Humanitext Reader

Pausanias · Description of Greece §8.5.8-8.5.13

Arcadian Kings from Simus and the Abolition of Monarchy

Passage 306 of 465 · Greek

Summary

The text records the reigns and events of the successive Arcadian kings from Simus to Aristocrates II. It describes how the injustices of the kings, including an outrage in a sanctuary and treachery against allies, eventually led to the abolition of the monarchy.

§8.5.8ἐπὶ δὲ Σίμου τοῦ Φιάλου βασιλεύοντος ἠφανίσθη Φιγαλεῦσιν ὑπὸ πυρὸς τῆς Μελαίνης Δήμητρος τὸ ἀρχαῖον ξόανον· ἐσήμαινε δὲ ἄρα οὐ μετὰ πολὺ ἔσεσθαι καὶ αὐτῷ Σίμῳ τοῦ βίου τὴν τελευτήν.
During the reign of Simus, the son of Phialus, the ancient wooden image of Black Demeter was destroyed by fire for the Phigalians; and it indicated, as it turned out, that not long after, Simus himself also would have the end of his life.
Πόμπου δὲ ἐκδεξαμένου τοῦ Σίμου τὴν ἀρχήν, Αἰγινῆται κατὰ ἐμπορίαν ἐσέπλεον ναυσὶν ἐς Κυλλήνην, ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ὑποζυγίοις τὰ φορτία ἀνῆγον παρὰ τοὺς Ἀρκάδας.
When Pompus succeeded Simus in the rule, the Aeginetans sailed into Cyllene with ships for trade, and from there brought up their cargoes with beasts of burden to the Arcadians.
ἀντὶ τούτου ἐτίμησεν ὁ Πόμπος μεγάλως, καὶ δὴ καὶ ὄνομα Αἰγινήτην τῷ παιδὶ ἔθετο ἐπὶ τῶν Αἰγινητῶν τῇ φιλίᾳ.
In return for this, Pompus honored them greatly, and indeed even named his son Aeginetes out of friendship for the Aeginetans.
§8.5.9μετὰ δὲ Αἰγινήτην Πολυμήστωρ ἐγένετο ὁ Αἰγινήτου βασιλεὺς Ἀρκάδων, καὶ Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ Χάριλλος πρῶτον τότε ἐς τὴν Τεγεατῶν ἐσβάλλουσι στρατιᾷ· καὶ σφᾶς αὐτοί τε οἱ Τεγεᾶται καὶ γυναῖκες ὅπλα ἐνδῦσαι μάχῃ νικῶσι, καὶ τόν τε ἄλλον στρατὸν καὶ αὐτὸν Χάριλλον ζῶντα αἱροῦσι.
After Aeginetes, Polymestor, the son of Aeginetes, became king of the Arcadians, and the Lacedaemonians and Charillus then first invaded the territory of the Tegeans with an army; and both the Tegeans themselves and their women, who had put on armor, defeated them in battle, and captured the rest of the army and Charillus himself alive.
Χαρίλλου μὲν δὴ καὶ τῆς σὺν αὐτῷ στρατιᾶς ἐς πλέον μνήμην ποιησόμεθα ἐν τοῖς Τεγεατικοῖς·
Of Charillus indeed and the army with him, we shall make fuller mention in our account of Tegea.
§8.5.10Πολυμήστορι δὲ οὐ γενομένων παίδων παρέλαβεν Αἶχμις τὴν ἀρχήν, Βριάκα μὲν παῖς, Πολυμήστορος δὲ ἀδελφιδοῦς· Αἰγινήτου γὰρ ἦν καὶ Βριάκας, νεώτερος δὲ ἦν Πολυμήστορος.
As Polymestor had no children, Aechmis succeeded to the rule, being the son of Briacas but a nephew of Polymestor; for Briacas also was a son of Aeginetes, but was younger than Polymestor.
Αἴχμιδος δὲ βασιλεύσαντος Λακεδαιμονίοις ἐγένετο ὁ πρὸς Μεσσηνίους πόλεμος· τοῖς δὲ Ἀρκάσιν ὑπῆρχε μὲν ἐς τοὺς Μεσσηνίους εὔνοια ἐξ ἀρχῆς, τότε δὲ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους ἐμαχέσαντο μετὰ Ἀριστοδήμου βασιλεύοντος ἐν Μεσσήνῃ.
When Aechmis was king, the war against the Messenians befell the Lacedaemonians; and while the Arcadians had from the beginning goodwill toward the Messenians, they then also openly fought against the Lacedaemonians along with Aristodemus, who was reigning in Messene.
§8.5.11Ἀριστοκράτης δὲ ὁ Αἴχμιδος τάχα μέν που καὶ ἄλλα ἐς τοὺς Ἀρκάδας ὕβρισεν· ἃ δὲ ἀνοσιώτατα ἔργων ἐς θεοὺς ἐργασάμενον οἶδα αὐτόν, ἐπέξεισί μοι ταῦτα ὁ λόγος.
Aristocrates, the son of Aechmis, probably committed other acts of insolence against the Arcadians; but those of his deeds against the gods which I know to be the most impious, this account will relate in detail.
ἔστιν Ἀρτέμιδος ἱερὸν Ὑμνίας ἐπίκλησιν.
There is a sanctuary of Artemis surnamed Hymnia.
τοῦτο ἐν ὅροις μέν ἐστιν Ὀρχομενίων, πρὸς δὲ τῇ Μαντινικῇ· σέβουσιν ἐκ παλαιοτάτου καὶ οἱ πάντες Ἀρκάδες Ὑμνίαν Ἄρτεμιν.
This is within the borders of the Orchomenians, but close to the Mantinean territory; and all the Arcadians from of old worship Hymnian Artemis.
ἐλάμβανε δὲ τὴν ἱερωσύνην τῆς θεοῦ τότε ἔτι κόρη παρθένος.
And at that time, a young maiden still held the priesthood of the goddess.
§8.5.12Ἀριστοκράτης δέ, ὥς οἱ πειρῶντι τὴν παρθένον ἀντέβαινεν ἀεὶ τὰ παρʼ αὐτῆς, τέλος καταφυγοῦσαν ἐς τὸ ἱερὸν παρὰ τῇ Ἀρτέμιδι ᾔσχυνεν.
But Aristocrates, when, to his attempts on the maiden, her resistance was constant, at last outraged her when she had fled for refuge into the sanctuary before Artemis.
ὡς δὲ ἐς ἅπαντας ἐξηγγέλθη τὸ τόλμημα, τὸν μὲν καταλιθοῦσιν οἱ Ἀρκάδες, μετεβλήθη δὲ ἐξ ἐκείνου καὶ ὁ νόμος· ἀντὶ γὰρ παρθένου διδόασι τῇ Ἀρτέμιδι ἱέρειαν γυναῖκα ὁμιλίας ἀνδρῶν ἀποχρώντως ἔχουσαν.
And when the outrage was reported to all, the Arcadians stoned him to death, and from that time on the law also was changed; for instead of a maiden they give to Artemis as priestess a woman who has had sufficient intercourse with men.
§8.5.13τούτου δὲ υἱὸς ἐγένετο Ἱκέτας, Ἱκέτα δὲ Ἀριστοκράτης ἄλλος ὁμώνυμός τε τῷ προγόνῳ καὶ δὴ καὶ τοῦ βίου τὴν αὐτὴν ἔσχεν ἐκείνῳ τελευτήν· κατελίθωσαν γὰρ καὶ τοῦτον οἱ Ἀρκάδες, φωράσαντες δῶρα ἐκ Λακεδαίμονος εἰληφότα καὶ Μεσσηνίοις τὸ ἐπὶ τῇ Μεγάλῃ τάφρῳ πταῖσμα προδοσίαν τοῦ Ἀριστοκράτους οὖσαν.
His son was Hicetas, and the son of Hicetas was another Aristocrates, of the same name as his ancestor, and indeed he also had the same end of life as he did; for the Arcadians stoned him too, having discovered that he had taken bribes from Lacedaemon and that the defeat of the Messenians at the Great Trench was due to the treachery of Aristocrates.
αὕτη δὲ ἡ ἀδικία καὶ τῷ γένει τῷ ἀπὸ Κυψέλου παντὶ παρέσχεν αἰτίαν παυσθῆναι τῆς ἀρχῆς.
And this injustice also brought about the reason for the whole house of Cypselus to be deprived of the rule.

