Pausanias Analysis

Passage 1.22.6

← 1.22.5 1.22.7 →

Passage 1.22.6: Paintings by Polygnotus on the left side of the Propylaea

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

---ἔστι δὲ ἐν ἀριστερᾷ τῶν προπυλαίων οἴκημα ἔχον γραφάς· ὁπόσαις δὲ μὴ καθέστηκεν ὁ χρόνος αἴτιος ἀφανέσιν εἶναι, Διομήδης ἦν, ὁ μὲν ἐν Λήμνῳ τὸ Φιλοκτήτου τόξον, ὁ δὲ τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν ἀφαιρούμενος ἐξ Ἰλίου. ἐνταῦθα ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς Ὀρέστης ἐστὶν Αἴγισθον φονεύων καὶ Πυλάδης τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς Ναυπλίου βοηθοὺς ἐλθόντας Αἰγίσθῳ· τοῦ δὲ Ἀχιλλέως τάφου πλησίον μέλλουσά ἐστι σφάζεσθαι Πολυξένη. Ὁμήρῳ δὲ εὖ μὲν παρείθη τόδε τὸ ὠμὸν οὕτως ἔργον· εὖ δέ μοι φαίνεται ποιῆσαι Σκῦρον ὑπὸ Ἀχιλλέως ἁλοῦσαν, οὐδὲν ὁμοίως καὶ ὅσοι λέγουσιν ὁμοῦ ταῖς παρθένοις Ἀχιλλέα ἔχειν ἐν Σκύρῳ δίαιταν, ἃ δὴ καὶ Πολύγνωτος ἔγραψεν. ἔγραψε δὲ καὶ πρὸς τῷ ποταμῷ ταῖς ὁμοῦ Ναυσικᾷ πλυνούσαις ἐφιστάμενον Ὀδυσσέα κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ καθὰ δὴ καὶ Ὅμηρος ἐποίησε. γραφαὶ δέ εἰσι καὶ ἄλλαι καὶ Ἀλκιβιάδης,

English Translation

On the left side of the Propylaea is a building containing paintings. Among those that have not been destroyed by time are depictions of Diomedes—one carrying off the bow of Philoctetes on Lemnos, and another taking the image of Athena from Troy. Also here in the paintings is Orestes killing Aegisthus, and Pylades slaying the sons of Nauplius who had come to Aegisthus's aid. Near the tomb of Achilles, Polyxena is depicted about to be sacrificed. Homer did well in omitting this cruel deed, and equally well, I think, in portraying Scyros as captured by Achilles, rather than following others who say Achilles lived among the maidens on Scyros—a scene that Polygnotus has indeed painted. Polygnotus also depicted Odysseus encountering Nausicaa and her maidens washing clothes beside the river, exactly as Homer himself composed the scene. There are other paintings as well, including Alcibiades;

Proper Nouns

Athena (Ἀθηνᾶ) deity
Aegisthus (Αἴγισθος) person
Diomedes (Διομήδης) person
Nauplius (Ναυπλίος) person
Also in: 4.35.2
Nausicaa (Ναυσικάα) person
Also in: 5.19.9
Polyxena (Πολυξένη) person
Polygnotus (Πολύγνωτος) person
Pylades (Πυλάδης) person
Philoctetes (Φιλοκτήτης) person
Alcibiades (Ἀλκιβιάδης) person
Achilles (Ἀχιλλεύς) person
Odysseus (Ὀδυσσεύς) person
Orestes (Ὀρέστης) person
Homer (Ὅμηρος) person
Lemnos (Λῆμνος) place Q192483 Pleiades
Also in: 7.2.2 8.8.5 8.33.4
Scyros (Σκῦρος) place Q208566
Also in: 1.17.6
Ilium (Ἴλιον) place Q22647
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