Pausanias Analysis

Passage 4.35.5

← 4.35.4 4.35.6 →

Passage 4.35.5: Illyrian conquest of Epirus after the fall of its kings

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

Ἠπειρῶται δὲ ὡς ἐπαύσαντο βασιλεύεσθαι, τά τε ἄλλα ὁ δῆμος ὕβριζε καὶ ἀκροᾶσθαι τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς ὑπερεώρων· καὶ σφᾶς οἱ Ἰλλυριοὶ τὰ πρὸς τοῦ Ἰονίου τὴν Ἤπειρον ὑπεροικοῦντες παρεστήσαντο ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς. οὐ γάρ πω δημοκρατίαν ἴσμεν ἄλλους γε ἢ Ἀθηναίους αὐξήσαντας, Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ προήχθησαν ἐπὶ μέγα ἀπʼ αὐτῆς· συνέσει γὰρ οἰκείᾳ τὸ Ἑλληνικὸν ὑπερεβάλλοντο καὶ νόμοις τοῖς καθεστηκόσιν ἐλάχιστα ἠπείθουν.

English Translation

When the people of Epirus ceased to be ruled by kings, the common folk began to act insolently in many respects and openly disregarded the commands of their magistrates. Thus the Illyrians, who inhabit the region of Epirus bordering on the Ionian Sea, conquered them through invasion. Indeed, as yet we know of no democracy besides that of Athens that flourished: and the Athenians attained greatness precisely through democracy. For they surpassed the rest of the Greeks by reason of their own good sense, and they least disobeyed the established laws.

Proper Nouns

Hellenic (Ἑλληνικόν) other
Athenians (Ἀθηναῖοι) person
Epirotes (Ἠπειρῶται) person
Illyrians (Ἰλλυριοί) person
Epirus (Ἤπειρος) place Q11266977
Ionian (Sea) (Ἰόνιον) place Q37495 Pleiades
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