Pausanias Analysis

Passage 5.6.7

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Passage 5.6.7: Typaion: women thrown for attending the Olympic Games

Historical Skeptical

Greek Text

κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐς Ὀλυμπίαν ὁδόν, πρὶν ἢ διαβῆναι τὸν Ἀλφειόν, ἔστιν ὄρος ἐκ Σκιλλοῦντος ἐρχομένῳ πέτραις ὑψηλαῖς ἀπότομον· ὀνομάζεται δὲ Τυπαῖον τὸ ὄρος. κατὰ τούτου τὰς γυναῖκας Ἠλείοις ἐστὶν ὠθεῖν νόμος, ἢν φωραθῶσιν ἐς τὸν ἀγῶνα ἐλθοῦσαι τὸν Ὀλυμπικὸν ἢ καὶ ὅλως ἐν ταῖς ἀπειρημέναις σφίσιν ἡμέραις διαβᾶσαι τὸν Ἀλφειόν. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ἁλῶναι λέγουσιν οὐδεμίαν, ὅτι μὴ Καλλιπάτειραν μόνην· εἰσὶ δὲ οἳ τὴν αὐτὴν ταύτην Φερενίκην καὶ οὐ Καλλιπάτειραν καλοῦσιν.

English Translation

On the road to Olympia, before crossing the Alpheios, there is, coming from Skillous, a mountain with high, precipitous rocks; this mountain is called Typaion. According to local law, from this mountain the Eleans cast down any women who are caught having come to watch the Olympic games, or even those found to have crossed the Alpheios river at all during the days that are forbidden to them. Nevertheless, they say that no woman has ever been caught, except only Kallipateira; though there are indeed some who say this same woman was named Pherenike, and not Kallipateira.

Proper Nouns

Olympic (Ὀλυμπικός) other
Kallipateira (Καλλιπάτειρα) person
Also in: 5.6.8 6.7.2
Pherenike (Φερενίκη) person
Eleans (Ἠλεῖοι) person
Scillus (Σκιλλοῦς) place Q733291
Also in: 5.6.4 5.6.5 5.6.6
Typaeum (Τυπαῖον) place Q15205657
Alpheios (Ἀλφειός) place Q941745
Olympia (Ὀλυμπία) place Q38888 Pleiades
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