Description of Greece

​And from this the Dorians became Sicyonians and a part of the Argive territory; but Demetrius, the son of Antigonus, having destroyed the city of Aegialeus in the plain, resettled the present city upon what was once the ancient acropolis. When the Sicyonians were already in a weak state—and one would not rightly do so in seeking a cause, but should be satisfied with Homer’s words concerning Zeus, “who indeed has destroyed the heads of many cities—,” An earthquake which came upon them while they were thus helpless almost left the city destitute of men, and also deprived them of many of their monumental works. It also damaged the cities around Caria and Lycia, and the island of the Rhodians was shaken most of all, so that the oracle of the Sibyl concerning Rhodes seemed to have been fulfilled.

​As one comes from the Corinthian territory into Sicyonia, there is the tomb of Lycus the Messenian, whoever this Lycus may be; for I can find no Messenian Lycus who either practiced the pentathlon or won an Olympic victory. This is indeed a mound of earth, but the Sicyonians themselves bury their dead for the most part in a similar manner. They hide the body in the earth, and having built a foundation of stone they set up pillars upon it, and upon these they make a top resembling especially the pediments on temples; they write no other inscription, but having quietly added the name by itself and not with the father’s name, they bid the dead farewell.

​After the tomb of Lycus, to those who have already crossed the Asopus, there is on the right the Olympieum, and a little further on the left of the road is the tomb of Eupolis the Athenian, who wrote comedies. Continuing forward and turning back as if towards the city, there is the tomb of Xenodice, who died in childbirth; it has been made not in the local fashion, but in such a way as would best suit the painting; and this painting, if any other, is well worth seeing.

​Going forward from here, there is a common grave for the Sicyonians who died around Pellene and Dyme of the Achaeans, and at Megalopolis, and around Sellasia; and the details concerning them I will make clearer in the subsequent parts. By the gate there is a spring in a cave, the water of which does not rise up from the earth, but flows down from the roof of the cave; and for this reason the spring is called Stazousa (the Dripping).

​On the present acropolis is a temple of Fortune of the Height, and after it one of the Dioscuri; these and the image of Fortune are wooden statues. The theater being built under the acropolis, they say that the man represented on the stage holding a shield is Aratus, the son of Clinias. After the theater is a temple of Dionysus; the god is of gold and ivory, and beside him are Bacchae of white stone. These women they say are sacred and run mad for Dionysus. The Sicyonians have also other images in secret; these they carry on one night in each year from what is called the Kosmeterion to the temple of Dionysus, carrying them with lighted torches and local hymns.