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Pausanias · Description of Greece §2.7.6-2.7.9

Temples and Mythic Relics around the Agora of Sicyon

Passage 62 of 465 · Greek

Summary

Follows the history of the temples and statues of Dionysus, Artemis, Peitho, and Apollo in the acropolis and marketplace of Sicyon, detailing the origin of the traditional rituals on the Sythas river and the legends of the relics of Meleager and Marsyas once dedicated there.

§2.7.6ἡγεῖται μὲν οὖν ὃν Βάκχειον ὀνομάζουσιν—Ἀνδροδάμας σφίσιν ὁ Φλάντος τοῦτον ἱδρύσατο—, ἕπεται δὲ ὁ καλούμενος Λύσιος, ὃν Θηβαῖος Φάνης εἰπούσης τῆς Πυθίας ἐκόμισεν ἐκ Θηβῶν.
The one whom they call Baccheios leads the way—Androdamas of Phlius set this up for them—and the one called Lysios follows, which Phanes the Theban brought from Thebes when the Pythian priestess told him.
ἐς δὲ Σικυῶνα ἦλθεν ὁ Φάνης, ὅτε Ἀριστόμαχος ὁ Κλεοδαίου τῆς γενομένης μαντείας ἁμαρτὼν διʼ αὐτὸ καὶ καθόδου τῆς ἐς Πελοπόννησον ἥμαρτεν.
Phanes came to Sicyon when Aristomachus, the son of Cleodaeus, having erred concerning the oracle that was given, consequently also failed in his return to the Peloponnese.
ἐκ δὲ τοῦ Διονυσίου βαδίζουσιν ἐς τὴν ἀγοράν, ἔστι ναὸς Ἀρτέμιδος ἐν δεξιᾷ Λιμναίας.
As one walks from the temple of Dionysus to the marketplace, there is on the right a temple of Artemis of the Marsh.
καὶ ὅτι μὲν κατερρύηκεν ὁ ὄροφος, δῆλά ἐστιν ἰδόντι· περὶ δὲ τοῦ ἀγάλματος οὔτε ὡς κομισθέντος ἑτέρωσε οὔτε ὅντινα αὐτοῦ διεφθάρη τρόπον εἰπεῖν ἔχουσιν.
That the roof has fallen in is clear to anyone who looks; but concerning the image, they are unable to say whether it was carried elsewhere or in what manner it was destroyed.
§2.7.7ἐς δὲ τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐσελθοῦσι Πειθοῦς ἐστιν ἱερὸν οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἄγαλμα ἔχον.
As one enters the marketplace, there is a temple of Persuasion, which likewise has no image.
Πειθὼ δὲ ἐπὶ λόγῳ τοιῷδε αὐτοῖς κατέστη σέβεσθαι.
The worship of Persuasion was established among them for the following reason.
Ἀπόλλων καὶ Ἄρτεμις ἀποκτείναντες Πύθωνα παρεγένοντο ἐς τὴν Αἰγιάλειαν καθαρσίων ἕνεκα.
Apollo and Artemis, having slain Python, came to Aegialia for the purpose of purification.
γενομένου δέ σφισι δείματος, ἔνθα καὶ νῦν Φόβον ὀνομάζουσι τὸ χωρίον, οἱ μὲν ἐς Κρήτην παρὰ Καρμάνορα ἀπετράποντο, τοὺς δὲ ἀνθρώπους ἐν τῇ Αἰγιαλείᾳ νόσος ἐπέλαβε· καὶ σφᾶς ἐκέλευον οἱ μάντεις Ἀπόλλωνα ἱλάσασθαι καὶ Ἄρτεμιν.
But when a dread came upon them—where even now they call the place Phobos—the gods turned away to Crete to Carmanor, and a disease fell upon the people in Aegialia; and the seers bade them appease Apollo and Artemis.
§2.7.8οἱ δὲ παῖδας ἑπτὰ καὶ ἴσας παρθένους ἐπὶ τὸν Σύθαν ποταμὸν ἀποστέλλουσιν ἱκετεύοντας· ὑπὸ τούτων δὲ πεισθέντας τοὺς θεούς φασιν ἐς τὴν τότε ἀκρόπολιν ἐλθεῖν, καὶ ὁ τόπος ἔνθα πρῶτον ἀφίκοντο Πειθοῦς ἐστιν ἱερόν.
So they sent seven boys and as many maidens to the river Sythas to supplicate them; and they say that the gods, persuaded by these, came to what was then the acropolis, and the place where they first arrived is the temple of Persuasion.
