Description of Greece

​To the right of the sanctuary of Leto is the temple of Hera Antheia (of the Flowers), and in front of it is a tomb of women. These women died in battle against the Argives and Perseus, having campaigned together with Dionysus from the islands in the Aegean; and for this reason they call them Haliae (Women of the Sea). Opposite the tomb of the women is a sanctuary of Demeter surnamed Pelasgis, named after its founder Pelasgus the son of Triopas, and not far from the sanctuary is the tomb of Pelasgus.

​Beyond the tomb is a small bronze structure, and it supports ancient images of Artemis, Zeus, and Athena. Lyceas, indeed, in his verses represented the image of Zeus as that of Mechaneus (the Contriver), and said that the Argives who campaigned against Ilion swore here to persevere in fighting until they should either take Ilion or death should overtake them in battle; but by others it is said that the bones of Tantalus lie in the bronze structure.

​Now as for this Tantalus, who is said to be the son of Thyestes or of Broteas—for both are said—and who lived with Clytemnestra before Agamemnon, I will not dispute that he is buried here; but as for the one who is said to be the son of Zeus and Plouto, I know, having seen it, that his tomb in Sipylus is worth seeing. Moreover, no necessity befell him to flee from Sipylus, such as overtook Pelops later when Ilus the Phrygian led an army against him. Let these matters be investigated thus far; but they say that a local man, Nicostratus, established the rites performed in the nearby pit. Even now they still cast burning torches into the pit for Kore, the daughter of Demeter.

​Here is a sanctuary of Poseidon surnamed Prosclystius (the Flooder); for they say that Poseidon flooded most of the land because Inachus and his fellow judges decided that the land belonged to Hera and not to him. Hera indeed obtained from Poseidon that the sea should retreat back; and the Argives built a sanctuary to Poseidon Prosclystius where the wave retreated.

​Going forward a little, there is the tomb of Argus, who is thought to be the son of Zeus and Niobe, the daughter of Phoroneus; and after this is a temple of the Dioscuri. The images are themselves and their sons, Anaxis and Mnasinous, and with them their mothers, Hilaeira and Phoebe, the work of Dipoenus and Scyllis, made of ebony wood; and as for the horses, the greater part of these also is made of ebony, but a few parts are made of ivory.

​Near the [temple of the] Kings is a sanctuary of Eileithyia, an offering of Helen, when, after Theseus had departed for the Thesprotians with Pirithous, Aphidna was captured by the Dioscuri and Helen was being led to Lacedaemon. For they say that she was pregnant, and having given birth in Argos and founded the sanctuary of Eileithyia, she gave the child she bore to Clytemnestra—for Clytemnestra was already married to Agamemnon—while she herself was later married to Menelaus after these events.

​And on this subject Euphorion of Chalcis and Alexander of Pleuron wrote verses, and even earlier Stesichorus of Himera, agreeing with the Argives, say that Iphigenia was the daughter of Theseus. Beyond the sanctuary of Eileithyia is a temple of Hecate, and the statue is the work of Scopas. This indeed is of stone; but those opposite are of bronze, also images of Hecate, one of which Polyclitus made, and the other Polyclitus’ brother Naucydes.

​For one going on the straight road to the gymnasium Cylarabis, which is named after the son of Sthenelus, Licymnius the son of Electryon is buried; Homer says that he died at the hands of Tlepolemus the son of Heracles, and on account of this murder Tlepolemus fled from Argos. And for those who turn aside a little from the road to Cylarabis and the gate there, there is the monument of Sacadas, who first played the Pythian tune on the flute in Delphi;

​and the hostility of Apollo toward flute-players, which had persisted since Marsyas and the contest of the Silenus, seems to have ceased on account of this Sacadas. In the gymnasium of Cylarabis there is an Athena called Pania, and they show the tomb of Sthenelus, and that of Cylarabis himself. Not far from the gymnasium is built a common grave for the Argives who sailed with the Athenians for the subjugation of Syracuse and Sicily.