§1.20.1ἔστι δὲ ὁδὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ πρυτανείου καλουμένη Τρίποδες· ἀφʼ οὗ καλοῦσι τὸ χωρίον, ναοὶ ὅσον ἐς τοῦτο μεγάλοι, καί σφισιν ἐφεστήκασι τρίποδες χαλκοῖ μέν, μνήμης δὲ ἄξια μάλιστα περιέχοντες εἰργασμένα.
There is a street from the Prytaneum called Tripods; from which they name the place, (there are) temples of such size as is sufficient for this purpose, and upon them stand bronze tripods, containing works of art most worthy of mention.
σάτυρος γάρ ἐστιν, ἐφʼ ᾧ Πραξιτέλην λέγεται φρονῆσαι μέγα· καί ποτε Φρύνης αἰτούσης, ὅ τι οἱ κάλλιστον εἴη τῶν ἔργων, ὁμολογεῖν μέν φασιν οἷα ἐραστὴν διδόναι, κατειπεῖν δʼ οὐκ ἐθέλειν ὅ τι κάλλιστον αὐτῷ οἱ φαίνοιτο.
For there is a Satyr, over which Praxiteles is said to have been very proud; and once, when Phryne asked what was the most beautiful of his works, they say he agreed to give it to her, as a lover would, but was unwilling to declare which seemed to him to be the most beautiful.
ἐσδραμὼν οὖν οἰκέτης Φρύνης ἔφασκεν οἴχεσθαι Πραξιτέλει τὸ πολὺ τῶν ἔργων πυρὸς ἐσπεσόντος ἐς τὸ οἴκημα, οὐ μὲν οὖν πάντα γε ἀφανισθῆναι·
So a servant of Phryne, having run in, claimed that most of Praxiteles' works were destroyed, a fire having broken out in the building, though not all indeed had perished.
§1.20.2Πραξιτέλης δὲ αὐτίκα ἔθει διὰ θυρῶν ἔξω καί οἱ καμόντι οὐδὲν ἔφασκεν εἶναι πλέον, εἰ δὴ καὶ τὸν Σάτυρον ἡ φλὸξ καὶ τὸν Ἔρωτα ἐπέλαβε· Φρύνη δὲ μένειν θαρροῦντα ἐκέλευε· παθεῖν γὰρ ἀνιαρὸν οὐδέν, τέχνῃ δὲ ἁλόντα ὁμολογεῖν τὰ κάλλιστα ὧν ἐποίησε.
And Praxiteles immediately ran out through the doors, and said that nothing was left for him after his labor if indeed the flame had reached both the Satyr and the Eros; but Phryne told him to stay and be of good cheer, for nothing painful had happened, but that he, having been caught by a trick, was confessing the most beautiful of the works he had made.
Φρύνη μὲν οὕτω τὸν Ἔρωτα αἱρεῖται· Διονύσῳ δὲ ἐν τῷ ναῷ τῷ πλησίον Σάτυρός ἐστι παῖς καὶ δίδωσιν ἔκπωμα· Ἔρωτα δʼ ἑστηκότα ὁμοῦ καὶ Διόνυσον Θυμίλος ἐποίησεν.
Thus Phryne chooses the Eros; and in the temple of Dionysus nearby is a Satyr who is a boy and is offering a cup; and an Eros standing together with a Dionysus was made by Thymilus.
§1.20.3τοῦ Διονύσου δέ ἐστι πρὸς τῷ θεάτρῳ τὸ ἀρχαιότατον ἱερόν· δύο δέ εἰσιν ἐντὸς τοῦ περιβόλου ναοὶ καὶ Διόνυσοι, ὅ τε Ἐλευθερεὺς καὶ ὃν Ἀλκαμένης ἐποίησεν ἐλέφαντος καὶ χρυσοῦ.
Of Dionysus, the oldest sanctuary is near the theater; and there are two temples within the enclosure and two statues of Dionysus, both the Eleuthereus and the one which Alcamenes made of ivory and gold.
γραφαὶ δὲ αὐτόθι Διόνυσός ἐστιν ἀνάγων Ἥφαιστον ἐς οὐρανόν· λέγεται δὲ καὶ τάδε ὑπὸ Ἑλλήνων, ὡς Ἥρα ῥίψαι γενόμενον Ἥφαιστον, ὁ δέ οἱ μνησικακῶν πέμψαι δῶρον χρυσοῦν θρόνον ἀφανεῖς δεσμοὺς ἔχοντα, καὶ τὴν μὲν ἐπεί τε ἐκαθέζετο δεδέσθαι, θεῶν δὲ τῶν μὲν ἄλλων οὐδενὶ τὸν Ἥφαιστον ἐθέλειν πείθεσθαι, Διόνυσος δὲ— μάλιστα γὰρ ἐς τοῦτον πιστὰ ἦν Ἡφαίστῳ—μεθύσας αὐτὸν ἐς οὐρανὸν ἤγαγε· ταῦτά τε δὴ γεγραμμένα εἰσὶ καὶ Πενθεὺς καὶ Λυκοῦργος ὧν ἐς Διόνυσον ὕβρισαν διδόντες δίκας, Ἀριάδνη δὲ καθεύδουσα καὶ Θησεὺς ἀναγόμενος καὶ Διόνυσος ἥκων ἐς τῆς Ἀριάδνης τὴν ἁρπαγήν.
