§2.31.1ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ Τροιζηνίων ναὸς καὶ ἀγάλματα Ἀρτέμιδός ἐστι Σωτείρας· Θησέα δὲ ἐλέγετο ἱδρύσασθαι καὶ ὀνομάσαι Σώτειραν, ἡνίκα Ἀστερίωνα τὸν Μίνω καταγωνισάμενος ἀνέστρεψεν ἐκ τῆς Κρήτης.
In the marketplace of the Troezenians is a temple and images of Artemis the Saviour (Soteira); and it was said that Theseus founded it and named her Saviour when he returned from Crete having overcome Asterion, the son of Minos.
ἀξιολογώτατον δὲ εἶναι τοῦτο ἔδοξέν οἱ τῶν κατειργασμένων, οὐ τοσοῦτον ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν ὅτι ἀνδρείᾳ τοὺς ἀποθανόντας ὑπὸ Θησέως ὑπερέβαλεν ὁ Ἀστερίων, ἀλλὰ τό τε τοῦ λαβυρίνθου δυσέξοδον καὶ τὸ λαθόντα ἀποδρᾶναι μετὰ τὸ ἔργον ἐποίησεν εἰκότα τὸν λόγον ὡς προνοίᾳ θείᾳ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀνασωθείη Θησεὺς καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ.
This seemed to him the most noteworthy of his achievements, not so much, in my opinion, because Asterion surpassed in bravery those slain by Theseus, but because the difficulty of escaping from the labyrinth and his escaping secretly after the deed made credible the story that Theseus himself and those with him were saved by divine providence.
§2.31.2ἐν τούτῳ δέ εἰσι τῷ ναῷ βωμοὶ θεῶν τῶν λεγομένων ὑπὸ γῆν ἄρχειν, καί φασιν ἐξ Ἅιδου Σεμέλην τε ὑπὸ Διονύσου κομισθῆναι ταύτῃ καὶ ὡς Ἡρακλῆς ἀναγάγοι τὸν κύνα τοῦ Ἅιδου·
And in this temple are altars of the gods who are said to rule under the earth, and they say that Semele was brought up from Hades by Dionysus at this place, and that Heracles brought up the dog of Hades.
ἐγὼ δὲ Σεμέλην μὲν οὐδὲ ἀποθανεῖν ἀρχὴν πείθομαι Διός γε οὖσαν γυναῖκα, τὰ δὲ ἐς τὸν ὀνομαζόμενον Ἅιδου κύνα ἑτέρωθι ἔσται μοι δῆλα ὁποῖα εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ.
But I am not persuaded that Semele died at all, seeing that she was the wife of Zeus, and as for the stories concerning the so-called dog of Hades, they will be made clear by me elsewhere, showing what I think they really are.
§2.31.3ὄπισθεν δὲ τοῦ ναοῦ Πιτθέως μνῆμά ἐστι, τρεῖς δὲ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ θρόνοι κεῖνται λίθου λευκοῦ· δικάζειν δὲ Πιτθέα καὶ ἄνδρας δύο σὺν αὐτῷ λέγουσιν ἐπὶ τῶν θρόνων.
And behind the temple is the tomb of Pittheus, and upon it stand three thrones of white marble; on these thrones they say that Pittheus and two men with him sat in judgment.
οὐ πόρρω δὲ ἱερὸν Μουσῶν ἐστι, ποιῆσαι δὲ ἔλεγον αὐτὸ Ἄρδαλον παῖδα Ἡφαίστου· καὶ αὐλόν τε εὑρεῖν νομίζουσι τὸν Ἄρδαλον τοῦτον καὶ τὰς Μούσας ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ καλοῦσιν Ἀρδαλίδας.
Not far off is a sanctuary of the Muses, and they said that Ardaluus, the son of Hephaestus, made it; and they believe that this Ardaluus invented the flute, and they call the Muses Ardalides after him.
