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Pausanias · Description of Greece §3.13.1-3.13.9

Monuments of Castor and Shrines of Apollo Karneios

Passage 117 of 465 · Greek

Summary

The author describes various monuments and temples in Sparta, explaining the origins of the worship of Castor, Apollo Karneios, local heroes, and shrines of deities with epithets like Amboulios and Hypercheiria, concluding with Olympic victors in wrestling.

§3.13.1πλησίον δὲ ἔστι μὲν Κυνόρτου τοῦ Ἀμύκλα τάφος, ἔστι δὲ καὶ Κάστορος μνῆμα, ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ἱερὸν πεποίηται· τεσσαρακοστῷ γὰρ ὕστερον ἔτει τῆς μάχης τῆς πρὸς Ἴδαν καὶ Λυγκέα θεοὺς τοὺς Τυνδάρεω παῖδας καὶ οὐ πρότερον νομισθῆναί φασι.
Near is the tomb of Cynortas, the son of Amyclas, and there is also the monument of Castor, and upon it a sanctuary has been made; for they say that the sons of Tyndareus were considered gods forty years after the battle against Idas and Lynceus, and not before.
δείκνυται δὲ πρὸς τῇ Σκιάδι καὶ Ἴδα καὶ Λυγκέως τάφος.
And near the Skias is shown also the tomb of Idas and Lynceus.
κατὰ μὲν δὴ τοῦ λόγου τὸ εἰκὸς ἐτάφησαν ἐν τῇ Μεσσηνίᾳ καὶ οὐ ταύτῃ· §3.13.2Μεσσηνίων δὲ αἱ συμφοραὶ καὶ ὁ χρόνος, ὅσον ἔφυγον ἐκ Πελοποννήσου, πολλὰ τῶν ἀρχαίων καὶ κατελθοῦσιν ἐποίησεν ἄγνωστα, ἅτε δὲ ἐκείνων οὐκ εἰδότων ἔστιν ἤδη τοῖς ἐθέλουσιν ἀμφισβητεῖν.
According to the probability of the story, they were buried in Messenia and not here; but the misfortunes of the Messenians and the length of time they were exiled from the Peloponnese made many of the ancient things unknown even to them when they returned, and since they do not know, it is now possible for those who wish to dispute it.
Λακεδαιμονίοις δὲ ἀπαντικρὺ τῆς Ὀλυμπίας Ἀφροδίτης ἐστὶ ναὸς Κόρης Σωτείρας· ποιῆσαι δὲ τὸν Θρᾷκα Ὀρφέα λέγουσιν, οἱ δὲ Ἄβαριν ἀφικόμενον ἐξ Ὑπερβορέων.
And for the Lacedaemonians, opposite the Olympian Aphrodite, there is a temple of Kore Soteira; they say that the Thracian Orpheus made it, but others say Abaris when he arrived from the Hyperboreans.
§3.13.3ὁ δὲ Καρνειός, ὃν Οἰκέταν ἐπονομάζουσι, τιμὰς εἶχεν ἐν Σπάρτῃ καὶ πρὶν Ἡρακλείδας κατελθεῖν, ἵδρυτο δὲ ἐν οἰκίᾳ Κριοῦ τοῦ Θεοκλέους, ἀνδρὸς μάντεως· τούτου δὲ τοῦ Κριοῦ γεμιζούσῃ τῇ θυγατρὶ ὕδωρ συντυχόντες κατάσκοποι τῶν Δωριέων αὐτῇ τε ἀφίκοντο ἐς λόγους καὶ παρὰ τὸν Κριὸν ἐλθόντες διδάσκονται τὴν ἅλωσιν τῆς Σπάρτης.
And Karneios, whom they surname Oiketas, had honors in Sparta even before the Heracleidae returned, and was established in the house of Crius the son of Theocles, a prophet; and when the daughter of this Crius was filling water, the scouts of the Dorians met her, entered into conversation with her, and having gone to Crius, were taught the capture of Sparta.
§3.13.4Κάρνειον δὲ Ἀπόλλωνα Δωριεῦσι μὲν τοῖς πᾶσι σέβεσθαι καθέστηκεν ἀπὸ Κάρνου γένος ἐξ Ἀκαρνανίας, μαντευομένου δὲ ἐξ Ἀπόλλωνος· τοῦτον γὰρ τὸν Κάρνον ἀποκτείναντος Ἱππότου τοῦ Φύλαντος ἐνέπεσεν ἐς τὸ στρατόπεδον τοῖς Δωριεῦσι μήνιμα Ἀπόλλωνος, καὶ Ἱππότης τε ἔφυγεν ἐπὶ τῷ φόνῳ καὶ Δωριεῦσιν ἀπὸ τούτου τὸν Ἀκαρνᾶνα μάντιν καθέστηκεν ἱλάσκεσθαι.
It has been established for all the Dorians to worship Apollo Karneios from Carnus, an Acarnanian by birth, who prophesied from Apollo; for when Hippotes the son of Phylas killed this Carnus, the wrath of Apollo fell upon the camp of the Dorians, and Hippotes fled because of the murder, and from this time it was established for the Dorians to appease the Acarnanian prophet.
ἀλλὰ γὰρ Λακεδαιμονίοις οὐχ οὗτος ὁ Οἰκέτας ἐστὶ Καρνειός, ὁ δὲ ἐν τοῦ μάντεως Κριοῦ τιμώμενος Ἀχαιῶν ἔτι ἐχόντων τὴν Σπάρτην.
But for the Lacedaemonians this Karneios is not that Oiketas, but the one honored in the house of Crius the prophet while the Achaeans still held Sparta.
§3.13.5Πραξίλλῃ μὲν δὴ πεποιημένα ἐστὶν ὡς Εὐρώπης εἴη καὶ Διὸς ὁ Κάρνειος καὶ αὐτὸν ἀνεθρέψατο Ἀπόλλων καὶ Λητώ· λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἄλλος ἐπʼ αὐτῷ λόγος, ἐν τῇ Ἴδῃ τῇ Τρωικῇ κρανείας ἐν Ἀπόλλωνος ἄλσει πεφυκυίας τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐκτεμεῖν ἐς τοῦ ἵππου τοῦ δουρείου τὴν ποίησιν· μαθόντες δὲ ὀργήν σφισιν ἔχειν τὸν θεὸν θυσίαις ἱλάσκονται καὶ Ἀπόλλωνα ὀνομάζουσι Κάρνειον ἀπὸ τῶν κρανειῶν, ὑπερθέντες τὸ ῥῶ κατὰ δή τι ἀρχαῖον.
