Pausanias Analysis

Passage 1.44.4

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Passage 1.44.4: Pagai in Megaris

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

ἡ δὲ ὀρεινὴ τῆς Μεγαρίδος τῆς Βοιωτῶν ἐστιν ὅμορος, ἐν ᾗ Μεγαρεῦσι Παγαὶ πόλις, ἑτέρα δὲ Αἰγόσθενα ᾤκισται. ἰοῦσι δὲ ἐς τὰς Παγὰς ἐκτραπομένοις ὀλίγον τῆς λεωφόρου πέτρα δείκνυται διὰ πάσης ἔχουσα ἐμπεπηγότας ὀιστούς, ἐς ἣν οἱ Μῆδοί ποτε ἐτόξευον ἐν τῇ νυκτί. ἐν δὲ ταῖς Παγαῖς θέας ὑπελείπετο ἄξιον Ἀρτέμιδος Σωτείρας ἐπίκλησιν χαλκοῦν ἄγαλμα, μεγέθει τῷ παρὰ Μεγαρεῦσιν ἴσον καὶ σχῆμα οὐδὲν διαφόρως ἔχον. καὶ Αἰγιαλέως ἐνταῦθά ἐστιν ἡρῷον τοῦ Ἀδράστου· τοῦτον γάρ, ὅτε Ἀργεῖοι τὸ δεύτερον ἐς Θήβας ἐστράτευσαν, ὑπὸ τὴν πρώτην μάχην πρὸς Γλισᾶντι ἀποθανόντα οἱ προσήκοντες ἐς Παγὰς τῆς Μεγαρίδος κομίσαντες θάπτουσι, καὶ Αἰγιάλειον ἔτι καλεῖται τὸ ἡρῷον.

English Translation

The mountainous region of Megaris borders on the land of the Boeotians. In this area lies Pagai, a city belonging to the Megarians, and another city called Aigosthena. As one travels toward Pagai, turning aside slightly from the highway, there is shown a rock entirely pierced by arrows embedded within it, where the Medes once shot their arrows during the night. Still preserved at Pagai is a bronze statue of Artemis surnamed Soteira ("Savior"), worthy of seeing, equal in size to the one among the Megarians and identical in form. Here too is the hero-shrine of Aigialeus, the son of Adrastos. For when the Argives made their second expedition against Thebes, this Aigialeus was slain fighting at Glisas during the first battle; afterward, his relatives carried his body to Pagai in Megaris and buried him there. The hero-shrine to this day continues to bear the name Aigialeion.

Proper Nouns

Artemis Soteira (Ἄρτεμις Σωτείρα) deity
Aegialeion (Αἰγιάλειον) other
Boeotians (Βοιωτοί) other
Megarians (Μεγαρεῖς) other
Medes (Μῆδοι) other
Argives (Ἀργεῖοι) other
Aegialeus (Αἰγιαλεύς) person Q4687559
Adrastus (Ἄδραστος) person
Aigosthena (Αἰγόσθενα) place Q2827860 Pleiades
Glisas (Γλισᾶς) place Q11924352
Thebes (Θῆβαι) place Q11225429
Megaris (Μεγαρίς) place Q645572
Pegai (Πηγαί) place Q935675
Also in: 8.44.4 8.54.3
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