ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ Τροιζηνίων ναὸς καὶ ἀγάλματα Ἀρτέμιδός ἐστι Σωτείρας· Θησέα δὲ ἐλέγετο ἱδρύσασθαι καὶ ὀνομάσαι Σώτειραν, ἡνίκα Ἀστερίωνα τὸν Μίνω καταγωνισάμενος ἀνέστρεψεν ἐκ τῆς Κρήτης. ἀξιολογώτατον δὲ εἶναι τοῦτο ἔδοξέν οἱ τῶν κατειργασμένων, οὐ τοσοῦτον ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν ὅτι ἀνδρείᾳ τοὺς ἀποθανόντας ὑπὸ Θησέως ὑπερέβαλεν ὁ Ἀστερίων, ἀλλὰ τό τε τοῦ λαβυρίνθου δυσέξοδον καὶ τὸ λαθόντα ἀποδρᾶναι μετὰ τὸ ἔργον ἐποίησεν εἰκότα τὸν λόγον ὡς προνοίᾳ θείᾳ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀνασωθείη Θησεὺς καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ.
ἐν τούτῳ δέ εἰσι τῷ ναῷ βωμοὶ θεῶν τῶν λεγομένων ὑπὸ γῆν ἄρχειν, καί φασιν ἐξ Ἅιδου Σεμέλην τε ὑπὸ Διονύσου κομισθῆναι ταύτῃ καὶ ὡς Ἡρακλῆς ἀναγάγοι τὸν κύνα τοῦ Ἅιδου· ἐγὼ δὲ Σεμέλην μὲν οὐδὲ ἀποθανεῖν ἀρχὴν πείθομαι Διός γε οὖσαν γυναῖκα, τὰ δὲ ἐς τὸν ὀνομαζόμενον Ἅιδου κύνα ἑτέρωθι ἔσται μοι δῆλα ὁποῖα εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ.
ὄπισθεν δὲ τοῦ ναοῦ Πιτθέως μνῆμά ἐστι, τρεῖς δὲ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ θρόνοι κεῖνται λίθου λευκοῦ· δικάζειν δὲ Πιτθέα καὶ ἄνδρας δύο σὺν αὐτῷ λέγουσιν ἐπὶ τῶν θρόνων. οὐ πόρρω δὲ ἱερὸν Μουσῶν ἐστι, ποιῆσαι δὲ ἔλεγον αὐτὸ Ἄρδαλον παῖδα Ἡφαίστου· καὶ αὐλόν τε εὑρεῖν νομίζουσι τὸν Ἄρδαλον τοῦτον καὶ τὰς Μούσας ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ καλοῦσιν Ἀρδαλίδας. ἐνταῦθα Πιτθέα διδάξαι λόγων τέχνην φασί, καί τι βιβλίον Πιτθέως δὴ σύγγραμμα ὑπὸ ἀνδρὸς ἐκδοθὲν Ἐπιδαυρίου καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπελεξάμην. τοῦ Μουσείου δὲ οὐ πόρρω βωμός ἐστιν ἀρχαῖος, Ἀρδάλου καὶ τοῦτον ὥς φασιν ἀναθέντος· ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτῷ Μούσαις καὶ Ὕπνῳ θύουσι, λέγοντες τὸν Ὕπνον θεὸν μάλιστα εἶναι φίλον ταῖς Μούσαις.
πλησίον δὲ τοῦ θεάτρου Λυκείας ναὸν Ἀρτέμιδος ἐποίησεν Ἱππόλυτος· ἐς δὲ τὴν ἐπίκλησιν οὐδὲν εἶχον πυθέσθαι παρὰ τῶν ἐξηγητῶν, ἀλλὰ ἢ λύκους ἐφαίνετό μοι τὴν Τροιζηνίαν λυμαινομένους ἐξελεῖν ὁ Ἱππόλυτος ἢ Ἀμαζόσι, παρʼ ὧν τὰ πρὸς μητρὸς ἦν, ἐπίκλησις τῆς Ἀρτέμιδός ἐστιν αὕτη· εἴη δʼ ἂν ἔτι καὶ ἄλλο οὐ γινωσκόμενον ὑπὸ ἐμοῦ. τὸν δὲ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ ναοῦ λίθον, καλούμενον δὲ ἱερόν, εἶναι λέγουσιν ἐφʼ οὗ ποτε ἄνδρες Τροιζηνίων ἐννέα Ὀρέστην ἐκάθηραν ἐπὶ τῷ φόνῳ τῆς μητρός.
εἰσὶ δὲ οὐ μακρὰν τῆς Λυκείας Ἀρτέμιδος βωμοὶ διεστηκότες οὐ πολὺ ἀπʼ ἀλλήλων· ὁ μὲν πρῶτός ἐστιν αὐτῶν Διονύσου κατὰ δή τι μάντευμα ἐπίκλησιν Σαώτου, δεύτερος δὲ Θεμίδων ὀνομαζόμενος· Πιτθεὺς τοῦτον ἀνέθηκεν, ὡς λέγουσιν. Ἡλίου δὲ Ἐλευθερίου καὶ σφόδρα εἰκότι λόγῳ δοκοῦσί μοι ποιῆσαι βωμόν, ἐκφυγόντες δουλείαν ἀπὸ Ξέρξου τε καὶ Περσῶν.
