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Pausanias · Description of Greece §3.24.7-3.24.11

Sanctuaries of Las and Legends concerning the Hero Las

Passage 135 of 465 · Greek

Summary

The text describes the origin of the temple of Athena Asia in the ruins of Las, local landmarks like the Galaco spring, and a discussion based on Homeric interpretation regarding who killed the mythical founder Las and whether Achilles was a suitor of Helen.

§3.24.7ἔστι δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἐρειπίοις ναὸς Ἀθηνᾶς ἐπίκλησιν Ἀσίας, ποιῆσαι δὲ Πολυδεύκην καὶ Κάστορά φασιν ἀνασωθέντας ἐκ Κόλχων· εἶναι γὰρ καὶ Κόλχοις Ἀθηνᾶς Ἀσίας ἱερόν.
Among the ruins is a temple of Athena surnamed Asia, which they say was built by Polydeuces and Castor when they returned safely from Colchis; for the Colchians also have a sanctuary of Athena Asia.
μετασχόντας μὲν οὖν οἶδα Ἰάσονι τοῦ στόλου τοὺς Τυνδάρεω παῖδας· ὅτι δὲ Ἀθηνᾶν Ἀσίαν τιμῶσιν οἱ Κόλχοι, παρὰ Λακεδαιμονίων ἀκούσας γράφω.
Now, I know that the sons of Tyndareus took part in the expedition with Jason; but that the Colchians worship Athena Asia, I write because I heard it from Lacedaemonians.
τῆς δὲ ἐφʼ ἡμῶν οἰκουμένης πόλεως κρήνη τέ ἐστι πλησίον διὰ τὴν χρόαν τοῦ ὕδατος καλουμένη Γαλακὼ καὶ πρὸς τῇ κρήνῃ γυμνάσιον· Ἑρμοῦ δὲ ἕστηκεν ἄγαλμα ἀρχαῖον.
Near the city inhabited in our time there is a spring called Galaco from the color of its water, and near the spring is a gymnasium; and an ancient image of Hermes stands there.
§3.24.8τῶν δὲ ὀρῶν ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ Ἰλίου Διονύσου τέ ἐστι καὶ ἐπʼ ἄκρας τῆς κορυφῆς Ἀσκληπιοῦ ναός, πρὸς δὲ τῷ Κνακαδίῳ Κάρνειος καλούμενος Ἀπόλλων.
Of the mountains, on Mount Ilium there is a temple of Dionysus, and on the very edge of the summit is a temple of Asclepius, while on Mount Cnacadium is an Apollo called Carneus.
ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Καρνείου σταδίους προελθόντι ὡς τριάκοντα, ἔστιν ἐν χωρίῳ Ὕψοις ἐν ὅροις ἤδη Σπαρτιατῶν ἱερὸν Ἀσκληπιοῦ καὶ Ἀρτέμιδος ἐπίκλησιν Δαφναίας.
For one who has gone forward about thirty stades from the temple of Carneus, there is, in a place called Hypsoi, which is already within the borders of the Spartans, a sanctuary of Asclepius and of Artemis surnamed Daphnaea.
§3.24.9πρὸς θαλάσσῃ δὲ ἐπὶ ἄκρας ναός ἐστι Δικτύννης Ἀρτέμιδος, καί οἱ κατὰ ἔτος ἕκαστον ἑορτὴν ἄγουσι.
On a cape by the sea is a temple of Artemis Dictynna, and they hold a festival for her every year.
ταύτης δὲ ἐν ἀριστερᾷ τῆς ἄκρας ποταμὸς ἐκδίδωσιν ἐς θάλασσαν Σμῆνος, ὕδωρ πιεῖν ἡδὺ εἴπερ ἄλλος τις παρασχόμενος ποταμός· ἔχει δὲ ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῷ Ταϋγέτῳ τὰς πηγάς, ἀπέχει δὲ τῆς πόλεως σταδίους οὐ πλέον πέντε.
On the left of this cape, the river Smenus empties into the sea, providing water as sweet to drink as any other river can provide; it has its sources in Mount Taygetus, and is distant from the city no more than five stades.
§3.24.10ἐν δὲ Ἀραΐνῳ καλουμένῳ χωρίῳ τάφος Λᾶ καὶ ἀνδριὰς ἐπὶ τῷ μνήματι ἔπεστι.
In a place called Arainus is the tomb of Las, and a statue is upon the monument.
τοῦτον τὸν Λᾶν οἰκιστὴν εἶναι λέγουσιν οἱ ταύτῃ, καὶ ἀποθανεῖν φασιν ὑπὸ Ἀχιλλέως, Ἀχιλλέα δὲ κατᾶραί σφισιν ἐς τὴν χώραν Ἑλένην παρὰ Τυνδάρεω γυναῖκα αἰτοῦντα.
The people here say that this Las was their founder, and they say he died by the hand of Achilles, and that Achilles had come down to their country to ask Tyndareus for Helen as his wife.
λέγοντι δὲ ἐπʼ ἀληθείᾳ Πάτροκλός ἐστιν ὁ τὸν Λᾶν ἀποκτείνας· οὗτος γὰρ καὶ ὁ μνηστευσάμενός ἐστιν Ἑλένην.
But to one who speaks according to the truth, Patroclus is the one who killed Las; for he was also one of the suitors of Helen.
καὶ ὅτι μὲν τῶν Ἑλένης μνηστήρων Ἀχιλλεὺς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν Καταλόγῳ γυναικῶν, μηδὲν τοῦτο ἔστω τεκμήριον οὐκ αἰτῆσαι Ἑλένην αὐτόν· §3.24.11Ὅμηρος δὲ ἔγραψε μὲν τῆς ποιήσεως ἀρχόμενος ὡς Ἀχιλλεὺς χαριζόμενος τοῖς Ἀτρέως παισὶ καὶ οὐκ ἐνεχόμενος τοῖς ὅρκοις τοῖς Τυνδάρεω παραγένοιτο ἐς Τροίαν, ἐποίησε δὲ ἐν ἄθλοις λέγοντα Ἀντίλοχον ὡς Ὀδυσσεὺς πρεσβύτερός ἐστιν αὐτοῦ γενεᾷ, τὸν δὲ Ὀδυσσέα πρὸς Ἀλκίνουν περὶ τῶν ἐν Ἅιδου καὶ ἄλλα διηγούμενον καὶ ὅτι Θησέα ἰδεῖν ἐθελήσαι καὶ Πειρίθουν προτέρους ἄνδρας ἢ καθʼ ἡλικίαν τὴν αὑτοῦ·
And let it be no proof that he himself did not ask for Helen, that Achilles is not in the "Catalogue of Women" among the suitors of Helen; for Homer wrote at the beginning of his poem that Achilles came to Troy to gratify the sons of Atreus, and not because he was bound by the oaths of Tyndareus; and in the funeral games he made Antilochus say that Odysseus is a generation older than he, and Odysseus, when relating to Alcinous about those in Hades and other matters, say that he wished to see Theseus and Pirithous, men of an earlier generation than his own.
Θησέα δὲ ἴσμεν ἁρπάσαντα Ἑλένην.
And we know that Theseus kidnapped Helen.
οὕτως οὐδὲ ἐγχωροῦν ἐστιν ἀρχὴν Ἑλένης μνηστῆρα Ἀχιλλέα γενέσθαι.
Thus it is not even possible from the beginning that Achilles was a suitor of Helen.

