§8.30.1ὁ δὲ Ἑλισσὼν οὗτος ἀρχόμενος ἐκ κώμης ὁμωνύμου —καὶ γὰρ τῇ κώμῃ τὸ ὄνομα Ἑλισσών ἐστι—τήν τε Διπαιέων καὶ τὴν Λυκαιᾶτιν χώραν, τρίτα δὲ αὐτὴν διεξελθὼν Μεγάλην πόλιν, εἴκοσι σταδίοις ἀπωτέρω Μεγαλοπολιτῶν τοῦ ἄστεως κάτεισιν ἐς τὸν Ἀλφειόν.
This Helisson, starting from the village of the same name—for indeed the village has the name Helisson—having run through the territory of the Dipaieis and that of the Lycaeatis, and thirdly through Megalopolis itself, flows down into the Alpheus twenty stades away from the city of the Megalopolitans.
πλησίον δὲ ἤδη τῆς πόλεως Ποσειδῶνός ἐστιν Ἐπόπτου ναός· ἐλείπετο δὲ τοῦ ἀγάλματος ἡ κεφαλή.
Already near the city there is a temple of Poseidon Epoptes; only the head of the statue was left.
§8.30.2διαιροῦντος δὲ τὴν Μεγάλην πόλιν τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ Ἑλισσόντος, καθὰ δὴ καὶ Κνίδον καὶ Μιτυλήνην δίχα οἱ εὔριποι νέμουσιν, ἐν μέρει τῷ πρὸς ἄρκτους, δεξιῷ δὲ κατὰ τὸ μετέωρον τοῦ ποταμοῦ, πεποίηταί σφισιν ἀγορά.
Since the river Helisson divides Megalopolis, just as the straits divide Cnidus and Mitylene in two, in the northern part, and on the right side according to the high ground of the river, their agora has been made.
περίβολος δέ ἐστιν ἐν ταύτῃ λίθων καὶ ἱερὸν Λυκαίου Διός, ἔσοδος δὲ ἐς αὐτὸ οὐκ ἔστι· τὰ γὰρ ἐντός ἐστι δὴ σύνοπτα, βωμοί τέ εἰσι τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τράπεζαι δύο καὶ ἀετοὶ ταῖς τραπέζαις ἴσοι καὶ ἄγαλμα Πανὸς λίθου πεποιημένον·
In this there is an enclosure of stones and a sanctuary of Lycaean Zeus, but there is no entrance into it; for the inside is clearly visible, and there are altars of the god and two tables, and eagles equal in number to the tables, and a statue of Pan made of stone.
§8.30.3ἐπίκλησις δὲ Σινόεις ἐστὶν αὐτῷ, τήν τε ἐπίκλησιν γενέσθαι τῷ Πανὶ ἀπὸ νύμφης Σινόης λέγουσι, ταύτην δὲ σὺν ἄλλαις τῶν νυμφῶν καὶ ἰδίᾳ γενέσθαι τροφὸν τοῦ Πανός.
He has the surname Sinoeis, and they say that this surname was given to Pan after the nymph Sinoe, and that she, along with other nymphs and also individually, became the nurse of Pan.
ἔστι δὲ πρὸ τοῦ τεμένους τούτου χαλκοῦν ἄγαλμα Ἀπόλλωνος θέας ἄξιον, μέγεθος μὲν ἐς πόδας δώδεκα, ἐκομίσθη δὲ ἐκ τῆς Φιγαλέων συντέλεια ἐς κόσμον τῇ Μεγάλῃ πόλει.
In front of this sanctuary is a bronze statue of Apollo worth seeing, twelve feet in size, which was brought from the confederacy of the Phigalians as a contribution to adorn Megalopolis.
§8.30.4τὸ δὲ χωρίον ἔνθα τὸ ἄγαλμα ἵδρυτο ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑπὸ Φιγαλέων, ὀνομάζεται Βᾶσσαι· τῷ θεῷ δὲ ἡ ἐπίκλησις ἠκολούθηκε μὲν ἐκ τῆς Φιγαλέων, ἐφʼ ὅτῳ δὲ ὄνομα ἔσχεν Ἐπικούριος, δηλώσει μοι τὰ ἐς Φιγαλέας τοῦ λόγου.
The place where the statue was originally set up by the Phigalians is named Bassae; and the surname of the god followed from that of the Phigalians, but for what reason he obtained the name Epicurius, the part of my account concerning Phigalia will show.
