Pausanias Analysis

Passage 7.24.9

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Passage 7.24.9: Mild earthquake motion that reverses and rights tilting buildings

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

---τῆς δὲ κινήσεως αὐτῆς καθέστηκεν οὐχ εἷς τρόπος, ἀλλʼ οἱ φροντίσαντες τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐξ ἀρχῆς καὶ οἱ παρʼ ἐκείνων διδαχθέντες ἰδέας καταμαθεῖν ἐδυνήθησαν τοσάσδε ἐπὶ τοῖς σεισμοῖς. ἠπιώτατος μέν ἐστιν αὐτῶν, ἢν δὴ ἐν κακῷ γε τοσούτῳ ῥᾳστώνην ἐνεῖναί τινα ἡγησώμεθα, ἐπειδὰν ὁμοῦ τῇ κινήσει τῇ ἀρξαμένῃ τὸ πρῶτον καὶ τῇ ἐς τὸ ἔδαφος τροπῇ τῶν οἰκοδομημάτων ἀντιστᾶσα ἐναντία κίνησις ἐξεγείρῃ τὰ ἤδη τραπέντα, ---καὶ ἐν τῇ τοιᾷδε ἰδέᾳ

English Translation

As regards the earthquake itself, its movement does not follow a single pattern; rather, those who have examined such phenomena from the beginning, as well as those instructed by them, have been able to discern several distinct forms of earthquakes. The mildest among them—if indeed we can consider any relief possible amid so great a calamity—is when, simultaneously with the first onset of the earthquake and the initial tilting downwards of buildings, a contrary motion, opposing the fall, arises and sets upright again those structures already tipped. Of this kind is the motion described above.

Proper Nouns

Arche (Ἀρχή) other
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