Pausanias Analysis

Passage 8.29.5

← 8.29.4 8.30.1 →

Passage 8.29.5: Basilis: ruined town with a temple of Demeter Eleusinia

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

τοῦ δὲ χωρίου τοῦ ὀνομαζομένου Βάθους σταδίους ὡς δέκα ἀφέστηκεν ἡ καλουμένη Βασιλίς· ταύτης ἐγένετο οἰκιστὴς Κύψελος ὁ Κρεσφόντῃ τῷ Ἀριστομάχου τὴν θυγατέρα ἐκδούς· ἐπʼ ἐμοῦ δὲ ἐρείπια ἡ Βασιλὶς ἦν καὶ Δήμητρος ἱερὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐλείπετο Ἐλευσινίας. ἐντεῦθεν δὲ προϊὼν τὸν Ἀλφειὸν αὖθις διαβήσῃ καὶ ἐπὶ Θωκνίαν ἀφίξῃ, τὸ ὄνομα ἀπὸ Θώκνου τοῦ Λυκάονος ἔχουσαν, ἐς ἅπαν δὲ ἐφʼ ἡμῶν ἔρημον· ἐλέγετο δὲ ὁ Θῶκνος ἐν τῷ λόφῳ κτίσαι τὴν πόλιν. ποταμὸς δὲ ὁ Ἀμίνιος ῥέων παρὰ τὸν λόφον ἐς τὸν Ἑλισσόντα ἐκδίδωσι, καὶ οὐ πολὺ ἄπωθεν ἐς τὸν Ἀλφειὸν ὁ Ἑλισσών.

English Translation

About ten stades from the place called Bathos is the site named Basilis. Cypselus was its founder, having given his daughter in marriage to Cresphontes, the son of Aristomachus. In my time Basilis was in ruins, and among these ruins there still remained a temple of Demeter Eleusinia. Proceeding from there, you again cross the Alpheios and reach Thoknia, named after Thoknos, the son of Lycaon, but wholly deserted by our day. Thoknos was said to have built the city on a hill. The river Aminius flows by this hill and empties into the Helisson, and not far away the Helisson itself joins the Alpheios.

Proper Nouns

Demeter (Δήμητρα) deity Q40730
Eleusinian (Ἐλευσινία) other Q79104156
Aristomachus (Ἀριστόμαχος) person
Thoknos (Θῶκνος) person
Also in: 8.3.2
Cresphontes (Κρέσφων) person
Also in: 2.19.1
Cypselus (Κύψελος) person Q430688
Lycaon (Λυκάων) person Q12880304
Alpheios (Ἀλφειός) place Q941745
Aminius (Ἀμίνιος) place Q46397264
Bathos (Βάθος) place Q60791682
Also in: 8.29.1
Basilis (Βασιλίς) place Q4867451
Elisson (Ἑλισσών) place Q3723337
Thoknia (Θωκνία) place Q60790111
Also in: 8.3.2
← 8.29.4 8.30.1 →