Pausanias Analysis

Beyond the temple of Olympian Zeus, close by, there is a statue of Apollo Pythios; there is also another sanctuary of Apollo surnamed Delphinios. They say that when this temple had been completed except for the roof, Theseus arrived in the city, still unknown to all. And since he was wearing a long robe reaching down to his feet, and his hair was arranged in an attractive manner, as he happened to pass by the temple of Apollo Delphinios, the builders who were engaged in constructing the roof mocked him, asking sarcastically why a maiden, ready for a wedding, wandered about alone. Theseus said nothing in reply, but, as the story goes, he loosed the oxen from a nearby cart they had with them, and hurled the cart up onto the building, higher even than where the builders were making the roof of the temple.

Concerning the place they call the Gardens and the temple of Aphrodite there, there is no account recorded among them; nor even regarding the Aphrodite who stands near that temple. Indeed, this latter figure is square in shape, resembling the Herms; and the inscription indicates that the Heavenly Aphrodite is the eldest of those known as the Fates (Moirai). The statue of Aphrodite in the Gardens is a work by Alcamenes, and among the few objects at Athens worthy of seeing.

There is a sanctuary of Heracles called Cynosarges. Those who have chosen to consider the oracle may learn what concerns the white dog. There are altars to Heracles and to Hebe, who is considered a daughter of Zeus and is believed to dwell with Heracles; there are also altars dedicated to Alcmena and to Iolaus, who labored with Heracles in most of his exploits. The Lyceum got its name from Lycus, the son of Pandion, but originally and still in our day it is regarded as a sanctuary of Apollo; it was here that this god was first called Lyceius. It is also said that Lycus, fleeing from Aegeus, came to the Termilae, and that it is due to him that the Termilae changed their name to Lycians.

Behind the Lyceum there is a tomb of Nisus, whom the Athenians brought and buried here after he died, having been king of Megara and slain by Minos. The story about him says Nisus had hairs on his head that were purple in color, and it was fated that he would die if these were shorn away. When the Cretans invaded his country, they captured the other cities in the territory of Megara by raids, but Nisus took refuge in Nisaea. While they were besieging him there, the story goes that Nisus' daughter fell in love with Minos, and that she cut off her father's magical hairs.

These things, then, are said to have happened in this way. There are rivers flowing through Athens, both the Ilissus and the Eridanus, the latter having the same name as the Celtic river and flowing into the Ilissus. It is by the Ilissus where, as they say, Oreithyia was playing when she was seized away by Boreas, the North Wind. Boreas lived with Oreithyia as his wife, and on account of this marriage, he aided the Athenians by destroying most of the barbarian fleet of triremes. The Athenians also make the Ilissus sacred to other gods, and upon it is an altar of the Muses known as the Ilissiads. It is also shown as the place where the Peloponnesians killed Codrus, son of Melanthus, who ruled the Athenians.

Upon crossing the Ilisos, there is a place called Agrai and a temple of Artemis Agrotera (the Huntress). Here they say Artemis first hunted when she came from Delos; for this reason, the statue holds a bow. Close by is a stadium made of white marble, which, while not particularly impressive to hear about, is a marvel to behold. One may best judge its size as follows: above the Ilisos, a crescent-shaped hill slopes straight down, extending in a double form toward the riverbank. An Athenian named Herodes built it, and most of the marble from the quarries at Pentelicus was exhausted on this construction.