ἐσελθόντων δὲ ἐς τὴν πόλιν ἐστὶν Ἀντιόπης μνῆμα Ἀμαζόνος. ταύτην τὴν Ἀντιόπην Πίνδαρος μέν φησιν ὑπὸ Πειρίθου καὶ Θησέως ἁρπασθῆναι, Τροιζηνίῳ δὲ Ἡγίᾳ τοιάδε ἐς αὐτὴν πεποίηται· Ἡρακλέα Θεμίσκυραν πολιορκοῦντα τὴν ἐπὶ Θερμώδοντι ἑλεῖν μὴ δύνασθαι, Θησέως δὲ ἐρασθεῖσαν Ἀντιόπην— στρατεῦσαι γὰρ ἅμα Ἡρακλεῖ καὶ Θησέα—παραδοῦναι τὸ χωρίον. τάδε μὲν Ἡγίας πεποίηκεν· Ἀθηναῖοι δέ φασιν, ἐπεί τε ἦλθον Ἀμαζόνες, Ἀντιόπην μὲν ὑπὸ Μολπαδίας τοξευθῆναι, Μολπαδίαν δὲ ἀποθανεῖν ὑπὸ Θησέως. καὶ μνῆμά ἐστι καὶ Μολπαδίας Ἀθηναίοις.
ἀνιόντων δὲ ἐκ Πειραιῶς ἐρείπια τῶν τειχῶν ἐστιν, ἃ Κόνων ὕστερον τῆς πρὸς Κνίδῳ ναυμαχίας ἀνέστησε· τὰ γὰρ Θεμιστοκλέους μετὰ τὴν ἀναχώρησιν οἰκοδομηθέντα τὴν Μήδων ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς καθῃρέθη τῶν τριάκοντα ὀνομαζομένων. εἰσὶ δὲ τάφοι κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν γνωριμώτατοι Μενάνδρου τοῦ Διοπείθους καὶ μνῆμα Εὐριπίδου κενόν· τέθαπται δὲ Εὐριπίδης ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ παρὰ τὸν βασιλέα ἐλθὼν Ἀρχέλαον, ὁ δέ οἱ τοῦ θανάτου τρόπος—πολλοῖς γάρ ἐστιν εἰρημένος—ἐχέτω καθὰ λέγουσιν.
συνῆσαν δὲ ἄρα καὶ τότε τοῖς βασιλεῦσι ποιηταὶ καὶ πρότερον ἔτι καὶ Πολυκράτει Σάμου τυραννοῦντι Ἀνακρέων παρῆν καὶ ἐς Συρακούσας πρὸς Ἱέρωνα Αἰσχύλος καὶ Σιμωνίδης ἐστάλησαν· Διονυσίῳ δέ, ὃς ὕστερον ἐτυράννησεν ἐν Σικελίᾳ, Φιλόξενος παρῆν καὶ Ἀντιγόνῳ Μακεδόνων ἄρχοντι Ἀνταγόρας Ῥόδιος καὶ Σολεὺς Ἄρατος. Ἡσίοδος δὲ καὶ Ὅμηρος ἢ συγγενέσθαι βασιλεῦσιν ἠτύχησαν ἢ καὶ ἑκόντες ὠλιγώρησαν, ὁ μὲν ἀγροικίᾳ καὶ ὄκνῳ πλάνης, Ὅμηρος δὲ ἀποδημήσας ἐπὶ μακρότατον καὶ τὴν ὠφέλειαν τὴν ἐς χρήματα παρὰ τῶν δυνατῶν ὑστέραν θέμενος τῆς παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς δόξης, ἐπεὶ καὶ Ὁμήρῳ πεποιημένα ἐστὶν Ἀλκίνῳ παρεῖναι Δημόδοκον καὶ ὡς Ἀγαμέμνων καταλείποι τινὰ παρὰ τῇ γυναικὶ ποιητήν. —ἔστι δὲ τάφος οὐ πόρρω τῶν πυλῶν, ἐπίθημα ἔχων στρατιώτην ἵππῳ παρεστηκότα· ὅντινα μέν, οὐκ οἶδα, Πραξιτέλης δὲ καὶ τὸν ἵππον καὶ τὸν στρατιώτην ἐποίησεν.
