ἀπὸ δὲ Θόρνακος προελθόντι ἔστιν ἡ πόλις, Σπάρτη μὲν ὀνομασθεῖσα ἐξ ἀρχῆς, προσλαβοῦσα δὲ ἀνὰ χρόνον καὶ Λακεδαίμων ἡ αὐτὴ καλεῖσθαι· τέως δὲ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦτο ἔκειτο τῇ γῇ. ὃ δὲ ἐν τῇ συγγραφῇ μοι τῇ Ἀτθίδι ἐπανόρθωμα ἐγένετο, μὴ τὰ πάντα με ἐφεξῆς, τὰ δὲ μάλιστα ἄξια μνήμης ἐπιλεξάμενον ἀπʼ αὐτῶν εἰρηκέναι, δηλώσω δὴ πρὸ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ ἐς Σπαρτιάτας· ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἠθέλησεν ὁ λόγος ἀπὸ πολλῶν καὶ οὐκ ἀξίων ἀφηγήσεως, ὧν ἕκαστοι παρὰ σφίσι λέγουσιν, ἀποκρῖναι τὰ ἀξιολογώτατα. ὡς οὖν εὖ βεβουλευμένος οὐκ ἔστιν ὅπου παραβήσομαι.
Λακεδαιμονίων τοῖς Σπάρτην ἔχουσίν ἐστιν ἀγορὰ θέας ἀξία, καὶ τῆς τε γερουσίας βουλευτήριον καὶ τῶν ἐφόρων καὶ νομοφυλάκων καὶ καλουμένων Βιδιαίων ἀρχεῖά ἐστιν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς. ἡ μὲν δὴ γερουσία συνέδριον Λακεδαιμονίοις κυριώτατον τῆς πολιτείας, οἱ λοιποὶ δέ εἰσιν ἄρχοντες· τοῖς δὲ ἐφόροις καὶ Βιδιαίοις πέντε ἀριθμὸν ἑκατέροις οὖσι, τοῖς μὲν τοὺς ἐπὶ τῷ Πλατανιστᾷ καλουμένῳ καὶ ἄλλους τῶν ἐφήβων ἀγῶνας τιθέναι καθέστηκεν, ἔφοροι δὲ τά τε ἄλλα διοικοῦσι τὰ σπουδῆς μάλιστα ἄξια καὶ παρέχονται τὸν ἐπώνυμον, καθὰ δὴ καὶ Ἀθηναίοις τῶν καλουμένων ἐννέα ἐπώνυμός ἐστιν εἷς ἄρχων.
ἐπιφανέστατον δὲ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἐστιν ἣν στοὰν Περσικὴν ὀνομάζουσιν ἀπὸ λαφύρων ποιηθεῖσαν τῶν Μηδικῶν· ἀνὰ χρόνον δὲ αὐτὴν ἐς μέγεθος τὸ νῦν καὶ ἐς κόσμον τὸν παρόντα μεταβεβλήκασιν. εἰσὶ δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν κιόνων Πέρσαι λίθου λευκοῦ καὶ ἄλλοι καὶ Μαρδόνιος ὁ Γωβρύου. πεποίηται δὲ καὶ Ἀρτεμισία, θυγάτηρ μὲν Λυγδάμιδος, ἐβασίλευσε δὲ Ἁλικαρνασσοῦ· ταύτην φασὶν ἑκουσίως ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα συστρατεῦσαι Ξέρξῃ καὶ ἔργα ἐν τῇ ναυμαχίᾳ περὶ Σαλαμῖνα ἀποδείξασθαι.
