Pausanias Analysis

Passage 2.23.1

← 2.22.9 2.23.2 →

Passage 2.23.1: The temple of Dionysus on the Koile road

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

ἐντεῦθεν ἐρχομένοις ὁδὸν καλουμένην Κοίλην ναός ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ Διονύσου· τὸ δὲ ἄγαλμα εἶναι λέγουσιν ἐξ Εὐβοίας. συμβάσης γὰρ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν, ὡς ἐκομίζοντο ἐξ Ἰλίου, τῆς πρὸς τῷ Καφηρεῖ ναυαγίας, τοὺς δυνηθέντας ἐς τὴν γῆν διαφυγεῖν τῶν Ἀργείων ῥῖγός τε πιέζει καὶ λιμός. εὐξαμένοις δὲ θεῶν τινα ἐν τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀπόροις γενέσθαι σωτῆρα, αὐτίκα ὡς προῄεσαν ἐφάνη σφίσι Διονύσου σπήλαιον, καὶ ἄγαλμα ἦν ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ τοῦ θεοῦ· τότε δὲ αἶγες ἄγριαι φεύγουσαι τὸν χειμῶνα ἐς αὐτὸ ἦσαν ἠθροισμέναι. ταύτας οἱ Ἀργεῖοι σφάξαντες τά τε κρέα ἐδείπνησαν καὶ δέρμασιν ἐχρήσαντο ἀντὶ ἐσθῆτος. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ χειμὼν ἐπαύσατο καὶ ἐπισκευάσαντες τὰς ναῦς οἴκαδε ἐκομίζοντο, ἐπάγονται τὸ ἐκ τοῦ σπηλαίου ξόανον·

English Translation

From here, as you proceed along the road known as Koile, there is a temple to Dionysus on the right-hand side; they say the statue is from Euboea. For as the Greeks were returning from Troy, a shipwreck occurred near Cape Caphereus: after those Argives who managed to escape to land had reached shore, they were afflicted by cold and hunger. When they prayed to the gods for help in their present desperate situation, immediately as they advanced, a cave of Dionysus appeared to them, and within the cave was a statue of the god. At that time wild goats, fleeing from the winter, had gathered inside. The Argives slaughtered these goats, feasted upon the meat, and used the skins as clothing. Once the storm had ceased and they repaired their ships and sailed again toward their homes, they took with them the wooden image from the cave.

Proper Nouns

Dionysus (Διόνυσος) deity
Argives (Ἀργεῖοι) person
Hellenes (Ἕλληνες) person
Euboea (Εὔβοια) place Q173096
Caphereus (Καφηρεύς) place
Also in: 4.36.6
Koile (Κοίλη) place Q13426464
Also in: 2.23.3 5.16.6
Ilion (Ἴλιος) place Q22647
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