Pausanias Analysis

Passage 9.3.8

← 9.3.7 9.3.9 →

Passage 9.3.8: Communal sacrifices to Hera and Zeus, with the altar consumed by fire.

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

αἱ μὲν δὴ πόλεις καὶ τὰ τέλη θήλειαν θύσαντες τῇ Ἥρᾳ βοῦν ἕκαστοι καὶ ταῦρον τῷ Διὶ τὰ ἱερεῖα οἴνου καὶ θυμιαμάτων πλήρη καὶ τὰ δαίδαλα ὁμοῦ καθαγίζουσιν ἐπὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ, ἰδιῶται δὲ ὁπόσα δὴ θύουσιν οἱ πλούσιοι· τοῖς δὲ οὐχ ὁμοίως δυναμ ένο ις τὰ λεπτότερα τῶν προβάτων θύειν καθέστηκε, καθαγίζειν δὲ τὰ ἱερεῖα ὁμοίως πάντα. σὺν δέ σφισι καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν βωμὸν ἐπιλαβὸν τὸ πῦρ ἐξανήλωσε· μεγίστην δὲ ταύτην φλόγα καὶ ἐκ μακροτάτου σύνοπτον οἶδα ἀρθεῖσαν.

English Translation

Of the cities and local communities, each group sacrifices a cow to Hera and a bull to Zeus, then together they consecrate upon the altar the offerings, filled with wine and incense, as well as the wooden images (daidala). Private individuals who are wealthy offer as many victims as they wish; those of more modest means customarily sacrifice smaller animals, but all alike burn their offerings together as sacred. Along with these, the flame also seizes upon and consumes even the altar itself. I know that this fire is the greatest and clearly visible from the farthest distances.

Proper Nouns

Zeus (Ζεύς) deity
Hera (Ἥρα) deity
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