τὸ δὲ ἱερὸν τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος τοῦ Θεαρίου κατασκευάσαι μὲν Πιτθέα ἔφασαν, ἔστι δὲ ὧν οἶδα παλαιότατον. ἀρχαῖος μὲν οὖν καὶ Φωκαεῦσι τοῖς ἐν Ἰωνίᾳ ναός ἐστιν Ἀθηνᾶς, ὃν Ἅρπαγός ποτε ὁ Μῆδος ἐνέπρησεν, ἀρχαῖος δὲ καὶ Σαμίοις Ἀπόλλωνος Πυθίου· πλὴν πολύ γε ὕστερον τοῦ παρὰ Τροιζηνίοις ἐποιήθησαν. ἄγαλμα δέ ἐστι τὸ ἐφʼ ἡμῶν ἀνάθημα Αὐλίσκου, τέχνη δὲ Ἕρμωνος Τροιζηνίου· τοῦ δὲ Ἕρμωνος τούτου καὶ τὰ τῶν Διοσκούρων ξόανά ἐστι.
κεῖνται δὲ ἐν στοᾷ τῆς ἀγορᾶς γυναῖκες λίθου καὶ αὐταὶ καὶ οἱ παῖδες. εἰσὶ δὲ ἃς Ἀθηναῖοι Τροιζηνίοις γυναῖκας καὶ τέκνα ἔδωκαν σώζειν, ἐκλιπεῖν σφισιν ἀρέσαν τὴν πόλιν μηδὲ στρατῷ πεζῷ τὸν Μῆδον ἐπιόντα ὑπομεῖναι. λέγονται δὲ οὐ πασῶν τῶν γυναικῶν—οὐ γὰρ δὴ πολλαί τινες ἐκεῖναι—, ὁπόσαι δὲ ἀξιώματι προεῖχον, τούτων εἰκόνας ἀναθεῖναι μόνων.
τοῦ δὲ ἱεροῦ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνός ἐστιν οἰκοδόμημα ἔμπροσθεν, Ὀρέστου καλούμενον σκηνή. πρὶν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ αἵματι καθαρθῆναι τῆς μητρός, Τροιζηνίων οὐδεὶς πρότερον ἤθελεν αὐτὸν οἴκῳ δέξασθαι· καθίσαντες δὲ ἐνταῦθα ἐκάθαιρον καὶ εἱστίων, ἐς ὃ ἀφήγνισαν. καὶ νῦν ἔτι οἱ ἀπόγονοι τῶν καθηράντων ἐνταῦθα δειπνοῦσιν ἐν ἡμέραις ῥηταῖς. κατορυχθέντων δὲ ὀλίγον ἀπὸ τῆς σκηνῆς τῶν καθαρσίων φασὶν ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἀναφῦναι δάφνην, ἣ δὴ καὶ ἐς ἡμᾶς ἔστιν, ἡ πρὸ τῆς σκηνῆς ταύτης.
καθῆραι δέ φασιν Ὀρέστην καθαρσίοις καὶ ἄλλοις καὶ ὕδατι τῷ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἵππου κρήνης. ἔστι γὰρ καὶ Τροιζηνίοις Ἵππου καλουμένη κρήνη, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἐς αὐτὴν διαφόρως τῷ Βοιωτῶν ἔχει· Πηγάσῳ γὰρ τῷ ἵππῳ καὶ οὗτοι λέγουσι τὸ ὕδωρ ἀνεῖναι τὴν γῆν θιγόντι τοῦ ἐδάφους τῇ ὁπλῇ, Βελλεροφόντην δὲ ἐλθεῖν ἐς Τροιζῆνα γυναῖκα αἰτήσοντα Αἴθραν παρὰ Πιτθέως, πρὶν δὲ γῆμαι συμβῆναί οἱ φυγεῖν ἐκ Κορίνθου.
καὶ Ἑρμῆς ἐνταῦθά ἐστι Πολύγιος καλούμενος. πρὸς τούτῳ τῷ ἀγάλματι τὸ ῥόπαλον θεῖναί φασιν Ἡρακλέα· καὶ—ἦν γὰρ κοτίνου—τοῦτο μὲν ὅτῳ πιστὰ ἐνέφυ τῇ γῇ καὶ ἀνεβλάστησεν αὖθις καὶ ἔστιν ὁ κότινος πεφυκὼς ἔτι, τὸν δὲ Ἡρακλέα λέγουσιν ἀνευρόντα τὸν πρὸς τῇ Σαρωνίδι κότινον ἀπὸ τούτου τεμεῖν ῥόπαλον. ἔστι δὲ καὶ Διὸς ἱερὸν ἐπίκλησιν Σωτῆρος· ποιῆσαι δὲ αὐτὸ βασιλεύοντα Ἀέτιον τὸν Ἄνθα λέγουσιν. ὕδωρ δὲ ὀνομάζουσι Χρυσορόαν· αὐχμοῦ δὲ ἐπὶ ἔτη συμβάντος σφίσιν ἐννέα, ἐν οἷς οὐχ ὗεν ὁ θεός, τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἀναξηρανθῆναί φασιν ὕδατα, τὸν δὲ Χρυσορόαν τοῦτον καὶ τότε ὁμοίως διαμεῖναι ῥέοντα.
