Pausanias Analysis

Passage 10.16.7

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Passage 10.16.7: Liparians defeat Tyrrhenian squadrons and dedicate Apollo statues at Delphi.

Historical Skeptical

Greek Text

παραλογώτατον δὲ ἐπυνθανόμην ὑπάρξαν Λιπαραίοις ἐς Τυρσηνούς. τοὺς γὰρ δὴ Λιπαραίους ἐναντία ναυμαχῆσαι τῶν Τυρσηνῶν ναυσὶν ὡς ἐλαχίσταις ἐκέλευσεν ἡ Πυθία. πέντε οὖν ἀνάγονται τριήρεσιν ἐπὶ τοὺς Τυρσηνούς· οἱ δὲ---ἀπηξίουν γὰρ μὴ ἀποδεῖν Λιπαραίων τὰ ναυτικά---ἀντανάγονταί σφισιν ἴσαις ναυσί. ταύτας τε οὖν αἱροῦσιν οἱ Λιπαραῖοι καὶ ἄλλας πέντε ὑστέρας σφίσιν ἀνταναχθείσας, καὶ τρίτην νεῶν πεντάδα καὶ ὡσαύτως τετάρτην ἐχειρώσαντο. ἀνέθεσαν οὖν ἐς Δελφοὺς ταῖς ἁλούσαις ναυσὶν ἀριθμὸν ἴσα Ἀπόλλωνος ἀγάλματα.

English Translation

I have learned of a most extraordinary event that occurred between the people of Lipara and the Tyrrhenians. The Pythian oracle had commanded the Liparians to engage the Tyrrhenian fleet with the fewest possible ships. Accordingly, they set sail against the Tyrrhenians with only five triremes. The Tyrrhenians, unwilling to appear inferior to the Liparians in naval capacity, in turn sent out an equal number of ships. The Liparians succeeded in capturing these ships, and then five additional vessels sent afterward against them, and then yet another squadron of five ships, and likewise a fourth squadron of five. Thus victorious, the Liparians dedicated at Delphi statues of Apollo equal in number to the captured ships.

Proper Nouns

Apollo (Ἀπόλλων) deity
Liparians (Λιπαραῖοι) person
Also in: 10.11.3
Pythia (Πυθία) person
Tyrrhenians (Τυρσηνοί) person
Delphi (Δελφοί) place Q75459 Pleiades
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