Pausanias Analysis

Passage 3.20.3

← 3.20.2 3.20.4 →

Passage 3.20.3: The temple of Dionysus at Bryseae with women-only rites.

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

διαβᾶσι δὲ αὐτόθεν ποταμὸν Φελλίαν, παρὰ Ἀμύκλας ἰοῦσιν εὐθεῖαν ὡς ἐπὶ θάλασσαν Φᾶρις πόλις ἐν τῇ Λακωνικῇ ποτε ᾠκεῖτο· ἀποτρεπομένῳ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς Φελλίας ἐς δεξιὰν ἡ πρὸς τὸ ὄρος τὸ Ταΰγετόν ἐστιν ὁδός. ἔστι δὲ ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ Διὸς Μεσσαπέως τέμενος· γενέσθαι δέ οἱ τὴν ἐπίκλησιν ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς λέγουσιν ἱερασαμένου τῷ θεῷ. ἐντεῦθέν ἐστιν ἀπιοῦσιν ἐκ τοῦ Ταϋγέτου χωρίον ἔνθα πόλις ποτὲ ᾠκεῖτο Βρυσίαι· καὶ Διονύσου ναὸς ἐνταῦθα ἔτι λείπεται καὶ ἄγαλμα ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ. τὸ δὲ ἐν τῷ ναῷ μόναις γυναιξὶν ἔστιν ὁρᾶν· γυναῖκες γὰρ δὴ μόναι καὶ τὰ ἐς τὰς θυσίας δρῶσιν ἐν ἀπορρήτῳ.

English Translation

After crossing from there the river Phellia, going directly past Amyclae toward the sea, one comes upon Pharis, a city in Laconia once inhabited. Turning away from the Phellia river to the right, the road leads toward Mount Taygetus. In this plain is a precinct sacred to Zeus Messapeus; the god, they say, received the surname from a man who performed ritual sacrifices in his honor. From there, as one descends from Taygetus, there is a place where formerly stood the city of Bryseae; a temple to Dionysus still remains here, and also an image in the open air. The statue within the temple can only be viewed by women, for indeed it is women alone who perform the sacrificial rites in secret.

Proper Nouns

Dionysus (Διόνυσος) deity
Zeus Messapeus (Ζεύς Μεσσαπεύς) deity
Brysae (Βρυσίαι) place Q16538992
Laconia (Λακωνική) place Q11931074
Taygetos (Ταΰγετος) place Q515809
Phellia (Φελλία) place
Pharis (Φᾶρις) place Q16566337
Also in: 3.2.6 4.16.8
Amyclae (Ἀμύκλαι) place Q13074886
← 3.20.2 3.20.4 →