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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §1.134.1-1.134.4

Flight and Starvation of Pausanias in the Temple

Passage 134 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Pausanias, about to be arrested, escapes to the temple of Athena Chalcioecus after being warned by an ephor. The Spartans blockade him in a building until he is near death, and later, following an oracle, bury him near the temple and dedicate two bronze statues.

§1.134.1ἀκούσαντες δὲ ἀκριβῶς τότε μὲν ἀπῆλθον οἱ ἔφοροι, βεβαίως δὲ ἤδη εἰδότες ἐν τῇ πόλει τὴν ξύλληψιν ἐποιοῦντο.
The ephors, having heard everything accurately, departed for the moment, but now knowing the truth for certain, they prepared to make the arrest in the city.
λέγεται δ’ αὐτὸν μέλλοντα ξυλληφθήσεσθαι ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, ἑνὸς μὲν τῶν ἐφόρων τὸ πρόσωπον προσιόντος ὡς εἶδε, γνῶναι ἐφ’ ᾧ ἐχώρει, ἄλλου δὲ νεύματι ἀφανεῖ χρησαμένου καὶ δηλώσαντος εὐνοίᾳ πρὸς τὸ ἱερὸν τῆς Χαλκιοίκου χωρῆσαι δρόμῳ καὶ προκαταφυγεῖν· ἦν δ’ ἐγγὺς τὸ τέμενος.
It is said, however, that when he was about to be arrested on the street, seeing the face of one of the ephors as he approached, Pausanias understood for what purpose that ephor was advancing; and because another, out of goodwill, made a secret sign and revealed the situation to him, he ran toward the temple of the Goddess of the Brazen House (Athena Chalcioecus) and took refuge there beforehand; for the sacred precinct was near.
καὶ ἐς οἴκημα οὐ μέγα ὃ ἦν τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἐσελθών, ἵνα μὴ ὑπαίθριος ταλαιπωροίη, ἡσύχαζεν.
Entering a small building which belonged to the temple, so that he might not suffer from being in the open air, he remained quiet.
§1.134.2οἱ δὲ τὸ παραυτίκα μὲν ὑστέρησαν τῇ διώξει, μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο τοῦ τε οἰκήματος τὸν ὄροφον ἀφεῖλον καὶ τὰς θύρας ἔνδον ὄντα τηρήσαντες αὐτὸν καὶ ἀπολαβόντες ἔσω ἀπῳκοδόμησαν, προσκαθεζόμενοί τε ἐξεπολιόρκησαν λιμῷ.
The Spartans, though they were too late in their pursuit at the moment, afterwards took off the roof of the building, and keeping watch on him while he was inside, they blocked the doors, walled him in, and sitting down around it, starved him out.
§1.134.3καὶ μέλλοντος αὐτοῦ ἀποψύχειν ὥσπερ εἶχεν ἐν τῷ οἰκήματι, αἰσθόμενοι ἐξάγουσιν ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἔτι ἔμπνουν ὄντα, καὶ ἐξαχθεὶς ἀπέθανε παραχρῆμα.
And just as he was about to expire in the building, in the condition he was in, they noticed it and carried him out of the temple while still breathing; and as soon as he was carried out, he died.
§1.134.4καὶ αὐτὸν ἐμέλλησαν μὲν ἐς τὸν Καιάδαν [οὗπερ τοὺς κακούργους] ἐσβάλλειν· ἔπειτα ἔδοξε πλησίον που κατορύξαι.
At first they intended to cast him into the Caeadas (the chasm where criminals are thrown), but afterwards they decided to bury him somewhere near.
ὁ δὲ θεὸς ὁ ἐν Δελφοῖς τόν τε τάφον ὕστερον ἔχρησε τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις μετενεγκεῖν οὗπερ ἀπέθανε (καὶ νῦν κεῖται ἐν τῷ προτεμενίσματι, ὃ γραφῇ στῆλαι δηλοῦσι) καὶ ὡς ἄγος αὐτοῖς ὂν τὸ πεπραγμένον δύο σώματα ἀνθ’ ἑνὸς τῇ Χαλκιοίκῳ ἀποδοῦναι.
But the god at Delphi later ordered the Lacedaemonians by an oracle to move his tomb to the very place where he died (and he now lies in the area in front of the precinct, as the pillars with inscriptions show), and, since what had been done was a pollution to them, to render two bodies instead of one to the Goddess of the Brazen House.
οἱ δὲ ποιησάμενοι χαλκοῦς ἀνδριάντας δύο ὡς ἀντὶ Παυσανίου ἀνέθεσαν.
So they had two bronze statues made and dedicated them as a substitute for Pausanias.

Notes

  1. §1.134.1λέγεται δ’ αὐτὸν — An accusative with infinitive construction dependent on the main verb λέγεται, with αὐτόν (Pausanias) as the subject, governing the infinitives γνῶναι, χωρῆσαι, and προκαταφυγεῖν. The genitive absolutes ἑνὸς... προσιόντος and ἄλλου... χρησαμένου... are inserted to describe the circumstances and reasons.
  2. §1.134.4ὡς ἄγος αὐτοῖς ὂν τὸ πεπραγμένον — An accusative absolute construction with the conjunction ὡς (or a participle construction under ὡς), where τὸ πεπραγμένον is the subject, ἄγος the complement, and ὂν the participle. It means "on the ground that what had been done was a pollution to them," showing the reason or justification given by the oracle.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §1.134.1-1.134.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.134.1-1.134.4

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