§10.34.1Ἐλάτεια δὲ τῶν ἐν Φωκεῦσι μεγίστη πόλεών ἐστι τῶν ἄλλων μετά γε τοὺς Δελφούς· κεῖται δὲ κατὰ Ἀμφίκλειαν, καὶ ἐς αὐτὴν ὀγδοήκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν ὁδός ἐστιν ἐξ Ἀμφικλείας σταδίων, πεδιὰς ἡ πολλὴ καὶ αὖθις οὐκ ἐπὶ πολὺ ἀνάντης ἡ ἐγγυτάτω τοῦ Ἐλατέων ἄστεως.
Elateia is the greatest of the other cities in Phocis, after Delphi at least; it lies opposite Amphikleia, and there is a road of one hundred and eighty stades to it from Amphikleia, mostly through a plain and then, for a short distance, rising to a gentle slope nearest to the city of the Elateans.
ῥεῖ δὲ ἐν τῇ πεδιάδι ὁ Κηφισός· αἱ δὲ ὠτίδες καλούμεναι παρὰ τὸν Κηφισὸν νέμονται μάλιστα ὀρνίθων.
The Cephisus flows through the plain; and the birds called bustards feed along the Cephisus, most of all among birds.
§10.34.2Ἐλατεῦσι δὲ ἐξεγένετο μὲν Κάσσανδρον καὶ τὴν Μακεδόνων ἀπώσασθαι στρατιάν, ὑπῆρξε δὲ καὶ Ταξίλου Μιθριδάτῃ στρατηγοῦντος τὸν πόλεμόν σφισιν ἐκφυγεῖν· ἀντὶ τούτου δὲ τοῦ ἔργου Ῥωμαῖοι δεδώκασιν αὐτοῖς ἐλευθέρους ὄντας ἀτελῆ νέμεσθαι τὴν χώραν.
It was granted to the Elateans to repel Cassander and the army of the Macedonians, and it also fell to their lot to escape the war when Taxilus was commanding for Mithridates; in return for this deed the Romans granted them to inhabit their land free of taxes, being free men.
ἀμφισβητοῦσι δὲ οὗτοι ξενικοῦ γένους, καὶ Ἀρκάδες φασὶν εἶναι τὸ ἀρχαῖον· Ἔλατον γὰρ τὸν Ἀρκάδος, ἡνίκα ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν Φλεγύαι τὸ ἐν Δελφοῖς ἐστρατεύσαντο, ἀμῦναί τε τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐν τῇ Φωκίδι ὁμοῦ τῷ στρατεύματι αὐτὸν καταμείναντα Ἐλατείας οἰκιστὴν γενέσθαι.
They dispute their origin, saying they are of foreign stock and were Arcadians of old; for they say that Elatus, the son of Arcas, when the Phlegyans marched against the sanctuary at Delphi, defended the god and, remaining himself in Phocis together with his army, became the founder of Elateia.
§10.34.3ἐν δὲ ταῖς Φωκέων πόλεσιν ἃς ὁ Μῆδος ἐνέπρησεν, ἀριθμῆσαι καὶ τὴν Ἐλάτειαν ἔστιν ἐν ταύταις.
Among the cities of the Phocians which the Persian burnt, one can count Elateia also among them.
συμφοραὶ δὲ αἱ μὲν πρὸς Φωκέας τοὺς ἄλλους γεγόνασί σφισιν ἐν κοινῷ, τὰς δὲ καὶ ἰδίᾳ τοῖς Ἐλατεῦσιν ἐκ Μακεδόνων παρεσκεύασεν ὁ δαίμων.
Their misfortunes indeed, on the one hand, were in common with the other Phocians, but on the other hand, the deity also prepared private ones for the Elateans from the Macedonians.
καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν Κασσάνδρου πολεμήσαντος Ὀλυμπιόδωρος κατέστη μάλιστα αἴτιος ἄπρακτον τοῖς Μακεδόσι γενέσθαι πολιορκίαν· Φίλιππος δὲ ὁ Δημητρίου τόν τε ἐν Ἐλατείᾳ δῆμον πρὸς τὸ ἔσχατον δέους ἤγαγε καὶ ὑπηγάγετο ἅμα τοὺς δυνατωτέρους δωρεᾷ.
