§8.3.1νῦν μὲν δὴ πᾶσαν Ἠλείαν ὀνομάζουσι τὴν μεταξὺ Ἀχαιῶν τε καὶ Μεσσηνίων παραλίαν, ἀνέχουσαν εἰς τὴν μεσόγαιαν τὴν πρὸς Ἀρκαδίᾳ τῇ κατὰ Φολόην καὶ Ἀζᾶνας καὶ Παρρασίους.
Now they call all the coast between the Achaeans and the Messenians 'Eleia', which extends inland towards the part of Arcadia near Pholoe and the Azanes and the Parrhasians.
τοῦτο δὲ τὸ παλαιὸν εἰς πλείους δυναστείας διῄρητο, εἶτʼ εἰς δύο, τήν τε τῶν Ἐπειῶν καὶ τὴν ὑπὸ Νέστορι τῷ Νηλέως· καθάπερ καὶ Ὅμηρος εἴρηκε, τὴν μὲν τῶν Ἐπειῶν ὀνομάζων Ἦλιν
"
ἠδὲ παρʼ Ἤλιδα δῖαν, ὅθι κρατέουσιν Ἐπειοί,
"
τὴν δʼ ὑπὸ τῷ Νέστορι Πύλον, διʼ ἧς τὸν Ἀλφειὸν ῥεῖν φησιν,
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Ἀλφειοῦ, ὅς τʼ εὐρὺ ῥέει Πυλίων διὰ γαίης.
In ancient times this territory was divided into several dynasties, and then into two: that of the Epeians and that under Nestor the son of Neleus; just as Homer also has said, calling that of the Epeians 'Elis': "and past divine Elis, where the Epeians rule, "and that under Nestor 'Pylos', through which he says the Alpheius flows: "of Alpheius, which flows wide through the land of the Pylians.
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Πύλον μὲν οὖν καὶ πόλιν οἶδεν ὁ ποιητής
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οἱ δὲ Πύλον, Νηλῆος ἐυκτίμενον πτολίεθρον,
ἷξον.
"Now the poet knows Pylos also as a city: "And they came to Pylos, the well-built city of Neleus.
"
οὐ διὰ τῆς πόλεως δὲ οὐδὲ παρʼ αὐτὴν ῥεῖ ὁ Ἀλφειός, ἀλλὰ παρʼ αὐτὴν μὲν ἕτερος, ὃν οἱ μὲν Παμισὸν οἱ δὲ Ἄμαθον καλοῦσιν, ἀφʼ οὗ καὶ ὁ Πύλος Ἠμαθόεις εἰρῆσθαι οὗτος δοκεῖ, διὰ δὲ τῆς χώρας τῆς Πυλίας ὁ Ἀλφειός.
"But the Alpheius does not flow through the city, nor even past it; but past it flows another river, which some call Pamisus and others Amathus, from which this Pylos also seems to have been called 'Emathoeis', but the Alpheius flows through the Pylian territory.
§8.3.2Ἦλις δὲ ἡ νῦν πόλις οὔπω ἔκτιστο καθʼ Ὅμηρον, ἀλλʼ ἡ χώρα κωμηδὸν ᾠκεῖτο· ἐκαλεῖτο δὲ κοίλη Ἦλις ἀπὸ τοῦ συμβεβηκότος· τοιαύτη γὰρ ἦν ἡ πλείστη καὶ ἀρίστη·
The present city of Elis had not yet been founded in the time of Homer, but the territory was inhabited in villages; and it was called 'Hollow Elis' from its physical character, for most and the best of it was of this character.
ὀψὲ δέ ποτε συνῆλθον εἰς τὴν νῦν πόλιν Ἦλιν, μετὰ τὰ Περσικά, ἐκ πολλῶν δήμων.
But at a late date, after the Persian Wars, they united into the present city of Elis from many demes.
σχεδὸν δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τόπους τοὺς κατὰ Πελοπόννησον πλὴν ὀλίγων, οὓς κατέλεξεν ὁ ποιητής, οὐ πόλεις ἀλλὰ χώρας νομίζειν, συστήματα δήμων ἔχουσαν ἑκάστην πλείω, ἐξ ὧν ὕστερον αἱ γνωριζόμεναι πόλεις συνῳκίσθησαν, οἷον τῆς Ἀρκαδίας Μαντίνεια μὲν ἐκ πέντε δήμων ὑπʼ Ἀργείων συνῳκίσθη, Τεγέα δʼ ἐξ ἐννέα, ἐκ τοσούτων δὲ καὶ Ἡραία ὑπὸ Κλεομβρότου ἢ ὑπὸ Κλεωνύμου· ὡς δʼ αὕτως Αἴγιον ἐξ ἑπτὰ ἢ ὀκτὼ δήμων συνεπολίσθη, Πάτραι δὲ ἐξ ἑπτά, Δύμη δὲ ἐξ ὀκτώ· οὕτω δὲ καὶ ἡ Ἦλις ἐκ τῶν περιοικίδων συνεπολίσθη· μία τούτων προσκτις Ἀγριάδες.
