Pausanias Analysis

Passage 2.18.1 Class: Mythic

ἐκ Μυκηνῶν δὲ ἐς Ἄργος ἐρχομένοις ἐν ἀριστερᾷ Περσέως παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν ἐστιν ἡρῷον. ἔχει μὲν δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα τιμὰς παρὰ τῶν προσχωρίων, μεγίστας δὲ ἔν τε Σερίφῳ καὶ παρʼ Ἀθηναίοις , οἷς Περσέως τέμενος καὶ Δίκτυος καὶ Κλυμένης βωμὸς σωτήρων καλουμένων Περσέως. ἐν δὲ τῇ Ἀργείᾳ προελθοῦσιν ὀλίγον ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡρῴου τούτου Θυέστου τάφος ἐστὶν ἐν δεξιᾷ· λίθου δὲ ἔπεστιν αὐτῷ κριός, ὅτι τὴν ἄρνα ὁ Θυέστης ἔσχε τὴν χρυσῆν, μοιχεύσας τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα. Ἀτρέα δὲ οὐκ ἐπέσχεν ὁ λογισμὸς μετρῆσαι τὴν ἴσην, ἀλλὰ τῶν Θυέστου παίδων σφαγὰς καὶ τὰ ᾀδόμενα δεῖπνα ἐξειργάσατο.

Proper Nouns:

Δίκτυς Θυέστης Κλυμένη Μυκῆναι Περσεύς Σέριφος Ἀθηναῖοι Ἀργεία Ἀτρεύς Ἄργος

On the journey from Mycenae to Argos, there is a hero-shrine of Perseus on the left beside the road. He indeed receives honors here from the local inhabitants, but the greatest are paid to him in Seriphos and among the Athenians. The Athenians have a sacred precinct dedicated to Perseus, and within it an altar of Dictys and Clymene, who together with Perseus are named the Saviors. A short distance beyond this shrine, in Argive territory, is the tomb of Thyestes on the right side. Upon it stands a ram fashioned from stone, because Thyestes obtained the golden lamb after seducing his brother’s wife. Atreus, however, was not satisfied merely with balancing the wrong done to him; instead he carried out the murder of Thyestes’ sons and the grim banquet described in song.

Passage 2.18.2 Class: Mythic

ὕστερον δὲ οὐκ ἔχω σαφὲς εἰπεῖν πότερον ἀδικίας ἦρξεν Αἴγισθος ἢ προϋπῆρξεν Ἀγαμέμνονι φόνος Ταντάλου τοῦ Θυέστου· συνοικεῖν δέ φασιν αὐτὸν Κλυταιμνήστρᾳ παρθένῳ παρὰ Τυνδάρεω λαβόντα. ἐγὼ δὲ καταγνῶναι μὲν οὐκ ἐθέλω φύσει σφᾶς γενέσθαι κακούς· εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον αὐτοῖς τὸ μίασμα τὸ Πέλοπος καὶ ὁ Μυρτίλου προστρόπαιος ἠκολούθησε, τούτοις ἦν ἄρα ὁμολογοῦντα, ἡνίκα ἡ Πυθία Γλαύκῳ τῷ Ἐπικύδους Σπαρτιάτῃ, βουλεύσαντι ἐπίορκα ὀμόσαι, καὶ τοῦδε εἶπεν ἐς τοὺς ἀπογόνους κατιέναι τὴν δίκην.

Proper Nouns:

Αἴγισθος Γλαύκος Θυέστης Κλυταιμνήστρα Μύρτιλος Πέλοψ Πυθία Σπαρτιάτης Τάνταλος Τυνδάρεως Ἀγαμέμνων Ἐπίκυδος

But afterwards I cannot say clearly whether Aegisthus first committed an act of injustice or whether the murder of Tantalus, the son of Thyestes, preceded this act of Agamemnon. They say that Tantalus had already lived with Clytemnestra while she was still unmarried, taking her from Tyndareus. Yet I do not wish to judge them as by nature wicked; but if to this extent the pollution of Pelops and the vengeful curse of Myrtilus followed upon them, it would confirm what the Pythian priestess said to Glaucus, son of Epicydes, the Spartan, when he sought counsel about swearing a false oath, that the punishment would descend upon his descendants as well.

