Pausanias Analysis

Current sentence-level mythic, historical, and other tags

Chapter 9.23

PassageSentenceBucketConfidenceGreekEnglishRationale
9.23.1 1 other high Θηβαίοις δὲ πρὸ τῶν πυλῶν ἐστι τῶν Προιτίδων καὶ τὸ Ἰολάου καλούμενον γυμνάσιον καὶ στάδιον κατὰ ταὐτὰ τῷ τε ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ καὶ τῷ Ἐπιδαυρίων γῆς χῶμα· Before the Proetidian Gate of the Thebans is located the gymnasium called "of Iolaus," and also a stadium similar in form to the one at Olympia and to the earthen one in the territory of Epidaurus. Purely topographical/descriptive: locating a gymnasium and stadium and comparing them to others.
9.23.1 2 mythic high ἐνταῦθα δείκνυται καὶ ἡρῷον Ἰολάου. At this site is also shown the hero shrine of Iolaus. A hero shrine of Iolaus is a cult site for a mythic hero.
9.23.1 3 mythic high τελευτῆσαι δὲ ἐν Σαρδοῖ τόν τε Ἰόλαον αὐτὸν καὶ Ἀθηναίων καὶ Θεσπιέων τοὺς συνδιαβάντας ὁμολογοῦσι καὶ οἱ Θηβαῖοι. The Thebans themselves agree that Iolaus, along with the Athenians and Thespians who crossed over with him, met their end in Sardinia. Iolaus and his companions are figures of mythic tradition, and the sentence reports their death in Sardinia as part of that legend.
9.23.2 1 historical high ὑπερβάντι δὲ τοῦ σταδίου τὰ ἐν δεξιᾷ δρόμος ἵππων καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ Πινδάρου μνῆμά ἐστι. After passing the stadium, on the right is a race-course for horses, and within it is the tomb of Pindar. Mentions the tomb of Pindar, a historical figure from the classical period, and a later commemorative feature of the landscape.
9.23.2 2 other high Πίνδαρον δὲ ἡλικίαν ὄντα νεανίσκον καὶ ἰόντα ἐς Θεσπιὰς θέρους ὥρᾳ καύματος περὶ μεσοῦσαν μάλιστα ἡμέραν κόπος καὶ ὕπνος ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ κατελάμβανεν· It is told that when Pindar was a young man, journeying once to Thespiae during the height of summer around noontime when the heat is greatest, exhaustion and sleep overtook him. Anecdotal biographical detail about Pindar, not a mythic event or post-500 BC historical event affecting landscape.
9.23.2 3 mythic high ὁ μὲν δὴ ὡς εἷχε κατακλίνεται βραχὺ ὑπὲρ τῆς ὁδοῦ, μέλισσαι δὲ αὐτῷ καθεύδοντι προσεπέτοντό τε καὶ ἔπλασσον πρὸς τὰ χείλη τοῦ κηροῦ. He lay down just beside the road where he happened to be, and as he slept, bees flew toward him and molded honeycomb upon his lips. Beehive-on-lips omen associated with the mythic infancy of a poet/sage, a legendary event rather than historical description.
9.23.3 1 other high ἀρχὴ μὲν Πινδάρῳ ποιεῖν ᾄσματα ἐγένετο τοιαύτη· εὐδοκιμοῦντα δὲ αὐτὸν ἤδη ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἐς πλέον δόξης ἦρεν ἡ Πυθία ἀνειποῦσα Δελφοῖς, ὁπόσων ἀπήρχοντο τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι, μοῖραν καὶ Πινδάρῳ τὴν ἴσην ἁπάντων νέμειν. Such was the occasion of Pindar's first composition of poetry; but when his fame already extended throughout all of Greece, it was further enhanced by the oracle at Delphi, which commanded the Delphians that of all offerings dedicated to Apollo, a portion equal to the god's own should be assigned likewise to Pindar. A biographical anecdote about Pindar and a Delphic oracle; this is antiquarian/literary rather than a mythic event or post-500 BC historical event affecting the landscape.
9.23.3 2 mythic high λέγεται δὲ καὶ ὀνείρατος ὄψιν αὐτῷ γενέσθαι προήκοντι ἐς γῆρας· It is also said that, when Pindar was advanced in years, a vision appeared to him in sleep. A dream-vision is a mythic/legendary notice about Pindar, not a historical event or mere description.