And almost all the other places throughout the Peloponnesus, except for a few which the poet enumerated, one must think of them not as cities but as territories, each containing several associations of demes, from which the well-known cities were later founded as joint-settlements; as, for example, Mantineia in Arcadia was founded as a joint-settlement from five demes by the Argives, Tegea from nine, and Heraea from as many by Cleombrotus or by Cleonymus; and in the same way Aegium was brought together into a city from seven or eight demes, Patrae from seven, and Dyme from eight; and so also Elis was brought together into a city from the surrounding villages; one of these was [...] Agriades.
ῥεῖ δὲ διὰ τῆς πόλεως ὁ Πηνειὸς ποταμὸς παρὰ τὸ γυμνάσιον αὐτῆς· ἔπραξάν τε τοῦτο Ἠλεῖοι χρόνοις ὕστερον πολλοῖς τῆς εἰς αὐτοὺς μεταστάσεως τῶν χωρίων τῶν ὑπὸ τῷ Νέστορι.
And the river Peneius flows through the city, past its gymnasium; and the Eleians did this many years after the transfer to them of the territories that had been under Nestor.
§8.3.3ἦν δὲ ταῦτα ἥ τε Πισᾶτις, ἧς ἡ Ὀλυμπία μέρος, καὶ ἡ Τριφυλία καὶ ἡ τῶν Καυκώνων.
And these territories were Pisatis, of which Olympia is a part, and Triphylia, and the country of the Caucones.
Τριφύλιοι δʼ ἐκλήθησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ συμβεβηκότος, ἀπὸ τοῦ τρία φῦλα συνεληλυθέναι, τό τε τῶν ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς Ἐπειῶν καὶ τὸ τῶν ἐποικησάντων ὕστερον Μινυῶν καὶ τὸ τῶν ὕστατα ἐπικρατησάντων Ἠλείων· οἱ δʼ ἀντὶ τῶν Μινυῶν Ἀρκάδας φασίν, ἀμφισβητήσαντας τῆς χώρας πολλάκις, ἀφʼ οὗ καὶ Ἀρκαδικὸς Πύλος ἐκλήθη ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ Τριφυλιακός.
And they were called Triphylians from what had occurred, namely from the coming together of three tribes: that of the original Epeians, and that of the Minyans who migrated there later, and that of the Eleians who finally prevailed; but others say Arcadians instead of Minyans, who often disputed the territory, from which fact the same Pylos was called both 'Arcadian' and 'Triphylian'.
Ὅμηρος δὲ ταύτην ἅπασαν τὴν χώραν μέχρι Μεσσήνης καλεῖ Πύλον ὁμωνύμως τῇ πόλει.
Homer, however, calls all this country as far as Messene 'Pylos', with the same name as the city.
ὅτι δὲ διώριστο ἡ κοίλη Ἦλις ἀπὸ τῶν ὑπὸ τῷ Νέστορι τόπων, ὁ τῶν νεῶν κατάλογος δηλοῖ τοῖς τῶν ἡγεμόνων καὶ τῶν κατοικιῶν ὀνόμασι.
And that Hollow Elis was distinguished from the places under Nestor is shown by the Catalogue of Ships, through the names of the leaders and of the settlements.
λέγω δὲ ταῦτα συμβάλλων τά τε νῦν καὶ τὰ ὑφʼ Ὁμήρου λεγόμενα· ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἀντεξετάζεσθαι ταῦτα ἐκείνοις διὰ τὴν τοῦ ποιητοῦ δόξαν καὶ συντροφίαν πρὸς ἡμᾶς, τότε νομίζοντος ἑκάστου κατορθοῦσθαι τὴν παροῦσαν πρόθεσιν, ὅταν ᾖ μηδὲν ἀντιπῖπτον τοῖς οὕτω σφόδρα πιστευθεῖσι περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν λόγοις· δεῖ δὴ τά τε ὄντα λέγειν καὶ τὰ τοῦ ποιητοῦ παρατιθέντας ἐφʼ ὅσον προσήκει προσσκοπεῖν.
And I say these things by comparing the present conditions with the statements made by Homer; for it is necessary to examine these things side by side with those because of the fame of the poet and our familiarity with him, since each of us thinks that his present purpose is then successful whenever there is nothing that contradicts the accounts about the same things that have been so strongly believed; indeed, we must state the facts, and also, by citing the words of the poet, examine them as far as is proper.