Pausanias Analysis

Passage 9.23.6

← 9.23.5 9.23.7 →

Passage 9.23.6: The sanctuary and oracle of Apollo Ptoios.

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

προελθόντι δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐν δεξιᾷ πέντε που καὶ δέκα σταδίους τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνός ἐστι τοῦ Πτώου τὸ ἱερόν. εἶναι δὲ Ἀθάμαντος καὶ Θεμιστοῦς παῖδα τὸν Πτῶον, ἀφʼ οὗ τῷ τε Ἀπόλλωνι ἐπίκλησις καὶ τῷ ὄρει τὸ ὄνομα ἐγένετο, Ἄσιος ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσιν εἴρηκε. πρὸ δὲ τῆς Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Μακεδόνων ἐπιστρατείας καὶ ὀλέθρου τοῦ Θηβαίων μαντεῖον ἦν αὐτόθι ἀψευδές· καί ποτε ἄνδρα Εὐρωπέα---ὄνομα δέ οἱ εἶναι Μῦν---, τοῦτον ἀποσταλέντα ὑπὸ Μαρδονίου τὸν Μῦν ἐπερέσθαι τε φωνῇ τῇ σφετέρᾳ καί οἱ χρῆσαι τὸν θεόν, οὐχ ἑλληνίσαντα οὐδὲ αὐτόν, διαλέκτῳ τῇ Καρικῇ.

English Translation

About fifteen stades from the city, on the right-hand side as one proceeds, is the sanctuary of Apollo Ptoios. Asios relates in his verses that Ptoös was a son of Athamas and Themisto, from whom both Apollo gets his surname and the mountain its name. Before the expedition of Alexander and the Macedonians and the destruction of Thebes, there was a truthful oracle located there. It is said that once a man from Europe—whose name was Mys—was sent by Mardonius, and this Mys questioned the god in his own native tongue; without replying in Greek, the god uttered his prophecy in the Carian dialect.

Proper Nouns

Apollo (Ἀπόλλων) deity
European (Εὐρωπεύς) other
Thebans (Θηβαῖοι) other
Carian (Καρική) other
Macedonians (Μακεδόνες) other
Ptous (Πτῶος) other
Themistous (Θεμιστοῦς) person
Mardonius (Μαρδόνιος) person
Mys (Μῦς) person
Also in: 1.28.2
Ptous (Πτῶος) person
Athamas (Ἀθάμας) person
Alexander (Ἀλέξανδρος) person
Asios (Ἄσιος) person
city (πόλις) place Q148837
Also in: 4.31.8
← 9.23.5 9.23.7 →