ναοὶ δέ εἰσιν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς Καίσαρος, ὃς μοναρχίας πρῶτος ἐν Ῥωμαίοις ἐπεθύμησεν καὶ ἀρχὴν τὴν καθεστηκυῖαν πρῶτος ἐκτήσατο, ὁ δὲ Αὐγούστῳ πεποίηται παιδὶ ἐκείνου τήν τε βασιλείαν βεβαιωσαμένῳ μᾶλλον καὶ ἀξιώματος καὶ δυνάμεως ἐς πλέον ἢ ὁ πατήρ οἱ προελθόντι· τὸ δὲ ὄνομα ἦν τούτῳ Αὔγουστος, ὃ κατὰ γλῶσσαν δύναται τὴν Ἑλλήνων σεβαστός.
τοῦ δὲ Αὐγούστου δεικνύουσι πρὸς τῷ βωμῷ χαλκῆν εἰκόνα Ἀγίου. τοῦτον τὸν Ἀγίαν μαντευσάμενόν φασι Λυσάνδρῳ τὸ Ἀθηναίων ἑλεῖν ναυτικὸν περὶ Αἰγὸς ποταμοὺς πλὴν τριήρων δέκα· αὗται δὲ ἀποφεύγουσιν ἐς Κύπρον, τὰς δὲ ἄλλας οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ αὐτὰς καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας αἱροῦσιν. ὁ δὲ Ἀγίας Ἀγελόχου παῖς ἦν τοῦ Τισαμενοῦ·
Τισαμενῷ δὲ ὄντι Ἠλείῳ τῶν Ἰαμιδῶν λόγιον ἐγένετο ἀγῶνας ἀναιρήσεσθαι πέντε ἐπιφανεστάτους αὐτόν. οὕτω πένταθλον Ὀλυμπίασιν ἀσκήσας ἀπῆλθεν ἡττηθείς, καίτοι τὰ δύο γε ἦν πρῶτος· καὶ γὰρ δρόμῳ τε ἐκράτει καὶ πηδήματι Ἱερώνυμον τὸν Ἄνδριον. καταπαλαισθεὶς δὲ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἁμαρτὼν τῆς νίκης συνίησι τοῦ χρησμοῦ, διδόναι οἱ τὸν θεὸν μαντευομένῳ πέντε ἀγῶνας πολέμῳ κρατῆσαι.
Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ—οὐ γὰρ εἶχον ἀνηκόως ὧν Τισαμενῷ προεῖπεν ἡ Πυθία—πείθουσι μετοικήσαντα ἐξ Ἤλιδος μαντεύεσθαι Σπαρτιατῶν τῷ κοινῷ· καί σφισιν ὁ Τισαμενὸς ἀγῶνας πολέμου πέντε ἐνίκησε, πρῶτον μὲν Πλαταιᾶσιν ἐναντία Περσῶν, δεύτερον δὲ ἐν Τεγέᾳ πρὸς Τεγεάτας καὶ Ἀργείους μάχης Λακεδαιμονίοις συνεστώσης, ἐπὶ τούτοις δὲ ἐν Διπαιεῦσιν Ἀρκάδων πάντων πλὴν Μαντινέων ἀντιτεταγμένων· οἱ δὲ Διπαιεῖς ἐν τῇ Μαιναλίᾳ πόλισμα Ἀρκάδων ἦσαν.
τέταρτον δὲ ἠγωνίσατο πρὸς τοὺς ἐξ ἰσθμοῦ ἐς Ἰθώμην ἀποστάντας τῶν εἱλώτων· ἀπέστησαν δὲ οὐχ ἅπαντες οἱ εἵλωτες, ἀλλὰ τὸ Μεσσηνιακὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀρχαίων εἱλώτων ἀποσχισθέντες· καί μοι καὶ τάδε ὁ λόγος αὐτίκα ἐπέξεισι. τότε δὲ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι τοὺς ἀποστάντας ἀπελθεῖν ὑποσπόνδους εἴασαν Τισαμενῷ καὶ τῷ ἐν Δελφοῖς χρηστηρίῳ πειθόμενοι· τελευταῖον δὲ ὁ Τισαμενὸς ἐμαντεύσατο ἐν Τανάγρᾳ σφίσι πρὸς Ἀργείους καὶ Ἀθηναίους γινομένης συμβολῆς.