Passage 2.18.3 Class: Mythic

ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν Κριῶν---οὕτω γὰρ τοῦ Θυέστου τὸ μνῆμα ὀνομάζουσι---προελθοῦσιν ὀλίγον ἐστὶν ἐν ἀριστερᾷ χωρίον Μυσία καὶ Δήμητρος Μυσίας ἱερὸν ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς Μυσίου τὸ ὄνομα, γενομένου καὶ τούτου, καθάπερ λέγουσιν Ἀργεῖοι, ξένου τῇ Δήμητρι. τούτῳ μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἔπεστιν ὄροφος· ἐν δὲ αὐτῷ ναός ἐστιν ἄλλος ὀπτῆς πλίνθου, ξόανα δὲ Κόρης καὶ Πλούτωνος καὶ Δήμητρός ἐστι. προελθοῦσι δὲ ποταμός ἐστιν Ἴναχος, καὶ διαβᾶσιν Ἡλίου βωμός. ἐντεῦθεν δὲ ἐπὶ πύλην ἥξεις καλουμένην ἀπὸ τοῦ πλησίον ἱεροῦ· τὸ δὲ ἱερόν ἐστιν Εἰλειθυίας.

Proper Nouns:

Δήμητρα Δήμητρα Δήμητρα Εἰλείθυια Θυέστης Κριοί Κόρη Μυσία Μύσιος Πλούτων Ἀργεῖοι Ἥλιος Ἴναχος

From the Rams—for this is what they call the tomb of Thyestes—a little further along, on the left, is a place called Mysia and a sanctuary of Demeter Mysia, named after a certain Mysius, who, according to the Argive tradition, was a host to Demeter. This sanctuary has no roof, but within it there stands another temple built of baked brick, containing wooden statues of Kore, Plouton, and Demeter. Going further onward, there is the river Inachus, and after crossing it, an altar to Helios. Beyond this altar, you arrive at a gate named from the nearby sanctuary; and this sanctuary is sacred to Eileithyia.

Passage 2.18.4 Class: Mythic

μόνους δὲ Ἑλλήνων οἶδα Ἀργείους ἐς τρεῖς βασιλείας νεμηθέντας. ἐπὶ γὰρ τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς Ἀναξαγόρου τοῦ Ἀργείου τοῦ Μεγαπένθους μανία ταῖς γυναιξὶν ἐνέπεσεν, ἐκφοιτῶσαι δὲ ἐκ τῶν οἰκιῶν ἐπλανῶντο ἀνὰ τὴν χώραν, ἐς ὃ Μελάμπους ὁ Ἀμυθάονος ἔπαυσε σφᾶς τῆς νόσου, ἐφʼ ᾧ τε αὐτὸς καὶ ὁ ἀδελφὸς Βίας Ἀναξαγόρᾳ τὸ ἴσον ἕξουσιν. ἀπὸ μὲν δὴ Βίαντος βασιλεύουσι πέντε ἄνδρες ἐπὶ γενεὰς τέσσαρας ἐς Κυάνιππον τὸν Αἰγιαλέως, ὄντες Νηλεῖδαι τὰ πρὸς μητρός, ἀπὸ δὲ Μελάμποδος γενεαί τε ἓξ καὶ ἄνδρες ἴσοι μέχρις Ἀμφιλόχου τοῦ Ἀμφιαράου·

Proper Nouns:

Αἰγιαλεύς Βίας Βίας Κύανιππος Μεγαπένθης Μελάμπους Μελάμπους Νηλεῖδαι Ἀμφιάραος Ἀμφιλόχος Ἀμύθας Ἀναξαγόρας Ἀναξαγόρας Ἀργεῖοι Ἀργεῖος Ἕλληνες

The Argives are the only Greeks I know who divided their kingdom into three parts. For during the reign of Anaxagoras, son of Megapenthes, madness came upon the women; rushing forth from their homes, they wandered about the countryside. Melampus, son of Amythaon, relieved them of their affliction, upon the condition that he himself and his brother Bias should share power equally with Anaxagoras. From Bias there descended five kings through four generations to Cyanippus, son of Aigialeus, who were Neleids through their mother. From Melampus descended six generations with an equal number of kings down to Amphilochus, son of Amphiaraus.

