§9.11.1ἐν ἀριστερᾷ δὲ τῶν πυλῶν, ἃς ὀνομάζουσιν Ἠλέκτρας, οἰκίας ἐστὶν ἐρείπια ἔνθα οἰκῆσαί φασιν Ἀμφιτρύωνα διὰ τὸν Ἠλεκτρύωνος θάνατον φεύγοντα ἐκ Τίρυνθος· καὶ τῆς Ἀλκμήνης ἐστὶν ἔτι ὁ θάλαμος ἐν τοῖς ἐρειπίοις δῆλος.
On the left of the gates which they call the Electra gates, there are ruins of a house where they say Amphitryon dwelt when he was fleeing from Tiryns because of the death of Electryon; and the bedchamber of Alcmene is still clear among the ruins.
οἰκοδομῆσαι δὲ αὐτὸν τῷ Ἀμφιτρύωνι Τροφώνιόν φασι καὶ Ἀγαμήδην, καὶ ἐπίγραμμα ἐπʼ αὐτῷ ἐπιγραφῆναι τόδε· "
Ἀμφιτρύων ὅτʼ ἔμελλʼ ἀγαγέσθαι δεῦρο γυναῖκα
Ἀλκμήνην, θάλαμόν γʼ εἱλίξατο τοῦτον ἑαυτῷ· Ἀγχάσιος δʼ ἐποίησε Τροφώνιος ἠδʼ Ἀγαμήδης. "
They say that Trophonius and Agamedes built it for Amphitryon, and that this inscription was written upon it: "When Amphitryon was about to bring his wife Alcmene here, he built this bedchamber for himself; and Trophonius, son of Anchasius, and Agamedes made it.
§9.11.2τοῦτο μὲν ἐνταῦθα οἱ Θηβαῖοι γραφῆναι λέγουσιν· ἐπιδεικνύουσι δὲ Ἡρακλέους τῶν παίδων τῶν ἐκ Μεγάρας μνῆμα, οὐδέν τι ἀλλοίως τὰ ἐς τὸν θάνατον λέγοντες ἢ Στησίχορος ὁ Ἱμεραῖος καὶ Πανύασσις ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσιν ἐποίησαν.
"The Thebans say that this was written there; and they point out the grave of the children of Hercules by Megara, telling the story of their death in no way differently from what Stesichorus of Himera and Panyassis wrote in their epic poems.
Θηβαῖοι δὲ καὶ τάδε ἐπιλέγουσιν, ὡς Ἡρακλῆς ὑπὸ τῆς μανίας καὶ Ἀμφιτρύωνα ἔμελλεν ἀποκτιννύναι, πρότερον δὲ ἄρα ὕπνος ἐπέλαβεν αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ λίθου τῆς πληγῆς· Ἀθηνᾶν δὲ εἶναι τὴν ἐπαφεῖσάν οἱ τὸν λίθον τοῦτον ὅντινα Σωφρονιστῆρα ὀνομάζουσιν.
The Thebans also add this: that Hercules, in his madness, was about to kill Amphitryon as well, but before he could do so, sleep overcame him because of the blow of the stone; and they say that it was Athena who hurled this stone at him, which they call Sophronister (Chastiser).
§9.11.3ἐνταῦθά εἰσιν ἐπὶ τύπου γυναικῶν εἰκόνες· ἀμυδρότερα ἤδη τὰ ἀγάλματα· ταύτας καλοῦσιν οἱ Θηβαῖοι Φαρμακίδας, πεμφθῆναι δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς Ἤρας φασὶν ἐμπόδια εἶναι ταῖς ὠδῖσιν Ἀλκμήνης.
Here there are images of women in relief; the statues are already rather faint; these the Thebans call Pharmacides (Witches), and they say they were sent by Hera to be a hindrance to the labor of Alcmene.
αἱ μὲν δὴ ἐπεῖχον Ἀλκμήνην μὴ τεκεῖν· Τειρεσίου δὲ θυγατρὶ Ἱστορίδι σόφισμα ἔπεισιν ἐς τὰς Φαρμακίδας, ἐς ἐπήκοον αὐτῶν ὀλολύξαι, τετοκέναι γὰρ τὴν Ἀλκμήνην· οὕτω τὰς μὲν ἀπατηθείσας ἀπελθεῖν, τὴν δὲ Ἀλκμήνην τεκεῖν φασιν.
These indeed prevented Alcmene from giving birth; but Historis, the daughter of Tiresias, thought of a trick against the Pharmacides, and cried out in their hearing that Alcmene had given birth; thus, they say, the deceived ones went away, and Alcmene gave birth.
§9.11.4ἐνταῦθα Ἡρακλεῖόν ἐστιν, ἄγαλμα δὲ τὸ μὲν λίθου λευκοῦ Πρόμαχος καλούμενον, ἔργον δὲ Ξενοκρίτου καὶ Εὐβίου Θηβαίων· τὸ δὲ ξόανον τὸ ἀρχαῖον Θηβαῖοί τε εἶναι Δαιδάλου νενομίκασι καὶ αὐτῷ μοι παρίστατο ἔχειν οὕτω.
Here is a sanctuary of Hercules; one of the statues, made of white stone, is called Promachus (Champion), and is the work of Xenocritus and Eubius, both Thebans; but the ancient wooden image the Thebans believe to be by Daedalus, and it occurred to me also that it was so.
