Pausanias Analysis

Passage 9.15.1 Class: Historical

μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐν Θεσσαλίᾳ δυναστεύων Ἀλέξανδρος Πελοπίδαν ἐλθόντα---ἀφίκετο δὲ ὡς παρὰ ἄνδρα ἰδίᾳ τε εὔνουν αὑτῷ καὶ Θηβαίων φίλον τῷ κοινῷ--- παραγενόμενον δὴ τὸν Πελοπίδαν ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος δήσας εἶχεν ὑπὸ ἀπιστίας τε καὶ ὕβρεως· Θηβαῖοι δὲ ἐπεξιέναι παραυτίκα ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον ὥρμηντο. ἡγεμόνας μὲν οὖν τῆς ἐξόδου Κλεομένην καὶ Ὕπατον ἐποιήσαντο βοιωταρχοῦντας ἐν τῷ τότε· Ἐπαμινώνδᾳ δὲ συνέβαινεν ἐν τοῖς στρατευομένοις τετάχθαι.

Proper Nouns:

Βοιωταρχία Θεσσαλία Θῆβαι Θῆβαι Κλεομένης Πελοπίδας Ἀλέξανδρος Ἀλέξανδρος Ἐπαμινώνδας Ὕπατος

Afterwards, Alexander, who held power in Thessaly, arrested Pelopidas when he came as if to a man who was personally well-disposed towards him and friendly to the Thebans as a people in general. Indeed, upon Pelopidas' arrival, Alexander, prompted by mistrust and insolence, immediately seized and imprisoned him. The Thebans straightaway resolved to march forth against Alexander. They appointed Cleomenes and Hypatus, then serving as Boeotarchs, as leaders of the expedition. Epaminondas also happened to be numbered among those who marched out.

Passage 9.15.2 Class: Historical

γεγονυίας δὲ ἐκτὸς Πυλῶν οἱ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐπιτίθεταί σφισιν ἐν δυσχωρίαις λοχήσας ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος· ὡς δὲ ἐφαίνετο ἄπορα εἶναι τὰ τῆς σωτηρίας, οὕτω δὴ ὅ τε λοιπὸς στρατὸς ἡγεμόνα ποιοῦνται τὸν Ἐπαμινώνδαν καὶ οἱ Βοιωτάρχαι παραχωροῦσιν ἑκουσίως τῆς ἀρχῆς· Ἀλέξανδρος δὲ οὔτε ἔτι ἐθάρρει τὸν πόλεμον στρατηγοῦντα ὁρῶν τοῖς ἐναντίοις Ἐπαμινώνδαν καὶ ἑκὼν Πελοπίδαν ἀφίησιν.

Proper Nouns:

Βοιωτάρχης Πελοπίδας Πύλαι Ἀλέξανδρος Ἐπαμινώνδας

After they had marched out beyond the Gates, Alexander, having set an ambush at a difficult pass, attacked them with his force. And when it appeared that their situation offered no hope of escape, the rest of the army chose Epaminondas as their leader, and the Boeotarchs willingly yielded command to him. Alexander, seeing Epaminondas now leading his opponents, no longer had the courage to continue the war, and he voluntarily released Pelopidas.

Passage 9.15.3 Class: Historical

ἐν ὅσῳ δὲ ἀπῆν ὁ Ἐπαμινώνδας, Ὀρχομενίους Θηβαῖοι ποιοῦσιν ἀναστάτους ἐκ τῆς χώρας· συμφορὰν δὲ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τὴν Ὀρχομενίων ἐνόμιζεν ὁ Ἐπαμινώνδας καὶ οὔ ποτʼ ἂν ἐξεργασθῆναι τόλμημα τοιοῦτον αὐτοῦ γε παρόντος ἔφασκεν ὑπὸ Θηβαίων.

Proper Nouns:

Θηβαῖοι Θηβαῖοι Ἐπαμινώνδας Ὀρχομενός Ὀρχομενός

But while Epaminondas was absent, the Thebans drove out the Orchomenians completely from their land. Epaminondas considered the expulsion of the Orchomenians a misfortune, and declared that such a deed would never have been committed by the Thebans had he himself been present.

