Pausanias Analysis

Greek passages split into sentences with English translation

Chapter 1.21

Passage Sentence Greek English Era Skepticism
1.21.1 1 εἰσὶ δὲ Ἀθηναίοις εἰκόνες ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ καὶ τραγῳδίας καὶ κωμῳδίας ποιητῶν, αἱ πολλαὶ τῶν ἀφανεστέρων· The Athenians have statues in their theatre of poets both of tragedy and comedy, most of whom are relatively obscure. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.1 2 ὅτι μὴ γὰρ Μένανδρος, οὐδεὶς ἦν ποιητὴς κωμῳδίας τῶν ἐς δόξαν ἡκόντων. For aside from Menander, there was no comic poet worthy of notable fame. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.1 3 τραγῳδίας δὲ κεῖνται τῶν φανερῶν Εὐριπίδης καὶ Σοφοκλῆς. Among the famous tragedians represented there are Euripides and Sophocles. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.1 4 λέγεται δὲ Σοφοκλέους τελευτήσαντος ἐσβαλεῖν ἐς τὴν Ἀττικὴν Λακεδαιμονίους, καὶ σφῶν τὸν ἡγούμενον ἰδεῖν ἐπιστάντα οἱ Διόνυσον κελεύειν τιμαῖς, ὅσαι καθεστήκασιν ἐπὶ τοῖς τεθνεῶσι, τὴν Σειρῆνα τὴν νέαν τιμᾶν· They say that upon Sophocles' death the Lacedaemonians invaded Attica, and their commander had a vision of Dionysus standing over him and commanding him to honor with customary funeral rites the new Siren; Historical Skeptical
1.21.1 5 καί οἱ τὸ ὄναρ ἐς Σοφοκλέα καὶ τὴν Σοφοκλέους ποίησιν ἐφαίνετο ἔχειν, εἰώθασι δὲ καὶ νῦν ἔτι ποιημάτων καὶ λόγων τὸ ἐπαγωγὸν Σειρῆνι εἰκάζειν. and this dream seemed clearly to refer to Sophocles and his poetry, for even now it remains customary to liken the charm of poetry and eloquence to a Siren. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.2 1 τὴν δὲ εἰκόνα τὴν Αἰσχύλου πολλῷ τε ὕστερον τῆς τελευτῆς δοκῶ ποιηθῆναι καὶ τῆς γραφῆς ἣ τὸ ἔργον ἔχει τὸ Μαραθῶνι. The portrait of Aeschylus, I believe, was made much later than his death and later than the painting showing the battle at Marathon. Historical Skeptical
1.21.2 2 ἔφη δὲ Αἰσχύλος μειράκιον ὢν καθεύδειν ἐν ἀγρῷ φυλάσσων σταφυλάς, Aeschylus, it is said, while still a youth, fell asleep as he kept watch over grape clusters in a field. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.2 3 καί οἱ Διόνυσον ἐπιστάντα κελεῦσαι τραγῳδίαν ποιεῖν· Dionysus appeared, standing beside him, and commanded him to compose tragedy. Mythic Not Skeptical
1.21.2 4 ὡς δὲ ἦν ἡμέρα--- πείθεσθαι γὰρ ἐθέλειν---ῥᾷστα ἤδη πειρώμενος ποιεῖν. At daybreak—for Aeschylus was eager to obey—he immediately set about attempting to compose it. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.3 1 οὗτος μὲν ταῦτα ἔλεγεν· These things he related. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.3 2 ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Νοτίου καλουμένου τείχους, ὃ τῆς ἀκροπόλεως ἐς τὸ θέατρόν ἐστι τετραμμένον, ἐπὶ τούτου Μεδούσης τῆς Γοργόνος ἐπίχρυσος ἀνάκειται κεφαλή, καὶ περὶ αὐτὴν αἰγὶς πεποίηται. Upon the wall known as the Southern, which faces toward the theater from the Acropolis, there is placed a gilded head of Medusa the Gorgon, and around it is fashioned an aegis. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.3 3 ἐν δὲ τῇ κορυφῇ τοῦ θεάτρου σπήλαιόν ἐστιν ἐν ταῖς πέτραις ὑπὸ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν· At the very top of the theater, under the Acropolis and among the rocks, is a cave. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.3 4 τρίπους δὲ ἔπεστι καὶ τούτῳ· Above this also stands a tripod. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.3 5 Ἀπόλλων δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ Ἄρτεμις τοὺς παῖδάς εἰσιν ἀναιροῦντες τοὺς Νιόβης. Within the cave, Apollo and Artemis are depicted slaying the children of Niobe. Mythic Not Skeptical
