Pausanias Analysis

Passage 2.30.4

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Passage 2.30.4: Auxesia and Damia: olive‑wood cult images and their disputed custody.

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

τὸ δὲ Πανελλήνιον, ὅτι μὴ τοῦ Διὸς τὸ ἱερόν, ἄλλο τὸ ὄρος ἀξιόλογον εἶχεν οὐδέν. τοῦτο δὲ τὸ ἱερὸν λέγουσιν Αἰακὸν ποιῆσαι τῷ Διί· τὰ δὲ ἐς τὴν Αὐξησίαν καὶ Δαμίαν, ὡς οὐχ ὗεν ὁ θεὸς Ἐπιδαυρίοις, ὡς τὰ ξόανα ταῦτα ἐκ μαντείας ἐποιήσαντο ἐλαίας παρʼ Ἀθηναίων λαβόντες, ὡς Ἐπιδαύριοι μὲν οὐκ ἀπέφερον ἔτι Ἀθηναίοις ἃ ἐτάξαντο οἷα Αἰγινητῶν ἐχόντων τὰ ἀγάλματα, Ἀθηναίων δὲ ἀπώλοντο οἱ διαβάντες διὰ ταῦτα ἐς Αἴγιναν, ταῦτα εἰπόντος Ἡροδότου καθʼ ἕκαστον αὐτῶν ἐπʼ ἀκριβὲς οὔ μοι γράφειν κατὰ γνώμην ἦν εὖ προειρημένα, πλὴν τοσοῦτό γε ὅτι εἶδόν τε τὰ ἀγάλματα καὶ ἔθυσά σφισι κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ καθὰ δὴ καὶ Ἐλευσῖνι θύειν νομίζουσιν.

English Translation

The Panhellenion mountain had nothing noteworthy apart from the sanctuary of Zeus. This sanctuary, they say, was established by Aeacus for Zeus. Regarding the tale of Auxesia and Damia—that the god withheld rain from the Epidaurians, that they carved these wooden figures upon receiving an oracle, obtaining the olive-wood from the Athenians; that afterward the Epidaurians ceased sending the agreed offerings to Athens when the images came into the possession of the Aeginetans; and that because of this dispute Athenians who crossed over into Aegina perished—since Herodotus has clearly described all these matters in detail, I do not feel it necessary to write further on points which have been well stated already. I will only add this much: I myself saw the images, and I sacrificed to them according to the same rites which they observe at Eleusis.

Proper Nouns

Auxesia (Αὐξησία) deity Q21616290
Also in: 2.32.2
Damia (Δαμία) deity
Also in: 2.32.2
Zeus (Ζεύς) deity
Sanctuary (ἱερόν) other
Aeacus (Αἰακός) person
Aeginetans (Αἰγινῆται) person
Athenians (Ἀθηναῖοι) person
Epidaurians (Ἐπίδαυροι) person
Herodotus (Ἡρόδοτος) person
Aegina (Αἴγινα) place Q191082
Panhellenion (Πανελλήνιον) place Q2031433
Eleusis (Ἐλευσῖς) place Q11918833
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