Passage 2.18.5 Class: Mythic

τὸ δὲ ἐγχώριον γένος οἱ Ἀναξαγορίδαι βασιλεύουσι πλέον. Ἶφις μὲν γὰρ ὁ Ἀλέκτορος τοῦ Ἀναξαγόρου Σθενέλῳ τῷ Καπανέως ἀδελφοῦ παιδὶ ἀπέλιπε τὴν ἀρχήν· Ἀμφιλόχου δὲ μετὰ ἅλωσιν Ἰλίου μετοικήσαντος ἐς τοὺς νῦν Ἀμφιλόχους, Κυανίππου δʼ ἄπαιδος τελευτήσαντος, οὕτω Κυλαράβης ὁ Σθενέλου μόνος τὴν βασιλείαν ἔσχεν. οὐ μέντοι παῖδας κατέλιπεν οὐδʼ οὗτος, ἀλλὰ Ὀρέστης ὁ Ἀγαμέμνονος τὸ Ἄργος κατέσχε παροικῶν τε ἐγγὺς αὐτῷ καὶ ἄνευ τῆς πατρῴας ἀρχῆς προσπεποιημένος μὲν Ἀρκάδων τοὺς πολλούς, παρειληφὼς δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐν Σπάρτῃ βασιλείαν, συμμαχικοῦ δὲ ἐκ Φωκέων ἀεί ποτε ἐπʼ ὠφελείᾳ ἑτοίμου παρόντος.

Proper Nouns:

Καπανεύς Κυλαράβης Κύανιππος Σθένελος Σθένελος Σπάρτη Φωκεῖς Ἀγαμέμνων Ἀλέκτωρ Ἀμφίλοχοι Ἀμφίλοχος Ἀναξαγορίδαι Ἀναξαγόρας Ἀρκάδες Ἄργος Ἴλιος Ἶφις Ὀρέστης

The native royal line is mostly ruled by the family of the Anaxagoridae. For Iphis, the son of Alector, son of Anaxagoras, left the kingship to Sthenelus, son of Capaneus' brother. After Amphilochus moved following the fall of Troy into the region now called Amphilochia, and after Cyanippus died childless, thus Cylarabes son of Sthenelus alone held the royal power. However, he too left no children, so Orestes, son of Agamemnon, obtained Argos, living in proximity and not possessing his hereditary rule, but commanding the allegiance of many Arcadians, having also acquired the kingship at Sparta, while always having at hand a ready alliance with the Phocians for support.

Passage 2.18.6 Class: Mythic

Λακεδαιμονίων δὲ ἐβασίλευσεν Ὀρέστης Λακεδαιμονίων ἐφέντων αὐτῷ· τοὺς γὰρ Τυνδάρεω θυγατριδοῦς τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχειν οὐκ ἠξίουν πρὸ Νικοστράτου καὶ Μεγαπένθους Μενελάῳ γεγενημένων ἐκ δούλης. Ὀρέστου δὲ ἀποθανόντος ἔσχε Τισαμενὸς τὴν ἀρχήν, Ἑρμιόνης τῆς Μενελάου καὶ Ὀρέστου παῖς. τὸν δὲ Ὀρέστου νόθον Πενθίλον Κιναίθων ἔγραψεν ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσιν Ἠριγόνην τὴν Αἰγίσθου τεκεῖν.

Proper Nouns:

Αἴγισθος Κιναίθων Λακεδαιμόνιοι Μεγαπένθης Μενέλαος Μενέλαος Νικόστρατος Πενθίλος Τισαμένος Τυνδάρεως Ἑρμιόνη Ἠριγόνη Ὀρέστης Ὀρέστης

After the Spartans appointed him king, Orestes ruled over the Lacedaemonians; for it was not considered proper by them that the sons of the daughter of Tyndareus should hold power, since Nicostratus and Megapenthes had been born to Menelaus by a slave woman. After the death of Orestes, Tisamenus, the son of Orestes and Hermione, Menelaus' daughter, obtained the kingship. As for Orestes' illegitimate son, Penthilus, Cinaethon wrote in his poetry that Erigone, the daughter of Aegisthus, was his mother.

Passage 2.18.7 Class: Mythic

ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Τισαμενοῦ τούτου κατίασιν ἐς Πελοπόννησον Ἡρακλεῖδαι, Τήμενος μὲν καὶ Κρεσφόντης Ἀριστομάχου, τοῦ τρίτου δὲ Ἀριστοδήμου προτεθνεῶτος εἵποντο οἱ παῖδες. Ἄργους μὲν δὴ καὶ τῆς ἐν Ἄργει βασιλείας ὀρθότατα ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν ἠμφισβήτουν, ὅτι ἦν Πελοπίδης ὁ Τισαμενός, οἱ δὲ Ἡρακλεῖδαι τὸ ἀνέκαθέν εἰσι Περσεῖδαι· Τυνδάρεω δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν ἐκπεσόντα ἀπέφαινον ὑπὸ Ἱπποκόωντος, Ἡρακλέα δὲ ἔφασαν ἀποκτείναντα Ἱπποκόωντα καὶ τοὺς παῖδας παρακαταθέσθαι Τυνδάρεῳ τὴν χώραν· τοιαῦτα δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς Μεσσηνίας ἕτερα ἔλεγον, παρακαταθήκην Νέστορι δοθῆναι καὶ ταύτην ὑπὸ Ἡρακλέους ἑλόντος Πύλον.