1.21.3 6 ταύτην τὴν Νιόβην καὶ αὐτὸς εἶδον ἀνελθὼν ἐς τὸν Σίπυλον τὸ ὄρος· ἡ δὲ πλησίον μὲν πέτρα καὶ κρημνός ἐστιν οὐδὲν παρόντι σχῆμα παρεχόμενος γυναικὸς οὔτε ἄλλως οὔτε πενθούσης· εἰ δέ γε πορρωτέρω γένοιο, δεδακρυμένην δόξεις ὁρᾶν καὶ κατηφῆ γυναῖκα. This same Niobe I myself saw when I ascended Mount Sipylus: from near at hand it is simply a rock and cliff, showing no resemblance whatsoever either to a woman or to one grieving; but if you go a little further away, it seems indeed like a woman bowed down in sorrow, shedding tears. Mythic Skeptical
1.21.4 1 ἰόντων δὲ Ἀθήνῃσιν ἐς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἀπὸ τοῦ θεάτρου τέθαπται Κάλως· On the road leading to the Acropolis in Athens from the theatre is buried Kalos. Mythic Not Skeptical
1.21.4 2 τοῦτον τὸν Κάλων ἀδελφῆς παῖδα ὄντα καὶ τῆς τέχνης μαθητὴν φονεύσας Δαίδαλος ἐς Κρήτην ἔφυγε, χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον ἐς Σικελίαν ἐκδιδράσκει παρὰ Κώκαλον. Daedalus, having slain this Kalos, who was his sister's son and pupil in his craft, fled to Crete, and some time later escaped to Sicily, to the court of Cocalus. Mythic Not Skeptical
1.21.4 3 τοῦ δὲ Ἀσκληπιοῦ τὸ ἱερὸν ἔς τε τὰ ἀγάλματά ἐστιν, ὁπόσα τοῦ θεοῦ πεποίηται καὶ τῶν παίδων, καὶ ἐς τὰς γραφὰς θέας ἄξιον· The sanctuary of Asclepius is worthy of viewing both for the statues—those depicting the god and his children—and for the paintings it contains. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.4 4 ἔστι δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ κρήνη, παρʼ ᾗ λέγουσι Ποσειδῶνος παῖδα Ἁλιρρόθιον θυγατέρα Ἄρεως Ἀλκίππην αἰσχύναντα ἀποθανεῖν ὑπὸ Ἄρεως, καὶ δίκην ἐπὶ τούτῳ τῷ φόνῳ γενέσθαι πρῶτον. Within it there is a spring, by which they say Halirrhothius, son of Poseidon, was slain by Ares, after he molested Alcippe, the daughter of Ares, and that this was the first trial held concerning homicide. Mythic Skeptical
1.21.5 1 ἐνταῦθα ἄλλα τε καὶ Σαυροματικὸς ἀνάκειται θώραξ· ἐς τοῦτόν τις ἰδὼν οὐδὲν ἧσσον Ἑλλήνων τοὺς βαρβάρους φήσει σοφοὺς ἐς τὰς τέχνας εἶναι. Here among other objects is placed a Sarmatian breastplate; whoever sees this will declare that the barbarians are no less ingenious in craftsmanship than the Greeks themselves. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.5 2 Σαυρομάταις γὰρ οὔτε αὐτοῖς σίδηρός ἐστιν ὀρυσσόμενος οὔτε σφίσιν ἐσάγουσιν· ἄμικτοι γὰρ μάλιστα τῶν ταύτῃ βαρβάρων εἰσί. The Sarmatians neither have iron ore mined in their own land nor do they import it from abroad; for they are especially isolated among the barbarians in these parts. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.5 3 πρὸς οὖν τὴν ἀπορίαν ταύτην ἐξεύρηταί σφισιν· ἐπὶ μὲν τοῖς δόρασιν αἰχμὰς ὀστεΐνας ἀντὶ σιδήρου φοροῦσι, τόξα τε κράνινα καὶ ὀιστοὺς καὶ ὀστεΐνας ἀκίδας ἐπὶ τοῖς ὀιστοῖς· Therefore they have devised the following solution to this shortage: instead of iron, they fit their spearheads with bone points, and use bows made of horn, arrows, and bone-tipped darts. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.5 4 καὶ σειραῖς περιβαλόντες τῶν πολεμίων ὁπόσους καὶ τύχοιεν, τοὺς ἵππους ἀποστρέψαντες ἀνατρέπουσι τοὺς ἐνσχεθέντας ταῖς σειραῖς. They also throw ropes around their enemies and, when they catch them, they wheel their horses about and overturn those thus entangled. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.6 1 τοὺς δὲ θώρακας ποιοῦνται τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον. Their breastplates they fashion in the following manner. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.6 2 ἵππους πολλὰς ἕκαστος τρέφει, ὡς ἂν οὔτε ἐς ἰδιωτῶν κλήρους τῆς γῆς μεμερισμένης οὔτε τι φερούσης πλὴν ὕλης ἀγρίας ἅτε ὄντων νομάδων· Each man rears many horses, since, as nomads, their land is neither divided into private holdings nor producing anything except wild woodlands. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.6 3 ταύταις οὐκ ἐς πόλεμον χρῶνται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ θεοῖς θύουσιν ἐπιχωρίοις καὶ ἄλλως σιτοῦνται. These horses they use not only for warfare but also sacrifice to their local gods and, additionally, use as food. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.6 4 συλλεξάμενοι δὲ τὰς ὁπλὰς ἐκκαθήραντές τε καὶ διελόντες ποιοῦσιν ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἐμφερῆ δρακόντων φολίσιν· Gathering the hoofs, they clean and split them, then make from these pieces something resembling serpent scales. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.6 5 ὅστις δὲ οὐκ εἶδέ πω δράκοντα, πίτυός γε εἶδε καρπὸν χλωρὸν ἔτι· If someone has never before seen a serpent, certainly he has seen the still-green cone of a pine tree. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.6 6 ταῖς οὖν ἐπὶ τῷ καρπῷ τῆς πίτυος φαινομέναις ἐντομαῖς εἰκάζων τὸ ἔργον τὸ ἐκ τῆς ὁπλῆς οὐκ ἂν ἁμαρτάνοι. Thus, comparing this work made from hoofs to the overlapping scales visible on a pine cone, one would not be mistaken. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.6 7 ταῦτα διατρήσαντες καὶ νεύροις ἵππων καὶ βοῶν συρράψαντες χρῶνται θώραξιν οὔτε εὐπρεπείᾳ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν ἀποδέουσιν οὔτε ἀσθενεστέροις· Piercing these scales and sewing them together using horse or ox sinews, they produce breastplates that are neither inferior in beauty nor weaker than the Greek ones. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.6 8 καὶ γὰρ συστάδην τυπτόμενοι καὶ βληθέντες ἀνέχονται. Indeed, they withstand blows both at close quarters and from afar. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.7 1 οἱ δὲ θώρακες οἱ λινοῖ μαχομένοις μὲν οὐχ ὁμοίως εἰσὶ χρήσιμοι, διιᾶσι γὰρ καὶ βιαζόμενοι τὸν σίδηρον· The linen corselets, however, are not equally useful in warfare, for iron weapons can pierce through them when forced. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.7 2 θηρεύοντας δὲ ὠφελοῦσιν, ἐναποκλῶνται γάρ σφισι καὶ λεόντων ὀδόντες καὶ παρδάλεων. But for hunting purposes they are beneficial, since even the teeth of lions and leopards become entangled in them. Historical Not Skeptical
1.21.7 3 θώρακας δὲ λινοῦς ἰδεῖν ἔν τε ἄλλοις ἱεροῖς ἔστιν ἀνακειμένους καὶ ἐν Γρυνείῳ, ἔνθα Ἀπόλλωνος κάλλιστον ἄλσος δένδρων καὶ ἡμέρων καὶ ὅσα τῶν ἀκάρπων ὀσμῆς παρέχεταί τινα ἢ θέας ἡδονήν. Linen corselets may be seen dedicated in various sanctuaries, notably at Gryneium, where there is a most beautiful grove of Apollo, with trees both cultivated and fruitless varieties offering either fragrance or a pleasing appearance. Historical Not Skeptical