- Source
- Pausanias. Pausaniae Graeciae descriptio, Volumes 1-3. Spiro, Friedrich, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1903.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.11.1-1.11.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-23
Relates the genealogy of Pyrrhus, the internal strife within the Epirote royal house leading to his accession, and the background of his becoming the first Greek to wage war against the Romans.
τὰ μὲν οὖν Λυσιμάχου τοιαῦτα ἐγένετο· Ἀθηναίοις δὲ εἰκών ἐστι καὶ Πύρρου. οὗτος ὁ Πύρρος Ἀλεξάνδρῳ προσῆκεν οὐδέν, εἰ μὴ ὅσα κατὰ γένος· Αἰακίδου γὰρ τοῦ Ἀρύββου Πύρρος ἦν, Ὀλυμπιάδος δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος τῆς Νεοπτολέμου, Νεοπτολέμῳ δὲ καὶ Ἀρύββᾳ πατὴρ ἦν Ἀλκέτας ὁ Θαρύπου. ἀπὸ δὲ Θαρύπου ἐς Πύρρον τὸν Ἀχιλλέως πέντε ἀνδρῶν καὶ δέκα εἰσὶ γενεαί· πρῶτος γὰρ δὴ οὗτος ἁλούσης Ἰλίου τὴν μὲν ἐς Θεσσαλίαν ὑπερεῖδεν1 ἀναχώρησιν, ἐς δὲ τὴν Ἤπειρον κατάρας ἐνταῦθα ἐκ τῶν Ἑλένου χρησμῶν ᾤκησε. καί οἱ παῖς ἐκ μὲν Ἑρμιόνης ἐγένετο οὐδείς, ἐξ Ἀνδρομάχης δὲ Μολοσσὸς καὶ Πίελος καὶ νεώτατος ὁ Πέργαμος. ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ Ἑλένῳ Κεστρῖνος· τούτῳ γὰρ Ἀνδρομάχη συνῴκησεν ἀποθανόντος ἐν Δελφοῖς Πύρρου.
Such, then, were the fortunes of Lysimachus. The Athenians, however, have also a statue of Pyrrhus. This Pyrrhus was in no way related to Alexander, except in so far as genealogy is concerned; for Pyrrhus was the son of Aeacides, the son of Arybbas, while Alexander was the son of Olympias, the daughter of Neoptolemus, and Alcetas, the son of Tharypus, was the father of both Neoptolemus and Arybbas. From Tharypus to Pyrrhus the son of Achilles there are fifteen generations of men; for indeed this latter was the first who, on the capture of Ilios, disregarded the return to Thessaly, and having put in at Epirus, settled there in accordance with the oracles of Helenus. And to him no child was born of Hermione, but of Andromache he had Molossus, Pielus, and the youngest, Pergamus. There was also born to Helenus a son, Cestrinus; for Andromache lived with him after the death of Pyrrhus at Delphi.
Ἑλένου δὲ ὡς ἐτελεύτα Μολοσσῷ τῷ Πύρρου παραδόντος τὴν ἀρχὴν Κεστρῖνος μὲν σὺν τοῖς ἐθέλουσιν Ἠπειρωτῶν τὴν ὑπὲρ Θύαμιν ποταμὸν χώραν ἔσχε, Πέργαμος δὲ διαβὰς ἐς τὴν Ἀσίαν Ἄρειον δυναστεύοντα ἐν τῇ Τευθρανίᾳ κτείνει μονομαχήσαντά οἱ περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ τῇ πόλει τὸ ὄνομα ἔδωκε τὸ νῦν ἀφʼ αὑτοῦ· καὶ Ἀνδρομάχης—ἠκολούθει γάρ οἱ—καὶ νῦν ἐστιν ἡρῷον ἐν τῇ πόλει. Πίελος δὲ αὐτοῦ κατέμεινεν ἐν Ἠπείρῳ, καὶ ἐς πρόγονον τοῦτον ἀνέβαινε Πύρρος τε ὁ Αἰακίδου καὶ οἱ πατέρες, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐς Μολοσσόν.
When Helenus, as he was dying, handed over the rule to Molossus the son of Pyrrhus, Cestrinus, with those of the Epirotes who were willing, occupied the region above the river Thyamis, while Pergamus, having crossed over into Asia, slew Areus, who was ruling in Teuthrania, in single combat for the rule, and gave the city its present name after himself; and a shrine of Andromache—for she had followed him—is still now in the city. But Pielus remained there in Epirus, and it was to this ancestor that Pyrrhus, the son of Aeacides, and his forebears traced their descent, but not to Molossus.