9.23.3 3 mythic high ἐπιστᾶσα ἡ Περσεφόνη οἱ καθεύδοντι οὐκ ἔφασκεν ὑμνηθῆναι μόνη θεῶν ὑπὸ Πινδάρου, ποιήσειν μέντοι καὶ ἐς αὐτὴν ᾆσμα Πίνδαρον ἐλθόντα ὡς αὐτήν. Persephone stood beside him as he slept and complained of having alone among the gods failed to receive praise from him; however, she declared that Pindar, when he came at last to her, would yet compose a song in her honor. Persephone’s appearance and speech are a mythic dream-vision involving a divine figure.
9.23.4 1 mythic high τὸν μὲν αὐτίκα τὸ χρεὼν ἐπιλαμβάνει πρὶν ἐξήκειν ἡμέραν δεκάτην ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀνείρατος, Immediately the fate overtook him before the tenth day had passed from his dream. Refers to fate overtaking a person after a dream, a supernatural/mythic causal framework rather than historical event.
9.23.4 2 historical low ἦν δὲ ἐν Θήβαις γυνὴ πρεσβῦτις γένους ἕνεκα προσήκουσα Πινδάρῳ καὶ τὰ πολλὰ μεμελετηκυῖα ᾄδειν τῶν ᾀσμάτων· At Thebes there was an elderly woman, of the family related to Pindar, who had often practiced singing his poetry. Refers to Pindar and an elderly woman in Thebes; this is antiquarian/personal-historical material rather than mythic or purely geographical.
9.23.4 3 mythic high ταύτῃ Πίνδαρος ἐνύπνιον τῇ πρεσβύτιδι ἐπιστὰς ὕμνον ᾖσεν ἐς Περσεφόνην, To her Pindar appeared in a dream, and standing before this elderly woman, he sang a hymn about Persephone. A dream-appearance of Pindar and a hymn to Persephone concern a mythic/religious figure and event.
9.23.4 4 mythic high ἡ δὲ αὐτίκα ὡς ἀπέλιπεν αὐτὴν ὁ ὕπνος, ἔγραψε ταῦτα ὁπόσα τοῦ ὀνείρατος ἤκουσεν ᾄδοντος. Immediately upon awakening, she wrote down everything she had heard him singing in her dream. The sentence describes a dream message and its recording, which belongs to mythic/religious narrative rather than historical or descriptive material.
9.23.4 5 mythic high ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ᾄσματι ἄλλαι τε ἐς τὸν Ἅιδην εἰσὶν ἐπικλήσεις καὶ ὁ χρυσήνιος, δῆλα ὡς ἐπὶ τῆς Κόρης τῇ ἁρπαγῇ. In this song are various invocations addressed to Hades and one to the "golden-reined" goddess, clearly referring to Persephone's abduction. Refers directly to Persephone's abduction and invocations to Hades, a mythic event.
9.23.5 1 other high ἐντεῦθεν ἐς Ἀκραίφνιόν ἐστιν ὁδὸς τὰ πλείω πεδιάς. From here the road to Akraiphion passes mostly through plains. A route description of the road and terrain; purely geographical/descriptive.
9.23.5 2 historical high εἶναι δὲ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τε μοῖραν τῆς Θηβαΐδος τὴν πόλιν φασὶ καὶ ὕστερον διαπεσόντας Θηβαίων ἐς αὐτὴν ἄνδρας εὕρισκον, ἡνίκα Ἀλέξανδρος ἐποίει τὰς Θήβας ἀναστάτους· It is said that this city was originally a part of the Theban territory, and later served as a refuge for certain Thebans who fled and took shelter within it at the time when Alexander destroyed Thebes. Refers to the destruction of Thebes by Alexander, a historical event after 500 BC, and its effect on the city as a refuge.
9.23.5 3 historical medium ὑπὸ δὲ ἀσθενείας καὶ γήρως οὐδὲ ἐς τὴν Ἀττικὴν ἀποσωθῆναι δυνηθέντες ἐνταῦθα ᾤκησαν. These men, unable due to weakness and old age even to make their way safely into Attica, made their homes here. Refers to men failing to reach Attica because of age and weakness, a later human settlement or migration event rather than mythic narrative.
9.23.5 4 other high κεῖται μὲν τὸ πόλισμα ἐν ὄρει τῷ Πτώῳ, θέας δὲ ἄξια ἐνταῦθα Διονύσου ναός ἐστι καὶ ἄγαλμα. The small city is situated upon Mount Ptōon; noteworthy among the sights here are a temple and statue of Dionysus. Simple topographical and descriptive note about the city and a temple/statue; no event is described.
