Description of Greece

​The gilded statue of Phryne was made by Praxiteles, who was also her lover, and the statue is a dedicatory offering of Phryne herself. Adjacent to this, there are statues of Apollo, one of which was dedicated by the Epidaurians in Argolis from the spoils of the Medes, and the other by the Megarians after they had defeated the Athenians in battle near Nisaea. There is also a bull dedicated by the Plataeans, from the time when they too, along with other Greeks, repulsed Mardonius, son of Gobryas, in their own land. And again, there are two statues of Apollo, one belonging to the Heracleots on the Euxine, and the other to the Amphictyons, from the time when they imposed a fine of money on the Phocians for cultivating the sacred land of the god.

​This Apollo is called Sitalcas by the Delphians, and its size is thirty-five cubits. There are also statues of many generals, and of Artemis, and of Athena, and two statues of Apollo belonging to the Aetolians, from the time when their exploits against the Galatians were accomplished. Phaennis, in her oracles, foretold the army of the Celts, and how they would cross from Europe into Asia for the destruction of the cities, a generation before the event took place:

” Then indeed, having crossed the narrow strait of the Hellespont, the devastating host of the Galatians shall shout, who lawlessly shall ravage Asia; and the god shall bring even worse things completely and very soon upon those who dwell by the shores of the sea— for a short time; for quickly the son of Cronus shall stir up a helper for them, the beloved son of a Zeus-nourished bull, who shall bring a day of destruction upon all the Galatians.” She said “son of a bull” to refer to Attalus, who ruled in Pergamum; and the oracle also called this same man “bull-horned.”

​The Pheraeans, having routed the Attic cavalry, set up horse-mounted commanders next to Apollo. The Athenians dedicated the bronze palm tree, both the tree itself and a gilded statue of Athena on top of the palm tree, from the exploits which they successfully achieved at the Eurymedon on the same day, one on land and the other with ships on the river. I saw the gold on this statue damaged in some places.

​I myself used to attribute the crime to malefactors and thieves; but Cleidemus, the oldest of those who wrote about the local history of the Athenians, says in his Attic history that when the Athenians were preparing their expedition against Sicily, an infinite flock of crows swooped down at that time upon Delphi, and they kept pecking at this statue and tearing off the gold from it with their beaks. He also says that the crows broke off the spear, the owls, and whatever fruit had been made on the palm tree in imitation of autumn fruit.

​Cleidemus related other portents as well, forbidding the Athenians to sail for Sicily; but the Cyrenaeans dedicated at Delphi a statue of Battus on a chariot, who had led them from Thera to Libya by ship. Cyrene is the charioteer of the chariot, and on the chariot are Battus and Libya crowning him. It was made by Amphion, son of Acestor, of Cnossus.

​When Battus had founded Cyrene, it is said that the following cure came to him for his voice. As he was traversing the territory of the Cyrenaeans in its outermost parts, which were still desolate, he beheld a lion, and the terror from the sight forced him to cry out clearly and loudly. Not far from Battus, the Amphictyons set up another Apollo from the fine for the offense committed against the god by the Phocians.