Pausanias Analysis

Passage 9.11.7

← 9.11.6 9.12.1 →

Passage 9.11.7: Sanctuary of Heracles and the Apollo Spodios altar used for divination by utterances.

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

τοῦ δὲ Ἡρακλείου γυμνάσιον ἔχεται καὶ στάδιον, ἀμφότερα ἐπώνυμα τοῦ θεοῦ. ὑπὲρ δὲ τὸν Σωφρονιστῆρα λίθον βωμός ἐστιν Ἀπόλλωνος ἐπίκλησιν Σποδίου, πεποίηται δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς τέφρας τῶν ἱερείων. μαντικὴ δὲ καθέστηκεν αὐτόθι ἀπὸ κληδόνων, ᾗ δὴ καὶ Σμυρναίους μάλιστα Ἑλλήνων χρωμένους οἶδα· ἔστι γὰρ καὶ Σμυρναίοις ὑπὲρ τὴν πόλιν κατὰ τὸ ἐκτὸς τοῦ τείχους Κληδόνων ἱερόν.

English Translation

Next to the sanctuary of Heracles there is a gymnasium and a stadium, both named after the god. Above the stone called the "Sophronister," there stands an altar of Apollo, called Spodios, made from the ashes of sacrificial victims. At this place there is established a form of divination through sounds and utterances, of which the Smyrnaeans, among all the Greeks, I know to make most use; for indeed, the Smyrnaeans also have a sanctuary of utterances outside their city, beyond the walls.

Proper Nouns

Kledones (Κληδόνες) deity
Spodios (Σποδίος) deity
Also in: 9.12.1
god (θεός) deity
Apollo (Ἀπόλλων) deity
Sophronister (Σωφρονιστήρ) other
Also in: 9.11.2
Smyrnaeans (Σμυρναῖοι) person
Hellenes (Ἕλληνες) person
Smyrna (Σμύρνη) place Q1379299
Also in: 2.26.9 5.8.7
Heracleion (Ἡρακλεῖον) place Q134037053
← 9.11.6 9.12.1 →