Pausanias Analysis

Passage 10.29.4

← 10.29.3 10.29.5 →

Passage 10.29.4: Dionysus bridges the Euphrates at Zeugma.

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

τὴν δὲ Ἀριάδνην ἢ κατά τινα ἐπιτυχὼν δαίμονα ἢ καὶ ἐπίτηδες αὐτὴν λοχήσας ἀφείλετο Θησέα ἐπιπλεύσας Διόνυσος στόλῳ μείζονι, οὐκ ἄλλος κατὰ ἐμὴν δόξαν, ἀλλὰ ὁ πρῶτος μὲν ἐλάσας ἐπὶ Ἰνδοὺς στρατείᾳ, πρῶτος δὲ Εὐφράτην γεφυρώσας ποταμόν· Ζεῦγμά τε ὠνομάσθη πόλις καθʼ ὅ τι ἐζεύχθη τῆς χώρας ὁ Εὐφράτης, καὶ ἔστιν ἐνταῦθα ὁ κάλως καὶ ἐς ἡμᾶς ἐν ᾧ τὸν ποταμὸν ἔζευξεν, ἀμπελίνοις ὁμοῦ πεπλεγμένος καὶ κισσοῦ κλήμασι.

English Translation

Dionysus, either chancing upon Ariadne through some divine fortune, or deliberately laying a trap for her, carried her off from Theseus by attacking with a stronger fleet. This Dionysus was not another, in my opinion, but the very same who first waged war against the Indians and first bridged the river Euphrates. Indeed, the city was named "Zeugma" from this bridging of the Euphrates, and even today the cable that bound together the river banks still remains there, braided from intertwined grapevines and ivy tendrils.

Proper Nouns

Dionysus (Διόνυσος) deity
Theseus (Θησεύς) person
Ariadne (Ἀριάδνη) person
Euphrates (Εὐφράτης) place Q34589
Also in: 2.5.3 4.34.2
Zeugma (Ζεῦγμα) place Q196987
Indians (Ἰνδοί) place Q862086
Also in: 9.21.5
← 10.29.3 10.29.5 →