τούτοις δὲ ἐοικότα καὶ νῦν ἔτι ποιεῖται· καὶ γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸν Σύθαν ἴασιν οἱ παῖδες τῇ ἑορτῇ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος, καὶ ἀγαγόντες δὴ τοὺς θεοὺς ἐς τὸ τῆς Πειθοῦς ἱερὸν αὖθις ἀπάγειν ἐς τὸν ναόν φασι τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος.
Rituals similar to these are still performed even now; for the children go to the Sythas at the festival of Apollo, and having led the gods to the temple of Persuasion, they say they lead them back again to the temple of Apollo.
ὁ δὲ ναὸς ἔστι μὲν ἐν τῇ νῦν ἀγορᾷ, τὸ δὲ ἐξ ἀρχῆς λέγουσιν αὐτὸν ὑπὸ Προίτου ποιηθῆναι· τὰς γάρ οἱ θυγατέρας ἐνταῦθα τῆς μανίας παύσασθαι.
This temple is in the present marketplace, but they say it was built originally by Proetus, because his daughters ceased from their madness there.
§2.7.9λέγουσι δὲ καὶ τάδε, ὡς Μελέαγρος ἐς τοῦτον τὸν ναὸν ἀνέθηκε τὴν λόγχην ᾗ τὸν ὗν κατειργάσατο.
They also say this, that Meleager dedicated in this temple the spear with which he dispatched the boar.
καὶ αὐλοὺς ἀνατεθῆναί φασιν ἐνταῦθα τοὺς Μαρσύου· γενομένης γὰρ τῷ Σιληνῷ τῆς συμφορᾶς τὸν ποταμὸν τὸν Μαρσύαν κατενεγκεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐς τὸν Μαίανδρον, ἀναφανέντας δὲ ἐν τῷ Ἀσωπῷ καὶ κατὰ τὴν Σικυωνίαν ἐκπεσόντας ὑπὸ ποιμένος τοῦ εὑρόντος δοθῆναι τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι.
And they say that the flutes of Marsyas were dedicated here; for when the disaster befell the Silenus, the river Marsyas carried them down into the Maeander, and having appeared in the Asopus and been cast up along Sicyonia, they were given to Apollo by the shepherd who found them.
τούτων τῶν ἀναθημάτων οὐδὲν ἔτι ἐλείπετο, συγκατεκαύθη γὰρ ἐμπιπραμένῳ τῷ ναῷ· τὸν δὲ ἐπʼ ἐμοῦ ναὸν καὶ τὸ ἄγαλμα Πυθοκλῆς ἀνέθηκεν.
Of these offerings nothing was left, for they were consumed along with the temple when it was burnt; but Pythocles dedicated the temple and the image of my own time.

Notes

  1. 2.7.6ὃν Βάκχειον ὀνομάζουσιν — A relative clause with an omitted antecedent (likely the neuter noun ἄγαλμα, meaning 'image'). The relative pronoun ὃν (masculine singular accusative) serves as the direct object of ὀνομάζουσιν within the relative clause.
  2. 2.7.6βαδίζουσιν — The present active participle dative plural of βαδίζω (to walk). It functions as a dative of reference (dative of the person judging), typical of Pausanias' style to indicate 'to those who are walking' or 'as one walks'.
  3. 2.7.8οἱ — The third-person singular personal pronoun in the dative case. It functions here as a dative of possession, modifying τὰς θυγατέρας to mean 'his (Proetus's) daughters'.
  4. 2.7.9γενομένης γὰρ τῷ Σιληνῷ τῆς συμφορᾶς — A genitive absolute construction (γενομένης ... τῆς συμφορᾶς, 'when the disaster befell') embedding the dative of disadvantage or reference τῷ Σιληνῷ ('to the Silenus').

Cite this passage

Pausanias, Description of Greece §2.7.6-2.7.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.7.6-2.7.9

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