Pausanias Analysis

Passage 4.31.5

← 4.31.4 4.31.6 →

Passage 4.31.5: The stone walls of Messene, stronger than other famous fortifications.

Historical Skeptical

Greek Text

περὶ δὲ τὴν Μεσσήνην τεῖχος, κύκλος μὲν πᾶς λίθου πεποίηται, πύργοι δὲ καὶ ἐπάλξεις εἰσὶν ἐνῳκοδομημένοι. τὰ μὲν οὖν Βαβυλωνίων ἢ τὰ Μεμνόνεια τὰ ἐν Σούσοις τείχη τοῖς Περσικοῖς οὔτε εἶδον οὔτε ἄλλων περὶ αὐτῶν ἤκουσα αὐτοπτούντων· τὰ δὲ ἐν Ἀμβρός ς ῳ τῇ Φωκικῇ ἔν τε Βυζαντίῳ καὶ Ῥόδῳ---ταῦτα γὰρ δὴ τετείχισται τὰ χωρία ἄριστα---τούτων Μεσσηνίοις ἐστὶν ἐχυρώτερον.

English Translation

Around Messene there is a surrounding wall built entirely of stone, with towers and battlements integrated into it. Now as for the walls of the Babylonians and those called Memnonian at Susa in Persia, I have neither seen them myself nor heard others who were eyewitnesses speak about them; but I have observed the walls at Ambrossos in Phocis, and those at Byzantium and Rhodes—places indeed fortified in the most excellent manner—and the Messenian walls are stronger than these.

Proper Nouns

Memnoneia (Μεμνόνευμα/Μεμνόνεια) other
Persians (Πέρσαι) other
Messenians (Μεσσηνιοί) person
Babylon (Βαβυλών) place Q5684
Byzantium (Βυζάντιον) place Q23725
Messene (Μεσσήνη) place Q1022117
Susa (Σοῦσα) place Q180773 Pleiades
Phocis (Φωκίς) place Q2637650
Ambrosos (Ἄμβροσιος (likely Ἄμβροσον or Ἄμβρος τοῦ Φωκικοῦ)) place
Rhodes (Ῥόδος) place Q13533316
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