In the market-place of Troezen there is a temple with images of Saviour Artemis. The story was that Theseus founded the temple and named the goddess Saviour when he returned from Crete, after vanquishing Asterion, son of Minos. He esteemed this the most notable of his exploits, not so much, I think, because Asterion was braver than all the other men who met their death at his hand, as because nothing less than the hand of Providence could reasonably be supposed to have brought him and his comrades safe back, guiding him through all the mazy intricacies of the labyrinth, and leading him unseen, when his work was done, through the midst of his enemies.
In this temple there are altars of the gods who are said to bear sway underground. Hither, they say, Semele was brought from hell by Dionysus; and hither Hercules dragged up the hound of hell. But I do not believe that Semele ever died, seeing that she was the wife of Zeus; and as for the hound of hell, as they call it, I shall state my views of that animal in another place.
Behind the temple is the tomb of Pittheus, whereon stand three chairs of white marble. They say that Pittheus and two men with him sat as judges on these chairs.
Not far off is a sanctuary of the Muses: they said it was made by Ardalus, son of Hephaestus. They think that this Ardalus invented the flute, and they call the Muses Ardalides after him. Here, they say, Pittheus gave lessons in the art of rhetoric. I have myself read a book, published by a man of Epidaurus, which purports to be a treatise by Pittheus.
Not far from the sanctuary of the Muses is an ancient altar, which is also said to have been dedicated by Ardalus. On this altar they sacrifice to the Muses and to Sleep, because, say they, Sleep is to the Muses the dearest god.
Near the theatre is a temple of Wolfish (Lykeia) Artemis, built by Hippolytus. Touching the surname I could learn nothing from the guides; but it occurred to me that Hippolytus may have extirpated wolves which were ravaging Troezenia, or that this surname of Artemis may have been current among the Amazons, from whom he was descended on his mother’s side. But there may very well be some other explanation which I do not know.
The stone in front of the temple, called the sacred stone, is said to be the stone on which nine men of Troezen once purified Orestes after the murder of his mother. Not far from the temple of Wolfish Artemis are altars at no great intervals from each other. The first is the altar of Dionysus, called Saviour in obedience to an oracle. The second is named the altar of the Themides (‘laws’): Pittheus dedicated it, they say. The third is an altar to the Sun of Freedom; and well might they set up such an altar after escaping the yoke of Xerxes and his Persians. 9. The sanctuary of Thearian Apollo was built, they said, by Pittheus, and it is the oldest sanctuary I know. The temple of Athena at Phocaea in Ionia, which was burned by Harpagus the Mede, is undoubtedly ancient, and so is the temple of Pythian Apollo at Samos; but both were built long after the sanctuary at Troezen. The present image is an offering of Auliscus: the artist was Hermon, a native of Troezen. The wooden images of the Dioscuri are also by Hermon. to. In a colonnade in the marketplace are statues of women and children, all in stone. They represent the women and children whom the Athenians entrusted for safe keeping to the Troezenians at the time when they had made up their minds to evacuate Athens and not to await the attack of the Persians on land. But it is said that they set up statues, not of all the women (for the statues are not numerous), but only of the ladies of high degree. 11. In front of the sanctuary of Apollo is a building called the booth of Orestes. For till he was purified of his mother’s blood none of the Troezenians would receive him in his house ; but here they lodged and fed and purified him, till they had cleansed all his guilt away. And still the descendants of the men who purified him dine here on set days. They say that the things which were used in purifying him were buried a little way from the booth, and that from them a laurel sprang up, the very laurel which still stands in front of the booth. They say that amongst the things used in purifying Orestes was water from Hippocrene (‘the Horse’s Fount’). 12. For the Troezenians have also a fountain called Hippocrene, and the legend told of it does not differ from the Boeotian legend. For the Troezenians also say that the horse Pegasus stamped on the ground with his hoof and the water gushed out: Bellerophon, they say, had come to Troezen to ask Aethra in marriage from Pittheus ; but before he could marry her, he was forced to flee from Corinth. 13. There is a Hermes here called Polygius. They say that Hercules leaned his club against this image, and the club, which was of wild olive wood, struck root in the ground, if you please, and sprouted afresh, and the tree is still growing. According to them, Hercules cut the club from the wild olive-tree which he discovered beside the Saronic Sea. 14. There is also a sanctuary of Zeus surnamed Saviour: they say it was made by King Aetius, son of Anthas. There is a water which they name the Golden Stream. They say that after a drought of nine years in which no rain fell, all the other waters were dried up, but even then the Golden Stream flowed on the same as ever.
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