Pausanias Analysis

Passage 9.4.1 Class: Historical

Πλαταιεῦσι δὲ Ἀθηνᾶς ἐπίκλησιν Ἀρείας ἐστὶν ἱερόν· ᾠκοδομήθη δὲ ἀπὸ λαφύρων ἃ τῆς μάχης σφίσιν Ἀθηναῖοι τῆς Μαραθῶνι ἀπένειμαν. τὸ μὲν δὴ ἄγαλμα ξόανόν ἐστιν ἐπίχρυσον, πρόσωπον δέ οἱ καὶ χεῖρες ἄκραι καὶ πόδες λίθου τοῦ Πεντελησίου εἰσί· μέγεθος μὲν οὐ πολὺ δή τι ἀποδεῖ τῆς ἐν ἀκροπόλει χαλκῆς, ἣν καὶ αὐτὴν Ἀθηναῖοι τοῦ Μαραθῶνι ἀπαρχὴν ἀγῶνος ἀνέθηκαν, Φειδίας δὲ καὶ Πλαταιεῦσιν ἦν ὁ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς τὸ ἄγαλμα ποιήσας.

Proper Nouns:

Μαραθών Πεντέλη Πλαταιαί Φειδίας ἀκρόπολις Ἀθηναῖοι Ἀθηνᾶ Ἀρεία

The Plataeans have a sanctuary dedicated to Athena with the epithet Areia ("Warlike"). They built it from the spoils awarded to them by the Athenians from the battle of Marathon. The statue is a wooden image gilded over; the face, the extremities of the hands, and the feet are made from Pentelic marble. In size it is not much smaller than the bronze Athena on the Acropolis, which the Athenians themselves dedicated as a first-offering from the spoils of Marathon. Pheidias also made for the Plataeans this statue of Athena.

Passage 9.4.2 Class: Mythic

γραφαὶ δέ εἰσιν ἐν τῷ ναῷ Πολυγνώτου μὲν Ὀδυσσεὺς τοὺς μνηστῆρας ἤδη κατειργασμένος, Ὀνασία δὲ Ἀδράστου καὶ Ἀργείων ἐπὶ Θήβας ἡ προτέρα στρατεία. αὗται μὲν δή εἰσιν ἐπὶ τοῦ προνάου τῶν τοίχων αἱ γραφαί, κεῖται δὲ τοῦ ἀγάλματος πρὸς τοῖς ποσὶν εἰκὼν Ἀριμνήστου· ὁ δὲ Ἀρίμνηστος ἔν τε τῇ πρὸς Μαρδόνιον μάχῃ καὶ ἔτι πρότερον ἐς Μαραθῶνα Πλαταιεῦσιν ἡγήσατο.

Proper Nouns:

Θῆβαι Μαραθών Μαρδόνιος Πλαταιεῖς Πολύγνωτος Ἀρίμνηστος Ἀργεῖοι Ἄδραστος Ὀδυσσεύς Ὀνασία

There are paintings within the temple: one by Polygnotus depicting Odysseus, who has already slain the suitors; another by Onasias showing Adrastus and the earlier expedition of the Argives against Thebes. These paintings are placed on the walls of the pronaos. At the feet of the statue lies the image of Arimnestus. Arimnestus commanded the Plataeans in both the battle against Mardonius and, earlier still, at Marathon.

Passage 9.4.3 Class: Mythic

ἔστι δὲ καὶ Δήμητρος ἐπίκλησιν Ἐλευσινίας ἱερὸν ἐν Πλαταιαῖς καὶ Ληίτου μνῆμα· τῶν δὲ ἡγεμόνων, οἳ Βοιωτοὺς ἐς Τροίαν ἤγαγον, μόνος ἀνέστρεψεν οἴκαδε οὗτος ὁ Λήιτος. τὴν δὲ κρήνην τὴν Γαργαφίαν Μαρδόνιος καὶ ἡ ἵππος συνέχεεν ἡ Περσῶν, ὅτι τὸ Ἑλλήνων στράτευμα τὸ ἀντικαθήμενόν σφισιν ἀπʼ αὐτῆς ἔπινεν· ὕστερον μέντοι τὸ ὕδωρ ἀνεσώσαντο οἱ Πλαταιεῖς.

Proper Nouns:

Βοιωτοί Γαργαφία Δήμητρα Λήιτος Λήιτος Μαρδόνιος Πέρσαι Πλαταιαί Πλαταιεῖς Τροία Ἐλευσίνια Ἕλληνες

There is also at Plataea a sanctuary of Demeter surnamed Eleusinia, and the tomb of Leitus. Of the leaders who brought the Boeotians to Troy, this Leitus alone returned home. As for the Gargaphian spring, Mardonius and the Persian cavalry defiled it, because the Greek army encamped opposite drank from its waters; later, however, the Plataeans restored the spring.

Passage 9.4.4 Class: Mythic

ἐκ Πλαταίας δὲ ἰοῦσιν ἐς Θήβας ποταμός ἐστιν Ὠερόη· θυγατέρα δὲ εἶναι τὴν Ὠερόην τοῦ Ἀσωποῦ λέγουσι. πρὶν δὲ ἢ διαβῆναι τὸν Ἀσωπόν, παρʼ αὐτὸ τὸ ῥεῦμα ἀποτραπεῖσιν ἐς τὰ κάτω καὶ προελθοῦσιν ὅσον τεσσαράκοντα στάδια ἔστιν ἐρείπια Σκώλου· Δήμητρος δὲ καὶ Κόρης ἐν τοῖς ἐρειπίοις οὐκ ἐξειργασμένος ὁ ναός, ἡμίεργα δὲ καὶ ταῖς θεαῖς ἐστι τὰ ἀγάλματα. ἀποκρίνει δὲ καὶ νῦν ἔτι ἀπὸ τῆς Θηβαίων τὴν Πλαταιίδα ὁ Ἀσωπός.

Proper Nouns:

Δήμητρα Θῆβαι Θῆβαι Κόρη Πλάταια Πλάταια Σκῶλος Ἀσωπός Ἀσωπός Ἀσωπός Ὠερόη Ὠερόη

On the way from Plataea to Thebes there is a river named Oeroë; they say that this Oeroë is a daughter of the Asopus. But before crossing the Asopus, turning aside beside the stream itself and proceeding downstream about forty stadia, one comes upon the ruins of Scolus. Within these ruins is an unfinished temple of Demeter and Kore, and the statues of the goddesses are only half-completed. Even now, the Asopus remains the boundary dividing the land of Plataea from the territory of the Thebans.

Legend:

Chapter 9.4