Pausanias Analysis

Passage 4.6.3

← 4.6.2 4.6.4 →

Passage 4.6.3: Aristomenes of Messenia

Historical Skeptical

Greek Text

ἄνδρα οὖν Μεσσήνιον---τούτου γὰρ δὴ ἕνεκα τὸν πάντα ἐποιησάμην Ῥιανοῦ καὶ Μύρωνος λόγον---Ἀριστομένην, ὃς καὶ πρῶτος καὶ μάλιστα τὸ Μεσσήνης ὄνομα ἐς ἀξίωμα προήγαγε, τοῦτον τὸν ἄνδρα ἐπεισήγαγε μὲν ὁ Πριηνεὺς ἐς τὴν συγγραφήν, Ῥιανῷ δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσιν οὐδὲν Ἀριστομένης ἐστὶν ἀφανέστερος ἢ Ἀχιλλεὺς ἐν Ἰλιάδι Ὁμήρῳ. διάφορα οὖν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον εἰρηκότων, προσέσθαι μὲν τὸν ἕτερόν μοι τῶν λόγων καὶ οὐχ ἅμα ἀμφοτέρους ὑπελείπετο, Ῥιανὸς δέ μοι ποιῆσαι μᾶλλον ἐφαίνετο εἰκότα ἐς τὴν Ἀριστομένους ἡλικίαν·

English Translation

Now, concerning the Messenian Aristomenes—for it was chiefly on his account that I related the whole dispute between Rhianus and Myron—this Aristomenes, who first and above all others raised the name of Messene to its height of honor, the historian from Priene introduced him into his narrative. But in Rhianus' poem Aristomenes is no less prominent than Achilles is in Homer's Iliad. Thus, since their accounts differed so greatly, I was left to follow one of these accounts rather than both simultaneously; and Rhianus appeared to me to present a narrative more plausible with respect to the date of Aristomenes.

Proper Nouns

Iliad (Ἰλιάς) other
Messenians (Μεσσήνιος) person
Myron (Μύρων) person
Prienian (Πριηνεύς) person
Also in: 4.6.1
Aristomenes (Ἀριστομένης) person
Achilles (Ἀχιλλεύς) person
Homer (Ὅμηρος) person
Rhianus (Ῥιανός) person
Messene (Μεσσήνη) place Q1022117
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