τοῦτον ἀνέθηκεν αὐτός, ὡς λέγεται, Δαίδαλος ἐκτίνων εὐεργεσίας χάριν.
Daedalus himself dedicated this, as it is said, in repayment of a benefit.
ἡνίκα γὰρ ἔφευγεν ἐκ Κρήτης πλοῖα οὐ μεγάλα αὑτῷ καὶ τῷ παιδὶ Ἰκάρῳ ποιησάμενος, πρὸς δὲ καὶ ταῖς ναυσίν, ὃ μή πω τοῖς τότε ἐξεύρητο, ἱστία ἐπιτεχνησάμενος, ὡς τοῦ Μίνω ναυτικοῦ τὴν εἰρεσίαν φθάνοιεν ἐπιφόρῳ τῷ ἀνέμῳ χρώμενοι, τότε αὐτὸς μὲν σώζεται Δαίδαλος, §9.11.5Ἰκάρῳ δὲ κυβερνῶντι ἀμαθέστερον ἀνατραπῆναι τὴν ναῦν λέγουσιν· ἀποπνιγέντα δὲ ἐξήνεγκεν ὁ κλύδων ἐς τὴν ὑπὲρ Σάμου νῆσον ἔτι οὖσαν ἀνώνυμον.
For when he was fleeing from Crete, having made small boats for himself and his son Icarus, and besides, having fitted them with sails—a thing not yet discovered by those of that time—so that they might outstrip the rowing of Minos' navy by using a favorable wind, then Daedalus himself was saved, but they say that the ship was overturned because Icarus steered too unskillfully; and the wave washed him, after he was drowned, to the island above Samos, which was then still nameless.
ἐπιτυχὼν δὲ Ἡρακλῆς γνωρίζει τὸν νεκρόν, καὶ ἔθαψεν ἔνθα καὶ νῦν ἔτι αὐτῷ χῶμα οὐ μέγα ἐπὶ ἄκρας ἐστὶν ἀνεχούσης ἐς τὸ Αἰγαῖον.
Hercules, happening upon him, recognized the corpse, and buried him where even now there is still a small mound for him on a promontory jutting out into the Aegean.
ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Ἰκάρου τούτου ὄνομα ἥ τε νῆσος καὶ ἡ περὶ αὐτὴν θάλασσα ἔσχηκε.
From this Icarus both the island and the sea around it have got their name.
§9.11.6Θηβαίοις δὲ τὰ ἐν τοῖς ἀετοῖς Πραξιτέλης ἐποίησε τὰ πολλὰ τῶν δώδεκα καλουμένων ἄθλων· καί σφισι τὰ ἐς τὰς ὄρνιθας ἐνδεῖ τὰς ἐπὶ Στυμφάλῳ καὶ ὡς ἐκάθηρεν Ἡρακλῆς τὴν Ἠλείαν χώραν, ἀντὶ τούτων δὲ ἡ πρὸς Ἀνταῖον πάλη πεποίηται.
For the Thebans, Praxiteles made the sculptures in the pediments representing most of the so-called twelve labors; and of these, the labor against the birds at Stymphalus and how Hercules cleansed the land of Elis are missing, but in their place the wrestling with Antaeus is represented.
Θρασύβουλος δὲ ὁ Λύκου καὶ Ἀθηναίων οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ τυραννίδα τὴν τῶν τριάκοντα καταλύσαντες—ὁρμηθεῖσι γάρ σφισιν ἐκ Θηβῶν ἐγένετο ἡ κάθοδος—Ἀθηνᾶν καὶ Ἡρακλέα κολοσσοὺς ἐπὶ λίθου τύπου τοῦ Πεντελῆσιν, ἔργα δὲ Ἀλκαμένους, ἀνέθηκαν ἐς τὸ Ἡρακλεῖον.
Thrasybulus, the son of Lycus, and the Athenians with him, having overthrown the tyranny of the Thirty—for their return was made starting from Thebes—dedicated colossal statues of Athena and Hercules of Pentelic stone in relief, works of Alcamenes, in the sanctuary of Hercules.
§9.11.7τοῦ δὲ Ἡρακλείου γυμνάσιον ἔχεται καὶ στάδιον, ἀμφότερα ἐπώνυμα τοῦ θεοῦ.
Adjoining the sanctuary of Hercules are a gymnasium and a stadium, both named after the god.
ὑπὲρ δὲ τὸν Σωφρονιστῆρα λίθον βωμός ἐστιν Ἀπόλλωνος ἐπίκλησιν Σποδίου, πεποίηται δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς τέφρας τῶν ἱερείων.
Above the stone Sophronister is an altar of Apollo called Spodius (Of Ashes), and it is made from the ashes of the victims.
μαντικὴ δὲ καθέστηκεν αὐτόθι ἀπὸ κληδόνων, ᾗ δὴ καὶ Σμυρναίους μάλιστα Ἑλλήνων χρωμένους οἶδα· ἔστι γὰρ καὶ Σμυρναίοις ὑπὲρ τὴν πόλιν κατὰ τὸ ἐκτὸς τοῦ τείχους Κληδόνων ἱερόν.
A method of divination from ominous voices is established there, which indeed I know the Smyrnaeans use most of all the Greeks; for the Smyrnaeans also have a sanctuary of Ominous Voices above the city, outside the wall.