἶναι, πλέοντες δὲ ἐς Κῶν παρὰ τὸν Ἀσκληπιὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ προσσχεῖν τῆς Λακωνικῆς ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἐξ ἐνυπνίων γενομένων σφίσι καταμείναντες οἰκῆσαι. They say that its founders were not Lacedaemonians, but Epidaurians from the Argolid. Founders are said to have come after dreams and Apollo/Asclepius context, which fits a foundation myth rather than historical record.
3.23.7 1 mythic high λέγουσι δὲ καὶ ὡς οἴκοθεν ἐκ τῆς Ἐπιδαύρου δράκοντα ἐπαγομένοις αὐτοῖς ἐξέφυγεν ἐκ τῆς νεὼς ὁ δράκων, ἐκφυγὼν δὲ οὐ πόρρω κατέδυ θαλάσσης, καί σφισιν ὁμοῦ τῶν ὀνειράτων τῇ ὄψει καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ σημείου τοῦ κατὰ τὸν δράκοντα ἔδοξεν αὐτόθι καταμείναντας οἰκῆσαι. They say also that as they were bringing a serpent from Epidaurus, the serpent escaped from the ship, and after escaping plunged into the sea not far away; prompted both by the dreams they saw and by the sign given by the serpent, they decided to settle and dwell in that very place. A serpent from Epidaurus escaping into the sea and guiding settlement is a mythic foundation narrative and sign.
3.23.7 2 mythic high καὶ ἔνθα ὁ δράκων κατέδυ, βωμοί τέ εἰσιν Ἀσκληπιοῦ καὶ ἐλαῖαι περὶ αὐτοὺς πεφύκασιν. And where the serpent sank into the sea stand altars to Asclepius, with olive trees growing around them. The serpent sinking into the sea is a mythic event, and the altars and olive trees are described as its landscape impact.
3.23.8 1 mythic high προελθόντι δὲ ἐν δεξιᾷ δύο που σταδίους, ἔστιν Ἰνοῦς καλούμενον ὕδωρ, Proceeding onwards about two stades on the right side, there is water called the water of Ino. Water named for Ino refers to a mythic figure and a landscape feature tied to myth.
3.23.8 2 other high μέγεθος μὲν κατὰ λίμνην μικράν, τῆς γῆς δὲ ἐν βάθει μᾶλλον· Its size is that of a small lake, but its depth extends deep into the earth. Purely descriptive measurement of the lake’s size and depth; no mythic or historical event.
3.23.8 3 mythic high ἐς τοῦτο τὸ ὕδωρ ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ τῆς Ἰνοῦς ἐμβάλλουσιν ἀλφίτων μάζας. At the festival of Ino, they cast cakes of barley meal into this water. Refers to a festival of Ino and a ritual offering into sacred water, tied to mythic cult practice.
3.23.8 4 other high ταύτας ἐπὶ μὲν αἰσίῳ τοῦ ἐμβαλόντος καταδεξάμενον ἔχει τὸ ὕδωρ· εἰ δὲ ἀναπέμψαιτο σφᾶς, πονηρὸν κέκριται σημεῖον. If the water accepts and retains the cakes, it is considered favorable for the one who threw them in; but if the water should send them back up, it is regarded as an evil omen. Describes a ritual omen and divination practice, not a mythic event or post-500 BC historical event.
3.23.9 1 other high τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ ἐν Αἴτνῃ δηλοῦσιν οἱ κρατῆρες· The craters on Etna indicate something similar. Describes a physical feature of Etna; geographical/descriptive rather than mythic or historical.
3.23.9 2 other high καὶ γὰρ χρυσοῦ ἐς αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀργύρου ποιήματα, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἱερεῖα τὰ πάντα ἀφιᾶσι· For people throw into them crafted objects of gold and silver, and also sacrifices of all sorts. Describes ritual offerings and cult practice at a place, not a mythic event or a post-500 BC historical event.
3.23.9 3 other high ταῦτα δὲ ἢν μὲν ὑπολαβὸν ἀπενέγκῃ τὸ πῦρ, οἱ δὲ χαίρουσιν ὡς ἐπὶ πεφηνότι ἀγαθῷ, ἀπωσαμένου δὲ τὰ ἐμβληθέντα συμφορὰν ἔσεσθαι τούτῳ τῷ ἀνδρὶ νομίζουσι. Now if the fire accepts these offerings, carrying them away, they rejoice as though a good omen has appeared; but if the fire rejects what was thrown in, they believe misfortune will befall that person. Describes a ritual omen practice and its interpretation, not a mythic event or post-500 BC historical event.
3.23.10 1 other high κατὰ δὲ τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν ἐκ Βοιῶν ἐς Ἐπίδαυρον τὴν Λιμηρὰν ἄγουσαν Ἀρτέμιδος ἱερόν ἐστιν ἐν τῇ Ἐπιδαυρίων Λιμνάτιδος. Along the road from Boeae to Epidaurus Limera there is, in Epidaurian territory, a sanctuary of Artemis Limnatis. A route description identifying a sanctuary location; purely geographical/descriptive.
3.23.10 2 other high ἡ πόλις δὲ ἀπέχουσα οὐ πολὺ ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἐπὶ μετεώρῳ μὲν ᾤκισται, θέας δὲ αὐτόθι ἄξια τὸ μὲν Ἀφροδίτης ἐστὶν ἱερόν, τὸ δὲ Ἀσκληπιοῦ καὶ ἄγαλμα ὀρθὸν λίθου, καὶ Ἀθηνᾶς ἐν τῇ ἀκροπόλει ναός, πρὸ δὲ τοῦ λιμένος Διὸς ἐπίκλησιν Σωτῆρος. The city itself stands upon elevated ground, not far from the sea. Purely geographical description of the city's location relative to the sea.
3.23.11 1 other high ἄκρα δὲ ἐς τὸ πέλαγος κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ἀνέχει καλουμένη Μινῴα· A promontory extends out into the sea by the city, called Minoa. Purely geographical description of a promontory and its name.
3.23.11 2 other high καὶ ὁ μὲν κόλπος οὐδέν τι ἔχει διάφορον ἢ ὅσαι κατὰ τὴν Λακωνικὴν ἄλλαι θαλάσσης εἰσὶν ἐσβολαί, αἰγιαλὸς δὲ ὁ ταύτῃ παρέχεται ψηφῖδας σχῆμα εὐπρεπεστέρας καὶ χρόας παντοδαπῆς. The bay does not differ at all from other coastal inlets along the Laconian coast; however, the beach at this place produces pebbles of especially fine shape and various colors. Purely geographical description of the bay and beach; no mythic or historical event.