Pausanias Analysis

Passage 3.5.8

← 3.5.7 3.5.9 →

Passage 3.5.8: Agesipolis attacks Argos despite a truce and an earthquake.

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

Ἀγησίπολις δὲ ἐπεὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἔσχεν αὐξηθείς, Πελοποννησίων πρώτοις ἐπολέμησεν Ἀργείοις. ὡς δὲ ἐκ τῆς Τεγεατῶν ἐς τὴν Ἀργολίδα ἤγαγε τὸν στρατόν, πέμπουσι κήρυκα οἱ Ἀργεῖοι σπεισόμενον πρὸς Ἀγησίπολίν σφισι πατρῴους δή τινας σπονδὰς ἐκ παλαιοῦ καθεστώσας τοῖς Δωριεῦσι πρὸς ἀλλήλους. ὁ δὲ οὔτε τῷ κήρυκι ἐσπείσατο καὶ προϊὼν ὁμοῦ τῇ στρατιᾷ τὴν γῆν ἔφθειρεν· ἔσεισέ τε δὴ ὁ θεὸς καὶ ὁ Ἀγησίπολις οὐδʼ οὕτω τὴν δύναμιν ἀπάξειν ἔμελλε, καίτοι Λακεδαιμονίοις μάλιστα Ἑλλήνων---ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ Ἀθηναίοις---δεῖμα αἱ διοσημεῖαι παρείχοντο.

English Translation

When Agesipolis had grown to manhood and succeeded to the kingship, he first made war against the Argives among the Peloponnesians. When he had led his army from Tegean territory into Argos, the Argives sent a herald to Agesipolis, proposing a truce between them, based on certain ancient, ancestral agreements established long ago among the Dorians. But he refused to make peace with the herald, and continued his advance with the army, devastating their land as he went. Then a god sent an earthquake; but even so, Agesipolis did not intend to withdraw his forces, although portents such as these were particularly fearful to the Lacedaemonians—and likewise to the Athenians—as compared to other Greeks.

Proper Nouns

Dorians (Δωριεῖς) person
Lacedaemonians (Λακεδαιμόνιοι) person
Tegeans (Τεγέᾱται) person
Agesipolis (Ἀγησίπολις) person
Athenians (Ἀθηναῖοι) person
Argives (Ἀργεῖοι) person
Hellenes (Ἕλληνες) person
Peloponnese (Πελοπόννησος) place Q78967
Argolis (Ἀργολίς) place Q12649101
← 3.5.7 3.5.9 →