Pausanias Analysis

Passage 10.14.6

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Passage 10.14.6: Apollo's refusal of Median (Persian) offerings and prophecies of the invasion

Historical Skeptical

Greek Text

θαῦμα οὖν ἐποιούμεθα εἰ ἀπηξίωσεν ἐκείνου μόνου μὴ προσέσθαι τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν Μήδων. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀπώσασθαι ἂν τὸν θεὸν καὶ ἅπαντα ὁμοίως ἡγοῦντο ὅσα ἀπὸ τοῦ Πέρσου, εἰ ὥσπερ ὁ Θεμιστοκλῆς καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι πρότερον ἢ ἀναθεῖναι σφᾶς ἐπήροντο τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα· οἱ δὲ εἰδότα τὸν θεὸν ὅτι ἱκέτης τοῦ Πέρσου γενήσοιτο ὁ Θεμιστοκλῆς, ἐπὶ τούτῳ τὰ δῶρα ἔφασαν οὐκ ἐθελῆσαι λαβεῖν, ἵνα μὴ ἀναθέντι τὸ ἔχθος ἄπαυστον ποιήσῃ τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ Μήδου. στρατείαν δὲ τὴν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἀπὸ τοῦ βαρβάρου ἔστιν εὑρεῖν προρρηθεῖσαν μὲν ἐν τοῖς Βάκιδος χρησμοῖς, πρότερον δʼ ἔτι Εὔκλῳ τὰ ἐς αὐτὴν πεποιημένα ἐστίν.

English Translation

Accordingly, we wondered greatly if he had indeed thought fit to refuse only these offerings from the Medes. Some people considered that the god would have rejected equally all things coming from the Persian, had Themistocles and others first inquired of Apollo before dedicating them. Others claimed that, since the god foresaw that Themistocles would become a suppliant of the Persian, he refused on these grounds to accept the gifts, lest their dedication should create eternal hostility against him from the Medes. The barbarian expedition against Greece is known to have been foretold both in the oracles of Bakis and, even earlier, was mentioned in the prophecies made by Euclus.

Proper Nouns

god (θεός) deity
Apollo (Ἀπόλλων) deity
Bacis (Βάκις) person Q708459
Euklos (Εὔκλος) person
Themistocles (Θεμιστοκλῆς) person
Mede (Μῆδος) person
Persian (Πέρσης) person
Hellas (Ἑλλάς) place Q7798
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