Pausanias Analysis

Passage 5.20.1 Class: Mythic

ἔστι δὲ ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἄλλα ἀναθήματα, κλίνη τε μέγεθος οὐ μεγάλη, τὰ πολλὰ ἐλέφαντι κεκοσμημένη, καὶ ὁ Ἰφίτου δίσκος καὶ τράπεζα ἐφʼ ἧς προτίθενται τοῖς νικῶσιν οἱ στέφανοι. τὴν μὲν δὴ Ἱπποδαμείας λέγουσιν εἶναι παίγνιον· ὁ δὲ τοῦ Ἰφίτου δίσκος τὴν ἐκεχειρίαν, ἣν ἐπὶ τοῖς Ὀλυμπίοις ἐπαγγέλλουσιν Ἠλεῖοι, ταύτην οὐκ ἐς εὐθὺ ἔχει γεγραμμένην, ἀλλὰ ἐς κύκλου σχῆμα περίεισιν ἐπὶ τῷ δίσκῳ τὰ γράμματα.

Proper Nouns:

Ἠλεῖοι Ἰφῖτος Ἱπποδάμεια Ὀλύμπια

Here too are other dedications, including a couch of modest size, mostly decorated with ivory, the discus of Iphitus, and the table on which the crowns for the victors are set out. The couch, they say, was a plaything of Hippodameia. On the discus of Iphitus is inscribed the truce, which the people of Elis proclaim during the Olympic Games; but the inscription is not written straight, for the letters are arranged in a circular shape around the discus.

Passage 5.20.2 Class: Historical

ἡ τράπεζα δὲ ἐλέφαντος μὲν πεποίηται καὶ χρυσοῦ, Κωλώτου δέ ἐστιν ἔργον· εἶναι δέ φασιν ἐξ Ἡρακλείας τὸν Κωλώτην, οἱ δὲ πολυπραγμονήσαντες σπουδῇ τὰ ἐς τοὺς πλάστας Πάριον ἀποφαίνουσιν ὄντα αὐτόν, μαθητὴν Πασιτέλους, Πασιτέλη δὲ αὐτὸν διδαχθῆναι . καὶ Ἥρα τε καὶ Ζεὺς καὶ θεῶν Μήτηρ καὶ Ἑρμῆς καὶ Ἀπόλλων μετὰ Ἀρτέμιδος πεποίηται· ὄπισθε δὲ ἡ διάθεσίς ἐστιν ἡ τοῦ ἀγῶνος.

Proper Nouns:

Ζεύς Κωλῶτος Κωλῶτος Μήτηρ Πάριον Πασιτέλης Πασιτέλης Ἀπόλλων Ἄρτεμις Ἑρμῆς Ἡράκλεια Ἥρα

The table is made of ivory and gold, and is the work of Kolotes. They say that Kolotes was from Herakleia, but those who carefully investigate the sculptors declare with assurance that he was actually from Parion, a pupil of Pasiteles, who himself received instruction from Pasiteles. Represented on the table are Hera, Zeus, the Mother of the Gods, Hermes, and Apollo together with Artemis. On the back is depicted the arrangement of the contest.

Passage 5.20.3 Class: Mythic

κατὰ δὲ ἑκατέραν πλευρὰν τῇ μὲν Ἀσκληπιὸς καὶ τῶν Ἀσκληπιοῦ θυγατέρων Ὑγεία ἐστίν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ Ἄρης καὶ Ἀγὼν παρʼ αὐτόν, τῇ δὲ Πλούτων καὶ Διόνυσος Περσεφόνη τε καὶ Νύμφαι, σφαῖραν αὐτῶν ἡ ἑτέρα φέρουσα· ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ κλειδὶ ---ἔχει γὰρ δὴ ὁ Πλούτων κλεῖν---, λέγουσιν ἐπʼ αὐτῇ τὸν καλούμενον Ἅιδην κεκλεῖσθαί τε ὑπὸ τοῦ Πλούτωνος καὶ ὡς ἐπάνεισιν οὐδεὶς αὖθις ἐξ αὐτοῦ.

Proper Nouns:

Διόνυσος Νύμφη Περσεφόνη Πλούτων Ἀγών Ἀσκληπιός Ἀσκληπιός Ἄρης Ἅιδης Ὑγεία

On each side, there are figures carved: on one side, Asklepios together with Hygieia, one of the daughters of Asklepios, as well as Ares and beside him Agon (Contest); on the other side, Pluto, Dionysos, Persephone, and the Nymphs, one of whom carries a sphere. On Pluto's key—for indeed Pluto holds a key—they say that Hades (as the underworld is called) is locked by Pluto, and no one who enters it ever returns again.