Proper Nouns:

Κρεσφόντης Μεσσηνία Νέστωρ Πελοπίδης Πελοπόννησος Περσεῖδαι Πύλος Τήμενος Τισαμενός Τυνδάρεως Τυνδάρεως Ἀριστόδημος Ἀριστόμαχος Ἄργος Ἄργος Ἡρακλεῖδαι Ἡρακλῆς Ἡρακλῆς Ἱπποκόων

In the reign of this Tisamenus the Heracleidae came down into the Peloponnese, that is, Temenus and Cresphontes the sons of Aristomachus, and the children of Aristodemus, the third brother, who had already died. They made a truly just claim, it seems to me, to Argos and the royal authority therein; for Tisamenus was a Pelopid, whereas the Heracleidae, on the other hand, were originally Perseids. They pointed out, moreover, that Tyndareus himself had once been driven out by Hippocoon, and that Heracles, after killing Hippocoon and his sons, had entrusted the country to Tyndareus as a sacred trust. Similarly they asserted different claims regarding Messenia, that it had also been left as a trust with Nestor after Heracles had conquered Pylos.

Passage 2.18.8 Class: Mythic

ἐκβάλλουσιν οὖν ἐκ μὲν Λακεδαίμονος καὶ Ἄργους Τισαμενόν, ἐκ δὲ τῆς Μεσσηνίας τοὺς Νέστορος ἀπογόνους, Ἀλκμαίωνα Σίλλου τοῦ Θρασυμήδους καὶ Πεισίστρατον τὸν Πεισιστράτου καὶ τοὺς Παίονος τοῦ Ἀντιλόχου παῖδας, σὺν δὲ αὐτοῖς Μέλανθον τὸν Ἀνδροπόμπου τοῦ Βώρου τοῦ Πενθίλου τοῦ Περικλυμένου. Τισαμενὸς μὲν οὖν ἦλθε σὺν τῇ στρατιᾷ καὶ οἱ παῖδες ἐς τὴν νῦν Ἀχαΐαν·

Proper Nouns:

Βῶρος Θρασυμήδης Λακεδαίμων Μέλανθος Μεσσηνία Νέστωρ Πένθιλος Παίων Πεισίστρατος Περικλύμενος Σίλλος Τισαμενός Ἀλκμαίων Ἀνδρόπομπος Ἀντίλοχος Ἀχαΐα Ἄργος

Thus they expelled Tisamenus from Lacedaemon and Argos, and from Messenia they drove out the descendants of Nestor—Alcmaeon, son of Sillus, the son of Thrasymedes; Peisistratus, son of Peisistratus; and the sons of Paeon, son of Antilochus; and with them Melanthus, son of Andropompus, son of Borus, son of Penthilus, son of Periclymenus. Consequently, Tisamenus and his sons departed with their army to the region now called Achaia.

Passage 2.18.9 Class: Mythic

οἱ δὲ Νηλεῖδαι πλὴν Πεισιστράτου---τοῦτον γὰρ οὐκ οἶδα παρʼ οὕστινας ἀπεχώρησεν---ἐς Ἀθήνας ἀφίκοντο οἱ λοιποί, καὶ τὸ Παιονιδῶν γένος καὶ Ἀλκμαιωνιδῶν ἀπὸ τούτων ὠνομάσθησαν. Μέλανθος δὲ καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἔσχεν ἀφελόμενος Θυμοίτην τὸν Ὀξύντου· Θυμοίτης γὰρ Θησειδῶν ἔσχατος ἐβασίλευσεν Ἀθηναίων.

Proper Nouns:

Θησεῖδαι Θυμοίτης Μέλανθος Νηλεῖδαι Παιονῖδαι Πεισίστρατος Ἀθῆναι Ἀθῆναι Ἀλκμαιωνίδαι Ὀξύντος

The Neleids, except for Peisistratus—for him I do not know to whom he withdrew—came to Athens, and from these the family of the Paionidae and that of the Alcmaeonidae were named. Melanthus took the kingship by depriving Thymoites, son of Oxyntes, of it; for Thymoites was the last of the line of Theseus to reign over the Athenians.

Legend:

Chapter 2.18