In the poems of Praxilla it is written that Karneios was the son of Europa and Zeus, and Apollo and Leto brought him up; but another story is also told about him, that in Trojan Ida, cornell trees growing in a grove of Apollo were cut down by the Greeks for the construction of the wooden horse; and having learned that the god was angry with them, they appeased him with sacrifices and named Apollo Karneios from the cornell trees, inserting the letter rho according to some ancient fashion.
§3.13.6τοῦ Καρνείου δὲ οὐ πόρρω καλούμενόν ἐστιν ἄγαλμα Ἀφεταίου· τοῖς δὲ Πηνελόπης μνηστῆρσί φασιν ἐντεῦθεν γενέσθαι τοῦ δρόμου τὴν ἀρχήν.
Not far from the Karneios is the so-called statue of Aphetaeus; and they say that the starting point of the race for the suitors of Penelope was from here.
ἔστι δέ τι χωρίον ἔχον στοὰς ἐν τετραγώνῳ τῷ σχήματι, ἔνθα σφίσιν ἐπιπράσκετο ὁ ῥῶπος τὸ ἀρχαῖον· πρὸς τούτῳ Διὸς Ἀμβουλίου καὶ Ἀθηνᾶς ἐστιν Ἀμβουλίας βωμὸς καὶ Διοσκούρων καὶ τούτων Ἀμβουλίων.
There is also a place having colonnades in a square shape, where of old petty wares were sold for them; near this is an altar of Zeus Amboulios and of Athena Amboulia, and of the Dioscuri, these too being surnamed Amboulioi.
§3.13.7ἀπαντικρὺ δὲ ἥ τε ὀνομαζομένη Κολώνα καὶ Διονύσου Κολωνάτα ναός, πρὸς αὐτῷ δὲ τέμενός ἐστιν ἥρωος, ὃν τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς ἐς Σπάρτην Διονύσῳ φασὶ γενέσθαι ἡγεμόνα· τῷ δὲ ἥρωι τούτῳ πρὶν ἢ τῷ θεῷ θύουσιν αἱ Διονυσιάδες καὶ αἱ Λευκιππίδες.
Opposite is the so-called Colona and the temple of Dionysus Colonatas, and near it is a sanctuary of a hero who they say was the guide for Dionysus on the road to Sparta; to this hero, before they sacrifice to the god, the Dionysiades and the Leucippides offer sacrifice.
τὰς δὲ ἄλλας ἕνδεκα ἃς καὶ αὐτὰς Διονυσιάδας ὀνομάζουσι, ταύταις δρόμου προτιθέασιν ἀγῶνα· §3.13.8δρᾶν δὲ οὕτω σφίσιν ἦλθεν ἐκ Δελφῶν.
And for the other eleven, whom they also name Dionysiades, they propose a race contest; and to act thus came to them from Delphi.
τοῦ Διονύσου δὲ οὐ μακρὰν Διὸς ἱερόν ἐστιν Εὐανέμου, τούτου δὲ ἐν δεξιᾷ Πλευρῶνος ἡρῷον.
Not far from the temple of Dionysus is a sanctuary of Zeus Euanemos, and on the right of this is a hero-shrine of Pleuron.
γεγόνασι δὲ οἱ Τυνδάρεω παῖδες τὰ πρὸς μητρὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ Πλευρῶνος· Θέστιον γὰρ τὸν Λήδας πατέρα Ἄσιός φησιν ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσιν Ἀγήνορος παῖδα εἶναι τοῦ Πλευρῶνος.
The sons of Tyndareus were descended on their mother's side from Pleuron; for Asius says in his epic poems that Thestius, the father of Leda, was the son of Agenor the son of Pleuron.
τοῦ δὲ ἡρῴου λόφος ἐστὶν οὐ πόρρω καὶ Ἥρας ἐπὶ τῷ λόφῳ ναὸς Ἀργείας· ἱδρύσασθαι δὲ Εὐρυδίκην φασὶ Λακεδαίμονος θυγατέρα, γυναῖκα δὲ Ἀκρισίου τοῦ Ἄβαντος.
Not far from the hero-shrine is a hill, and on the hill is a temple of Hera Argeia; they say that Eurydice, daughter of Lacedaemon and wife of Acrisius the son of Abas, dedicated it.
Ἥρας δὲ ἱερὸν Ὑπερχειρίας κατὰ μαντείαν ἐποιήθη, τοῦ Εὐρώτα πολὺ τῆς γῆς σφισιν ἐπικλύζοντος.
And the sanctuary of Hera Hypercheiria was made according to an oracle, when the Eurotas was flooding much of their land.
§3.13.9ξόανον δὲ ἀρχαῖον καλοῦσιν Ἀφροδίτης Ἥρας· ἐπὶ δὲ θυγατρὶ γαμουμένῃ νενομίκασι τὰς μητέρας τῇ θεῷ θύειν.
They call an ancient wooden image Aphrodite Hera; and on the marriage of a daughter, the mothers are accustomed to sacrifice to the goddess.
τοῦ λόφου δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἐς δεξιὰν ὁδὸν Ἑτοιμοκλέους ἐστὶν εἰκών· τῷ δὲ Ἑτοιμοκλεῖ καὶ αὐτῷ καὶ Ἱπποσθένει τῷ πατρὶ πάλης εἰσὶν Ὀλυμπικαὶ νῖκαι, συναμφοτέροις μὲν μία τε καὶ δέκα, τῷ δὲ Ἱπποσθένει μιᾷ νίκῃ τὸν υἱὸν παρελθεῖν ὑπῆρξεν.
On the road to the right from the hill is an image of Hetoimocles; and for Hetoimocles himself and for Hipposthenes his father there are Olympic victories in wrestling, eleven for both together, but it was granted to Hipposthenes to surpass his son by one victory.

