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Pausanias · Description of Greece §8.7.1-8.7.8

The Untilled Plain and Divine Retribution on Philip II

Passage 308 of 465 · Greek

Summary

The author describes the natural wonders of the plain and springs near Mount Artemision in Mantinean territory, and discusses the legacy of King Philip of Macedon along with the divine retribution for his impiety.

§8.7.1ὑπερβαλόντα δὲ ἐς τὴν Μαντινικὴν διὰ τοῦ Ἀρτεμισίου πεδίον ἐκδέξεταί σε Ἀργὸν καλούμενον, καθάπερ γε καὶ ἔστι· τὸ γὰρ ὕδωρ τὸ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ κατερχόμενον ἐς αὐτὸ ἐκ τῶν ὀρῶν ἀργὸν εἶναι τὸ πεδίον ποιεῖ, ἐκώλυέ τε οὐδὲν ἂν τὸ πεδίον τοῦτο εἶναι λίμνην, εἰ μὴ τὸ ὕδωρ ἠφανίζετο ἐς χάσμα γῆς.
As you cross over into the territory of Mantinea through Mount Artemision, a plain called Argos (Uncultivated) will receive you, just as indeed it is; for the water coming down into it from the mountains by the act of the god makes the plain uncultivated, and nothing would have prevented this plain from being a lake, if the water did not disappear into a chasm of the earth.
§8.7.2ἀφανισθὲν δὲ ἐνταῦθα ἄνεισι κατὰ τὴν Δίνην· ἔστι δὲ ἡ Δίνη κατὰ τὸ Γενέθλιον καλούμενον τῆς Ἀργολίδος, ὕδωρ γλυκὺ ἐκ θαλάσσης ἀνερχόμενον.
Having disappeared there, it rises again at what is called Dine (the Whirlpool) in the Argolid, which is sweet water rising from the sea.
τὸ δὲ ἀρχαῖον καὶ καθίεσαν ἐς τὴν Δίνην τῷ Ποσειδῶνι ἵππους οἱ Ἀργεῖοι κεκοσμημένους χαλινοῖς.
In ancient times, the Argives used to cast into Dine, in honor of Poseidon, horses adorned with bridles.
γλυκὺ δὲ ὕδωρ ἐν θαλάσσῃ δῆλόν ἐστιν ἐνταῦθά τε ἀνιὸν ἐν τῇ Ἀργολίδι καὶ ἐν τῇ Θεσπρωτίδι κατὰ τὸ Χειμέριον καλούμενον.
That there is sweet water in the sea is evident both here, where it rises in the Argolid, and in Thesprotia at the place called Cheimerion.
§8.7.3θαύματος δὲ ἔτι πλέονός ἐστιν ἐν Μαιάνδρῳ ζέον ὕδωρ, τὸ μὲν ἐκ πέτρας, περιέχοντος τοῦ ῥεύματος τὴν πέτραν, τὸ δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἰλύος ἄνεισι τοῦ ποταμοῦ.
An even greater marvel is the boiling water in the Maeander, part of which rises from a rock, while the current surrounds the rock, and part also rises from the mud of the river.
πρὸ Δικαιαρχίας δὲ τῆς Τυρσηνῶν ὕδωρ τε ἐν θαλάσσῃ ζέον καὶ νῆσος διʼ αὐτό ἐστι χειροποίητος, ὡς μηδὲ τοῦτο τὸ ὕδωρ ἀργὸν εἶναι ἀλλά σφισι λουτρὰ θερμά.
Before Dicaearchia in the land of the Tyrrhenians, there is boiling water in the sea, and an artificial island has been constructed on account of it, so that this water is not left useless (argos) but provides them with warm baths.
§8.7.4τοῦ δὲ Ἀργοῦ καλουμένου πεδίου Μαντινεῦσιν ὄρος ἐστὶν ἐν ἀριστερᾷ, σκηνῆς τε Φιλίππου τοῦ Ἀμύντου καὶ κώμης ἐρείπια ἔχον Νεστάνης· πρὸς ταύτῃ γὰρ στρατοπεδεύσασθαι τῇ Νεστάνῃ Φίλιππον λέγουσι καὶ τὴν πηγὴν αὐτόθι ὀνομάζουσιν ἔτι ἀπὸ ἐκείνου Φιλίππιον.
On the left of the plain called Argos, for those of Mantinea, there is a mountain containing the ruins of the tent of Philip, son of Amyntas, and of the village of Nestane; for they say that Philip encamped near this Nestane, and they still call the spring there Philip's Spring after him.
ἀφίκετο δὲ ἐς Ἀρκαδίαν Φίλιππος οἰκειωσόμενός τε Ἀρκάδας καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἑλληνικοῦ σφᾶς τοῦ ἄλλου διαστήσων.
Philip came to Arcadia to win over the Arcadians and to alienate them from the rest of the Greek world.
§8.7.5Φίλιππον δὲ βασιλέων μὲν τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ καὶ ὅσοι Μακεδόσι γεγόνασιν ὕστερον, τούτων μὲν πείθοιτο ἄν τις μέγιστα αὐτὸν ἔργα ἐπιδείξασθαι· στρατηγὸν δὲ ἀγαθὸν οὐκ ἄν τις φρονῶν ὀρθὰ καλέσειεν αὐτόν, ὅς γε καὶ ὅρκους θεῶν κατεπάτησεν ἀεὶ καὶ σπονδὰς ἐπὶ παντὶ ἐψεύσατο πίστιν τε ἠτίμασε μάλιστα ἀνθρώπων.
Of Philip, one might indeed be persuaded that he displayed the greatest achievements among the kings before him and all who subsequently ruled the Macedonians; yet no one in his right mind would call him a good general, since he constantly trampled upon the oaths of the gods, broke treaties on every occasion, and dishonored good faith more than any other man.
§8.7.6καί οἱ τὸ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ μήνιμα ἀπήντησεν οὐκ ὀψέ, πρῶτα δὲ ὧν ἴσμεν.
And the wrath from the god met him not late, but earliest of those we know.
Φίλιππος μὲν οὐ πρόσω βιώσας ἕξ τε καὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἐτῶν τὸ μάντευμα ἐξετέλεσε τὸ ἐκ Δελφῶν, ὃ δὴ χρωμένῳ οἱ περὶ τοῦ Πέρσου γενέσθαι λέγουσιν, " ἔστεπται μὲν ὁ ταῦρος, ἔχει τέλος, ἔστιν ὁ θύσων·
Philip, having lived not far beyond forty-six years, fulfilled the oracle from Delphi, which they say was given to him when he inquired about the Persian: "The bull is crowned, it has its end, the slayer is there.
" τοῦτο μὲν δὴ οὐ μετὰ πολὺ ἐδήλωσεν οὐκ ἐς τὸν Μῆδον, ἀλλὰ ἐς αὐτὸν ἔχον Φίλιππον·
"This indeed showed not long after that it applied not to the Persian, but to Philip himself.
§8.7.7ἐπὶ δὲ Φιλίππῳ τελευτήσαντι Φιλίππου παῖδα νήπιον, γεγονότα δὲ ἐκ Κλεοπάτρας ἀδελφιδῆς Ἀττάλου, τοῦτον τὸν παῖδα ὁμοῦ τῇ μητρὶ Ὀλυμπιὰς ἐπὶ σκεύους χαλκοῦ πυρὸς ὑποβεβλημένου διέφθειρεν ἕλκουσα· χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον καὶ Ἀριδαῖον ἀπέκτεινεν.
Upon the death of Philip, Olympias dragged the infant child of Philip, born of Cleopatra the niece of Attalus, onto a bronze vessel under which a fire had been placed, and destroyed him together with his mother; and later she also killed Arrhidaeus.
ἔμελλε δὲ ἄρα ὁ δαίμων καὶ τὸ γένος τὸ Κασσάνδρου κακῶς ἐξαμήσειν· Κασσάνδρῳ δὲ οἱ παῖδες ἐκ Θεσσαλονίκης γεγόνασι τῆς Φιλίππου, Θεσσαλονίκῃ δὲ ἦσαν καὶ Ἀριδαίῳ μητέρες Θεσσαλαί.
It was destined, then, that the deity would also miserably harvest the race of Cassander; and Cassander had children by Thessalonica, the daughter of Philip, and the mothers of Thessalonica and Arrhidaeus were Thessalian women.
τὰ δὲ ἐς Ἀλέξανδρον καὶ τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁμοίως δῆλά ἐστιν·
As for the events concerning Alexander, they are likewise clear to everyone.
§8.7.8εἰ δὲ τῶν ἐς Γλαῦκον τὸν Σπαρτιάτην ἐποιήσατο ὁ Φίλιππος λόγον καὶ τὸ ἔπος ἐφʼ ἑκάστου τῶν ἔργων ἀνεμίμνησκεν αὑτόν, " ἀνδρὸς δʼ εὐόρκου γενεὴ μετόπισθεν ἀρείων, " οὐκ ἂν οὕτω δίχα λόγου δοκεῖ μοι θεῶν τις Ἀλεξάνδρου τε ὁμοῦ τὸν βίον καὶ ἀκμὴν τὴν Μακεδόνων σβέσαι.
But if Philip had taken account of the story concerning Glaucus the Spartan and had reminded himself of the verse at each of his actions: "But the posterity of a man who keeps his oath is better hereafter, "it does not seem to me that any of the gods would have quenched the life of Alexander and the prime of the Macedonians together in such an irrational manner.

