Pausanias Analysis

From the marketplace, going toward the setting sun, there is the empty tomb built in honor of Brasidas, son of Tellis. Not far from this tomb is the theater, constructed from white stone, worthy of seeing. Opposite the theater is the memorial of Pausanias, who led the forces at Plataea, and another belonging to Leonidas. Each year they recite speeches over these tombs and hold contests, in which no one except Spartans is permitted to compete. The bones of Leonidas were brought back from Thermopylae by Pausanias forty years later. There stands also a stele bearing the names according to their paternal lineage of those who endured the fight against the Medes at Thermopylae.

In Sparta there is a place called Theomelida. In this part of the city lie the tombs of the Agiad kings, and nearby is a meeting hall named the Lesche of the Crotani—now, the Crotani are a section of the Pitana district. Not far from the Lesche is a sanctuary dedicated to Asclepius, situated at the place known as Agiadai. Going forward, one finds a monument to Tainaros, and they say that the promontory extending into the sea received its name from him. There are also temples dedicated to the gods Poseidon Hippokourios and Artemis Aiginaia. Returning backward towards the Lesche, there is a sanctuary of Artemis Issoria. They call her also Limnaia, yet she is not Artemis but Britomartis of Crete. As for her story, I will reserve it to my description of Aigina itself.

Nearest to the tombs built for the Agiadai, you will see a pillar, on which are recorded the victories that Chionis, a man of Lacedaemon, won at running, including those at Olympia: here he gained seven victories, four in the stadion race, and the rest in the diaulos (double course). At that time the race in armor ("race with the shield") had not yet been established as an event. They say also that Chionis took part in the expedition of Battus of Thera, helped him found Cyrene, and assisted in subduing the neighboring Libyans.

They say the sanctuary of Thetis was established for the following reason: when the Spartans were at war with the rebelling Messenians, Anaxandros their king invaded Messenia and captured some women as prisoners. Among them was Cleo, who was a priestess of Thetis. The wife of Anaxandros requested this Cleo from him. She discovered that Cleo possessed the wooden cult-image of Thetis, and she set up with her a temple dedicated to the goddess. Leandris (for that was her name) did all this according to a vision she had seen in a dream.

The wooden image of Thetis is indeed preserved in secrecy. The Lacedaemonians say that their worship of Demeter Chthonia was handed down to them by Orpheus; yet, in my own opinion, their belief in Demeter as Chthonia arose due to the sanctuary at Hermione. There is also a very recent temple of Sarapis among the Spartans, as well as one dedicated to Zeus under the epithet Olympios.

The Lacedaemonians call this place the Dromos ("the Course"), where young men, even down to our day, practice running. On the way to this Dromos from the tomb of the Agiadai, there is, on your left, the memorial of Eumedes, who also was a son of Hippocoön. There stands also an ancient statue of Heracles, to whom the Sphairai offer sacrifices; these Sphairai are young men at the stage of passing from youth into full adulthood. In the Dromos there are also gymnasia, one of which was dedicated by a Spartan named Eurycles. Outside the Dromos, near the statue of Heracles, there is a house belonging, in our time, to a private citizen, though of old it belonged to Menelaüs. As one moves further from the Dromos, there is a sanctuary of the Dioscuri and one of the Charites, as well as sanctuaries of Eileithyia, of Apollo Carneius, and of Artemis Hegemone.

The sanctuary of Agnitas is made on the right-hand side of the Course. Agnitas is a surname of Asclepius, derived from the image of the god being carved of agnos (willow). Agnos itself is the same as the shrub called lygos, identical in nature to the rhamnos. Not far from Asclepius stands a trophy, said to have been erected by Polydeuces after his victory over Lynceus. And this tradition too seems reasonable to me, that the sons of Aphareus were not buried in Sparta. Toward the beginning of the Course stand images of the Dioscuri as Starters of the Race, and after proceeding a little further one sees the hero-shrine of Alcon. Alcon is said to have been a son of Hippocoön. Next to Alcon's monument is a sanctuary of Poseidon, whom they call Domatites.

There is also a place called Platanistas, named after the plane-trees [platanes], as the plane-trees around it grow high and close together. The area itself, appointed as the place where the youths fight, is encircled by a canal filled with water, just like an island by the sea, and has entrances by means of bridges. At each of these bridges stands a statue—by one is an image of Heracles, by the other a figure representing Lycurgus. Indeed, Lycurgus established their laws, both those governing the rest of their civic order as well as those governing the youths' combat.

The following rites also are performed by the youths. Before the battle, they sacrifice in the Phoibaion; the Phoibaion stands outside the city, not far from Therapne. At this place, each division of youths sacrifices a puppy to Enyalios, judging that the bravest god must appropriately receive in sacrifice what they consider to be the bravest of domesticated animals. I know of no other Greeks besides the Colophonians who are accustomed to sacrifice puppies; for the Colophonians also sacrifice a black puppy to Enodia. Both the sacrifice of the Colophonians and that of the youths in Lacedaemon are performed at night.

At the sacrifice, the ephebes set two trained boars to fight against each other. Whichever side's boar happens to win, that group usually prevails in the contest at the Platanistas. Such are their proceedings in the Phoibaion. On the following day, shortly before midday, the youths enter across the bridges into the aforementioned place. During the preceding night, lots have already determined for each group the entrance by which they must approach. They fight both hand-to-hand and by kicking and leaping upon one another; they bite and even try to gouge out each other's eyes. Thus man grapples against man in the manner described; and they rush together violently in groups and push each other into the water.