Pausanias Analysis

Passage 2.18.1

← 2.17.7 2.18.2 →

Passage 2.18.1: Hero-shrine of Perseus beside the road from Mycenae to Argos.

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

ἐκ Μυκηνῶν δὲ ἐς Ἄργος ἐρχομένοις ἐν ἀριστερᾷ Περσέως παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν ἐστιν ἡρῷον. ἔχει μὲν δὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα τιμὰς παρὰ τῶν προσχωρίων, μεγίστας δὲ ἔν τε Σερίφῳ καὶ παρʼ Ἀθηναίοις , οἷς Περσέως τέμενος καὶ Δίκτυος καὶ Κλυμένης βωμὸς σωτήρων καλουμένων Περσέως. ἐν δὲ τῇ Ἀργείᾳ προελθοῦσιν ὀλίγον ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡρῴου τούτου Θυέστου τάφος ἐστὶν ἐν δεξιᾷ· λίθου δὲ ἔπεστιν αὐτῷ κριός, ὅτι τὴν ἄρνα ὁ Θυέστης ἔσχε τὴν χρυσῆν, μοιχεύσας τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα. Ἀτρέα δὲ οὐκ ἐπέσχεν ὁ λογισμὸς μετρῆσαι τὴν ἴσην, ἀλλὰ τῶν Θυέστου παίδων σφαγὰς καὶ τὰ ᾀδόμενα δεῖπνα ἐξειργάσατο.

English Translation

On the journey from Mycenae to Argos, there is a hero-shrine of Perseus on the left beside the road. He indeed receives honors here from the local inhabitants, but the greatest are paid to him in Seriphos and among the Athenians. The Athenians have a sacred precinct dedicated to Perseus, and within it an altar of Dictys and Clymene, who together with Perseus are named the Saviors. A short distance beyond this shrine, in Argive territory, is the tomb of Thyestes on the right side. Upon it stands a ram fashioned from stone, because Thyestes obtained the golden lamb after seducing his brother’s wife. Atreus, however, was not satisfied merely with balancing the wrong done to him; instead he carried out the murder of Thyestes’ sons and the grim banquet described in song.

Proper Nouns

Athenians (Ἀθηναῖοι) other
Dictys (Δίκτυς) person Q475001
Thyestes (Θυέστης) person
Clymene (Κλυμένη) person
Also in: 10.29.6 10.29.7
Perseus (Περσεύς) person
Atreus (Ἀτρεύς) person
Mycenae (Μυκῆναι) place Q132564
Seriphos (Σέριφος) place Q217214 Pleiades
Also in: 1.22.7
Argolis (Ἀργεία) place Q12649101
Argos (Ἄργος) place Q13533353
← 2.17.7 2.18.2 →