Pausanias Analysis

Passage 3.26.3

← 3.26.2 3.26.4 →

Passage 3.26.3: Bronze statues of the Dioscuri on a small island.

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ νησῖδι ἀγάλματα Διοσκούρων χαλκᾶ μέγεθος ποδιαῖα ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ τῆς νησῖδός ἐστιν· ταῦτα ἡ θάλασσα ἀποκινεῖν οὐκ ἐθέλει κατακλύζουσα ὥρᾳ χειμῶνος τὴν πέτραν. τοῦτό τε δὴ θαῦμά ἐστι καὶ οἱ μύρμηκες αὐτόθι λευκότερον ἢ ὡς μυρμήκων τὸ χρῶμα φαίνουσι. τὴν δὲ χώραν οἱ Μεσσήνιοι ταύτην αὑτῶν φασιν εἶναι τὸ ἀρχαῖον, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς Διοσκούρους μᾶλλόν τι αὑτοῖς καὶ οὐ Λακεδαιμονίοις προσήκειν νομίζουσιν.

English Translation

On this small island stand bronze statues of the Dioscuri, a foot tall and set in the open air. The sea itself, during winter storms, floods the rock but refuses to dislodge them. This is one marvel, and another is that the ants here appear whiter than is usual for ants. The Messenians claim that this territory originally belonged to them, so that they regard even the Dioscuri as belonging sooner to themselves than to the Lacedaemonians.

Proper Nouns

Dioscuri (Διόσκουροι) deity
Lacedaemonians (Λακεδαιμόνιοι) person
Messenians (Μεσσήνιοι) person
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