Passage 5.20.4 Class: Historical

λόγον δέ, ὃν Ἀρίσταρχος ἔλεγεν ὁ τῶν Ὀλυμπίασιν ἐξηγητής, οὔ με εἰκὸς ἦν παριδεῖν· ὃς ἐπὶ τῆς ἡλικίας ἔφη τῆς ἑαυτοῦ τὸν ὄροφον τοῦ Ἡραίου πεπονηκότα ἐπανορθουμένων Ἠλείων ὁπλίτου νεκρὸν τραύματα ἔχοντα μεταξὺ ἀμφοτέρων εὑρεθῆναι, τῆς τε ἐς εὐπρέπειαν στέγης καὶ τῆς ἀνεχούσης τὸν κέραμον· τοῦτον τὸν ἄνδρα μαχέσασθαι τὴν μάχην τὴν ἐντὸς Ἄλτεως πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους Ἠλείων.

Proper Nouns:

Λακεδαιμόνιοι Ἀρίσταρχος Ἄλτις Ἠλεῖοι Ἡραῖον Ὀλυμπία

I should not pass over a story that Aristarchus, the interpreter at Olympia, used to tell. He said that, when he was himself a young man, as the Eleans were restoring the roof of the Heraion, the corpse of a hoplite was discovered, having wounds, lying between the roof tiles intended for decoration and the supporting structure beneath them. This man, he said, had taken part in the battle fought within the Altis between the Eleans and the Lacedaemonians.

Passage 5.20.5 Class: Historical

καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν θεῶν τὰ ἱερὰ καὶ ἐς πάντα ὁμοίως τὰ ὑψηλὰ ἐπαναβαίνοντες ἠμύνοντο οἱ Ἠλεῖοι. οὗτος δʼ οὖν ὁ ἀνὴρ ἐφαίνετο ἡμῖν ὑποδῦναι μὲν ἐνταῦθα λιποψυχήσας ὑπὸ τραυμάτων· ὡς δὲ ἀφῆκε τὴν ψυχήν, οὐκ ἔμελλεν ἄρα οὔτε πνῖγος θέρους οὔτε ἐν χειμῶνι κρυμὸς ἔσεσθαι τῷ νεκρῷ βλάβος ἅτε ἐν σκέπῃ πάσῃ κειμένῳ. ἔλεγε δὲ καὶ τόδε ἔτι ὁ Ἀρίσταρχος, ὡς ἐκκομίσαιντο ἐς τὸ ἐκτὸς τῆς Ἄλτεως τὸν νεκρὸν καὶ ὁμοῦ τοῖς ὅπλοις γῇ κρύψαιεν.

Proper Nouns:

θεός Ἀρίσταρχος Ἄλτις Ἠλεῖοι

For even concerning the sanctuaries of the gods and in all such high places alike the Eleans mounted up and defended themselves. Now this man appeared to us to have crawled here after losing heart through his wounds. But once he gave up his life, neither the fierce heat of summer nor winter's chill was to cause harm to the corpse, since it lay in complete shelter. Aristarchus also said the following further: that they carried the corpse out beyond the enclosure of the Altis and buried it along with its armor.

Passage 5.20.6 Class: Mythic

ἣν δὲ καλοῦσιν Οἰνομάου κίονα καὶ οἱ Ἠλεῖοι καλοῦσιν , ἔστι μὲν πρὸς τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦ Διὸς ἰόντι ἀπὸ τοῦ μεγάλου βωμοῦ· τέσσαρες δέ εἰσιν ἐν ἀριστερᾷ κίονες καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτῶν ὄροφος, πεποίηνται δὲ ἔρυμα εἶναι ξυλίνῳ κίονι πεπονηκότι ὑπὸ τοῦ χρόνου καὶ τὰ πολλὰ ὑπὸ δεσμῶν συνεχομένῳ. οὗτος ὁ κίων ἐν οἰκίᾳ τοῦ Οἰνομάου, καθὰ λέγουσιν, εἱστήκει· κεραυνώσαντος δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν μὲν ἄλλην ἠφάνισεν οἰκίαν τὸ πῦρ, ὑπελίπετο δὲ τὸν κίονα ἐξ ἁπάσης μόνον.

Proper Nouns:

Ζεύς Οἰνόμαος Ἠλεῖοι

The pillar they call the "Pillar of Oenomaus," as the Eleans themselves also name it, stands on the way to the temple of Zeus from the great altar. On the left there are four pillars supporting a roof, constructed precisely to protect a wooden column, worn by time and largely held intact by bands. This pillar, they say, originally stood within the house of Oenomaus. When the god hurled his thunderbolt, the fire completely destroyed the rest of the building, yet from the entire structure, the pillar alone survived.

Passage 5.20.7 Class: Mythic

πινάκιον δὲ πρὸ αὐτοῦ χαλκοῦν ἐλεγεῖα ἔχει γεγραμμένα· καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ κεινῶν εἴμʼ ὦ ξένε λείψανον οἴκων, στυλὶς ἐν Οἰνομάου πρίν ποτʼ ἐοῦσα δόμοις· νῦν δὲ παρὰ Κρονίδην κεῖμαι τάδʼ ἔχουσα τὰ δεσμὰ τίμιος· οὐδʼ ὀλοὴ δαίσατο φλόξ με πυρός. συνέβη δὲ καὶ ἄλλο κατʼ ἐμὲ τοιόνδε.

