Pausanias Analysis

Passage 4.30.1

← 4.29.13 4.30.2 →

Passage 4.30.1: The town of Abia in Messenia and its sanctuaries of Heracles and Asclepius

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

ἔστιν ἐφʼ ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ Μεσσηνίᾳ τῆς νάπης τῆς Χοιρίου στάδια εἴκοσι μάλιστα ἀπέχουσα Ἀβία ἐπὶ θαλάσσῃ πόλις. ταύτην Ἴρην καλεῖσθαι πάλαι καὶ τῶν ἑπτά φασιν εἶναι πόλεων, ἃς Ἀχιλλεῖ πεποίηκεν Ὅμηρος Ἀγαμέμνονα ὑπισχνούμενον. Ὕλλου δὲ καὶ Δωριέων μάχῃ κρατηθέντων ὑπὸ Ἀχαιῶν, ἐνταῦθα Ἀβίαν Γλήνου τοῦ Ἡρακλέους τροφὸν ἀποχωρῆσαι λέγουσιν ἐς τὴν Ἴρην καὶ οἰκῆσαί τε αὐτόθι καὶ Ἡρακλέους ἱερὸν ἱδρύσασθαι, καί οἱ διὰ ταῦτα ὕστερον Κρεσφόντην ἄλλα τε γέρα νεῖμαι καὶ τῇ πόλει μεταθέσθαι τὸ ὄνομα ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀβίας. Ἡρακλεῖον δὲ ἦν αὐτόθι ἐπιφανὲς καὶ Ἀσκληπιεῖον.

English Translation

In our times, in Messenia, there is a town called Abia situated on the coast, roughly twenty stadia distant from the Choiros valley. This city, they say, was originally named Ire, and was among the seven cities that Homer mentions Agamemnon promised to Achilles. After Hyllus and the Dorians were defeated in battle by the Achaeans, it is said that Abia, the nurse of Glenus, son of Heracles, withdrew to Ire, settled there, and established a sanctuary of Heracles. For this reason, Cresphontes later bestowed upon her certain honors, renaming the city after Abia herself. In this place there were notable sanctuaries dedicated to Heracles and Asclepius.

Proper Nouns

Asclepius (Ἀσκληπιός) deity
Heracles (Ἡρακλῆς) deity
Asklepieion (Ἀσκληπιεῖον) other
Also in: 2.11.5 2.26.9
Heracleion (Sanctuary of Heracles) (Ἡρακλεῖον) other
Glenus (Γλῆνος) person
Dorians (Δωριεῖς) person
Cresphontes (Κρεσφόντης) person
Abia (Ἀβία) person
Agamemnon (Ἀγαμέμνων) person
Achaeans (Ἀχαιοί) person
Achilles (Ἀχιλλεύς) person
Homer (Ὅμηρος) person
Hyllos (Ὕλλος) person
Messenia (Μεσσηνία) place Q1247159
Choirios (Choirius) (Χοῖριον) place
the Napē (valley or glen, used as a proper in context; here: the Choirian Glen) (νάπη) place
Abia (Ἀβία) place Q5860118
Also in: 4.30.2
Ire (Ἴρη) place Q127162912
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