Pausanias Analysis

Passage 4.27.6

← 4.27.5 4.27.7 →

Passage 4.27.6: Invocation of heroes, notably Aristomenes, to repopulate Messene

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

ὡς δὲ ἐγεγόνει τὰ πάντα ἐν ἑτοίμῳ, τὸ ἐντεῦθεν---ἱερεῖα γὰρ παρεῖχον οἱ Ἀρκάδες---αὐτὸς μὲν Ἐπαμινώνδας καὶ οἱ Θηβαῖοι Διονύσῳ καὶ Ἀπόλλωνι ἔθυον Ἰσμηνίῳ τὸν νομιζόμενον τρόπον, Ἀργεῖοι δὲ τῇ τε Ἥρᾳ τῇ Ἀργείᾳ καὶ Νεμείῳ Διί, Μεσσήνιοι δὲ Διί τε Ἰθωμάτᾳ καὶ Διοσκούροις, οἱ δέ σφισιν ἱερεῖς θεαῖς ταῖς Μεγάλαις καὶ Καύκωνι. ἐπεκαλοῦντο δὲ ἐν κοινῷ καὶ ἥρωάς σφισιν ἐπανήκειν συνοίκους, Μεσσήνην μὲν τὴν Τριόπα μάλιστα, ἐπὶ ταύτῃ δὲ Εὔρυτον καὶ Ἀφαρέα τε καὶ τοὺς παῖδας, παρὰ δὲ Ἡρακλειδῶν Κρεσφόντην τε καὶ Αἴπυτον· πλείστη δὲ καὶ παρὰ πάντων ἀνάκλησις ἐγίνετο Ἀριστομένους.

English Translation

When everything had been arranged and was ready—for the Arcadians provided the sacrificial animals—Epaminondas himself and the Thebans offered sacrifice to Dionysus and to Apollo Ismenios according to their customary rite, the Argives to Hera of Argos and Zeus of Nemea, and the Messenians to Zeus Ithomatas and the Dioscuri, while their priests sacrificed to the Great Goddesses and to Caucon. They also collectively invoked heroes to return and inhabit the land with them, particularly Messene, daughter of Triopas, and after her, Eurytos and Aphareus and Aphareus' sons, along with Cresphontes and Aepytos of the Heracleidae; above all, their petition was most fervently directed toward Aristomenes.

Proper Nouns

Dionysus (Διόνυσος) deity
Dioscuri (Διόσκουροι) deity
Zeus Nemeios (Ζεύς Νεμείος) deity
Zeus Ithomatas (Ζεύς Ἰθωμάτας) deity
Also in: 3.26.6 4.33.1
Great Goddesses (Μεγάλαι θεαί) deity
Also in: 8.31.1 8.31.2
Apollo (Ἀπόλλων) deity
Hera Argive (Ἥρα Ἀργεία) deity
Ismenios (Ἰσμήνιος) deity
Also in: 4.32.5 9.10.2
Aipytos (Αἴπυτος) person
Eurytus (Εὔρυτος) person Q1378597
Thebans (Θηβαῖοι) person
Caucon (Καύκων) person
Cresphontes (Κρεσφόντης) person
Messene daughter of Triopas (Μεσσήνη Τριόπος) person
Messenians (Μεσσήνιοι) person
Argives (Ἀργεῖοι) person
Aristomenes (Ἀριστομένης) person
Arcadians (Ἀρκάδες) person
Aphareus (Ἀφαρεύς) person
Epaminondas (Ἐπαμινώνδας) person
Heracleidae (Ἡρακλεῖδαι) person
← 4.27.5 4.27.7 →