Pausanias Analysis

Passage 3.18.3

← 3.18.2 3.18.4 →

Passage 3.18.3: Sanctuary of Ammon and Lysander's vision at Aphytis

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

προελθόντι δὲ ἐντεῦθεν ἱερόν ἐστιν Ἄμμωνος· φαίνονται δὲ ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς Λακεδαιμόνιοι μάλιστα Ἑλλήνων χρώμενοι τῷ ἐν Λιβύῃ μαντείῳ. λέγεται δὲ καὶ Λυσάνδρῳ πολιορκοῦντι Ἄφυτιν τὴν ἐν τῇ Παλλήνῃ νύκτωρ ἐπιφανέντα Ἄμμωνα προαγορεύειν ὡς ἄμεινον ἐκείνῳ τε ἔσοιτο καὶ τῇ Λακεδαίμονι πολέμου πρὸς Ἀφυταίους παυσαμένοις· καὶ οὕτω τὴν πολιορκίαν διέλυσεν ὁ Λύσανδρος καὶ Λακεδαιμονίους τὸν θεὸν σέβειν προήγαγεν ἐς πλέον, Ἀφυταῖοι δὲ τιμῶσιν Ἄμμωνα οὐδὲν ἧσσον ἢ οἱ Ἀμμώνιοι Λιβύων.

English Translation

Advancing further from here, there is a sanctuary of Ammon. The Lacedaemonians appear, from the earliest times, to have greatly esteemed above all Greeks the oracle of Ammon in Libya. It is said that Lysander, as he was besieging Aphytis in Pallene, was visited by Ammon in a nocturnal vision, who instructed him that it would be better both for him and for Sparta to cease the war against the people of Aphytis. Lysander accordingly ended the siege, and promoted still greater reverence among the Lacedaemonians toward the god. The Aphytaians themselves honor Ammon no less than do the Ammonians in Libya.

Proper Nouns

Ammon (Ἄμμων) deity
Libyans (Λίβυες) person
Lacedaemonian (Λακεδαιμόνιος) person
Lysander (Λύσανδρος) person
Ammonian (Ἀμμώνιος) person
Aphytaios (Ἀφυταῖος) person
Lacedaemon (Λακεδαίμων) place Q5690 Pleiades
Libya (Λιβύη) place Q2370577
Pallene (Παλλήνη) place Q2625955
Also in: 1.25.2 8.29.1
Aphytis (Ἄφυτις) place Q38282551
← 3.18.2 3.18.4 →