Pausanias Analysis

Passage 10.20.7

← 10.20.6 10.20.8 →

Passage 10.20.7: Covert crossing of the marshy Spercheius by 10,000 Gauls under Brennus.

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

εὐθὺς οὖν τῇ ἐπιούσῃ νυκτί, οὐ καθότι ἦν τὰ ἀρχαῖα τῷ ποταμῷ ζεύγματα ἀλλὰ ἐς τὸ κάτω, ὡς μή τις τοῖς Ἕλλησι διαβαινόντων γένοιτο αἴσθησις, καὶ ᾗ μάλιστα ὁ Σπερχειὸς διεχεῖτο ἐς πλέον τοῦ πεδίου καὶ ἕλος τε ἐποίει καὶ λίμνην ἀντὶ βιαίου καὶ στενοῦ ῥεύματος, κατὰ τοῦτο ὁ Βρέννος ὅσον μυρίους τῶν Γαλατῶν ἀπέστειλεν, ὁπόσοι τε νεῖν ἠπίσταντο ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ ὅστις τῷ μήκει τοῦ σώματος ἐτύγχανεν ὢν ὑπὲρ τοὺς πολλούς· εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλως οἱ Κελτοὶ μακρῷ πάντας ὑπερηρκότες μήκει τοὺς ἀνθρώπους.

English Translation

On the very next night, therefore, Brennus sent about ten thousand Gauls downstream, not by the bridges formerly used over the river, but further down the stream, so that the Greeks might not perceive them crossing. He chose the place where the Spercheius, spreading out over much of the plain, created marshland and a lake instead of flowing with a strong and narrow current. These Gauls included both those among them who knew how to swim and those who happened to exceed most others in bodily height. Indeed, even otherwise the Celts surpass all other men by far in stature.

Proper Nouns

Brennus (Βρέννος) person Q849322
Galatians (Γαλάται) person
Celts (Κελτοί) person
Hellenes (Ἕλληνες) person
Spercheios (Σπερχειός) place Q426309
← 10.20.6 10.20.8 →