ἦν δὲ ἄχρι μὲν Ἀλκέτου τοῦ Θαρύπου ἐφʼ ἑνὶ βασιλεῖ καὶ τὰ Ἠπειρωτῶν· οἱ δὲ Ἀλκέτου παῖδες, ὥς σφισι στασιάσασι μετέδοξεν2 ἐπʼ ἴσης ἄρχειν, αὐτοί τε πιστῶς ἔχοντες διέμειναν ἐς ἀλλήλους καὶ ὕστερον Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Νεοπτολέμου τελευτήσαντος ἐν Λευκανοῖς, Ὀλυμπιάδος δὲ διὰ τὸν Ἀντιπάτρου φόβον ἐπανελθούσης ἐς Ἤπειρον, Αἰακίδης ὁ Ἀρύββου τά τε ἄλλα διετέλει κατήκοος ὢν Ὀλυμπιάδι καὶ συνεστράτευσε πολεμήσων Ἀριδαίῳ καὶ Μακεδόσιν, οὐκ ἐθελόντων ἕπεσθαι τῶν Ἠπειρωτῶν.
The affairs of the Epirotes, up to the time of Alcetas the son of Tharypus, were under a single king; but the sons of Alcetas, when, after quarreling, they decided to rule on equal terms, remained loyal to each other, and later, when Alexander the son of Neoptolemus died among the Lucanians, and Olympias, through fear of Antipater, returned to Epirus, Aeacides the son of Arybbas continued in other respects obedient to Olympias, and joined in her campaign to make war against Aridaeus and the Macedonians, although the Epirotes were unwilling to follow.
Ὀλυμπιάδος δὲ ὡς ἐπεκράτησεν ἀνόσια μὲν ἐργασαμένης καὶ ἐς τὸν Ἀριδαίου θάνατον, πολλῷ δὲ ἔτι ἀνοσιώτερα ἐς ἄνδρας Μακεδόνας, καὶ διὰ ταῦτα οὐκ ἀνάξια ὕστερον ὑπὸ Κασσάνδρου παθεῖν νομισθείσης, Αἰακίδην κατʼ ἀρχὰς μὲν οὐδʼ αὐτοὶ διὰ τὸ Ὀλυμπιάδος ἔχθος ἐδέχοντο Ἠπειρῶται, εὑρομένου δὲ ἀνὰ χρόνον παρὰ τούτων συγγνώμην δεύτερα ἠναντιοῦτο Κάσσανδρος μὴ κατελθεῖν3 ἐς Ἤπειρον. γενομένης δὲ Φιλίππου τε ἀδελφοῦ Κασσάνδρου καὶ Αἰακίδου μάχης πρὸς Οἰνιάδαις, Αἰακίδην μὲν τρωθέντα κατέλαβε μετʼ οὐ πολὺ τὸ χρεών·
But when Olympias, having prevailed, committed impious deeds both regarding the death of Aridaeus and far more impious ones still against Macedonian men, and on account of these was later deemed to have suffered no undeserved fate at the hands of Cassander, the Epirotes themselves at first would not receive Aeacides because of their hatred for Olympias; but when in course of time he obtained pardon from them, Cassander for a second time opposed his returning to Epirus. And when a battle took place near Oeniadae between Philip, the brother of Cassander, and Aeacides, destiny overtook Aeacides, who was wounded, not long after.
Ἠπειρῶται δὲ Ἀλκέταν ἐπὶ βασιλείᾳ κατεδέξαντο, Ἀρύββου μὲν παῖδα καὶ ἀδελφὸν Αἰακίδου πρεσβύτερον, ἀκρατῆ δὲ ἄλλως θυμοῦ καὶ διʼ αὐτὸ ἐξελασθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός. καὶ τότε ἥκων ἐξεμαίνετο εὐθὺς ἐς τοὺς Ἠπειρώτας, ἐς ὃ νύκτωρ αὐτόν τε καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ἐπαναστάντες ἔκτειναν. ἀποκτείναντες δὲ τοῦτον Πύρρον τὸν Αἰακίδου κατάγουσιν· ἥκοντι δὲ εὐθὺς ἐπεστράτευε Κάσσανδρος, νέῳ τε ἡλικίᾳ ὄντι καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐ κατεσκευασμένῳ βεβαίως. Πύρρος δὲ ἐπιόντων Μακεδόνων ἐς Αἴγυπτον παρὰ Πτολεμαῖον ἀναβαίνει τὸν Λάγου· καί οἱ Πτολεμαῖος γυναῖκά τʼ ἔδωκεν ἀδελφὴν ὁμομητρίαν τῶν αὑτοῦ παίδων καὶ στόλῳ κατήγαγεν Αἰγυπτίων.