Notes

  1. 8.5.8Φιγαλεῦσιν — Dative of interest (specifically, dative of disadvantage), indicating the people who suffered the loss of the ancient statue. Translated as "for the Phigalians".
  2. 8.5.11ἃ δὲ ἀνοσιώτατα ἔργων — The relative pronoun `ἃ` introduces a relative clause containing the superlative adjective `ἀνοσιώτατα` with the partitive genitive `ἔργων`. The antecedent of the entire relative clause is the demonstrative pronoun `ταῦτα` in the main clause, meaning "those of his deeds against the gods which [I know to be] the most impious...".
  3. 8.5.12ὥς οἱ πειρῶντι τὴν παρθένον ἀντέβαινεν ἀεὶ τὰ παρʼ αὐτῆς — A subordinate clause introduced by the conjunction `ὡς` ("when" or "since"). The subject is the neuter plural phrase `τὰ παρʼ αὐτῆς` ("the things from her side", i.e., her response/resistance), and the main verb `ἀντέβαινεν` governs the dative singular personal pronoun `οἱ` ("to him") with which the present participle `πειρῶντι` ("making attempts") agrees.
  4. 8.5.13προδοσίαν τοῦ Ἀριστοκράτους οὖσαν — A participle construction in the accusative acting as the object of the verb `φωράσαντες` ("having discovered"). The present participle `οὖσαν` agrees with `προδοσίαν` ("treachery"), which is in apposition to or characterization of the noun `πταῖσμα` ("defeat"), meaning "having discovered that the defeat... was the treachery of Aristocrates."

Cite this passage

Pausanias, Description of Greece §8.5.8-8.5.13. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.5.8-8.5.13

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.