Passage 9.15.4 Class: Historical

ὡς δὲ βοιωταρχεῖν αὖθις ᾕρητο καὶ στρατῷ Βοιωτῶν ἀφίκετο αὖθις ἐς Πελοπόννησον, ἐκράτησε μὲν περὶ Λέχαιον Λακεδαιμονίους μάχῃ, σὺν δέ σφισιν Ἀχαιῶν Πελληνέας καὶ Ἀθηναίων οὓς Χαβρίας ἦγεν ἐξ Ἀθηνῶν. Θηβαίοις δὲ ἦν καθεστηκὸς τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους, ὁπόσους αἰχμαλώτους ἕλοιεν, ἀφιέναι χρημάτων, τοὺς δὲ ἐκ Βοιωτῶν φεύγοντας ζημιοῦν θανάτῳ· πόλισμα οὖν ἑλὼν Σικυωνίων Φοιβίαν, ἔνθα ἦσαν τὸ πολὺ οἱ Βοιώτιοι φυγάδες συνηγμένοι, ἀφίησι τοὺς ἐγκαταληφθέντας, ἄλλην σφίσιν ἣν ἔτυχε πατρίδα ἐπονομάζων ἑκάστῳ.

Proper Nouns:

Βοιωτοί Θηβαῖοι Λέχαιον Λακεδαιμόνιοι Πελληνέες Πελοπόννησος Σικυώνιοι Φοιβία Χαβρίας Ἀθηναῖοι Ἀθῆναι Ἀχαιοί

When he was chosen again as Boeotarch and led an army of the Boeotians once more into the Peloponnese, he defeated the Lacedaemonians in battle near Lechaeum, and along with them the Pelleneans from Achaea and those Athenians whom Chabrias had led from Athens. The Thebans had a policy of releasing all prisoners they captured for ransom, except for Boeotian exiles, whom they punished with death. Having thus captured the Sicyonian town of Phoebia, where most of the exiled Boeotians had gathered, he freed those he found there, assigning to each a new citizenship in whatever place he happened to designate as their new homeland.

Passage 9.15.5 Class: Historical

ὡς δὲ ἀφίκετο πρὸς Μαντίνειαν τῇ στρατιᾷ, νικῶν καὶ τότε ὑπὸ ἀνδρὸς ἀπέθανεν Ἀθηναίου· καὶ Ἀθήνῃσιν ἐν ἱππέων μάχῃ τὸν Ἐπαμινώνδαν ὁ ἀνὴρ οὗτος γέγραπται φονεύων Γρύλος ὁ Ξενοφῶντος, Ξενοφῶντος δὴ τοῦ Κύρῳ ὁδοῦ μετασχόντος ἐπὶ βασιλέα Ἀρταξέρξην καὶ ὀπίσω τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἐπὶ θάλασσαν ἡγησαμένου.

Proper Nouns:

Γρύλος Κῦρος Μαντίνεια Ξενοφῶν Ἀθηναῖος Ἀθῆναι Ἀρταξέρξης Ἐπαμινώνδας Ἕλληνες

When he arrived with his army near Mantineia, though victorious there also, he was slain by the hand of an Athenian. It is recorded that this man, Gryllos, the son of Xenophon, killed Epaminondas during a cavalry engagement. Gryllos was indeed the son of Xenophon, who took part in Cyrus' expedition against King Artaxerxes and afterward led the Greeks safely back to the sea.

Passage 9.15.6 Class: Historical

τῷ δὲ ἀνδριάντι τοῦ Ἐπαμινώνδου καὶ ἐλεγεῖα ἔπεστιν ἄλλα τε ἐς αὐτὸν λέγοντα καὶ ὅτι Μεσσήνης γένοιτο οἰκιστὴς καὶ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ὑπάρξειεν ἐλευθερία διʼ αὐτοῦ. καὶ οὕτως ἔχει τὰ ἐλεγεῖα· ἡμετέραις βουλαῖς Σπάρτη μὲν ἐκείρατο δόξαν, Μεσσήνη δʼ ἱερὴ τέκνα χρόνῳ δέχεται· Θήβης δʼ ὅπλοισιν Μεγάλη πόλις ἐστεφάνωται, αὐτόνομος δʼ Ἑλλὰς πᾶσʼ ἐν ἐλευθερίῃ. τούτῳ μὲν τοσαῦτα ἦν ἐς δόξαν·

Proper Nouns:

Θῆβαι Μεγάλη Πόλις Μεσσήνη Μεσσήνη Σπάρτη Ἐπαμινώνδας Ἑλλὰς Ἕλληνες

Upon the statue of Epaminondas there are additional elegiac verses inscribed, recounting among other things that he was the founder of Messene and that through him freedom was granted to the Greeks. These elegiac lines read thus: "By our counsels Sparta’s fame was sheared away; Sacred Messene now at last receives her children. The Great City was crowned by Theban arms, And all of Hellas freely governs itself in liberty." Such was Epaminondas' reputation.

Legend:

Chapter 9.15