Pausanias Analysis

The Mantineans have a temple, remarkable for being double, divided approximately in the middle by a wall. In one part of the temple there is an image of Asclepius, made by Alcamenes; the other sanctuary is dedicated to Leto and her children, and the statues were made by Praxiteles, who lived in the third generation after Alcamenes. On their pedestal are represented the Muses and Marsyas playing the flute. Here also the figure of Polybius, son of Lycortas, is wrought in relief upon a pillar.

Concerning this one, we shall speak again later. As for the Mantineans, they also have other sanctuaries, one dedicated to Zeus Soter (the Savior) and another to a god called Epidotes ("the Giver"), since indeed he bestows benefits upon men. There is also a sanctuary of the Dioscuri and elsewhere one of Demeter and the Maiden. Here they keep a perpetual fire burning, carefully ensuring that it never unintentionally goes out. Near the theater too, I saw a temple of Hera.

Praxiteles fashioned the statues—Hera herself seated on a throne and standing beside her Athena and Hebe, daughter of Hera. Near the altar of Hera is also the tomb of Arcas, son of Callisto. The bones of Arcas were brought there from Mount Maenalus, in accordance with an oracle delivered to them from Delphi.

Mount Maenalus is a harsh place in winter; there lies the tomb of Arcas, from whom all Arcadians derive their name, at a crossroads of three, four, and five paths. At this spot, I urge you to go and, with reverent heart, to bring the bones of Arcas forth and carry them down into the delightful town; there you shall establish a sanctuary and sacrifices in honor of Arcas. The place itself, where the tomb of Arcas stands, is called the Altars of the Sun.

Not far from the theater there are tombs remarkable for their prominence. One tomb, known generally by the name "Hearth," is circular in shape. It was said that Antinoë, the daughter of Cepheus, was buried there. Nearby another grave is marked with a stele, upon which is carved a mounted soldier. This represents Gryllus, the son of Xenophon.

Behind the theater remain the ruins of a temple of Aphrodite surnamed Symmachia ("Alliance"), as well as a statue. The inscription upon the base stated clearly that Nikippe, daughter of Paseas, dedicated the statue. This sanctuary was built by the Mantineans as a memorial for future generations of their allied involvement together with the Romans at the naval battle of Actium. They also worship Athena Alea, and possess both a sanctuary and a statue dedicated to Athena Alea.

Antinous was also considered by them to be a god; the newest temple in Mantineia is indeed that of Antinous. He was exceedingly honored by Emperor Hadrian. I myself never saw him while he yet lived among men, but I have seen him represented in statues and pictures. He receives honors elsewhere as well; an Egyptian city beside the Nile is named after Antinous. His honors at Mantineia arose from the following circumstance: Antinous was of Bithynian origin, from the land across the river Sangarius; and the Bithynians themselves are Arcadians and Mantineans by descent.

Because of these things, the emperor established honors for him also in Mantineia; there is an annual rite and a festival every fifth year held for him. Within the gymnasium at Mantineia is a building containing statues of Antinous, remarkable in other respects as well for the costly stones with which it is adorned and for the paintings it has, most of which depict Antinous, generally portrayed in the likeness of Dionysus. Moreover, there is also a replica there of the painting in the Ceramicus at Athens that depicts the battle of the Athenians at Mantineia.

In the marketplace of the Mantineans there is a bronze statue of a woman—whom the Mantineans call Diomeneia, the daughter of Arkas—and a hero shrine dedicated to Podares. They say Podares died in the battle against Epaminondas and the Thebans. Three generations before my time, they transferred the epitaph from his tomb to a later man, a descendant and namesake of that Podares, who lived at an age when they had already come under Roman rule.

In my time, the Mantineans honored Podares, as was their ancient custom, asserting that Gryllus, the son of Xenophon, had been bravest among themselves and their allies in the battle; that after Gryllus was Cephisodorus of Marathon, who at the time happened to be commanding the cavalry of the Athenians; and that Podares was assigned third place for valor.