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 Q37340
European (Εὐρωπεύς) other
Thebans (Θηβαῖοι) other
Carian (Καρική) other Q35929
Macedonians (Μακεδόνες) other Q576065
Ptous (Πτῶος) other Q7257118
Themistous (Θεμιστοῦς) person
Mardonius (Μαρδόνιος) person Q155063
Mys (Μῦς) person Q3869153
Also in: 1.28.2
Ptous (Πτῶος) person
Athamas (Ἀθάμας) person Q3627856
Alexander (Ἀλέξανδρος) person Q8409
Asios (Ἄσιος) person Q730625
city (πόλις) place Q148837
Also in: 4.31.8
← 9.23.5 9.23.7 →