9.23.6 1 other high προελθόντι δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐν δεξιᾷ πέντε που καὶ δέκα σταδίους τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνός ἐστι τοῦ Πτώου τὸ ἱερόν. About fifteen stades from the city, on the right-hand side as one proceeds, is the sanctuary of Apollo Ptoios. Purely topographical route description locating a sanctuary by distance and direction.
9.23.6 2 mythic high εἶναι δὲ Ἀθάμαντος καὶ Θεμιστοῦς παῖδα τὸν Πτῶον, ἀφʼ οὗ τῷ τε Ἀπόλλωνι ἐπίκλησις καὶ τῷ ὄρει τὸ ὄνομα ἐγένετο, Ἄσιος ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσιν εἴρηκε. Asius relates in his verses that Ptoös was a son of Athamas and Themisto, from whom both Apollo gets his surname and the mountain its name. Explains a mythic genealogy and the naming of Apollo and the mountain from Ptoös.
9.23.6 3 historical high πρὸ δὲ τῆς Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Μακεδόνων ἐπιστρατείας καὶ ὀλέθρου τοῦ Θηβαίων μαντεῖον ἦν αὐτόθι ἀψευδές· Before the expedition of Alexander and the Macedonians and the destruction of Thebes, there was a truthful oracle located there. Refs Alexander’s campaign and the destruction of Thebes, a post-500 BC historical event affecting the site.
9.23.6 4 historical high καί ποτε ἄνδρα Εὐρωπέα---ὄνομα δέ οἱ εἶναι Μῦν---, τοῦτον ἀποσταλέντα ὑπὸ Μαρδονίου τὸν Μῦν ἐπερέσθαι τε φωνῇ τῇ σφετέρᾳ καί οἱ χρῆσαι τὸν θεόν, οὐχ ἑλληνίσαντα οὐδὲ αὐτόν, διαλέκτῳ τῇ Καρικῇ. It is said that once a man from Europe—whose name was Mys—was sent by Mardonius, and this Mys questioned the god in his own native tongue; without replying in Greek, the god uttered his prophecy in the Carian dialect. Refers to Mardonius, a figure from the Persian Wars, so this is a post-500 BC historical anecdote rather than myth.
9.23.7 1 other high ὑπερβαλόντων δὲ τὸ ὄρος τὸ Πτῶον ἔστιν ἐπὶ θαλάσσης Βοιωτῶν πόλις Λάρυμνα, After crossing Mount Ptoon there is a city of the Boeotians called Larymna situated by the sea. Purely geographical route description identifying a city’s location by the sea.
9.23.7 2 mythic medium γενέσθαι δὲ αὐτῇ τὸ ὄνομά φασιν ἀπὸ Λαρύμνης τῆς Κύνου· τοὺς δὲ ἀνωτέρω προγόνους δηλώσει μοι τὰ ἔχοντα ἐς Λοκροὺς τοῦ λόγου. They say it received its name from Larymna, the daughter of Cynus, and regarding her more remote ancestors, I shall reveal these when my account reaches the Locrians. The sentence explains the place-name by descent from Larymna, daughter of Cynus, a mythic genealogical etiological tradition.
9.23.7 3 historical high καὶ συνετέλει δὲ ἐς Ὀποῦντα ἡ Λάρυμνα τὸ ἀρχαῖον· Θηβαίων δὲ ἐπὶ μέγα ἰσχύος προελθόντων, τηνικαῦτα ἑκουσίως μετετάξαντο ἐς Βοιωτούς. Larymna originally contributed to Opous, but when the Thebans rose greatly in strength, the inhabitants willingly transferred allegiance to the Boeotians. Describes a political realignment to the Boeotians after Theban power rose, which is historical rather than mythic.
9.23.7 4 other high Διονύσου δὲ ἐνταῦθα ναὸς καὶ ἄγαλμα ὀρθὸν πεποίηται. There is a temple and a standing statue of Dionysus at Larymna. A simple description of a temple and cult statue; no event or historical change is narrated.
9.23.7 5 other high λιμὴν δέ σφισίν ἐστιν ἀγχιβαθής, καὶ τὰ ὄρη τὰ ὑπὲρ τὴν πόλιν ὑῶν παρέχεται θήραν ἀγρίων. They also have a harbor with shallow water near the shore, and the mountains above the city offer hunting grounds for wild boars. Purely geographical and descriptive: harbor, mountains, and hunting grounds; no mythic or historical event.