Notes

  1. 3.24.7μετασχόντας μὲν οὖν οἶδα Ἰάσονι τοῦ στόλου τοὺς Τυνδάρεω παῖδας — The verb οἶδα ('I know') is a verb of knowing that governs a participle in the accusative (μετασχόντας), with τοὺς Τυνδάρεω παῖδας acting as its subject.
  2. 3.24.10μηδὲν τοῦτο ἔστω τεκμήριον οὐκ αἰτῆσαι Ἑλένην αὐτόν — The main clause is a third-person imperative μηδὲν... ἔστω ('let this be no...'). The infinitive clause οὐκ αἰτῆσαι is in apposition to the noun τεκμήριον ('proof'). Although μή is the standard negative with the infinitive, οὐκ is used here to negate a specific historical fact.
  3. 3.24.11Ὅμηρος δὲ ἔγραψε μὲν... ἐποίησε δὲ... — In this long sentence, the main verbs ἔγραψε ('wrote') and ἐποίησε ('made/depicted') are contrasted by μέν and δέ. The latter verb ἐποίησε governs two accusative-plus-participle constructions (λέγοντα Ἀντίλοχον... and τὸν δὲ Ὀδυσσέα ... διηγούμενον...), meaning 'he represented Antilochus as saying...' and 'Odysseus as relating...'.

Cite this passage

Pausanias, Description of Greece §3.24.7-3.24.11. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.24.7-3.24.11

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