ἡ δʼ ἐς Μαντίνειαν ἄγουσα ἐξ Ἄργους ἐστὶν οὐχ ἥπερ καὶ ἐπὶ Τεγέαν, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τῶν πυλῶν τῶν πρὸς τῇ Δειράδι. ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ὁδοῦ ταύτης ἱερὸν διπλοῦν πεποίηται, καὶ πρὸς ἡλίου δύνοντος ἔσοδον καὶ κατὰ ἀνατολὰς ἑτέραν ἔχον. κατὰ μὲν δὴ τοῦτο Ἀφροδίτης κεῖται ξόανον, πρὸς δὲ ἡλίου δυσμὰς Ἄρεως· εἶναι δὲ τὰ ἀγάλματα· Πολυνείκους λέγουσιν ἀναθήματα καὶ Ἀργείων, ὅσοι τιμωρήσοντες αὐτῷ συνεστρατεύοντο.
προελθοῦσι δὲ αὐτόθεν διαβάντων ποταμὸν χείμαρρον Χάραδρον καλούμενον ἔστιν Οἰνόη, τὸ ὄνομα ἔχουσα, ὡς Ἀργεῖοί φασιν, ἀπὸ Οἰνέως. Οἰνέα γὰρ τὸν βασιλεύσαντα ἐν Αἰτωλίᾳ λέγουσιν ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀγρίου παίδων ἐκβληθέντα τῆς ἀρχῆς παρὰ Διομήδην ἐς Ἄργος ἀφικέσθαι. ὁ δὲ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἐτιμώρησεν αὐτῷ στρατεύσας ἐς τὴν Καλυδωνίαν, παραμένειν δὲ οὐκ ἔφη οἱ δύνασθαι· συνακολουθεῖν δέ, εἰ βούλοιτο, ἐς Ἄργος ἐκεῖνον ἐκέλευεν. ἀφικόμενον δὲ τά τε ἄλλα ἐθεράπευεν, ὡς πατρὸς θεραπεύειν πατέρα εἰκὸς ἦν, καὶ ἀποθανόντα ἔθαψεν ἐνταῦθα. ἀπὸ τούτου μὲν Οἰνόη χωρίον ἐστὶν Ἀργείοις·
ὑπὲρ δὲ Οἰνόης ὄρος ἐστὶν Ἀρτεμίσιον καὶ ἱερὸν Ἀρτέμιδος ἐπὶ κορυφῇ τοῦ ὄρους. ἐν τούτῳ δέ εἰσι τῷ ὄρει καὶ αἱ πηγαὶ τοῦ Ἰνάχου· πηγαὶ γὰρ δὴ τῷ ὄντι εἰσὶν αὐτῷ, τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ οὐκ ἐπὶ πολὺ ἐξικνεῖται τῆς γῆς.
ταύτῃ μὲν δὴ θέας οὐδὲν ἔτι ἦν ἄξιον· ἑτέρα δὲ ὁδὸς ἀπὸ τῶν πυλῶν τῶν πρὸς τῇ Δειράδι ἐστὶν ἐπὶ Λύρκειαν. ἐς τοῦτο λέγεται τὸ χωρίον Λυγκέα ἀποσωθῆναι τῶν πεντήκοντα ἀδελφῶν μόνον· καὶ ἡνίκα ἐσώθη, πυρσὸν ἀνέσχεν ἐντεῦθεν. συνέκειτο δὲ ἄρα αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν Ὑπερμήστραν ἀνασχεῖν τὸν πυρσόν, ἢν διαφυγὼν Δαναὸν ἐς ἀσφαλὲς ἀφίκηταί ποι· τὴν δὲ καὶ αὐτὴν ἀνάψαι λέγουσιν ἕτερον ἀπὸ τῆς Λαρίσης, δῆλα καὶ ταύτην ποιοῦσαν ὅτι ἐν οὐδενὶ οὐδὲ αὐτὴ καθέστηκεν ἔτι κινδύνῳ. ἐπὶ τούτῳ δὲ Ἀργεῖοι κατὰ ἔτος ἕκαστον πυρσῶν ἑορτὴν ἄγουσι.
τὸ δὲ χωρίον τότε μὲν Λυγκεία ἐκαλεῖτο, οἰκήσαντος δὲ ὕστερον ἐν αὐτῷ Λύρκου—παῖς δὲ ἦν Ἄβαντος νόθος— τὸ ὄνομα διʼ αὐτὸν ἔσχηκε· καὶ ἄλλα τέ ἐστιν οὐκ ἀξιόλογα ἐν τοῖς ἐρειπίοις καὶ εἰκὼν ἐπὶ στήλῃ τοῦ Λύρκου. ἐς μὲν δὴ ταύτην ἐστὶν ἐξ Ἄργους ἑξήκοντα μάλιστά που στάδια, ἐκ δὲ Λυρκείας ἕτερα τοσαῦτα ἐς Ὀρνεάς. Λυρκείας μὲν δὴ πόλεως, ἅτε ἠρημωμένης ἤδη κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλήνων στρατείαν ἐπὶ Ἴλιον, οὐκ ἐποιήσατο Ὅμηρος ἐν καταλόγῳ μνήμην· Ὀρνεὰς δέ—ἔτι γὰρ ᾠκοῦντο—, ὥσπερ τῷ τόπῳ τῆς Ἀργείας ἔκειντο, οὕτω καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσι προτέρας ἢ Φλιοῦντά τε καὶ Σικυῶνα κατέλεξεν.
