Pausanias Analysis

Passage 2.20.1

← 2.19.8 2.20.2 →

Passage 2.20.1: Seated statue of Zeus Meilichios by Polycleitus.

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

παρέντι δὲ Κρεύγα τε εἰκόνα ἀνδρὸς πύκτου καὶ τρόπαιον ἐπὶ Κορινθίοις ἀνασταθέν, ἄγαλμά ἐστι καθήμενον Διὸς Μειλιχίου, λίθου λευκοῦ, Πολυκλείτου δὲ ἔργον. ποιηθῆναι δὲ ἐπυνθανόμην αὐτὸ ἐπʼ αἰτίᾳ τοιαύτῃ. Λακεδαιμονίοις πολεμεῖν πρὸς Ἀργείους ἀρξαμένοις οὐδεμία ἦν ἔτι ἀπαλλαγή, πρὶν ἢ Φίλιππος σφᾶς ἠνάγκασεν ὁ Ἀμύντου μένειν ἐπὶ τοῖς καθεστηκόσιν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὅροις τῆς χώρας. τὸν δὲ ἔμπροσθεν χρόνον οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι μηδὲν ἔξω Πελοποννήσου περιεργαζόμενοι τῆς Ἀργείας ἀεί τι ἀπετέμνοντο, ἢ οἱ Ἀργεῖοι τετραμμένων πρὸς πόλεμον ἐκείνων ὑπερόριον ἐν τῷ τοιούτῳ καὶ αὐτοί σφισιν ἐνέκειντο.

English Translation

Near the statue of Creugas, a man renowned for his skill in boxing, and the trophy raised against the Corinthians, there stands a seated statue of Zeus Meilichios, carved from white stone and the work of Polycleitus. I learned that it was created for the following reason: Once the Spartans began their war with the Argives, there was no relief from hostilities until Philip, son of Amyntas, compelled them to accept the original boundaries of their territories. During the earlier period, the Spartans, busying themselves with no affairs outside the Peloponnese, continually seized parts of Argive land, or, whenever the Spartans were occupied elsewhere with war, the Argives would themselves undertake similar raids into Spartan territory.

Proper Nouns

Zeus Meilichios (Ζεύς Μειλίχιος) deity
Also in: 2.9.6
Corinthians (Κορίνθιοι) person
Kreugas (Κρεύγας) person
Lacedaemonians (Λακεδαιμόνιοι) person
Polykleitos (Πολύκλειτος) person
Philip (Φίλιππος) person
Amyntas (Ἀμύντας) person
Argives (Ἀργεῖοι) person
Peloponnese (Πελοπόννησος) place Q78967
Argolis (Ἀργεία) place Q12649101
← 2.19.8 2.20.2 →