Pausanias Analysis

Passage 2.6.4

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Passage 2.6.4: Zethus and Amphion's parentage and their founding of Thebes

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ πεποίηκεν Ἄσιος ὁ Ἀμφιπτολέμου· Ἀντιόπη δʼ ἔτεκε Ζῆθον καὶ Ἀμφίονα δῖον Ἀσωποῦ κούρη ποταμοῦ βαθυδινήεντος, Ζηνί τε κυσαμένη καὶ Ἐπωπέι ποιμένι λαῶν. Asius, unknown work Ὅμηρος δὲ σφᾶς ἀνήγαγεν ἐπὶ τὸ σεμνότερον τοῦ γένους καὶ Θήβας φησὶν οἰκίσαι πρώτους, ἀποκρίνων τὴν κάτω πόλιν ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς Καδμείας.

English Translation

About these two Asius son of Amphiptolemus has composed the following lines: "And Antiope, daughter of deep-eddying Asopus river, bore Zethus and godlike Amphion, conceiving them of Zeus and of Epopeus, shepherd of peoples." But Homer has attributed to them a nobler lineage, saying that they first founded Thebes, distinguishing, it seems to me, the lower city from the Cadmeia.

Proper Nouns

Zeus (Ζεύς) deity
Asopos (Ἀσωπός) deity
Zethus (Ζῆθος) person
Amphion (Ἀμφίων) person
Amphiptolemos (Ἀμφιπτόλεμος) person
Antiope (Ἀντιόπη) person
Asios (Ἄσιος) person
Epopeus (Ἐπωπεύς) person
Homer (Ὅμηρος) person
Thebes (Θῆβαι) place Q11225429
Cadmeia (Καδμεία) place Q1276854
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