ἐκαλοῦντο δὲ ἀπὸ Ὀρνέως τοῦ Ἐρεχθέως· τοῦ δὲ Ὀρνέως ἦν τούτου Πετεώς, τοῦ δὲ Μενεσθεύς, ὃς Ἀγαμέμνονι μετὰ Ἀθηναίων τὴν Πριάμου συγκαθεῖλεν ἀρχήν. ἀπὸ μὲν δὴ τούτου τὸ ὄνομα ἐγένετο τῇ πόλει, Ἀργεῖοι δὲ ὕστερον τούτων Ὀρνεάτας ἀνέστησαν· ἀναστάντες δὲ σύνοικοι γεγόνασιν Ἀργείοις. ἔστι δὲ ἐν ταῖς Ὀρνεαῖς Ἀρτέμιδός τε ἱερὸν καὶ ξόανον ὀρθὸν καὶ ἕτερος ναὸς θεοῖς πᾶσιν ἐς κοινὸν ἀνειμένος. τὰ δὲ ἐπέκεινα Ὀρνεῶν ἥ τε Σικυωνία καὶ ἡ Φλιασία ἐστίν.
ἐρχομένοις δὲ ἐξ Ἄργους ἐς τὴν Ἐπιδαυρίαν ἐστὶν οἰκοδόμημα ἐν δεξιᾷ πυραμίδι μάλιστα εἰκασμένον, ἔχει δὲ ἀσπίδας σχῆμα Ἀργολικὰς ἐπειργασμένας. ἐνταῦθα Προίτῳ περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς πρὸς Ἀκρίσιον μάχη γίνεται, καὶ τέλος μὲν ἴσον τῷ ἀγῶνι συμβῆναί φασι καὶ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ διαλλαγὰς ὕστερον, ὡς οὐδέτεροι βεβαίως κρατεῖν ἐδύναντο· συμβάλλειν δὲ σφᾶς λέγουσιν ἀσπίσι πρῶτον τότε καὶ αὐτοὺς καὶ τὸ στράτευμα ὡπλισμένους. τοῖς δὲ πεσοῦσιν ἀφʼ ἑκατέρων— πολῖται γὰρ καὶ συγγενεῖς ἦσαν—ἐποιήθη ταύτῃ μνῆμα ἐν κοινῷ.
προϊοῦσι δὲ ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐκτραπεῖσιν ἐς δεξιὰν Τίρυνθός ἐστιν ἐρείπια. ἀνέστησαν δὲ καὶ Τιρυνθίους Ἀργεῖοι, συνοίκους προσλαβεῖν καὶ τὸ Ἄργος ἐπαυξῆσαι θελήσαντες. Τίρυνθα δὲ ἥρωα, ἀφʼ οὗ τῇ πόλει τὸ ὄνομα ἐγένετο, παῖδα Ἄργου τοῦ Διὸς εἶναι λέγουσι. τὸ δὲ τεῖχος, ὃ δὴ μόνον τῶν ἐρειπίων λείπεται, Κυκλώπων μέν ἐστιν ἔργον, πεποίηται δὲ ἀργῶν λίθων, μέγεθος ἔχων ἕκαστος λίθος ὡς ἀπʼ αὐτῶν μηδʼ ἂν ἀρχὴν κινηθῆναι τὸν μικρότατον ὑπὸ ζεύγους ἡμιόνων· λιθία δὲ ἐνήρμοσται πάλαι, ὡς μάλιστα αὐτῶν ἕκαστον ἁρμονίαν τοῖς μεγάλοις λίθοις εἶναι.
καταβάντων δὲ ὡς ἐπὶ θάλασσαν, ἐνταῦθα οἱ θάλαμοι τῶν Προίτου θυγατέρων εἰσίν· ἐπανελθόντων δὲ ἐς τὴν λεωφόρον, ἐπὶ Μήδειαν ἐς ἀριστερὰν ἥξεις. βασιλεῦσαι δέ φασιν Ἠλεκτρύωνα ἐν τῇ Μηδείᾳ τὸν πατέρα Ἀλκμήνης· ἐπʼ ἐμοῦ δὲ Μηδείας πλὴν τὸ ἔδαφος ἄλλο οὐδὲν ἐλείπετο.
κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐς Ἐπίδαυρον εὐθεῖάν ἐστι κώμη Λῆσσα, ναὸς δὲ Ἀθηνᾶς ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ ξόανον οὐδέν τι διάφορον ἢ τὸ ἐν ἀκροπόλει τῇ Λαρίσῃ. ἔστι δὲ ὄρος ὑπὲρ τῆς Λήσσης τὸ Ἀραχναῖον, πάλαι δὲ †σάπυς ἐλάτων ἐπὶ Ἰνάχου τὸ ὄνομα εἰλήφει. βωμοὶ δέ εἰσιν ἐν αὐτῷ Διός τε καὶ Ἥρας· δεῆσαν ὄμβρου σφίσιν ἐνταῦθα θύουσι.
The road from Argos to Mantinea is not the same as that to Tegea, for it starts from the Diras gate. On this road there is a double sanctuary, with one entrance on the west and another on the east. In the eastern sanctuary there is a wooden image of Aphrodite: in the western sanctuary there is a wooden image of Ares. They say that the images were dedicated by Polynices and the Argives who took the field in his cause.
Going on from here and crossing a torrent called Charadrus, we come to Oenoé, so named, the Argives say, from Oeneus. They say that Oeneus, king of Aetolia, was dethroned by the sons of Agrius, and came to Diomede at Argos. Diomede marched into Calydonia on behalf of the banished king, but told him that it was not in his power to stay with him there. He therefore invited the king to return with him, if he chose, to Argos. The invitation was accepted, and henceforth Diomede paid him all the attentions which were due to his father’s father; and when he died he buried him here. So the Argives call the place Oenoé.
Above Oenoé is Mount Artemisius, and there is a sanctuary of Artemis on the top of the mountain. In this mountain are also the springs of the Inachus; for it really has springs though its water does not run far. There was nothing else worth seeing here.
Another road leads from the Diras gate to Lyrcea. It was to Lyrcea that Lynceus is said to have escaped alone of all the fifty brothers ; and when he got there safe he lit a beacon-fire. For it had been agreed between him and Hypermnestra that he should light the beacon if he escaped Danaus and reached some place of safety. They say that she kindled another beacon on Larisa, to show that she also was now out of danger. Therefore the Argives annually celebrate a festival of beacon-fires. The place was then called Lyncea; but because Lyrcus, a bastard son of Abas, afterwards dwelt there, it took its name from him. Among the ruins there is a likeness of Lyrcus on a monument, as well as some other insignificant remains. From Argos to Lyrcea is just about sixty furlongs, and it is as many from Lyrcea to Orneae.
Homer does not mention the city of Lyrcea in the Catalogue, because it already lay desolate at the time of the Greek expedition against Ilium. But Orneae was still inhabited, and Homer mentions it in its geographical order before Phlius and Sicyon. The place was named after Orneus, son of Erechtheus. Orneus had a son Peteos, who had a son Menestheus, who with a body of Athenians helped Agamemnon to conquer the realm of Priam. Thus the city got its name from Orneus ; but the inhabitants were afterwards removed by the Argives and settled in Argos. In Orneae there is a sanctuary of Artemis with a standing image of wood, and there is another temple dedicated to all the gods in common. Beyond Orneae are the territories of Sicyon and Phlius.
On the way from Argos to Epidauria there is a structure on the right which much resembles a pyramid: on it are sculptured in relief shields of the Argolic shape. Here the fight for the kingdom took place between Proetus and Acrisius. They say that the battle was drawn, and that afterwards the combatants came to terms, neither being able to get decidedly the better. They say, too, that this was the first battle in which generals and common soldiers alike were all armed with shields; and as those who fell on both sides were fellow-citizens and kinsmen, a common tomb was made for them here.
Going on from here and turning off to the right, we reach the ruins of Tiryns. Like Orneae, Tiryns was depopulated by the Argives, who desired to swell their own capital by adding to it the population of Tiryns. They say that the hero Tiryns, from whom the city got its name, was a son of Argus, who was a son of Zeus. Nothing is left of the ruins of Tiryns except the wall, which is a work of the Cyclopes, and is made of unwrought stones, each stone so large that a pair of mules could not even stir the smallest of them. In ancient times small stones have been fitted in so as to bind together the large stones.
Having descended in the direction of the sea we come to the chambers of the daughters of Proetus. We now return to the high road and come to Midea on the left. They say that Electryon, father of Alcmena, reigned in Midea. But in my time there was nothing of Midea left except the foundation.
On the straight road to Epidaurus is a village Lessa, containing a temple of Athena, with a wooden image exactly like the one on Larisa, the acropolis of Argos. Above Lessa is Mount Arachnaeus, which long ago, in the days of Inachus, got the name of Sapyselaton. On the mountain there are altars of Zeus and Hera; and when rain is needed they sacrifice to them here.
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