ἔστι δὲ ἐν τῇ πόλει κρήνη, ἥν σφισιν ᾠκοδόμησε Θεαγένης, οὗ καὶ πρότερον τούτων ἐπεμνήσθην θυγατέρα αὐτὸν συνοικίσαι Κύλωνι Ἀθηναίῳ. οὗτος ὁ Θεαγένης τυραννήσας ᾠκοδόμησε τὴν κρήνην μεγέθους ἕνεκα καὶ κόσμου καὶ ἐς τὸ πλῆθος τῶν κιόνων θέας ἀξίαν· καὶ ὕδωρ ἐς αὐτὴν ῥεῖ καλούμενον Σιθνίδων νυμφῶν. τὰς δὲ Σιθνίδας νύμφας λέγουσι Μεγαρεῖς εἶναι μέν σφισιν ἐπιχωρίας, μιᾷ δὲ αὐτῶν συγγενέσθαι Δία, Μέγαρόν τε παῖδα ὄντα Διὸς καὶ ταύτης δὴ τῆς νύμφης ἐκφυγεῖν τὴν ἐπὶ Δευκαλίωνός ποτε ἐπομβρίαν, ἐκφυγεῖν δὲ πρὸς τὰ ἄκρα τῆς Γερανίας, οὐκ ἔχοντός πω τοῦ ὄρους τὸ ὄνομα τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ —νήχεσθαι γὰρ πετομένων γεράνων πρὸς τὴν βοὴν τῶν ὀρνίθων αὐτόν—διὰ τοῦτο Γερανίαν τὸ ὄρος ὀνομασθῆναι.
τῆς δὲ κρήνης οὐ πόρρω ταύτης ἀρχαῖόν ἐστιν ἱερόν, εἰκόνες δὲ ἐφʼ ἡμῶν ἑστᾶσιν ἐν αὐτῷ βασιλέων Ῥωμαίων καὶ ἄγαλμα κεῖται χαλκοῦν Ἀρτέμιδος ἐπίκλησιν Σωτείρας. φασὶ δὲ ἄνδρας τοῦ Μαρδονίου στρατοῦ καταδραμόντας τὴν Μεγαρίδα ἀποχωρεῖν ἐς Θήβας ὀπίσω παρὰ Μαρδόνιον ἐθέλειν, γνώμῃ δὲ Ἀρτέμιδος νύκτα τε ὁδοιποροῦσιν ἐπιγενέσθαι καὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ σφᾶς ἁμαρτόντας ἐς τὴν ὀρεινὴν τραπέσθαι τῆς χώρας· πειρωμένους δὲ εἰ στράτευμα ἐγγὺς εἴη πολέμιον ἀφιέναι τῶν βελῶν, καὶ τὴν πλησίον πέτραν στένειν βαλλομένην, τοὺς δὲ αὖθις τοξεύειν προθυμίᾳ πλέονι.
τέλος δὲ αὐτοῖς ἀναλωθῆναι τοὺς ὀιστοὺς ἐς ἄνδρας πολεμίους τοξεύειν νομίζουσιν· ἡμέρα τε ὑπεφαίνετο καὶ οἱ Μεγαρεῖς ἐπῄεσαν, μαχόμενοι δὲ ὁπλῖται πρὸς ἀνόπλους καὶ οὐδὲ βελῶν εὐποροῦντας ἔτι φονεύουσιν αὐτῶν τοὺς πολλούς· καὶ ἐπὶ τῷδε Σωτείρας ἄγαλμα ἐποιήσαντο Ἀρτέμιδος. ἐνταῦθα καὶ τῶν δώδεκα ὀνομαζομένων θεῶν ἐστιν ἀγάλματα ἔργα εἶναι λεγόμενα Πραξιτέλους· τὴν δὲ Ἄρτεμιν αὐτὴν Στρογγυλίων ἐποίησε.
μετὰ ταῦτα ἐς τὸ τοῦ Διὸς τέμενος ἐσελθοῦσι καλούμενον Ὀλυμπιεῖον ναός ἐστι θέας ἄξιος· τὸ δὲ ἄγαλμα οὐκ ἐξειργάσθη τοῦ Διός, ἐπιλαβόντος τοῦ Πελοποννησίων πολέμου πρὸς Ἀθηναίους, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ναυσὶν ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος καὶ στρατῷ φθείροντες Μεγαρεῦσιν Ἀθηναῖοι τὴν χώραν τά τε κοινὰ ἐκάκωσαν καὶ ἰδίᾳ τοὺς οἴκους ἤγαγον ἐς τὸ ἔσχατον ἀσθενείας. τῷ δὲ ἀγάλματι τοῦ Διὸς πρόσωπον ἐλέφαντος καὶ χρυσοῦ, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ πηλοῦ τέ ἐστι καὶ γύψου· ποιῆσαι δὲ αὐτὸ Θεόκοσμον λέγουσιν ἐπιχώριον, συνεργάσασθαι δέ οἱ Φειδίαν. ὑπὲρ δὲ τῆς κεφαλῆς τοῦ Διός εἰσιν Ὧραι καὶ Μοῖραι· δῆλα δὲ πᾶσι τὴν πεπρωμένην μόνῳ οἱ πείθεσθαι καὶ τὰς ὥρας τὸν θεὸν τοῦτον νέμειν ἐς τὸ δέον. ὄπισθε δὲ τοῦ ναοῦ κεῖται ξύλα ἡμίεργα· ταῦτα ἔμελλεν ὁ Θεόκοσμος ἐλέφαντι καὶ χρυσῷ κοσμήσας τὸ ἄγαλμα ἐκτελέσειν τοῦ Διός.
