Pausanias Analysis

Passage 4.9.6

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Passage 4.9.6: Aristodemos offers his daughter in sacrifice to save Messenia.

Historical Skeptical

Greek Text

ἐχόντων δὲ ἀθύμως τῶν Μεσσηνίων ὡς Λυκίσκον ἀποδράντα ᾔσθοντο, ἐνταῦθά σφισιν Ἀριστόδημος ἀνὴρ καὶ γένους τοῦ Αἰπυτιδῶν καὶ Λυκίσκου τῇ τε ἄλλῃ δόξῃ καὶ τὰ ἐς πόλεμον ἐπιφανέστερος ἐδίδου τὴν θυγατέρα ἑκὼν θῦσαι. τὰ δὲ ἀνθρώπων καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα τὸ πρόθυμον ἡ πεπρωμένη κατὰ ταὐτὰ ἐπικρύπτει καὶ εἰ ψηφῖδα ἐπιλαβοῦσα ἰλὺς ποταμοῦ, ὅπου καὶ τότε Ἀριστοδήμῳ διασώσασθαι Μεσσήνην ἀγώνισμα ποιουμένῳ τὸ ἐμπόδιον ἐπήγαγε τοιόνδε.

English Translation

When the Messenians became disheartened upon learning of Lykiskos' flight, Aristodemos, a man descended from the Aipytidai, who surpassed Lykiskos both in general renown and conspicuously in deeds of war, willingly offered his daughter for sacrifice. But fate, which conceals human affairs—especially earnest efforts—as effectually as river mud obscures a pebble it covers, then indeed imposed an obstacle of this sort upon Aristodemos, precisely as he was striving to accomplish the deliverance of Messenia.

Proper Nouns

Aipytids (Αἰπυτίδαι) person
Lyciscus (Λυκίσκος) person
Messenians (Μεσσήνιοι) person
Aristodemos (Ἀριστόδημος) person
Messene (Μεσσήνη) place Q1022117
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