ἐσελθόντων δὲ ἐς τὴν πόλιν οἰκοδόμημα ἐς παρασκευήν ἐστι τῶν πομπῶν, ἃς πέμπουσι τὰς μὲν ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος, τὰς δὲ καὶ χρόνον διαλείποντες. καὶ πλησίον ναός ἐστι Δήμητρος, ἀγάλματα δὲ αὐτή τε καὶ ἡ παῖς καὶ δᾷδα ἔχων Ἴακχος· γέγραπται δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ τοίχῳ γράμμασιν Ἀττικοῖς ἔργα εἶναι Πραξιτέλους. τοῦ ναοῦ δὲ οὐ πόρρω Ποσειδῶν ἐστιν ἐφʼ ἵππου, δόρυ ἀφιεὶς ἐπὶ γίγαντα Πολυβώτην, ἐς ὃν Κῴοις ὁ μῦθος ὁ περὶ τῆς ἄκρας ἔχει τῆς Χελώνης· τὸ δὲ ἐπίγραμμα τὸ ἐφʼ ἡμῶν τὴν εἰκόνα ἄλλῳ δίδωσι καὶ οὐ Ποσειδῶνι. στοαὶ δέ εἰσιν ἀπὸ τῶν πυλῶν ἐς τὸν Κεραμεικὸν καὶ εἰκόνες πρὸ αὐτῶν χαλκαῖ καὶ γυναικῶν καὶ ἀνδρῶν, ὅσοις τι ὑπῆρχεν ἐς δόξαν.
ἡ δὲ ἑτέρα τῶν στοῶν ἔχει μὲν ἱερὰ θεῶν, ἔχει δὲ γυμνάσιον Ἑρμοῦ καλούμενον· ἔστι δὲ ἐν αὐτῇ Πουλυτίωνος οἰκία, καθʼ ἣν παρὰ τὴν ἐν Ἐλευσῖνι δρᾶσαι τελετὴν Ἀθηναίων φασὶν οὐ τοὺς ἀφανεστάτους· ἐπʼ ἐμοῦ δὲ ἀνεῖτο Διονύσῳ. Διόνυσον δὲ τοῦτον καλοῦσι Μελπόμενον ἐπὶ λόγῳ τοιῷδε ἐφʼ ὁποίῳ περ Ἀπόλλωνα Μουσηγέτην. ἐνταῦθά ἐστιν Ἀθηνᾶς ἄγαλμα Παιωνίας καὶ Διὸς καὶ Μνημοσύνης καὶ Μουσῶν, Ἀπόλλων τε ἀνάθημα καὶ ἔργον Εὐβουλίδου, καὶ δαίμων τῶν ἀμφὶ Διόνυσον Ἄκρατος· πρόσωπόν ἐστίν οἱ μόνον ἐνῳκοδομημένον τοίχῳ. μετὰ δὲ τὸ τοῦ Διονύσου τέμενός ἐστιν οἴκημα ἀγάλματα ἔχον ἐκ πηλοῦ, βασιλεὺς Ἀθηναίων Ἀμφικτύων ἄλλους τε θεοὺς ἑστιῶν καὶ Διόνυσον. ἐνταῦθα καὶ Πήγασός ἐστιν Ἐλευθερεύς, ὃς Ἀθηναίοις τὸν θεὸν ἐσήγαγε· συνεπελάβετο δέ οἱ τὸ ἐν Δελφοῖς μαντεῖον ἀναμνῆσαν τὴν ἐπὶ Ἰκαρίου ποτὲ ἐπιδημίαν τοῦ θεοῦ.
τὴν δὲ βασιλείαν Ἀμφικτύων ἔσχεν οὕτως. Ἀκταῖον λέγουσιν ἐν τῇ νῦν Ἀττικῇ βασιλεῦσαι πρῶτον· ἀποθανόντος δὲ Ἀκταίου Κέκροψ ἐκδέχεται τὴν ἀρχὴν θυγατρὶ συνοικῶν Ἀκταίου, καί οἱ γίνονται θυγατέρες μὲν Ἕρση καὶ Ἄγλαυρος καὶ Πάνδροσος, υἱὸς δὲ Ἐρυσίχθων· οὗτος οὐκ ἐβασίλευσεν Ἀθηναίων, ἀλλά οἱ τοῦ πατρὸς ζῶντος τελευτῆσαι συνέβη, καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν τὴν Κέκροπος Κραναὸς ἐξεδέξατο, Ἀθηναίων δυνάμει προύχων. Κραναῷ δὲ θυγατέρας καὶ ἄλλας καὶ Ἀτθίδα γενέσθαι λέγουσιν· ἀπὸ ταύτης ὀνομάζουσιν Ἀττικὴν τὴν χώραν, πρότερον καλουμένην Ἀκταίαν. Κραναῷ δὲ Ἀμφικτύων ἐπαναστάς, θυγατέρα ὅμως ἔχων αὐτοῦ, παύει τῆς ἀρχῆς· καὶ αὐτὸς ὕστερον ὑπὸ Ἐριχθονίου καὶ τῶν συνεπαναστάντων ἐκπίπτει· πατέρα δὲ Ἐριχθονίῳ λέγουσιν ἀνθρώπων μὲν οὐδένα εἶναι, γονέας δὲ Ἥφαιστον καὶ Γῆν.