When Cassander made war, Olympiodorus became chiefly responsible for making the siege of no effect for the Macedonians; but Philip, the son of Demetrius, brought the people in Elateia to the extreme of fear and at the same time won over the more powerful men with gifts.
§10.34.4Τίτος μὲν δὴ ὁ ἄρχων ὁ Ῥωμαίων—τὸ γὰρ δὴ Ἑλληνικὸν ἅπαν ἐλευθερώσων ἀπέσταλτο ἐκ Ῥώμης—πολιτείαν τε Ἐλατεῦσιν ἀποδώσειν τὴν ἀρχαίαν ἐπηγγέλλετο καὶ διʼ ἀγγέλων ἐπεκηρυκεύετό σφισιν ἀπὸ Μακεδόνων ἀφίστασθαι· οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ ἀγνωμοσύνης ὁ δῆμος ἢ οἱ ἔχοντες τὰς ἀρχὰς Φιλίππῳ τε ἦσαν πιστοὶ καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ῥωμαίου πολιορκίᾳ παρέστησαν.
Titus, the Roman general—for indeed he had been sent from Rome to liberate all the Greek nation—promised to restore to the Elateans their ancient constitution and by messengers proposed to them to revolt from the Macedonians; but the people or those holding office, through lack of wisdom, remained faithful to Philip and surrendered to the Roman after a siege.
χρόνῳ δὲ οἱ Ἐλατεῖς ὕστερον Ταξίλου τε Μιθριδάτῃ στρατηγοῦντος καὶ τῶν ἐκ τοῦ Πόντου βαρβάρων ἀντέσχον τῇ πολιορκίᾳ· ἐπὶ τούτῳ δὲ ἐλευθέρους εἶναι τῷ ἔργῳ δέδοταί σφισιν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων.
In later times, however, when Taxilus was commanding for Mithridates and the barbarians from Pontus attacked, the Elateans withstood the siege; for this deed they were granted by the Romans to be free.
§10.34.5τὸ δὲ Κοστοβώκων τῶν λῃστικῶν τὸ κατʼ ἐμὲ τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἐπιδραμὸν ἀφίκετο καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν Ἐλάτειαν· ἔνθα δὴ ἀνὴρ Μνησίβουλος λόχον τε περὶ αὑτὸν ἀνδρῶν συνέστησε καὶ καταφονεύσας πολλοὺς τῶν βαρβάρων ἔπεσεν ἐν τῇ μάχῃ.
The predatory band of the Costoboci, which in my time overran Greece, came also against Elateia; where indeed a man, Mnesibulus, gathered a company of men around himself and, having slaughtered many of the barbarians, fell in the battle.
οὗτος ὁ Μνησίβουλος δρόμου νίκας καὶ ἄλλας ἀνείλετο καὶ Ὀλυμπιάδι πέμπτῃ πρὸς ταῖς τριάκοντά τε καὶ διακοσίαις σταδίου καὶ τοῦ σὺν τῇ ἀσπίδι διαύλου· ἐν Ἐλατείᾳ δὲ κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ δρομέως Μνησιβούλου χαλκοῦς ἕστηκεν ἀνδριάς.
This Mnesibulus won victories in running and others, and in the two hundred and thirty-fifth Olympiad in the stade race and the double course with the shield; in Elateia, along the street, stands a bronze statue of the runner Mnesibulus.
§10.34.6ἡ δὲ ἀγορὰ αὐτή τέ ἐστι θέας ἀξία καὶ ὁ Ἔλατος ἐπειργασμένος στήλῃ· σαφῶς δὲ οὐκ οἶδα εἴτε τιμῶντες οἷα οἰκιστὴν εἴτε καὶ μνήματος ἐπίθημα ἐποιήσαντο τὴν στήλην.