ἐνταῦθα Πιτθέα διδάξαι λόγων τέχνην φασί, καί τι βιβλίον Πιτθέως δὴ σύγγραμμα ὑπὸ ἀνδρὸς ἐκδοθὲν Ἐπιδαυρίου καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπελεξάμην.
Here they say Pittheus taught the art of rhetoric, and I myself have read a book, indeed a treatise of Pittheus, published by a man of Epidaurus.
τοῦ Μουσείου δὲ οὐ πόρρω βωμός ἐστιν ἀρχαῖος, Ἀρδάλου καὶ τοῦτον ὥς φασιν ἀναθέντος· ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτῷ Μούσαις καὶ Ὕπνῳ θύουσι, λέγοντες τὸν Ὕπνον θεὸν μάλιστα εἶναι φίλον ταῖς Μούσαις.
Not far from the sanctuary of the Muses is an ancient altar, this too dedicated by Ardaluus as they say; on it they sacrifice to the Muses and to Sleep (Hypnos), saying that Sleep is the god most dear to the Muses.
§2.31.4πλησίον δὲ τοῦ θεάτρου Λυκείας ναὸν Ἀρτέμιδος ἐποίησεν Ἱππόλυτος· ἐς δὲ τὴν ἐπίκλησιν οὐδὲν εἶχον πυθέσθαι παρὰ τῶν ἐξηγητῶν, ἀλλὰ ἢ λύκους ἐφαίνετό μοι τὴν Τροιζηνίαν λυμαινομένους ἐξελεῖν ὁ Ἱππόλυτος ἢ Ἀμαζόσι, παρʼ ὧν τὰ πρὸς μητρὸς ἦν, ἐπίκλησις τῆς Ἀρτέμιδός ἐστιν αὕτη· εἴη δʼ ἂν ἔτι καὶ ἄλλο οὐ γινωσκόμενον ὑπὸ ἐμοῦ.
And near the theatre, Hippolytus built a temple of Lycean Artemis; but as for the surname, I was able to learn nothing from the guides, but it seemed to me either that Hippolytus destroyed the wolves that were ravaging the land of Troezen, or that this is a surname of Artemis among the Amazons, from whom he was descended on his mother's side; though there might be some other reason not known to me.
τὸν δὲ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ ναοῦ λίθον, καλούμενον δὲ ἱερόν, εἶναι λέγουσιν ἐφʼ οὗ ποτε ἄνδρες Τροιζηνίων ἐννέα Ὀρέστην ἐκάθηραν ἐπὶ τῷ φόνῳ τῆς μητρός.
The stone in front of the temple, which is called sacred, they say is that on which once nine men of the Troezenians purified Orestes from the murder of his mother.
§2.31.5εἰσὶ δὲ οὐ μακρὰν τῆς Λυκείας Ἀρτέμιδος βωμοὶ διεστηκότες οὐ πολὺ ἀπʼ ἀλλήλων· ὁ μὲν πρῶτός ἐστιν αὐτῶν Διονύσου κατὰ δή τι μάντευμα ἐπίκλησιν Σαώτου, δεύτερος δὲ Θεμίδων ὀνομαζόμενος· Πιτθεὺς τοῦτον ἀνέθηκεν, ὡς λέγουσιν.
And not far from Lycean Artemis there are altars standing at no great distance from one another; the first of them is of Dionysus surnamed, in accordance with some oracle, Saotes (Saviour), and the second is called the altar of the Themides (Themises); Pittheus dedicated this, as they say.
Ἡλίου δὲ Ἐλευθερίου καὶ σφόδρα εἰκότι λόγῳ δοκοῦσί μοι ποιῆσαι βωμόν, ἐκφυγόντες δουλείαν ἀπὸ Ξέρξου τε καὶ Περσῶν.
And they seem to me to have built the altar of the Sun of Freedom (Helios Eleutherios) for a very probable reason, having escaped enslavement by Xerxes and the Persians.