Entering the city we come to the tomb of Antiope the Amazon. Pindar says that this Antiope was carried off by Pirithous and Theseus; but, as told by the poet Hegias of Troezen, the story is that when Hercules was besieging Themiscyra on the Thermodon and could not take it, Antiope surrendered the place because she had fallen in love with Theseus, who had gone with Hercules to the war. So says the poet Hegias; but the Athenians say that, when the Amazons came, Antiope was shot with an arrow by Molpadia, and that Molpadia was slain by Theseus. There is a tomb of Molpadia also at Athens.
Going up from Piraeus we come to ruins of the walls which Conon reared after the sea-fight at Cnidus. For the walls of Themistocles, built after the retreat of the Medes, were pulled down in the reign of the Thirty, as they are named. There are graves on the road, the most famous being the grave of Menander, the son of Diopithes, and a cenotaph of Euripides. Euripides is buried in Macedonia, whither he had gone to the court of King Archelaus. The manner of his death has been told by many; be it as they say.
Thus we see that in those days poets associated with kings ; and in still earlier times Anacreon resided with Polycrates, tyrant of Samos, and Aeschylus and Simonides journeyed to Syracuse to the court of Hiero. And Philoxenus resided with Dionysius, the Sicilian tyrant of a later age; and Antagoras the Rhodian and Aratus of Soli resided with Antigonus, ruler of Macedonia. But Hesiod and Homer either had not the luck to associate with kings, or disdained to do so: Hesiod because he was of rustic manners and loath to roam; Homer because he had travelled into far countries, and esteemed the largess of princes less than the applause of the people. For Homer himself has told how Alcinous was attended by Demodocus, and how Agamemnon left a poet with his wife. Not far from the gate is a grave surmounted by a warrior standing beside a horse: who he is I know not, but both horse and warrior are by Praxiteles.
When we have entered into the city we come to a building for the getting ready of the processions which are conducted at yearly and other intervals. Hard by is a temple of Demeter with images of the goddess, her daughter, and Iacchus, who is holding a torch. An inscription in Attic letters on the wall declares that they are works of Praxiteles. Not far from the temple is a Poseidon on horseback hurling a spear at the giant Polybotes, in reference to whom the Coans tell the myth about Cape Chelone; but the existing inscription assigns the statue, not to Poseidon, but to some one else. Colonnades run from the gate to the Ceramicus ; and in front of them are bronze statues of such men and women as had some title to fame. One of the colonnades contains sanctuaries of the gods and a gymnasium called the gymnasium of Hermes. In it, too, is the house of Pulytion, in which, they say, some illustrious Athenians parodied the Eleusinian mysteries ; but in my time it was consecrated to Dionysus. This Dionysus they call the Minstrel for much the same reason that Apollo is called Leader of the Muses. Here are images of Healing Athena and Zeus and Memory and the Muses, and an Apollo, the work and offering of Eubulides, and an effigy of Acratus, one of Dionysus’ attendant sprites; it is only a face of him built into a wall. After the precinct of Dionysus is a building containing images of clay: they represent Amphictyon, king of Athens, feasting Dionysus and other gods. Here, too, is Pegasus of Eleutherae, who introduced the god to the Athenians: he was aided by the Delphic oracle, which reminded the Athenians that, in the days of Icarius, the god had once sojourned in the land.
Now Amphictyon got the kingdom thus :—They say that Actaeus was the first who reigned in what is now Attica; and on his death Cecrops succeeded to the throne, being the husband of Actaeus’ daughter. There were born to him three daughters, Herse, Aglaurus, and Pandrosus, and a son, Erysichthon. The son did not come to the kingdom, but died in his father’s lifetime, and Cecrops was succeeded on the throne by Cranaus, the most powerful of the Athenians. They say that Cranaus had daughters, amongst whom was Atthis: after her they name the country Attica, which before was called Actaea. But Amphictyon rose up against Cranaus, and deposed him, though he had the daughter of Cranaus to wife. He was himself afterwards banished by Erichthonius and his fellow-rebels. They say that Erichthonius had no human being for father, but that his parents were Hephaestus and Earth.
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