τὰ μὲν Τισαμενοῦ τοιαῦτα ἐπυνθανόμην ὄντα· Σπαρτιάταις δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς Πυθαέως τέ ἐστιν Ἀπόλλωνος καὶ Ἀρτέμιδος καὶ Λητοῦς ἀγάλματα. Χορὸς δὲ οὗτος ὁ τόπος καλεῖται πᾶς, ὅτι ἐν ταῖς γυμνοπαιδίαις—ἑορτὴ δὲ εἴ τις ἄλλη καὶ αἱ γυμνοπαιδίαι διὰ σπουδῆς Λακεδαιμονίοις εἰσίν—ἐν ταύταις οὖν οἱ ἔφηβοι χοροὺς ἱστᾶσι τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι. τούτων δὲ οὐ πόρρω Γῆς ἱερὸν καὶ Διός ἐστιν Ἀγοραίου, τὸ δὲ Ἀθηνᾶς Ἀγοραίας καὶ Ποσειδῶνος ὃν ἐπονομάζουσιν Ἀσφάλιον, καὶ Ἀπόλλωνος αὖθις καὶ Ἥρας·
ἀνάκειται δὲ καὶ Δήμου τοῦ Σπαρτιατῶν ἀνδριὰς μεγέθει μέγας. καὶ Μοιρῶν Λακεδαιμονίοις ἐστὶν ἱερόν, Ὀρέστου δὲ τοῦ Ἀγαμέμνονος πρὸς αὐτῷ τάφος· κομισθέντα γὰρ ἐκ Τεγέας τοῦ Ὀρέστου τὰ ὀστᾶ κατὰ μαντείαν θάπτουσιν ἐνταῦθα. παρὰ δὲ τοῦ Ὀρέστου τὸν τάφον ἐστὶν εἰκὼν Πολυδώρου τοῦ Ἀλκαμένους, ὃν βασιλέων ἐς τοσοῦτο τιμῆς προήχασιν ὥστε οἱ τὰς ἀρχὰς ἔχοντες, ὁπόσα δεῖ σημαίνεσθαι, τοῦ Πολυδώρου σημαίνονται τῇ εἰκόνι.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ Ἑρμῆς Ἀγοραῖος Διόνυσον φέρων παῖδα, καὶ τὰ ἀρχαῖα καλούμενα Ἐφορεῖα, ἐν δὲ αὐτοῖς Ἐπιμενίδου τοῦ Κρητὸς μνῆμα καὶ Ἀφαρέως τοῦ Περιήρους· καὶ τά γε ἐς Ἐπιμενίδην Λακεδαιμονίους δοξάζω μᾶλλον Ἀργείων λέγειν εἰκότα. ἐνταῦθα, ἔνθα αἱ Μοῖραι, καὶ Ἑστία τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις ἐστὶ καὶ Ζεὺς Ξένιος καὶ Ἀθηνᾶ Ξενία.
Proceeding from Thornax you reach the capital. Its original name was Sparta, but in course of time it acquired the additional name of Lacedaemon, which had hitherto been applied to the country. To prevent misconceptions, I stated in my Attica that I had not described everything, but only a selection of the most memorable objects. This principle I will now repeat before I proceed to describe Sparta. From the outset I aimed at sifting the most valuable traditions from out of the mass of insignificant stories which are current among every people. My plan was adopted after mature deliberation, and I will not depart from it.
The Lacedaemonians of Sparta have a market-place that is worth seeing, and in the market-place are the Council House of the Senate, and the offices of the Ephors, of the Guardians of the Laws, and of the so-called Bidiaeans. The Senate is the supreme assembly of the Lacedaemonian constitution: the rest are magistrates. The Ephors and Bidiaeans are each five in number. The duties of the latter are to arrange the athletic games of the lads, especially the games at the Plane-tree Grove. The Ephors transact the most important executive business, and one of their number gives his name to the year, just as is done at Athens by one of the nine Archons.
