Pausanias Analysis

Passage 9.6.6

← 9.6.5 9.7.1 →

Passage 9.6.6: Omens at an Athenian temple: spider-web color change and ash rain

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

τότε μὲν γὰρ τοῦ ἱεροῦ τὰς θύρας ὑφάσματι ἀράχναι λευκῷ, κατὰ δὲ τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Μακεδόνων ἔφοδον μέλανι ἐξύφηναν. λέγεται δὲ καὶ Ἀθηναίοις ὗσαι τέφραν ὁ θεὸς ἐνιαυτῷ πρότερον πρὶν ἢ τὸν πόλεμον τὸν ἐπαχθέντα ὑπὸ Σύλλα τὰ μεγάλα σφίσιν ἐνεγκεῖν παθήματα.

English Translation

For at that time, spiders spun white webs upon the doors of the temple, but at the invasion of Alexander and the Macedonians, they wove them black. It is also said that one year before the war inflicted by Sulla, which brought great suffering upon the Athenians, the god caused ashes to rain down upon them.

Proper Nouns

Macedonians (Μακεδόνες) person
Sulla (Σύλλας) person
Athenians (Ἀθηναῖοι) person
Alexander (Ἀλέξανδρος) person
← 9.6.5 9.7.1 →