And there are paintings there: Dionysus leading Hephaestus back to heaven; and the following is also said by the Greeks, that Hera cast out Hephaestus when he was born, and he, harboring a grudge against her, sent as a gift a golden throne containing invisible bonds, and when she sat down she was bound, and Hephaestus was unwilling to yield to any of the other gods, but Dionysus—for Hephaestus trusted him most—made him drunk and brought him to heaven; and these things indeed are painted, and Pentheus and Lycurgus paying the penalty for the outrages they committed against Dionysus, and Ariadne sleeping, and Theseus putting out to sea, and Dionysus coming for the abduction of Ariadne.
§1.20.4ἔστι δὲ πλησίον τοῦ τε ἱεροῦ τοῦ Διονύσου καὶ τοῦ θεάτρου κατασκεύασμα, ποιηθῆναι δὲ τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτὸ ἐς μίμησιν τῆς Ξέρξου λέγεται· ἐποιήθη δὲ καὶ δεύτερον, τὸ γὰρ ἀρχαῖον στρατηγὸς Ῥωμαίων ἐνέπρησε Σύλλας Ἀθήνας ἑλών.
And near both the sanctuary of Dionysus and the theater is a building, and it is said to have been made in imitation of the tent of Xerxes; and it was built a second time, for the Roman general Sulla burned the ancient one when he captured Athens.
αἰτία δὲ ἥδε τοῦ πολέμου.
And this was the cause of the war.
Μιθριδάτης ἐβασίλευε βαρβάρων τῶν περὶ τὸν Πόντον τὸν Εὔξεινον.
Mithridates was ruling over the barbarians around the Euxine Pontus.
πρόφασις μὲν δὴ διʼ ἥντινα Ῥωμαίοις ἐπολέμησε καὶ ὃν τρόπον ἐς τὴν Ἀσίαν διέβη καὶ ὅσας ἢ πολέμῳ βιασάμενος πόλεις ἔσχεν ἢ φίλας ἐποιήσατο, τάδε μὲν τοῖς ἐπίστασθαι τὰ Μιθριδάτου θέλουσι μελέτω· ἐγὼ δὲ ὅσον ἐς τὴν ἅλωσιν τὴν Ἀθηναίων ἔχει δηλώσω.
Indeed, the pretext for which he went to war with the Romans, and how he crossed over into Asia, and how many cities he either held by force of war or made friendly, let these things be the care of those who wish to understand the affairs of Mithridates; but I will declare as much as relates to the capture of the Athenians.
§1.20.5ἦν Ἀριστίων Ἀθηναῖος, ᾧ Μιθριδάτης πρεσβεύειν ἐς τὰς πόλεις τὰς Ἑλληνίδας ἐχρῆτο· οὗτος ἀνέπεισεν Ἀθηναίους Μιθριδάτην θέσθαι Ῥωμαίων ἐπίπροσθεν.
There was an Athenian, Aristion, whom Mithridates used to send as an envoy to the Greek cities; this man persuaded the Athenians to prefer Mithridates to the Romans.
ἀνέπεισε δὲ οὐ πάντας, ἀλλʼ ὅσον δῆμος ἦν καὶ δήμου τὸ ταραχῶδες· Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ ὧν τις λόγος, παρὰ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἐκπίπτουσιν ἐθελονταί.
But he did not persuade all, but only the common people and the turbulent element among them; and those Athenians of any account fled as exiles to the Romans of their own free will.
γενομένης δὲ μάχης πολλῷ περιῆσαν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι, καὶ φεύγοντας Ἀριστίωνα μὲν καὶ Ἀθηναίους ἐς τὸ ἄστυ καταδιώκουσιν, Ἀρχέλαον δὲ καὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐς τὸν Πειραιᾶ· Μιθριδάτου δὲ στρατηγὸς καὶ οὗτος ἦν, ὃν πρότερον τούτων Μάγνητες οἱ τὸν Σίπυλον οἰκοῦντες σφᾶς ἐπεκδραμόντα αὐτόν τε τιτρώσκουσι καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων φονεύουσι τοὺς πολλούς.
And when a battle took place, the Romans were far superior, and they pursued those fleeing, Aristion and the Athenians into the city, and Archelaus and the barbarians into the Piraeus; and this man too was a general of Mithridates, whom prior to these events the Magnetes living around Sipylus, when he overran them, wounded and slaughtered most of his barbarians.
