Pausanias Analysis

Passage 4.2.3

← 4.2.2 4.2.4 →

Passage 4.2.3: Conflicting accounts of the location of Oechalia (Eurytion).

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

Θεσσαλοὶ δὲ καὶ Εὐβοεῖς, ἥκει γὰρ δὴ ἐς ἀμφισβήτησιν τῶν ἐν τῇ Ἑλλάδι τὰ πλείω, λέγουσιν οἱ μὲν ὡς τὸ Εὐρύτιον---χωρίον δὲ ἔρημον ἐφʼ ἡμῶν ἐστι τὸ Εὐρύτιον---πόλις τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἦν καὶ ἐκαλεῖτο Οἰχαλία, τῷ δὲ Εὐβοέων λόγῳ Κρεώφυλος ἐν Ἡρακλείᾳ πεποίηκεν ὁμολογοῦντα· Ἑκαταῖος δὲ ὁ Μιλήσιος ἐν Σκίῳ μοίρᾳ τῆς Ἐρετρικῆς ἔγραψεν εἶναι Οἰχαλίαν. ἀλλὰ γὰρ οἱ Μεσσήνιοι τά τε ἄλλα δοκοῦσί μοι μᾶλλον εἰκότα ἐκείνων λέγειν καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα τῶν ὀστῶν ἕνεκα τῶν Εὐρύτου, ἃ δὴ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔπειτά που ὁ λόγος ἐπέξεισί μοι.

English Translation

Now, the Thessalians and the Euboeans—for indeed most matters in Greece are subject to dispute—give differing accounts: the Thessalians maintain that Eurytion (which in our time is a deserted locale) was in ancient days a city called Oechalia; the Euboean tradition, however, is supported by Creophylus, who composed a poem titled "Heracleia" agreeing with their account. Hecataeus the Milesian wrote that Oechalia belonged to the territory of Eretria, specifically in the Scian district. But to my mind, the Messenians’ account on these points seems more credible, especially regarding the bones of Eurytus, concerning which I will provide further details later in my narrative.

Proper Nouns

Euboean (Εὐβοεύς) person
Eurytus (Εὔρυτος) person Q1378597
Thessalos (Θεσσαλός) person
Creophylus (Κρεώφυλος) person
Messenians (Μεσσήνιος) person
Milesian (Μιλήσιος) person
Hecataeus (Ἑκαταῖος) person
Eurytion (Εὐρύτιον) place Q3594069
Oechalia (Οἰχαλία) place Q60790408
Scio (Σκίος) place Q160483 Pleiades
Eretrian (Ἐρετρική) place
Hellas (Ἑλλάς) place Q7798
Heraclea (Ἡράκλεια) place
← 4.2.2 4.2.4 →