Pausanias Analysis

Passage 4.16.8

← 4.16.7 4.16.9 →

Passage 4.16.8: Raid on Pharis (Pharae): Messenians sack the city, rout Spartans; King Anaxander wounded.

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

συλλέξας δὲ ἄλλους τε τῶν Μεσσηνίων καὶ τοὺς περὶ ἑαυτὸν ἅμα ἔχων λογάδας, φυλάξας τὰ μετὰ ἑσπέραν ἦλθεν ἐπὶ πόλιν τῆς Λακωνικῆς, τὸ μὲν ἀρχαῖον ὄνομα καὶ ἐν Ὁμήρου καταλόγῳ Φᾶριν, ὑπὸ δὲ τῶν Σπαρτιατῶν καὶ προσοίκων καλουμένην Φαράς· ἐπὶ ταύτην ἀφικόμενος τούς τε πειρωμένους ἀμύνεσθαι διέφθειρε καὶ λείαν περιβαλλόμενος ἀπήλαυνεν ἐς τὴν Μεσσήνην. Λακεδαιμονίων δὲ ὁπλιτῶν καὶ Ἀναξάνδρου τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιθεμένων καθʼ ὁδόν, ἐτρέψατό τε καὶ τούτους καὶ διώκειν τὸν Ἀνάξανδρον ὥρμητο· βληθεὶς δὲ ἀκοντίῳ τὸν γλουτὸν τὴν δίωξιν ἐπέσχεν, οὐ μέντοι τὴν λείαν γε ἣν ἤλαυνεν ἀφῃρέθη.

English Translation

Having gathered together other Messenians as well as the chosen warriors around himself, and waiting until after evening fell, he marched against a city in Laconia—originally named Pharis even in Homer's catalogue, but called Pharae by the Spartans and neighboring peoples. Having reached it, he slew those who sought to resist him, seized spoil, and drove it back toward Messenia. When Spartan hoplites, accompanied by their king Anaxander, attacked him on the journey, he routed these men as well and was on the point of pursuing Anaxander; but he was struck by a javelin in the buttock, which halted his pursuit. Nevertheless, he did not surrender the booty he was driving off.

Proper Nouns

Lacedaemonians (Λακεδαιμόνιοι) person
Messenians (Μεσσήνιοι) person
Spartiates (Σπαρτιᾶται) person
Anaxandros (Ἀνάξανδρος) person
Homer (Ὅμηρος) person
Laconia (Λακωνική) place Q11931074
Messene (Μεσσήνη) place Q1022117
Pharai (Φαραί) place Q16566337
Pharis (Φᾶρις) place Q16566337
Also in: 3.2.6 3.20.3
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