Notes

  1. 3.13.1τοὺς Τυνδάρεω παῖδας — Subject accusative of the passive infinitive νομισθῆναι, with θεοὺς ("as gods") serving as its predicate accusative.
  2. 3.13.2ἅτε δὲ ἐκείνων οὐκ εἰδότων — A genitive absolute construction with ἅτε, where ἐκείνων refers to the Messenians mentioned in the previous sentence, explaining the cause of the present uncertainty due to their lack of knowledge.
  3. 3.13.3τούτου δὲ τοῦ Κριοῦ γεμιζούσῃ τῇ θυγατρὶ ὕδωρ συντυχόντες — The dative noun τῇ θυγατρὶ is governed by the aorist participle συντυχόντες (having met, from συντυγχάνω), and is modified by the present participle γεμιζούσῃ (filling).
  4. 3.13.5ὑπερθέντες τὸ ῥῶ κατὰ δή τι ἀρχαῖον — ὑπερθέντες is the participle of ὑπερτίθημι, here meaning "to add or insert a sound." It explains the phonological development from κρανεία (cornell tree) to Κάρνειος by inserting or transposing the letter rho (ρ) in an ancient fashion.
  5. 3.13.8τὰ πρὸς μητρὸς — The adverbial phrase τὰ πρὸς μητρὸς, consisting of the neuter plural accusative article and a prepositional phrase, is an accusative of respect/specification, limiting the lineage of the Dioscuri "on their mother's side."

Cite this passage

Pausanias, Description of Greece §3.13.1-3.13.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.13.1-3.13.9

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