Pausanias Analysis

Passage 9.4.1

← 9.3.9 9.4.2 →

Passage 9.4.1: Sanctuary of Athena Areia at Plataea with a Pheidian statue made from Marathon spoils

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

Πλαταιεῦσι δὲ Ἀθηνᾶς ἐπίκλησιν Ἀρείας ἐστὶν ἱερόν· ᾠκοδομήθη δὲ ἀπὸ λαφύρων ἃ τῆς μάχης σφίσιν Ἀθηναῖοι τῆς Μαραθῶνι ἀπένειμαν. τὸ μὲν δὴ ἄγαλμα ξόανόν ἐστιν ἐπίχρυσον, πρόσωπον δέ οἱ καὶ χεῖρες ἄκραι καὶ πόδες λίθου τοῦ Πεντελησίου εἰσί· μέγεθος μὲν οὐ πολὺ δή τι ἀποδεῖ τῆς ἐν ἀκροπόλει χαλκῆς, ἣν καὶ αὐτὴν Ἀθηναῖοι τοῦ Μαραθῶνι ἀπαρχὴν ἀγῶνος ἀνέθηκαν, Φειδίας δὲ καὶ Πλαταιεῦσιν ἦν ὁ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς τὸ ἄγαλμα ποιήσας.

English Translation

The Plataeans have a sanctuary dedicated to Athena with the epithet Areia ("Warlike"). They built it from the spoils awarded to them by the Athenians from the battle of Marathon. The statue is a wooden image gilded over; the face, the extremities of the hands, and the feet are made from Pentelic marble. In size it is not much smaller than the bronze Athena on the Acropolis, which the Athenians themselves dedicated as a first-offering from the spoils of Marathon. Pheidias also made for the Plataeans this statue of Athena.

Proper Nouns

Athena (Ἀθηνᾶ) deity
Areia (Ἀρεία) deity
Pheidias (Φειδίας) person
Athenians (Ἀθηναῖοι) person
Marathon (Μαραθών) place Q212150 Pleiades
Pentelicon (Πεντέλη) place Q1125206
Plataea (Πλαταιαί) place Q742538
Acropolis (ἀκρόπολις) place Q131013
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