Pausanias Analysis

Passage 3.16.7

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Passage 3.16.7: Wooden cult statue of Artemis Orthia at Limnaion, claimed to be from Tauris.

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

τὸ δὲ χωρίον τὸ ἐπονομαζόμενον Λιμναῖον Ὀρθίας ἱερόν ἐστιν Ἀρτέμιδος. τὸ ξόανον δὲ ἐκεῖνο εἶναι λέγουσιν ὅ ποτε καὶ Ὀρέστης καὶ Ἰφιγένεια ἐκ τῆς Ταυρικῆς ἐκκλέπτουσιν· ἐς δὲ τὴν σφετέραν Λακεδαιμόνιοι κομισθῆναί φασιν Ὀρέστου καὶ ἐνταῦθα βασιλεύοντος. καί μοι εἰκότα λέγειν μᾶλλόν τι δοκοῦσιν ἢ Ἀθηναῖοι. ποίῳ γὰρ δὴ λόγῳ κατέλιπεν ἂν ἐν Βραυρῶνι Ἰφιγένεια τὸ ἄγαλμα; ἢ πῶς, ἡνίκα Ἀθηναῖοι τὴν χώραν ἐκλιπεῖν παρεσκευάζοντο, οὐκ ἐσέθεντο καὶ τοῦτο ἐς τὰς ναῦς;

English Translation

The place called Limnaion is sacred to Artemis Orthia. They say the wooden idol here is the very one that Orestes and Iphigenia once stole from Tauris. The Lacedaemonians claim it was brought to their land when Orestes was king here. To me their account seems more plausible than the Athenians'. For by what logic would Iphigenia have left the statue behind at Brauron? Or how, when the Athenians were readying themselves to abandon their land, did they not place even this statue onto their ships?

Proper Nouns

Artemis (Ἄρτεμις) deity
Orthia (Ὀρθία) deity
Lacedaemonians (Λακεδαιμόνιοι) person
Athenians (Ἀθηναῖοι) person
Iphigenia (Ἰφιγένεια) person
Orestes (Ὀρέστης) person
Brauron (Βραυρών) place Q475497 Pleiades
Limnaium (Λιμναῖον) place Q124616415
Tauris (Ταυρίς) place Q1761310
Also in: 1.23.7
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