The marketplace itself is worth seeing, and Elatus is carved on a stele; but I do not know clearly whether they made the stele honoring him as founder, or as a monument over his grave.
τῷ δὲ Ἀσκληπιῷ ναὸς ᾠκοδόμηται καὶ ἄγαλμα γένεια ἔχον ἐστί· τοῖς ἐργασαμένοις τὸ ἄγαλμα ὀνόματα μὲν Τιμοκλῆς καὶ Τιμαρχίδης, γένους δέ εἰσι τοῦ Ἀττικοῦ.
A temple has been built to Asclepius, and there is a bearded image; the names of those who made the image are Timocles and Timarchides, and they are of Attic stock.
ἐπὶ τῷ πέρατι δὲ τῷ ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς πόλεως θέατρόν τέ ἐστι καὶ χαλκοῦν Ἀθηνᾶς ἄγαλμα ἀρχαῖον· ταύτην τὴν θεὸν λέγουσιν ἀμῦναί σφισιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὁμοῦ Ταξίλῳ βαρβάρους.
At the boundary on the right of the city is a theater and an ancient bronze image of Athena; they say that this goddess defended them against the barbarians with Taxilus.
§10.34.7Ἐλατείας δὲ ὅσον σταδίους εἴκοσιν ἀφέστηκεν Ἀθηνᾶς ἐπίκλησιν Κραναίας ἱερόν· ἡ δὲ ὁδὸς ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἀναντεστέρα ὡς ἀνιᾶν τὸ μηδὲν καὶ λεληθέναι μᾶλλον αὐτῆς τὸ ἄναντες.
About twenty stades distant from Elateia is the sanctuary of Athena surnamed Cranaia; the road is so gently sloping that it does not tire one at all, and its steepness is rather unnoticed.
λόφος δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῷ πέρατι τὰ πλείω μὲν ἀπότομος, οὐ μέντοι ἄγαν ἢ μεγέθους ἔχων ἐστὶν ἢ ὕψους· ἐπὶ τούτῳ τῷ λόφῳ τὸ ἱερὸν πεποίηται, καὶ στοαί τέ εἰσι καὶ οἰκήσεις διὰ τῶν στοῶν, ἔνθα οἰκοῦσιν οἷς τὴν θεὸν θεραπεύειν καθέστηκε, καὶ ἄλλοις καὶ μάλιστα τῷ ἱερωμένῳ.
At the end of the road is a hill, for the most part precipitous, yet not of excessive size or height; upon this hill the sanctuary is built, and there are porticoes and dwellings through the porticoes, where dwell those whose duty it is to serve the goddess, and among others especially the priest.
§10.34.8τὸν δὲ ἱερέα ἐκ παίδων αἱροῦνται τῶν ἀνήβων, πρόνοιαν ποιούμενοι πρότερον τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἐξήκειν οἱ τὸν χρόνον πρὶν ἢ ἡβῆσαι· ἱερᾶται δὲ ἔτη συνεχῆ πέντε, ἐν οἷς τήν τε ἄλλην δίαιταν ἔχει παρὰ τῇ θεῷ καὶ λουτρὰ αἱ ἀσάμινθοι κατὰ τρόπον εἰσὶν αὐτῷ τὸν ἀρχαῖον.
They choose the priest from among the boys who are under age, taking care beforehand that the time of his priesthood expires before he reaches puberty; he serves as priest for five consecutive years, during which he has his other way of living with the goddess, and the baths in tubs are for him according to the ancient fashion.
τὸ δὲ ἄγαλμα ἐποίησαν μὲν καὶ τοῦτο οἱ Πολυκλέους παῖδες, ἔστι δὲ ἐσκευασμένον ὡς ἐς μάχην· καὶ ἐπείργασται τῇ ἀσπίδι τῶν Ἀθήνῃσι μίμημα ἐπὶ τῇ ἀσπίδι τῆς καλουμένης ὑπὸ Ἀθηναίων Παρθένου.
This image also the sons of Polyclis made, and it is fashioned as if for battle; and there is carved on the shield a copy of the shield of the goddess at Athens called Parthenos by the Athenians.