ἔστι δὲ ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος ἄγαλμα οὐ μέγα Μητρὸς θεῶν, τοῦ ναοῦ δέ, ὅτι μὴ οἱ κίονες, ἄλλο ὑπόλοιπον οὐδέν.
On the right of Apollo is a small statue of the Mother of the Gods, but of the temple, except for the pillars, nothing else is left.
§8.30.5πρὸ δὲ τοῦ ναοῦ τῆς Μητρὸς ἀνδριὰς μὲν οὐδείς ἐστι, δῆλα δὲ ἦν τὰ βάθρα, ἐφʼ ὧν ἀνδριάντες ποτὲ ἑστήκεσαν.
In front of the temple of the Mother there is no statue, but the pedestals on which statues once stood were clear.
ἐλεγεῖον δὲ ἐπὶ ἑνὸς γεγραμμένον τῶν βάθρων Διοφάνους φησὶν εἶναι τὴν εἰκόνα, Διαίου μὲν υἱοῦ, συντάξαντος δὲ ἀνδρὸς πρώτου Πελοπόννησον τὴν πᾶσαν ἐς τὸν ὀνομασθέντα Ἀχαϊκὸν σύλλογον.
An elegiac couplet written on one of the pedestals says that the portrait is of Diophanes, the son of Diaeus, the man who first organized the whole of Peloponnese into what is called the Achaean League.
§8.30.6στοὰν δὲ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ὀνομαζομένην Φιλίππειον οὐ Φίλιππος ἐποίησεν ὁ Ἀμύντου, χαριζόμενοι δέ οἱ Μεγαλοπολῖται τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν διδόασιν αὐτῷ τοῦ οἰκοδομήματος.
The portico of the agora called the Philippium was not built by Philip the son of Amyntas, but the Megalopolitans, to show him favor, gave his name to the building.
Ἑρμοῦ δὲ Ἀκακησίου πρὸς αὐτῇ ναὸς κατεβέβλητο, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐλείπετο ὅτι μὴ χελώνη λίθου.
Near it a temple of Hermes Acacesius had been thrown down, and nothing was left except a tortoise of stone.
ταύτης δὲ ἔχεται τῆς Φιλιππείου μέγεθος ἀποδέουσα ἑτέρα στοά, Μεγαλοπολίταις δὲ αὐτόθι ᾠκοδομημένα ἐστὶ τὰ ἀρχεῖα, ἀριθμὸν οἰκήματα ἕξ· ἐν ἑνὶ δέ ἐστιν αὐτῶν Ἐφεσίας ἄγαλμα Ἀρτέμιδος καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ χαλκοῦς Πὰν πηχυαῖος ἐπίκλησιν Σκολείτας.
Adjoining this Philippium is another portico, smaller in size, and there the public offices of the Megalopolitans have been built, six chambers in number; in one of them is a statue of Ephesian Artemis, and in another a bronze Pan, one cubit high, surnamed Scoleitas.
§8.30.7μετεκομίσθη δὲ ἀπὸ λόφου τοῦ Σκολείτα· καὶ ὁ λόφος οὗτος τοῦ τείχους ἐστὶν ἐντός, ἀπὸ δὲ αὐτοῦ κάτεισιν ὕδωρ ἐς τὸν Ἑλισσόντα ἐκ πηγῆς.
It was brought from the hill Scoleitas; and this hill is inside the wall, and from it water flows down into the Helisson from a spring.
τῶν ἀρχείων δὲ ὄπισθε ναὸς Τύχης καὶ ἄγαλμα λίθου πεποίηται ποδῶν πέντε οὐκ ἀποδέον.
Behind the public offices is a temple of Tyche and a stone statue not less than five feet.
στοὰν δὲ ἥντινα καλοῦσι Μυρόπωλιν, ἔστι μὲν τῆς ἀγορᾶς, ᾠκοδομήθη δὲ ἀπὸ λαφύρων, ἡνίκα τὸ πταῖσμα ἐγένετο Ἀκροτάτῳ τῷ Κλεομένους καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων τοῖς συστρατεύσασι, μαχεσαμένοις πρὸς Ἀριστόδημον τυραννίδα ἐν Μεγάλῃ πόλει τότε ἔχοντα.
The portico which they call Myropolis is indeed in the agora, and it was built from spoils when the defeat befell Acrotatus the son of Cleomenes and the Lacedaemonians who campaigned with him, when they fought against Aristodemus who then held the tyranny in Megalopolis.
