Pausanias Analysis

Passage 2.12.4

← 2.12.3 2.12.5 →

Passage 2.12.4: Aras, founder of Arantia, and his tomb at Celeae

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

ἐν τῇ γῇ ταύτῃ γενέσθαι πρῶτον Ἄραντά φασιν ἄνδρα αὐτόχθονα· καὶ πόλιν τε ᾤκισε περὶ τὸν βουνὸν τοῦτον, ὃς Ἀραντῖνος ἔτι καλεῖται καὶ ἐς ἡμᾶς, οὐ πολὺ ἑτέρου λόφου διεστηκώς, ἐφʼ οὗ Φλιασίοις ἥ τε ἀκρόπολις καὶ τῆς Ἥβης ἐστὶ τὸ ἱερόν. ἐνταῦθά τε δὴ πόλιν ᾤκισε καὶ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἡ γῆ καὶ ἡ πόλις Ἀραντία ἐκλήθησαν. τούτῳ βασιλεύοντι Ἀσωπὸς Κηλούσης εἶναι λεγόμενος καὶ Ποσειδῶνος ἐξεῦρε τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὸ ὕδωρ, ὅντινα οἱ νῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ εὑρόντος καλοῦσιν Ἀσωπόν. τὸ δὲ μνῆμα τοῦ Ἄραντός ἐστιν ἐν χωρίῳ Κελεαῖς, ἔνθα δὴ καὶ Δυσαύλην ἄνδρα Ἐλευσίνιον τεθάφθαι λέγουσιν.

English Translation

In this land, they say, there first appeared Aras, an autochthonous man. He founded a city around this hill, which even now is called Arantinus, not far distant from another hill, upon which stands the Phliasian acropolis and the sanctuary of Hebe. Here indeed he founded a city, and consequently the land and city were originally named Arantia after him. In his reign, Asopus—said to be the son of Celusa and Poseidon—discovered the water of the river, and from its discoverer the river is now called Asopus. The tomb of Aras is located at a place called Celeae, where they also report that Dysaules, a man from Eleusis, is buried.

Proper Nouns

Poseidon (Ποσειδῶν) deity
Hebe (Ἥβη) deity
Dysaules (Δυσαύλης) person
Kelousa (Κηλοῦσα) person
Phliasians (Φλιάσιοι) person
Asopos (Ἀσωπός) person
Arantas (Ἄραντας) person
Also in: 2.14.4
Eleusinians (Ἐλευσίνιος) person
Also in: 9.9.1
Keleai (Κελεαί) place Q115380594
Also in: 2.14.1
Arantia (Ἀραντία) place Q19991079
Arantinus (Ἀραντῖνος) place Q19991082
Asopus (Ἀσωπός) place Q622781
← 2.12.3 2.12.5 →