And the Epirotes received Alcetas to the kingship, the son of Arybbas and elder brother of Aeacides, but otherwise incontinent of passion and for this reason exiled by his father. And arriving then, he at once began to rage against the Epirotes, until by night they rose up and slew both him and his children. Having slain him, they brought back Pyrrhus the son of Aeacides; but as soon as he returned, Cassander marched against him, since he was young in years and his rule was not established on a firm basis. When the Macedonians attacked, Pyrrhus went up to Egypt to Ptolemy the son of Lagus; and Ptolemy gave him in marriage a half-sister of his own children and brought him back with a fleet of Egyptians.
Πύρρος δὲ βασιλεύσας πρώτοις ἐπέθετο Ἑλλήνων Κορκυραίοις, κειμένην τε ὁρῶν τὴν νῆσον πρὸ τῆς αὑτοῦ χώρας καὶ ἄλλοις ὁρμητήριον ἐφʼ αὑτὸν οὐκ ἐθέλων εἶναι. μετὰ δὲ ἁλοῦσαν Κόρκυραν ὅσα μὲν Λυσιμάχῳ πολεμήσας ἔπαθε καὶ ὡς Δημήτριον ἐκβαλὼν Μακεδονίας ἦρξεν ἐς ὃ αὖθις ἐξέπεσεν ὑπὸ Λυσιμάχου, τάδε μὲν τοῦ Πύρρου μέγιστα ἐς ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν δεδήλωκεν ἤδη μοι τὰ ἐς Λυσίμαχον ἔχοντα·
Pyrrhus, having become king, first of the Greeks attacked the Corcyraeans, seeing the island situated before his own land and not wishing it to be a base of operations for others against himself. And after the capture of Corcyra, all that he suffered in warring with Lysimachus, and how, having driven out Demetrius, he ruled Macedonia until he was again expelled by Lysimachus—these, the greatest of Pyrrhus’ deeds up to that time, have already been made clear by me in the narrative concerning Lysimachus.
Ῥωμαίοις δὲ οὐδένα Πύρρου πρότερον πολεμήσαντα ἴσμεν Ἕλληνα. Διομήδει μὲν γὰρ καὶ Ἀργείων τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ οὐδεμίαν ἔτι γενέσθαι πρὸς Αἰνείαν λέγεται μάχην· Ἀθηναίοις δὲ ἄλλα τε πολλὰ ἐλπίσασι καὶ Ἰταλίαν πᾶσαν καταστρέψασθαι τὸ ἐν Συρακούσαις πταῖσμα ἐμποδὼν ἐγένετο μὴ καὶ Ῥωμαίων λαβεῖν πεῖραν· Ἀλέξανδρος δὲ ὁ Νεοπτολέμου, γένους τε ὢν Πύρρῳ τοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡλικίᾳ πρεσβύτερος, ἀποθανὼν ἐν Λευκανοῖς ἔφθη πρὶν ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθεῖν4 Ῥωμαίοις.
We know of no Greek before Pyrrhus who waged war against the Romans. For it is said that for Diomedes and the Argives with him there was no longer any battle against Aeneas; and for the Athenians, though they hoped for many other things and to subdue all Italy, the disaster at Syracuse was an obstacle to their making trial of the Romans as well; while Alexander the son of Neoptolemus, being of the same family as Pyrrhus and older in age, died among the Lucanians before he could come to blows with the Romans.
- 1.11.1ὑπερεῖδεν
The aorist of the verb ὑπεροράω, meaning 'to overlook, disregard, or neglect.' Here, it describes Pyrrhus (the son of Achilles) disregarding the safe return route to Thessaly after the fall of Troy, and instead choosing to travel to Epirus.
- 1.11.3ὥς σφισι στασιάσασι μετέδοξεν
The verb μετέδοξεν is used impersonally to mean 'it was decided upon reconsideration,' taking the dative pronoun σφισι ('to them') and the dative participle στασιάσασι ('having quarreled'). The clause means 'when, after they had quarreled, they changed their minds and decided...'
- 1.11.4μὴ κατελθεῖν
An infinitive depending on ἠναντιοῦτο ('opposed'), which belongs to the class of verbs of hindering or forbidding. In Greek syntax, such infinitives frequently take a redundant negative particle μὴ, which does not create a double negation but rather reinforces the idea of prevention.
- 1.11.7ἔφθη πρὶν ἐς χεῖρας ἐλθεῖν
The aorist ἔφθη from the verb φθάνω ('to anticipate, be beforehand') is paired with the conjunction πρίν ('before') and an infinitive. It means 'he died before he could come to blows with the Romans,' indicating that his death anticipated any potential conflict.