Proper Nouns:

Κρονίδης Οἰνόμαος

In front of it a small bronze tablet bears inscribed elegiac verses: "I too, stranger, am a relic of that house, once a column in the halls of Oinomaos. Now by Kronos' son I lie, revered, bound with these bonds; nor did consuming flame devour me in fire." Another event of the same nature also befell this object.

Passage 5.20.8 Class: Mythic

ἀνὴρ βουλῆς τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀνείλετο Ὀλυμπικὴν νίκην· ἐθέλων δὲ ὑπολιπέσθαι τῆς νίκης ὑπόμνημα χαλκῆν εἰκόνα σὺν ἐπιγράμματι, ὤρυσσεν ἐς ποίησιν βάθρου· καὶ ὡς ἐγένετο ἐγγύτατα τὸ ὄρυγμα αὐτῷ τῆς τοῦ Οἰνομάου κίονος, ἐνταῦθα εὕρισκον οἱ ὀρύσσοντες καὶ ὅπλων καὶ χαλινῶν καὶ ψαλίων θραύματα.

Proper Nouns:

Οἰνόμαος Ὀλυμπία Ῥωμαῖοι

A man from the Roman senate gained an Olympic victory. Wishing to leave behind a memorial of his victory, a bronze statue with an inscription, he proceeded to dig to construct a base. When the excavation had come very close to the pillar of Oenomaus, those digging discovered fragments of armor, bridles, and horse-bits.

Passage 5.20.9 Class: Historical

ταῦτα μὲν δὴ αὐτὸς ἑώρων ὀρυσσόμενα· ναὸν δὲ μεγέθει οὐ μέγαν καὶ ἐργασίᾳ Δώριον Μητρῷον καὶ ἐς ἐμὲ καλοῦσιν ἔτι, τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῷ διασώζοντες τὸ ἀρχαῖον· κεῖται δὲ οὐκ ἄγαλμα ἐν αὐτῷ θεῶν Μητρός, βασιλέων δὲ ἑστήκασιν ἀνδριάντες Ῥωμαίων. ἔστι δὲ ἐντὸς τῆς Ἄλτεως τό τε Μητρῷον καὶ οἴκημα περιφερὲς ὀνομαζόμενον Φιλιππεῖον· ἐπὶ κορυφῇ δέ ἐστι τοῦ Φιλιππείου μήκων χαλκῆ σύνδεσμος ταῖς δοκοῖς.

Proper Nouns:

Δώριον Μήτηρ Μητρῷον Φιλιππεῖον Φιλιππεῖον Ἄλτις Ῥωμαῖοι

These things indeed I myself saw while they were being excavated. There is also a temple, not large in size and Dorian in workmanship, called the Metroön even up to my own day, preserving its ancient name. It contains no statue of the Mother of the Gods, but statues of Roman emperors stand therein. Within the Altis are located both the Metroön and a circular structure called the Philippeion; and atop the Philippeion is a bronze poppy that joins together the beams.

Passage 5.20.10 Class: Historical

τοῦτο τὸ οἴκημα ἔστι μὲν κατὰ τὴν ἔξοδον τὴν κατὰ τὸ πρυτανεῖον ἐν ἀριστερᾷ, πεποίηται δὲ ὀπτῆς πλίνθου, κίονες δὲ περὶ αὐτὸ ἑστήκασι· Φιλίππῳ δὲ ἐποιήθη μετὰ τὸ ἐν Χαιρωνείᾳ τὴν Ἑλλάδα ὀλισθεῖν. κεῖνται δὲ αὐτόθι Φίλιππός τε καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος, σὺν δὲ αὐτοῖς Ἀμύντας ὁ Φιλίππου πατήρ· ἔργα δέ ἐστι καὶ ταῦτα Λεωχάρους ἐλέφαντος καὶ χρυσοῦ, καθὰ καὶ τῆς Ὀλυμπιάδος καὶ Εὐρυδίκης εἰσὶν αἱ εἰκόνες.

Proper Nouns:

Εὐρυδίκη Λεωχάρης Φίλιππος Φίλιππος Φίλιππος Χαιρώνεια πρυτανεῖον Ἀλέξανδρος Ἀμύντας Ἑλλάς Ὀλυμπιάς

This building stands on the left as one goes out toward the Prytaneion; it is constructed of baked bricks, and columns stand around it. It was built for Philip after Greece's defeat at Chaeronea. Statues of Philip and Alexander are set up there, and with them Amyntas the father of Philip. These works also were created by Leochares in ivory and gold, as are likewise the images of Olympias and Eurydike.

Legend:

Chapter 5.20