Notes

  1. §8.7.1ὑπερβαλόντα — Accusative singular active participle, modifying the second-person singular pronoun `σε`, which is the direct object of the main verb `ἐκδέξεται`.
  2. §8.7.1ἐκώλυέ τε οὐδὲν ἂν ... εἰ μὴ ... ἠφανίζετο — A past contrary-to-fact conditional construction, consisting of `ἄν` with the imperfect indicative (`ἐκώλυε`) in the apodosis, and `εἰ μὴ` with the imperfect indicative (`ἠφανίζετο`) in the protasis.
  3. §8.7.3ὡς μηδὲ τοῦτο τὸ ὕδωρ ἀργὸν εἶναι — A consecutive clause introduced by `ὡς` with an infinitive. The adjective `ἀργόν` ("idle, useless") is used here as a wordplay linking back to the name of the plain "Argos" described in §8.7.1.
  4. §8.7.8οὐκ ἂν ... δόκει μοι ... σβέσαι — The apodosis of a contrary-to-fact condition. The particle `ἄν` goes with the infinitive `σβέσαι` in the accusative-and-infinitive construction, rather than with the governing verb `δόκει` (equivalent to `δόκει ἂν ... σβέσαι`).

Cite this passage

Pausanias, Description of Greece §8.7.1-8.7.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.7.1-8.7.8

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