Pausanias Analysis

Passage 9.25.3

← 9.25.2 9.25.4 →

Passage 9.25.3: Pindar's marble votive statue in the Dindymene sanctuary

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

διαβάντων δὲ ποταμὸν καλούμενον ἀπὸ γυναικὸς τῆς Λύκου Δίρκην---ὑπὸ ταύτης δὲ ἔχει λόγος Ἀντιόπην κακοῦσθαι καὶ διʼ αὐτὸ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀντιόπης παίδων συμβῆναι τῇ Δίρκῃ τὴν τελευτήν---, διαβᾶσιν οὖν τὴν Δίρκην οἰκίας τε ἐρείπια τῆς Πινδάρου καὶ μητρὸς Δινδυμήνης ἱερόν, Πινδάρου μὲν ἀνάθημα, τέχνη δὲ τὸ ἄγαλμα Ἀριστομήδους τε καὶ Σωκράτους Θηβαίων. μιᾷ δὲ ἐφʼ ἑκάστων ἐτῶν ἡμέρᾳ καὶ οὐ πέρα τὸ ἱερὸν ἀνοίγειν νομίζουσιν· ἐμοὶ δὲ ἀφικέσθαι τε ἐξεγεγόνει τὴν ἡμέραν ταύτην καὶ τὸ ἄγαλμα εἶδον λίθου τοῦ Πεντελῆσι καὶ αὐτὸ καὶ τὸν θρόνον.

English Translation

After crossing a river called Dirce, named after the wife of Lycus—according to tradition, Antiope was abused by this Dirce and therefore Dirce met her death at the hands of Antiope's sons—having thus crossed the Dirce, one sees the ruins of Pindar's house and a sanctuary of the Mother Dindymene. The sanctuary contains an offering dedicated by Pindar himself, a statue whose artists were Aristomedes and Socrates, both Thebans. It is their custom to open the sanctuary only once a year, and no more. It happened that I arrived on precisely that day and thus saw the statue, which, along with its throne, is made of Pentelic marble.

Proper Nouns

Dindymene (Δινδυμήνη) deity
Also in: 7.17.9
Dirce (Δίρκη) person Q101219196
Lykos (Λύκος) person
Pindar (Πίνδαρος) person
Socrates (Σωκράτης) person
Antiope (Ἀντιόπη) person
Aristomedes (Ἀριστομήδης) person
Thebes (Θῆβαι) place Q11225429
Penteli (Πεντελη) place Q1125206
← 9.25.2 9.25.4 →