Description of Greece

​As you enter the city, there is the tomb of Antiope the Amazon. Pindar says that this Antiope was carried off by Peirithous and Theseus, but the following is written concerning her by Hegias of Troezen: that Heracles, besieging Themiscyra on the Thermodon, was unable to take it, but Antiope, having fallen in love with Theseus—for Theseus also was marching with Heracles—surrendered the place. This is what Hegias has written; but the Athenians say that, when the Amazons came, Antiope was shot with an arrow by Molpadia, and that Molpadia was killed by Theseus. And the Athenians have a tomb of Molpadia also.

​As you go up from Piraeus, there are ruins of the walls which Conon rebuilt after the sea-fight near Cnidus; for those built by Themistocles after the retreat of the Medes were destroyed during the rule of those called the Thirty. There are tombs along the road, most famous being that of Menander, the son of Diopithes, and a cenotaph of Euripides; Euripides is buried in Macedonia, having gone to the court of King Archelaus, and as for the manner of his death—since it has been told by many—let it be as they say.

​It seems, then, that even in those days poets lived with kings, and still earlier Anacreon was with Polycrates, the tyrant of Samos, and Aeschylus and Simonides were sent to Hieron in Syracuse. Philoxenus was with Dionysius, who later became tyrant in Sicily, and Antagoras of Rhodes and Aratus of Soli were with Antigonus, the ruler of the Macedonians. But Hesiod and Homer either were unfortunate in not associating with kings, or even deliberately disregarded them, the former through rustic habits and reluctance to travel, while Homer traveled to the furthest distances and placed the financial assistance of the powerful after glory among the many. Indeed, it has been written by Homer also that Demodocus was with Alcinous, and that Agamemnon left a certain poet with his wife. —There is a tomb not far from the gates, having on it a soldier standing beside a horse; I do not know who he is, but Praxiteles made both the horse and the soldier.

​As you enter the city, there is a building for the preparation of the processions, some of which they send every year, and others at intervals of time. Near it is a temple of Demeter, and the statues are of Demeter herself, her daughter, and Iacchus holding a torch; and it is written on the wall in Attic letters that these are the works of Praxiteles. Not far from the temple is Poseidon on a horse, throwing a spear at the giant Polybotes, concerning whom the Coans have a myth about the cape of Chelone; but the inscription in our day attributes the image to another and not to Poseidon. There are stoas from the gates to the Ceramicus, and in front of them bronze statues of both women and men who had some claim to fame.

​The other of the stoas contains sanctuaries of gods, and a gymnasium called that of Hermes. In it is the house of Pulytion, where they say that some of the most notable Athenians performed a parody of the ceremony at Eleusis; but in my time it was consecrated to Dionysus. This Dionysus they call Melpomenus, for a reason similar to that for which they call Apollo Musegetes. Here there is a statue of Athena Paeonia, of Zeus, of Mnemosyne, and of the Muses, and an Apollo, a dedication and work of Eubulides, and Acratis, a daemon of the attendants of Dionysus; only his face is built into the wall. After the sanctuary of Dionysus is a building containing clay statues, representing Amphictyon, king of the Athenians, entertaining Dionysus and other gods. Here also is Pegasus of Eleutherae, who introduced the god to the Athenians, and the oracle at Delphi assisted him by reminding them of the former visit of the god in the time of Icarius.

​Amphictyon obtained the kingdom in this way. They say that Actaeus was the first to reign in what is now Attica; when Actaeus died, Cecrops succeeded to the rule, marrying the daughter of Actaeus, and he had daughters, Herse, Agraulus, and Pandrosus, and a son, Erysichthon. The latter did not become king of the Athenians, but happened to die while his father was still living, and Cranaus, excelling the Athenians in power, succeeded to the rule of Cecrops. They say that to Cranaus were born other daughters, and also Atthis, after whom they name the country Attica, which was previously called Actaea. But Amphictyon, rising against Cranaus, although he had his daughter to wife, deposed him from his rule; and he himself was later expelled by Erichthonius and his fellow-rebels. They say that Erichthonius had no human father, but his parents were Hephaestus and Ge.