Pausanias Analysis

Passage 5.25.12

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Passage 5.25.12: Thasian bronze statue of Heracles at Olympia.

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

Θάσιοι δέ, Φοίνικες τὸ ἀνέκαθεν ὄντες καὶ ἐκ Τύρου καὶ Φοινίκης τῆς ἄλλης ὁμοῦ Θάσῳ τῷ Ἀγήνορος κατὰ ζήτησιν ἐκπλεύσαντες τὴν Εὐρώπης, ἀνέθεσαν Ἡρακλέα ἐς Ὀλυμπίαν, τὸ βάθρον χαλκοῦν ὁμοίως τῷ ἀγάλματι· μέγεθος μὲν δὴ τοῦ ἀγάλματός εἰσι πήχεις δέκα, ῥόπαλον δὲ ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ, τῇ δὲ ἀριστερᾷ χειρὶ ἔχει τόξον. ἤκουσα δὲ ἐν Θάσῳ τὸν αὐτὸν σφᾶς Ἡρακλέα ὃν καὶ Τύριοι σέβεσθαι, ὕστερον δὲ ἤδη τελοῦντας ἐς Ἕλληνας νομίσαι καὶ Ἡρακλεῖ τῷ Ἀμφιτρύωνος νέμειν τιμάς.

English Translation

The Thasians, who were Phoenicians originally and who had sailed from Tyre together with other Phoenicians along with Thasos, son of Agenor, during the search for Europa, dedicated a statue of Heracles at Olympia. Its pedestal, like the image itself, is made of bronze. The height of the statue is ten cubits; he holds a club in his right hand, and a bow in his left. I heard that these same Thasians honored originally the same Heracles worshipped by the Tyrians, but later, after entering into Greek customs, they resolved to pay reverence also to the Heracles who was the son of Amphitryon.

Proper Nouns

Heracles (Ἡρακλῆς) deity
Europa (Εὐρώπη) person
Thasians (Θάσιος) person
Also in: 5.25.13
Thasos (Θάσος) person
Tyrian (Τύριος) person
Phoinix (Φοῖνιξ) person
Agenor (Ἀγήνωρ) person
Amphitryon (Ἀμφιτρύων) person
Greeks (Ἕλλην) person
Tyre (Τύρος) place Q82070 Pleiades
Also in: 7.5.5 9.27.8
Phoenicia (Φοινίκη) place Q41642
Also in: 1.6.4 7.5.5 9.28.2
Olympia (Ὀλυμπία) place Q38888 Pleiades
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