Pausanias Analysis

Passage 4.30.2

← 4.30.1 4.30.3 →

Passage 4.30.2: Pharae in Messenia, its location, Roman tax order, and founding genealogy.

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

Φαραὶ δὲ ἀφεστήκασιν Ἀβίας σταδίους ἑβδομήκοντα, καὶ ὕδωρ κατὰ τὴν ὁδόν ἐστιν ἁλμυρόν· βασιλεὺς δὲ Αὔγουστος τοὺς ἐν Φαραῖς Μεσσηνίους συντελεῖν ἀπέταξεν ἐς τὸ Λακωνικόν. τὸν δὲ οἰκιστὴν Φᾶριν Ἑρμοῦ τε καὶ Φυλοδαμείας λέγουσιν εἶναι τῆς Δαναοῦ· Φάρει δὲ ἄρρενας μὲν οὔ φασι γενέσθαι, θυγατέρα δὲ Τηλεγόνην. τοὺς δὲ ἐφεξῆς ἐγενεαλόγησεν Ὅμηρος ἐν Ἰλιάδι διδύμους Κρήθωνα καὶ Ὀρτίλοχον εἶναι Διοκλεῖ, Διοκλέα δὲ αὐτὸν Ὀρτιλόχου τοῦ Ἀλφειοῦ· τὰ δὲ ἐς Τηλεγόνην παρεῖδεν, αὕτη γὰρ λόγῳ τῷ Μεσσηνίων ἐστὶν ἡ τεκοῦσα Ἀλφειῷ τὸν Ὀρτίλοχον.

English Translation

Pharae is seventy stades from Abia, and along this road there is salty water. Emperor Augustus ordered the Messenians at Pharae to pay taxes to Laconia. They say that its founder Pharis was the son of Hermes and Phylodameia, daughter of Danaus. Pharis, however, is said to have had no male children, but only a daughter, Telegone. Homer, in the Iliad, traced the lineage following her, stating that Crethon and Ortilochus were twin sons of Diocles, Diocles himself being the son of Ortilochus, and Ortilochus being the son of Alpheius. But he omits mention of Telegone, who according to the Messenian account was the mother of Ortilochus by Alpheius.

Proper Nouns

Alpheios (Ἀλφειός) deity
Hermes (Ἑρμῆς) deity
Iliad (Ἰλιάς) other
Augustus (Αὔγουστος) person Q1405
Danaus (Δαναός) person
Diocles (Διοκλῆς) person
Crethon (Κρήθων) person
Messenians (Μεσσήνιοι) person
Telegone (Τηλεγόνη) person
Phylodameia (Φυλοδαμεία) person
Also in: 7.22.5
Pharis (Φᾶρις) person
Ortilochus (Ὀρτίλοχος) person
Homer (Ὅμηρος) person
Laconia (Λακωνικόν) place Q11931074
Pharai (Φαραὶ) place Q1571214
Also in: 7.22.1
Abia (Ἀβία) place Q5860118
Also in: 4.30.1
← 4.30.1 4.30.3 →