Pausanias Analysis

Passage 10.15.5

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Passage 10.15.5: Crows attack and damage a statue at Delphi.

Historical Skeptical

Greek Text

ἐγὼ μὲν δὴ τὸ ἔγκλημα ἐς κακούργους τε ἦγον καὶ φῶρας ἀνθρώπους· Κλειτόδημος δέ, ὁπόσοι τὰ Ἀθηναίων ἐπιχώρια ἔγραψαν ὁ ἀρχαιότατος, οὗτος ἐν τῷ λόγῳ φησὶ τῷ Ἀττικῷ, ὅτε Ἀθηναῖοι παρεσκευάζοντο ἐπὶ Σικελίᾳ τὸν στόλον, ὡς ἔθνος τι ἄπειρον κοράκων κατῆρε τότε ἐς Δελφούς, καὶ περιέκοπτόν τε τοῦ ἀγάλματος τούτου καὶ ἀπέρρησσον τοῖς ῥάμφεσιν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τὸν χρυσόν· λέγει δὲ καὶ ὡς τὸ δόρυ καὶ τὰς γλαῦκας καὶ ὅσος καρπὸς ἐπὶ τῷ φοίνικι ἐπεποίητο ἐς μίμησιν τῆς ὀπώρας, κατακλάσαιεν καὶ ταῦτα οἱ κόρακες.

English Translation

I myself considered the blame to rest upon wicked men and thieves; but Cleitodemus, by far the earliest of those who wrote the local histories of the Athenians, relates in his account of Attica that, when the Athenians were preparing the expedition against Sicily, an incredibly large flock of crows descended at that time upon Delphi. These crows tore at this statue and pecked off the gold with their beaks; and he says also that they broke off the spear and the owls, and whatever fruit had been fashioned upon the palm-tree as a replica of produce, even these the crows shattered.

Proper Nouns

Kleitodemos (Κλειτόδημος) person
Also in: 10.15.6
Athenians (Ἀθηναῖοι) person
Delphi (Δελφοί) place Q75459 Pleiades
Sicily (Σικελία) place Q1460
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