§7.22.1Φαραὶ δέ, Ἀχαιῶν πόλις, τελοῦσι μὲν ἐς Πάτρας δόντος Αὐγούστου, ὁδὸς δὲ ἐς Φαρὰς Πατρέων μὲν ἐκ τοῦ ἄστεως στάδιοι πεντήκοντά εἰσι καὶ ἑκατόν, ἀπὸ θαλάσσης δὲ ἄνω πρὸς ἤπειρον περὶ ἑβδομήκοντα.
Pharae, a city of the Achaeans, is subject to Patrae by the gift of Augustus; the road to Pharae from the city of Patrae is a hundred and fifty stades, and from the sea up into the interior about seventy.
ποταμὸς δὲ ῥεῖ πλησίον Φαρῶν Πίερος, ὁ αὐτὸς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν ὃς καὶ τὰ Ὠλένου παρέξεισιν ἐρείπια, ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων τῶν πρὸς θαλάσσῃ καλούμενος Πεῖρος.
Near Pharae flows a river Pierus, which is, in my opinion, the same as the one that passes by the ruins of Olenus, called Peirus by the people near the sea.
πρὸς δὲ τῷ ποταμῷ πλατάνων ἐστὶν ἄλσος, κοῖλαί τε ὑπὸ παλαιότητος αἱ πολλαὶ καὶ ἥκουσαι μεγέθους ἐς τοσοῦτο ὥστε καὶ ἑστιῶνται τῶν χηραμῶν ἐντός, καὶ ὁπόσοις ἂν κατὰ γνώμην ᾖ, καὶ ἐγκαθεύδουσι.
By the river is a grove of plane trees, most of them hollow through age, and reached such a size that they even feast inside the cavities, as many as wish to do so, and sleep in them.
§7.22.2περίβολος δὲ ἀγορᾶς μέγας κατὰ τρόπον τὸν ἀρχαιότερόν ἐστιν ἐν Φαραῖς, Ἑρμοῦ δὲ ἐν μέσῃ τῇ ἀγορᾷ λίθου πεποιημένον ἄγαλμα ἔχον καὶ γένεια· ἑστηκὼς δὲ πρὸς αὐτῇ τῇ γῇ παρέχεται μὲν τὸ τετράγωνον σχῆμα, μεγέθει δέ ἐστιν οὐ μέγας.
There is in Pharae a large enclosure of the marketplace after the ancient fashion, and in the middle of the marketplace is a stone image of Hermes, having a beard; standing on the ground itself, it presents a square shape, but is not large in size.
καὶ αὐτῷ καὶ ἐπίγραμμα ἔπεστιν, ἀναθεῖναι αὐτὸ Μεσσήνιον Σιμύλον·
On it is also an inscription, stating that Simylus the Messenian dedicated it.
καλεῖται μὲν δὴ Ἀγοραῖος, παρὰ δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ χρηστήριον καθέστηκε.
He is called indeed Agoraeus, and by him is established an oracle.
κεῖται δὲ πρὸ τοῦ ἀγάλματος ἑστία, λίθου καὶ αὐτή, μολίβδῳ δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἑστίαν προσέχονται λύχνοι χαλκοῖ.
Before the image lies a hearth, also of stone, and to the hearth bronze lamps are fastened with lead.
§7.22.3ἀφικόμενος οὖν περὶ ἑσπέραν ὁ τῷ θεῷ χρώμενος λιβανωτόν τε ἐπὶ τῆς ἑστίας θυμιᾷ καὶ ἐμπλήσας τοὺς λύχνους ἐλαίου καὶ ἐξάψας τίθησιν ἐπὶ τὸν βωμὸν τοῦ ἀγάλματος ἐν δεξιᾷ νόμισμα ἐπιχώριον— καλεῖται δὲ χαλκοῦς τὸ νόμισμα—καὶ ἐρωτᾷ πρὸς τὸ οὖς τὸν θεὸν ὁποῖόν τι καὶ ἑκάστῳ τὸ ἐρώτημά ἐστι.
The inquirer of the god, coming about evening, burns incense upon the hearth, and having filled the lamps with oil and lit them, places on the altar to the right of the image a local coin—the coin is called a chalcus—and whispers into the ear of the god whatever his question may be.
τὸ ἀπὸ τούτου δὲ ἄπεισιν ἐκ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἐπιφραξάμενος τὰ ὦτα· προελθὼν δὲ ἐς τὸ ἐκτὸς τὰς χεῖρας ἀπέσχεν ἀπὸ τῶν ὤτων, καὶ ἧστινος ἂν ἐπακούσῃ φωνῆς, μάντευμα ἡγεῖται.
After this, he departs from the marketplace, stopping up his ears; and having gone outside, he removes his hands from his ears, and whatever utterance he hears, he regards as an oracle.
§7.22.4τοιαύτη καὶ Αἰγυπτίοις ἑτέρα περὶ τοῦ Ἄπιδος τὸ ἱερὸν μαντεία καθέστηκεν·
Another oracle of this kind is established among the Egyptians at the sanctuary of Apis.
ἐν Φαραῖς δὲ καὶ ὕδωρ ἱερόν ἐστι τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ· Ἑρμοῦ νᾶμα μὲν τῇ πηγῇ τὸ ὄνομα, τοὺς δὲ ἰχθῦς οὐχ αἱροῦσιν ἐξ αὐτῆς, ἀνάθημα εἶναι τοῦ θεοῦ νομίζοντες.
In Pharae there is also water sacred to Hermes; "Hermes' Stream" is the name of the spring, and they do not catch the fish from it, holding them to be dedicated to the god.
ἑστήκασι δὲ ἐγγύτατα τοῦ ἀγάλματος τετράγωνοι λίθοι τριάκοντα μάλιστα ἀριθμόν· τούτους σέβουσιν οἱ Φαρεῖς, ἑκάστῳ θεοῦ τινὸς ὄνομα ἐπιλέγοντες.
Very close to the image stand about thirty square stones; these the Pharians worship, giving to each the name of some god.
τὰ δὲ ἔτι παλαιότερα καὶ τοῖς πᾶσιν Ἕλλησι τιμὰς θεῶν ἀντὶ ἀγαλμάτων εἶχον ἀργοὶ λίθοι.
In still more ancient times, among all the Greeks, unhewn stones had the honors of gods instead of images.
§7.22.5Φαρεῦσι δὲ ὅσον πέντε σταδίους καὶ δέκα ἀπωτέρω τῆς πόλεώς ἐστιν ἄλσος Διοσκούρων.
For the Pharians, about fifteen stades away from the city, there is a grove of the Dioscuri.
δάφναι μάλιστα ἐν αὐτῷ πεφύκασι, ναὸς δὲ οὐκ ἦν ἐν αὐτῷ οὐδὲ ἀγάλματα· κομισθῆναι δὲ οἱ ἐπιχώριοί φασιν ἐς Ῥώμην τὰ ἀγάλματα.
Chiefly laurels grow in it, but there was no temple in it nor any images; the natives say that the images were carried to Rome.
ἐν Φαραῖς δὲ ἐν τῷ ἄλσει βωμὸς λίθων λογάδων ἐστί.
In Pharae, in this grove, there is an altar of selected stones.
πυθέσθαι δὲ οὐκ εἶχον εἰ Φάρης ὁ Φυλοδαμείας τῆς Δαναοῦ σφισιν ἢ ὁμώνυμος ἐκείνῳ τις ἐγένετο οἰκιστής.
But I could not learn whether Phares, the son of Phylodameia, daughter of Danaus, was their founder, or some other person of the same name.