Pausanias Analysis

Passage 2.31.5

← 2.31.4 2.31.6 →

Passage 2.31.5: Altars near the sanctuary of Artemis Lykeia.

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

εἰσὶ δὲ οὐ μακρὰν τῆς Λυκείας Ἀρτέμιδος βωμοὶ διεστηκότες οὐ πολὺ ἀπʼ ἀλλήλων· ὁ μὲν πρῶτός ἐστιν αὐτῶν Διονύσου κατὰ δή τι μάντευμα ἐπίκλησιν Σαώτου, δεύτερος δὲ Θεμίδων ὀνομαζόμενος· Πιτθεὺς τοῦτον ἀνέθηκεν, ὡς λέγουσιν. Ἡλίου δὲ Ἐλευθερίου καὶ σφόδρα εἰκότι λόγῳ δοκοῦσί μοι ποιῆσαι βωμόν, ἐκφυγόντες δουλείαν ἀπὸ Ξέρξου τε καὶ Περσῶν.

English Translation

Not far from the sanctuary of Artemis Lykeia are altars standing at short intervals from each other. The first of these altars is dedicated to Dionysus, who is surnamed Saotes ("the Savior") according to an oracle; the second, it is said, was set up by Pittheus and is called the altar of the Themidai. The altar to Helios Eleutherios ("Sun the Liberator"), it seems to me, they built with very good reason, having freed themselves from slavery under Xerxes and the Persians.

Proper Nouns

Dionysus (Διόνυσος) deity
Themis (Θεμίς) deity
Lykeian Artemis (Λυκεία Ἄρτεμις) deity
Saotes (Σαώτης) deity
Also in: 2.37.2 9.26.8
Eleutherios (Ἐλευθέριος) deity
Also in: 9.2.7
Helios (Ἥλιος) deity
Persians (Πέρσαι) other
Xerxes (Ξέρξης) person
Pittheus (Πιτθεύς) person
← 2.31.4 2.31.6 →