§1.20.6Ἀθηναίοις μὲν δὴ πολιορκία καθειστήκει, Ταξίλος δὲ Μιθριδάτου στρατηγὸς ἐτύγχανε μὲν περικαθήμενος Ἐλάτειαν τὴν ἐν τῇ Φωκίδι, ἀφικομένων δὲ ἀγγέλων ἀναστήσας τὸν στρατὸν ἐς τὴν Ἀττικὴν ἦγεν.
So a siege was established for the Athenians, and Taxiles, a general of Mithridates, happened to be besieging Elatea in Phocis, but when messengers arrived, he broke camp and led his army into Attica.
ἃ πυνθανόμενος ὁ στρατηγὸς τῶν Ῥωμαίων Ἀθήνας μὲν τοῦ στρατοῦ μέρει πολιορκεῖν ἀφῆκεν, αὐτὸς δὲ Ταξίλῳ τὸ πολὺ τῆς δυνάμεως ἔχων ἐς Βοιωτοὺς ἀπαντᾷ.
Hearing of this, the Roman general left a part of his army to besiege Athens, while he himself, having the bulk of forces, went to meet Taxiles in Boeotia.
τρίτῃ δὲ ὕστερον ἡμέρᾳ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἦλθον ἐπʼ ἀμφότερα τὰ στρατόπεδα ἄγγελοι, Σύλλᾳ μὲν ὡς Ἀθηναίοις εἴη τὸ τεῖχος ἑαλωκός, τοῖς δὲ Ἀθήνας πολιορκήσασι Ταξίλον κεκρατῆσθαι μάχῃ περὶ Χαιρώνειαν.
And three days later, messengers came to both of the Roman camps: to Sulla, that the wall of the Athenians had been taken, and to those besieging Athens, that Taxiles had been defeated in a battle near Chaeronea.
Σύλλας δὲ ὡς ἐς τὴν Ἀττικὴν ἐπανῆλθε, τοὺς ἐναντιωθέντας Ἀθηναίων καθείρξας ἐς τὸν Κεραμεικὸν τὸν λαχόντα σφῶν ἐκ δεκάδος ἑκάστης ἐκέλευσεν ἄγεσθαι τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ.
And when Sulla returned to Attica, having shut up those of the Athenians who had opposed him in the Cerameicus, he ordered the one chosen by lot from each decade to be led off to death.
§1.20.7Σύλλου δὲ οὐκ ἀνιέντος ἐς Ἀθηναίους τοῦ θυμοῦ λαθόντες ἐκδιδράσκουσιν ἄνδρες ἐς Δελφοὺς· ἐρομένοις δέ σφισιν, εἰ καταλαμβάνοι τὸ χρεὼν ἤδη καὶ τὰς Ἀθήνας ἐρημωθῆναι, τούτοις ἔχρησεν ἡ Πυθία τὰ ἐς τὸν ἀσκὸν ἔχοντα.
And since Sulla did not abate his anger against the Athenians, some men secretly escaped to Delphi; and to them, when they asked if destiny was now overtaking Athens to be laid waste, the Pythia gave the oracle concerning the wineskin.
Σύλλᾳ δὲ ὕστερον τούτων ἐνέπεσεν ἡ νόσος, ᾗ καὶ τὸν Σύριον Φερεκύδην ἁλῶναι πυνθάνομαι.
And later than these things, the disease fell upon Sulla, by which I learn that Pherecydes of Syros was also afflicted.
Σύλλᾳ δὲ ἔστι μὲν καὶ τὰ ἐς τοὺς πολλοὺς Ἀθηναίων ἀγριώτερα ἢ ὡς ἄνδρα εἰκὸς ἦν ἐργάσασθαι Ῥωμαῖον· ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐ ταῦτα δὴ αἰτίαν γενέσθαι οἱ δοκῶ τῆς συμφορᾶς, Ἱκεσίου δὲ μήνιμα, ὅτι καταφυγόντα ἐς τὸ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς ἱερὸν ἀπέκτεινεν ἀποσπάσας Ἀριστίωνα.
And Sulla's treatment of the mass of the Athenians was indeed harsher than was fitting for a Roman man to perform; but indeed I do not think that these things were the cause of his misfortune, but rather the wrath of Zeus Hiketios, because he dragged away and killed Aristion who had fled for refuge to the sanctuary of Athena.
Ἀθῆναι μὲν οὕτως ὑπὸ τοῦ πολέμου κακωθεῖσαι τοῦ Ῥωμαίων αὖθις Ἀδριανοῦ βασιλεύοντος ἤνθησαν·
Thus Athens, having been afflicted by the Roman war, flourished again when Hadrian was emperor.