§8.30.8Μεγαλοπολίταις δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἐστιν ὄπισθεν τοῦ περιβόλου τοῦ ἀνειμένου τῷ Λυκαίῳ Διὶ ἀνὴρ ἐπειργασμένος ἐπὶ στήλῃ, Πολύβιος Λυκόρτα· γέγραπται δὲ καὶ ἐλεγεῖα ἐπʼ αὐτῷ λέγοντα ὡς ἐπὶ γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν πᾶσαν πλανηθείη, καὶ ὅτι σύμμαχος γένοιτο Ῥωμαίων καὶ παύσειεν αὐτοὺς ὀργῆς τῆς ἐς τὸ Ἑλληνικόν.
And for the Megalopolitans, in the agora behind the enclosure dedicated to Lycaean Zeus, there is a man carved on a stele, Polybius the son of Lycortas; and elegiac verses are written on it saying that he wandered over every land and sea, and that he became an ally of the Romans and stayed them from their anger against the Greek world.
συνέγραψε δὲ ὁ Πολύβιος οὗτος καὶ ἄλλα ἔργα Ῥωμαίων καὶ ὡς Καρχηδονίοις κατέστησαν ἐς πόλεμον, αἰτία τε ἥτις ἐγένετο αὐτοῦ καὶ ὡς ὀψὲ §8.30.9οὐκ ἄνευ κινδύνων μεγάλων Ῥωμαῖοι Σκιπίωνι ὅν τινα Καρχηδονιακὸν ὀνομάζουσι τέλος τε ἐπιθέντα τῷ πολέμῳ καὶ τὴν Καρχηδόνα καταβαλόντα ἐς ἔδαφος.
This Polybius also wrote other exploits of the Romans, and how they went to war with the Carthaginians, and what the cause of it was, and how at last, not without great dangers, the Romans, under Scipio whom they call Carthaginiensis, both put an end to the war and razed Carthage to the ground.
ὅσα μὲν δὴ Πολυβίῳ παραινοῦντι ὁ Ῥωμαῖος ἐπείθετο, ἐς ὀρθὸν ἐχώρησεν αὐτῷ· ἃ δὲ οὐκ ἠκροᾶτο διδάσκοντος, γενέσθαι οἱ λέγουσιν ἁμαρτήματα.
Indeed, whatever the Roman complied with when Polybius advised him, went well for him; but what he did not listen to when he instructed him, they say turned into mistakes for him.
Ἑλλήνων δὲ ὁπόσαι πόλεις ἐς τὸ Ἀχαϊκὸν συνετέλουν, παρὰ Ῥωμαίων εὕραντο αὗται Πολύβιόν σφισι πολιτείας τε καταστήσασθαι καὶ νόμους θεῖναι.
And all the Greek cities that belonged to the Achaean League obtained from the Romans that Polybius should establish constitutions for them and enact laws.
τῆς δʼ εἰκόνος τοῦ Πολυβίου τὸ βουλευτήριόν ἐστιν ἐν ἀριστερᾷ.
On the left of the image of Polybius is the council-chamber.
§8.30.10τοῦτο μὲν δή ἐστιν ἐνταῦθα, στοὰν δὲ τῆς ἀγορᾶς Ἀριστάνδρειον ἐπίκλησιν ἄνδρα τῶν ἀστῶν Ἀρίστανδρον οἰκοδομῆσαι λέγουσι.
This is indeed here, and the portico of the agora surnamed Aristandreium is said to have been built by Aristander, one of the citizens.
ταύτης τῆς στοᾶς ἐστιν ἐγγυτάτω ὡς πρὸς ἥλιον ἀνίσχοντα ἱερὸν Σωτῆρος ἐπίκλησιν Διός· κεκόσμηται δὲ πέριξ κίοσι.
Very near this portico, towards the rising sun, is a sanctuary of Zeus surnamed the Savior; it is adorned all around with pillars.
καθεζομένῳ δὲ τῷ Διὶ ἐν θρόνῳ παρεστήκασι τῇ μὲν ἡ Μεγάλη πόλις, ἐν ἀριστερᾷ δὲ Ἀρτέμιδος Σωτείρας ἄγαλμα.
Beside Zeus sitting on a throne stand, on one side, Megalopolis, and on the left, a statue of Artemis the Savior.
ταῦτα μὲν λίθου τοῦ Πεντελησίου Ἀθηναῖοι Κηφισόδοτος καὶ Ξενοφῶν εἰργάσαντο·
These, of Pentelic marble, were made by the Athenians Cephisodotus and Xenophon.