ἐν δὲ αὐτῷ τῷ ναῷ τριήρους ἀνάκειται χαλκοῦν ἔμβολον· ταύτην τὴν ναῦν λαβεῖν φασι περὶ Σαλαμῖνα ναυμαχήσαντες πρὸς Ἀθηναίους· ὁμολογοῦσι δὲ καὶ Ἀθηναῖοι χρόνον τινὰ Μεγαρεῦσιν ἀποστῆναι τῆς νήσου, Σόλωνα δὲ ὕστερόν φασιν ἐλεγεῖα ποιήσαντα προτρέψαι σφᾶς, καταστῆναι δὲ ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐς ἀμφισβήτησιν Ἀθηναῖοι, κρατήσαντες δὲ πολέμῳ Σαλαμῖνα αὖθις ἔχειν. Μεγαρεῖς δὲ παρὰ σφῶν λέγουσιν ἄνδρας φυγάδας, οὓς Δορυκλείους ὀνομάζουσιν, ἀφικομένους παρὰ τοὺς ἐν Σαλαμῖνι κληρούχους προδοῦναι Σαλαμῖνα Ἀθηναίοις.
μετὰ δὲ τοῦ Διὸς τὸ τέμενος ἐς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἀνελθοῦσι καλουμένην ἀπὸ Καρὸς τοῦ Φορωνέως καὶ ἐς ἡμᾶς ἔτι Καρίαν, ἔστι μὲν Διονύσου ναὸς Νυκτελίου, πεποίηται δὲ Ἀφροδίτης Ἐπιστροφίας ἱερὸν καὶ Νυκτὸς καλούμενόν ἐστι μαντεῖον καὶ Διὸς Κονίου ναὸς οὐκ ἔχων ὄροφον. τοῦ δὲ Ἀσκληπιοῦ τὸ ἄγαλμα Βρύαξις καὶ αὐτὸ καὶ τὴν Ὑγείαν ἐποίησεν. ἐνταῦθα καὶ τῆς Δήμητρος τὸ καλούμενον μέγαρον· ποιῆσαι δὲ αὐτὸ βασιλεύοντα Κᾶρα ἔλεγον.
In the city there is a water-basin : it was built by Theagenes, with regard to whom I have already mentioned that he gave his daughter in marriage to Cylon the Athenian. This Theagenes, having made himself tyrant, built the water-basin, which is worth seeing for its size, its decorations, and the number of its columns. Water flows into it, called the water of the Sithnidian nymphs. The Megarians say that the Sithnidian nymphs are natives of the country ; that Zeus had an intrigue with one of them; and that Megarus, a son of Zeus and this nymph, escaped from Deucalion’s flood to the tops of Mount Gerania, which up to that time had not borne the name of Gerania, but then received it, because Megarus in swimming followed the cries of some flying cranes (γέρανοι).
Not far from this water-basin is an ancient sanctuary: at the present day statues of Roman emperors stand in it, also a bronze image of Artemis surnamed Saviour. They say that some men of the army of Mardonius, after scouring the Megarian territory, wished to make their way back to Mardonius at Thebes, but by the will of Artemis night overtook them on the way, and missing the road, they strayed into the mountainous part of the country. To try if a hostile army was near, they shot some bolts which, striking the neighbouring rock, gave out a mournful sound, whereat the archers redoubled their exertions. At last their arrows were spent in shooting at imaginary foes: day began to break: the Megarians came down on them, and, fighting in armour against men who had no armour and but few missiles, they slaughtered most of them. For this the Megarians had an image made of Saviour Artemis. Here, too, are images of the Twelve Gods, as they are called: they are said to be works of Praxiteles, but the image of Artemis was made by Strongylion.
Next, on entering the precinct of Zeus, which is called the Olympieum, we come to a temple which is worth seeing. But the image of Zeus was not finished in consequence of the outbreak of the war of the Peloponnesians with Athens, in which the Athenians annually ravaged the Megarian territory by sea and land, thereby crippling the public revenues and reducing private families to the lowest depths of penury. The face of the image of Zeus is of ivory and gold, but the rest is of clay and gypsum. They say that it was made by Theocosmus, a native artist, assisted by Phidias. Over the head of Zeus are the Seasons and Fates; and it is plain to all that Destiny obeys Zeus alone, and that Zeus orders the Seasons aright. Behind the temple lie some half-wrought blocks of wood: Theocosmus intended to adorn them with ivory and gold, and thus complete the image of Zeus.
In the temple itself is dedicated the bronze beak of a galley. They say they took this ship in a sea-fight with the Athenians off Salamis. The Athenians admit that for a time they ceded the island to the Megarians ; but they say that afterwards Solon stirred them up by his verses, they renewed the strife, and, being victorious in the war, regained Salamis. The Megarians, however, assert that exiles from Megara, whom they name Dorycleans, went to the colonists in Salamis, and betrayed the island to the Athenians.
After the precinct of Zeus we ascend the acropolis, which to the present day is still called Caria, after Car, the son of Phoroneus. Here is a temple of Nocturnal Dionysus, also a sanctuary of Epistrophian Aphrodite, and what is called the oracle of Night, and a roofless temple of Dusty Zeus. The images of Aesculapius and Health were made by Bryaxis. Here, too, is what is called the hall (megaron) of Demeter: they said it was made by King Car.
Cite This Text