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Pausanias · Description of Greece §10.32.8-10.32.13

Monuments of Tithorea and the Sacred Shrine of Isis

Passage 456 of 465 · Greek

Summary

The author discusses the origin and historical changes of the name of Tithorea, describing its monuments such as the sanctuary of Athena and the tomb of Antiope, and goes on to describe the temple of Asclepius and the highly sacred shrine of Isis located at some distance.

§10.32.8Τιθορέα δὲ ἀπωτέρω Δελφῶν ὀγδοήκοντα ὡς εἰκάσαι σταδίοις ἐστὶ καὶ ἑκατὸν ἰόντι τὴν διὰ τοῦ Παρνασσοῦ· τὴν δὲ οὐ πάντα ὀρεινήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὀχήμασιν ἐπιτήδειον πλεόνων ἔτι ἐλέγετο εἶναι σταδίων.
Tithorea is distant from Delphi, as one may estimate, by a hundred and eighty stades for one going by the road through Parnassus; but the other road, which is not entirely mountainous but also suitable for vehicles, was said to be of still more stades.
διάφορα ἐς τὸ ὄνομα οἶδα τῆς πόλεως Ἡροδότῳ τε εἰρημένα ἐν ἐπιστρατείᾳ τοῦ Μήδου καὶ Βάκιδι ἐν χρησμοῖς.
I know that different accounts concerning the name of the city have been given by Herodotus in his history of the invasion of the Mede, and by Bacis in his oracles.
§10.32.9Βάκις μέν γε Τιθορέας τοὺς ἐνθάδε ἐκάλεσεν ἀνθρώπους· Ἡροδότου δὲ ὁ ἐς αὐτοὺς λόγος ἐπιόντος φησὶ τοῦ βαρβάρου τοὺς ἐνταῦθα οἰκοῦντας ἀναφυγεῖν ἐς τὴν κορυφήν, ὄνομα δὲ Νεῶνα μὲν τῇ πόλει, Τιθορέαν δὲ εἶναι τοῦ Παρνασσοῦ τῇ ἄκρᾳ.
For Bacis indeed called the people here Tithoreans; but the account of Herodotus concerning them says that when the barbarian was advancing, the inhabitants here fled up to the summit, and that Neon was the name of the city, but Tithorea of the peak of Parnassus.
ἔοικεν οὖν ἀνὰ χρόνον πρῶτα μὲν δὴ τῇ ἁπάσῃ χώρᾳ, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα, ἐπειδὴ ἀνῳκίσθησαν ἀπὸ τῶν κωμῶν, ἐκνικῆσαι καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ πόλει Τιθορέαν μηδὲ ἔτι Νεῶνα ὀνομάζεσθαι·
It seems, then, that in the course of time, first for the whole district, and afterwards, when they were resettled from their villages, the name Tithorea prevailed also for the city, so that it was no longer called Neon.
Τιθορέᾳ δὲ οἱ ἐπιχώριοι τεθῆναί φασιν ἀπὸ Τιθορέας νύμφης, οἷαι τὸ ἀρχαῖον λόγῳ τῷ ποιητῶν ἐφύοντο ἀπό τε ἄλλων δένδρων καὶ μάλιστα ἀπὸ τῶν δρυῶν.
The locals say that the name Tithorea was given after a nymph Tithorea, of the kind which in ancient times, according to the tradition of the poets, grew from other trees and especially from oaks.
§10.32.10γενεᾷ δὲ ἤ με γενέσθαι μιᾷ πρότερον ἐς τὸ χεῖρον ἔτρεψεν ὁ δαίμων τὰ ἐν τῇ Τιθορέᾳ.
But one generation before I was born, fortune turned the affairs in Tithorea to the worse.
θεάτρου μὲν δὴ κατασκευὴ καὶ περίβολός ἐστιν ἀγορᾶς ἀρχαιοτέρας· τὰ δὲ τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει μάλιστα ἐς μνήμην ἥκοντα Ἀθηνᾶς ἐστιν ἄλσος καὶ ναός τε καὶ ἄγαλμα· καὶ Ἀντιόπης μνῆμά ἐστι καὶ Φώκου.
There is indeed the structure of a theater and the enclosure of an older marketplace; and the things in the city that have especially come down to memory are a grove, a temple, and a statue of Athena; and there is the tomb of Antiope and of Phocus.
καί μοι τοῦ λόγου τὰ ἔχοντα ἐς Θηβαίους ἐδήλωσε μὲν ὡς ἡ Ἀντιόπη διʼ ὀργὴν ἐκ Διονύσου μανείη, καὶ κατὰ αἰτίαν ἥντινα ἐπεσπάσατο ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ μήνιμα, ἐδήλωσε δὲ καὶ ὡς ἐρασθέντι Φώκῳ §10.32.11τῷ Ὀρνυτίωνος συνῴκησε καὶ τέθαπται ὁμοῦ τῷ Φώκῳ, καὶ Βάκιδι ὁποῖά ἐστι τῷ χρησμολόγῳ κοινὰ ἐς τοῦτον τὸν τάφον καὶ ἐς τὸν Ζήθου τε ἐν Θήβαις καὶ Ἀμφίονος.
And my narrative concerning the Thebans showed indeed how Antiope went mad through the anger of Dionysus, and for what reason she drew upon herself the wrath of the god, and it showed also how she lived with Phocus, who had fallen in love with her, the son of Ornytion, she lived, and that she is buried together with Phocus, and what things are said by Bacis the prophet as common to this tomb and to that of Zethus and Amphion in Thebes.
τὰ μὲν δὴ ἐς συγγραφὴν τῶν ἐν τῷ πολίσματι ὅτι μὴ τὰ εἰρημένα ἄλλο ἦν οὐδέν, ποταμὸς δὲ παρὰ τῶν Τιθορέων ῥέων τὴν πόλιν ποτόν σφισι γίνεται καταβαίνουσί τε ἐπὶ τὴν ὄχθην καὶ ἀρυομένοις τὸ ὕδωρ· ὄνομα δέ ἐστιν αὐτῷ Καχάλης.
Now, of the things in the town worthy of record, there was nothing else except those mentioned; but a river flowing past the city of the Tithoreans provides them with drinking water when they go down to the bank and draw the water; and its name is Cachales.
§10.32.12σταδίοις δὲ ἀπωτέρω Τιθορέας ἑβδομήκοντα ναός ἐστιν Ἀσκληπιοῦ, καλεῖται δὲ Ἀρχαγέτας· τιμὰς δὲ παρὰ αὐτῶν ἔχει Τιθορέων καὶ ἐπʼ ἴσης παρὰ Φωκέων τῶν ἄλλων.
Seventy stades distant from Tithorea is a temple of Asclepius, and he is called Archagetas; and he receives honors from the Tithoreans themselves, and equally from the rest of the Phocians.
ἐντὸς μὲν δὴ τοῦ περιβόλου τοῖς τε ἱκέταις καὶ ὅσοι τοῦ θεοῦ δοῦλοι, τούτοις μὲν ἐνταῦθά εἰσι καὶ οἰκήσεις· ἐν μέσῳ δὲ ὅ τε ναὸς καὶ ἄγαλμα λίθου πεποιημένον, γένεια ἔχον μέγεθος καὶ ὑπὲρ δύο πόδας· κλίνη δὲ ἐν δεξιᾷ κεῖται τοῦ ἀγάλματος, θύειν δὲ αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα ὁμοίως νομίζουσι πλὴν αἰγῶν.
Within the enclosure, indeed, for the suppliants and for those who are servants of the god, there are dwellings here; and in the middle are both the temple and a statue made of stone, having a beard, and in size over two feet; a couch lies to the right of the statue, and they are accustomed to sacrifice to him all things alike except goats.
§10.32.13τοῦ δὲ Ἀσκληπιοῦ περὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἀπέχει σταδίους περίβολος καὶ ἄδυτον ἱερὸν Ἴσιδος, ἁγιώτατον ὁπόσα Ἕλληνες θεῷ τῇ Αἰγυπτίᾳ πεποίηνται·
About forty stades distant from the temple of Asclepius is an enclosure and a sacred shrine (adyton) of Isis, the most holy of all that the Greeks have constructed for the Egyptian goddess.
οὔτε γὰρ περιοικεῖν ἐνταῦθα οἱ Τιθορεεῖς νομίζουσιν οὔτε ἔσοδος ἐς τὸ ἄδυτον ἄλλοις γε ἢ ἐκείνοις ἐστὶν οὓς ἂν αὐτὴ προτιμήσασα ἡ Ἶσις καλέσῃ σφᾶς διʼ ἐνυπνίων.
For neither do the Tithoreans think it right to dwell around there, nor is there entry into the shrine for any others except those whom Isis herself, having favored them, calls through dreams.
τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ὑπὲρ Μαιάνδρου πόλεσι θεοὶ ποιοῦσιν οἱ καταχθόνιοι· οὓς γὰρ ἂν ἐς τὰ ἄδυτα ἐσιέναι θελήσωσιν, ἀποστέλλουσιν αὐτοῖς ὀνειράτων ὄψεις.
The same thing is done also by the underworld gods in the cities above the Maeander; for to whomsoever they wish to enter their shrines, they send to them visions of dreams.

