§3.11.1ἀπὸ δὲ Θόρνακος προελθόντι ἔστιν ἡ πόλις, Σπάρτη μὲν ὀνομασθεῖσα ἐξ ἀρχῆς, προσλαβοῦσα δὲ ἀνὰ χρόνον καὶ Λακεδαίμων ἡ αὐτὴ καλεῖσθαι· τέως δὲ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦτο ἔκειτο τῇ γῇ.
For one who has gone forward from Thornax, there is the city, which was called Sparta from the beginning, but in course of time came to be called also Lacedaemon, which is the same; whereas previously this name was given to the land.
ὃ δὲ ἐν τῇ συγγραφῇ μοι τῇ Ἀτθίδι ἐπανόρθωμα ἐγένετο, μὴ τὰ πάντα με ἐφεξῆς, τὰ δὲ μάλιστα ἄξια μνήμης ἐπιλεξάμενον ἀπʼ αὐτῶν εἰρηκέναι, δηλώσω δὴ πρὸ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ ἐς Σπαρτιάτας· ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἠθέλησεν ὁ λόγος ἀπὸ πολλῶν καὶ οὐκ ἀξίων ἀφηγήσεως, ὧν ἕκαστοι παρὰ σφίσι λέγουσιν, ἀποκρῖναι τὰ ἀξιολογώτατα.
But as for the correction that was made by me in my Attic history, namely, that I have not spoken of everything in order, but have selected from them what is most worthy of mention, I will make this clear indeed before my account of the Spartans; for from the beginning my narrative wished to separate the most noteworthy things from the many stories, unworthy of relation, which each people tell among themselves.
ὡς οὖν εὖ βεβουλευμένος οὐκ ἔστιν ὅπου παραβήσομαι.
That I have therefore well deliberated, I will in no place transgress.
§3.11.2Λακεδαιμονίων τοῖς Σπάρτην ἔχουσίν ἐστιν ἀγορὰ θέας ἀξία, καὶ τῆς τε γερουσίας βουλευτήριον καὶ τῶν ἐφόρων καὶ νομοφυλάκων καὶ καλουμένων Βιδιαίων ἀρχεῖά ἐστιν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς.
For those of the Lacedaemonians who hold Sparta, there is a marketplace worthy of inspection, and on the marketplace are the council house of the Senate, and the offices of the Ephors, of the Law-wardens, and of those called Bidiaei.
ἡ μὲν δὴ γερουσία συνέδριον Λακεδαιμονίοις κυριώτατον τῆς πολιτείας, οἱ λοιποὶ δέ εἰσιν ἄρχοντες· τοῖς δὲ ἐφόροις καὶ Βιδιαίοις πέντε ἀριθμὸν ἑκατέροις οὖσι, τοῖς μὲν τοὺς ἐπὶ τῷ Πλατανιστᾷ καλουμένῳ καὶ ἄλλους τῶν ἐφήβων ἀγῶνας τιθέναι καθέστηκεν, ἔφοροι δὲ τά τε ἄλλα διοικοῦσι τὰ σπουδῆς μάλιστα ἄξια καὶ παρέχονται τὸν ἐπώνυμον, καθὰ δὴ καὶ Ἀθηναίοις τῶν καλουμένων ἐννέα ἐπώνυμός ἐστιν εἷς ἄρχων.
The Senate indeed is the council of greatest authority in the constitution for the Lacedaemonians, while the others are magistrates; and for the Ephors and the Bidiaei, who are each five in number, it is established for the latter to hold the contests at the place called Platanistas and other contests of the youths, while the Ephors administer indeed the other matters that are of the greatest importance and provide the eponymous magistrate, just as indeed among the Athenians one of those called the nine is the eponymous archon.
§3.11.3ἐπιφανέστατον δὲ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἐστιν ἣν στοὰν Περσικὴν ὀνομάζουσιν ἀπὸ λαφύρων ποιηθεῖσαν τῶν Μηδικῶν· ἀνὰ χρόνον δὲ αὐτὴν ἐς μέγεθος τὸ νῦν καὶ ἐς κόσμον τὸν παρόντα μεταβεβλήκασιν.
The most famous feature of the marketplace is what they call the Persian Colonnade, built from the spoils of the Persian wars; and in course of time they have changed it to its present size and its present adornment.
εἰσὶ δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν κιόνων Πέρσαι λίθου λευκοῦ καὶ ἄλλοι καὶ Μαρδόνιος ὁ Γωβρύου.
On the pillars are Persians of white stone, including Mardonius, the son of Gobryas.
πεποίηται δὲ καὶ Ἀρτεμισία, θυγάτηρ μὲν Λυγδάμιδος, ἐβασίλευσε δὲ Ἁλικαρνασσοῦ· ταύτην φασὶν ἑκουσίως ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα συστρατεῦσαι Ξέρξῃ καὶ ἔργα ἐν τῇ ναυμαχίᾳ περὶ Σαλαμῖνα ἀποδείξασθαι.
There is also represented Artemisia, who was a daughter of Lygdamis and reigned over Halicarnassus; they say that she voluntarily joined Xerxes in his campaign against Greece and displayed great deeds in the naval battle around Salamis.
§3.11.4ναοὶ δέ εἰσιν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς Καίσαρος, ὃς μοναρχίας πρῶτος ἐν Ῥωμαίοις ἐπεθύμησεν καὶ ἀρχὴν τὴν καθεστηκυῖαν πρῶτος ἐκτήσατο, ὁ δὲ Αὐγούστῳ πεποίηται παιδὶ ἐκείνου τήν τε βασιλείαν βεβαιωσαμένῳ μᾶλλον καὶ ἀξιώματος καὶ δυνάμεως ἐς πλέον ἢ ὁ πατήρ οἱ προελθόντι· τὸ δὲ ὄνομα ἦν τούτῳ Αὔγουστος, ὃ κατὰ γλῶσσαν δύναται τὴν Ἑλλήνων σεβαστός.
And there are temples on the marketplace of Caesar, who was the first among the Romans to desire monarchy and the first to acquire the established rule, and another was built for Augustus, his son, who established the sovereignty more firmly and advanced further in prestige and power than his father; and his name was Augustus, which in the tongue of the Greeks signifies "Reverend".
§3.11.5τοῦ δὲ Αὐγούστου δεικνύουσι πρὸς τῷ βωμῷ χαλκῆν εἰκόνα Ἀγίου.
Near the altar of Augustus they show a bronze statue of Agias.
τοῦτον τὸν Ἀγίαν μαντευσάμενόν φασι Λυσάνδρῳ τὸ Ἀθηναίων ἑλεῖν ναυτικὸν περὶ Αἰγὸς ποταμοὺς πλὴν τριήρων δέκα· αὗται δὲ ἀποφεύγουσιν ἐς Κύπρον, τὰς δὲ ἄλλας οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ αὐτὰς καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας αἱροῦσιν.
They say that this Agias by prophecy predicted to Lysander that he would capture the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami, except for ten triremes; these indeed escaped to Cyprus, but the others the Lacedaemonians captured, both the ships themselves and the men.
ὁ δὲ Ἀγίας Ἀγελόχου παῖς ἦν τοῦ Τισαμενοῦ·
This Agias was a son of Agelochus, the son of Tisamenus;