The most striking ornament of the market-place is a colonnade which they name the Persian Colonnade. Built originally from the spoils of the Persian war, it grew in course of time into the spacious and splendid edifice which it now is. On the pillars are figures of Persians in white marble: one of them is Mardonius, son of Gobryas. Artemisia, daughter of Lygdamis, and queen of Halicarnassus, is also represented. They say she freely joined Xerxes in his expedition against Greece, and distinguished herself by her prowess in the sea-fight at Salamis.
In the market-place there is a temple of Caesar, the first Roman who aspired to the throne, and the founder of the present system of government. There is also in the market-place a temple to Caesar’s son Augustus, who placed the monarchy on a firmer basis, and attained a height of dignity and power which his father never reached. [His name Augustus is equivalent in Greek to sebastos (‘august,’ ‘reverend’).]
Beside the altar of Augustus they show a bronze statue of Agias. They say that the predictions which this Agias delivered to Lysander were the means of capturing the whole Athenian fleet at Aegospotami, all but ten galleys which escaped to Cyprus. The rest of the ships, with their crews, were taken by the Lacedaemonians. Agias was a son of Agelochus, who was a son of Tisamenus.
Tisamenus was one of the Iamids of Elis. It was foretold to him that he would engage in five most famous contests. So he trained for the pentathlum at Olympia, but was beaten. He won two events, however; for he beat Hieronymus the Andrian in running and leaping. But being vanquished by him in wrestling, and so losing the prize, he perceived that what the oracle meant was this, that the god would allow him, as a soothsayer, to win five victories in war. The Lacedaemonians, getting wind of what the Pythian priestess had prophesied to Tisamenus, persuaded him to emigrate from Elis and serve the Spartan commonwealth in the capacity of soothsayer. So he won for Sparta five victories in war, first, over the Persians at Plataea ; second, over the Tegeans and Argives at Tegea; third, over all the Arcadians (except the Mantineans) at Dipaea, a town in the Arcadian district of Maenalia; fourth, over the rebel Helots who had established themselves in Ithome. It was not all the Helots who revolted, but only the Messenians, who separated themselves from the old Helots. These events I will describe presently. On that occasion the Lacedaemonians, hearkening to Tisamenus and the Delphic oracle, granted the rebels terms and suffered them to depart. Last of all Tisamenus acted as soothsayer at the battle of Tanagra, in which the Lacedaemonians encountered the Argives and Athenians. Such I ascertained to be the history of Tisamenus.
In the market-place at Sparta there are images of Pythaean Apollo, Artemis, and Latona. This whole place is called Chorus, because at the festival of the Gymnopaediae, to which the Lacedaemonians attach the greatest importance, the lads dance choral dances in honour of Apollo.
Not far from these is a sanctuary of Earth and of Market Zeus ; another of Market Athena and Poseidon, whom they surname Asphalius (‘securer’); and a third of Apollo and Hera. There is also a colossal statue of the Spartan People. The Lacedaemonians have also a sanctuary of the Fates, and beside it is the grave of Orestes, son of Agamemnon. For in obedience to an oracle they brought the bones of Orestes from Tegea and buried them here. Beside the grave of Orestes is a statue of Polydorus, son of Alcamenes: the Spartans honour King Polydorus so highly that his likeness is graved on the signet with which the magistrates seal everything that needs sealing. There is also a Market Hermes carrying the infant Dionysus; also what is called the old Ephorea (office of the Ephors), containing the tombs of Epimenides the Cretan, and of Aphareus, son of Perieres. The story which the Lacedaemonians tell about Epimenides is in my opinion more probable than the one which the Argives tell. Here the Fates - . . . the Lacedaemonians have also some. ... There is also a Hospitable Zeus and a Hospitable Athena.
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