Notes

  1. 10.32.8ὡς εἰκάσαι — An absolute use of the infinitive with ὡς (ὡς εἰκάσαι), meaning "to make a guess" or "as far as one can guess," used here to qualify the estimated distance.
  2. 10.32.8ἰόντι τὴν διὰ τοῦ Παρνασσοῦ — The dative participle ἰόντι functions as a dative of reference ("for one going"). The feminine accusative article τὴν modifies the omitted noun ὁδόν ("road"), representing the path taken.
  3. 10.32.10γενεᾷ δὲ ἤ με γενέσθαι μιᾷ πρότερον — The dative of measure of difference γενεᾷ μιᾷ ("by one generation") is used with the comparative adverb πρότερον ("earlier") and the conjunction ἤ ("than"), followed by the accusative and infinitive clause με γενέσθαι ("I to be born"), meaning "one generation before I was born."
  4. 10.32.11ὅτι μὴ — An idiomatic phrase meaning "except" or "other than," used here after the negative expression ἄλλο ἦν οὐδέν to indicate that there was nothing else besides what had been mentioned.
  5. 10.32.13οὓς ἂν αὐτὴ προτιμήσασα ἡ Ἶσις καλέσῃ — A relative generalizing clause consisting of the relative pronoun οὕς, the particle ἄν, and the subjunctive verb καλέσῃ, accompanied by the aorist participle προτιμήσασα ("having preferred/favored"). It expresses a general condition: "whomsoever Isis herself, having favored them, may call."

Cite this passage

Pausanias, Description of Greece §10.32.8-10.32.13. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:10.32.8-10.32.13

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