Pausanias Analysis

Passage 7.4.4

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Passage 7.4.4: The temple of Hera on Samos.

Mythic Skeptical

Greek Text

τὸ δὲ ἱερὸν τὸ ἐν Σάμῳ τῆς Ἥρας εἰσὶν οἳ ἱδρύσασθαί φασι τοὺς ἐν τῇ Ἀργοῖ πλέοντας, ἐπάγεσθαι δὲ αὐτοὺς τὸ ἄγαλμα ἐξ Ἄργους· Σάμιοι δὲ αὐτοὶ τεχθῆναι νομίζουσιν ἐν τῇ νήσῳ τὴν θεὸν παρὰ τῷ Ἰμβράσῳ ποταμῷ καὶ ὑπὸ τῇ λύγῳ τῇ ἐν τῷ Ἡραίῳ κατʼ ἐμὲ ἔτι πεφυκυίᾳ. εἶναι δʼ οὖν τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦτο ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα ἀρχαῖον ὃ οὐχ ἥκιστα ἄν τις καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ ἀγάλματι τεκμαίροιτο· ἔστι γὰρ δὴ ἀνδρὸς ἔργον Αἰγινήτου Σμίλιδος τοῦ Εὐκλείδου. οὗτος ὁ Σμῖλίς ἐστιν ἡλικίαν κατὰ Δαίδαλον, δόξης δὲ οὐκ ἐς τὸ ἴσον ἀφίκετο·

English Translation

As for the temple of Hera on Samos, there are those who say that it was founded by the men who sailed aboard the Argo, and that they brought the cult-statue there from Argos. The Samians themselves, though, believe the goddess was born on the island, by the river Imbrasus, beneath the willow-tree which still grew within the temple precinct in my own time. Now, this sanctuary is indeed among the oldest, as one may particularly infer from the statue, since it is a work of Smilis of Aegina, son of Eucleides. This Smilis was contemporary with Daedalus, though he did not attain to the same renown.

Proper Nouns

Hera (Ἥρα) deity
Argo (Ἀργώ) other
Aeginetan (Αἰγινήτης) person
Daedalus (Δαίδαλος) person Q3712559
Eukleides (Εὐκλείδης) person
Also in: 7.25.9 7.26.4
Samians (Σάμιοι) person
Smilis (Σμῖλις) person
Also in: 5.17.1 7.4.7
Samos (Σάμος) place Q13580795
Argos (Ἄργος) place Q13533353
Heraion (Ἡραῖον) place Q1607754
Imbrasos (Ἴμβρασος) place Q25123205
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