τοῦ θρόνου δὲ ᾗ καθίζοιτο ἂν ὁ θεός, οὐ διὰ παντὸς κατὰ τοῦτο συνεχοῦς ὄντος ἀλλὰ καθέδρας παρεχομένου πλείονας, παρὰ δὲ καθέδραν ἑκάστην ὑπολειπομένης καὶ εὐρυχωρίας, τὸ μέσον ἐστὶν εὐρυχωρὲς μάλιστα καὶ τὸ ἄγαλμα ἐνταῦθα ἐνέστηκε.
μέγεθος δὲ αὐτοῦ μέτρῳ μὲν οὐδένα ἀνευρόντα οἶδα, εἰκάζοντι δὲ καὶ τριάκοντα εἶναι φαίνοιντο ἂν πήχεις. ἔργον δὲ οὐ Βαθυκλέους ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ ἀρχαῖον καὶ οὐ σὺν τέχνῃ πεποιημένον· ὅτι γὰρ μὴ πρόσωπον αὐτῷ καὶ πόδες εἰσὶν ἄκροι καὶ χεῖρες, τὸ λοιπὸν χαλκῷ κίονί ἐστιν εἰκασμένον. ἔχει δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ κράνος, λόγχην δὲ ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ καὶ τόξον.
τοῦ δὲ ἀγάλματος τὸ βάθρον παρέχεται μὲν βωμοῦ σχῆμα, τεθάφθαι δὲ τὸν Ὑάκινθον λέγουσιν ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ Ὑακινθίοις πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος θυσίας ἐς τοῦτον Ὑακίνθῳ τὸν βωμὸν διὰ θύρας χαλκῆς ἐναγίζουσιν· ἐν ἀριστερᾷ δέ ἐστιν ἡ θύρα τοῦ βωμοῦ. ἐπείργασται δὲ τῷ βωμῷ τοῦτο μὲν ἄγαλμα Βίριδος, τοῦτο δὲ Ἀμφιτρίτης καὶ Ποσειδῶνος· Διὸς δὲ καὶ Ἑρμοῦ διαλεγομένων ἀλλήλοις πλησίον Διόνυσος ἑστήκασι καὶ Σεμέλη, παρὰ δὲ αὐτὴν Ἰνώ.
πεποίηται δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ καὶ ἡ Δημήτηρ καὶ Κόρη καὶ Πλούτων, ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτοῖς Μοῖραί τε καὶ Ὧραι, σὺν δέ σφισιν Ἀφροδίτη καὶ Ἀθηνᾶ τε καὶ Ἄρτεμις· κομίζουσι δʼ ἐς οὐρανὸν Ὑάκινθον καὶ Πολύβοιαν, Ὑακίνθου καθὰ λέγουσιν ἀδελφὴν ἀποθανοῦσαν ἔτι παρθένον. τοῦτο μὲν οὖν τοῦ Ὑακίνθου τὸ ἄγαλμα ἔχον ἐστὶν ἤδη γένεια, Νικίας δὲ ὁ Νικομήδους περισσῶς δή τι ἔγραψεν αὐτὸν ὡραῖον, τὸν ἐπὶ Ὑακίνθῳ λεγόμενον Ἀπόλλωνος ἔρωτα ὑποσημαίνων.
πεποίηται δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ καὶ Ἡρακλῆς ὑπὸ Ἀθηνᾶς καὶ θεῶν τῶν ἄλλων καὶ οὗτος ἀγόμενος ἐς οὐρανόν. εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ αἱ Θεστίου θυγατέρες ἐπὶ τῷ βωμῷ, καὶ Μοῦσαί τε καὶ Ὧραι. περὶ δὲ ἀνέμου Ζεφύρου, καὶ ὡς ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος Ὑάκινθος ἀπέθανεν ἄκοντος, καὶ τὰ ἐς τὸ ἄνθος εἰρημένα τάχα μὲν ἂν ἔχοι καὶ ἄλλως, δοκείτω δὲ ᾗ λέγεται.
Ἀμύκλαι δὲ ἀνάστατος ὑπὸ Δωριέων γενομένη καὶ ἀπʼ ἐκείνου κώμη διαμένουσα θέας παρείχετο ἄξιον ἱερὸν Ἀλεξάνδρας καὶ ἄγαλμα· τὴν δὲ Ἀλεξάνδραν οἱ Ἀμυκλαιεῖς Κασσάνδραν τὴν Πριάμου φασὶν εἶναι. καὶ Κλυταιμνήστρας ἐστὶν ἐνταῦθα εἰκὼν καὶ Ἀγαμέμνονος νομιζόμενον μνῆμα. θεῶν δὲ σέβουσιν οἱ ταύτῃ τόν τε Ἀμυκλαῖον καὶ Διόνυσον, ὀρθότατα ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν Ψίλακα ἐπονομάζοντες· ψίλα γὰρ καλοῦσιν οἱ Δωριεῖς τὰ πτερά, ἀνθρώπους δὲ οἶνος ἐπαίρει τε καὶ ἀνακουφίζει γνώμην οὐδέν τι ἧσσον ἢ ὄρνιθας πτερά. καὶ Ἀμύκλαι μὲν παρείχοντο τοσαῦτα ἐς μνήμην, ἑτέρα δὲ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ὁδὸς ἐς Θεράπνην ἄγει·
κατὰ δὲ τὴν ὁδὸν Ἀθηνᾶς ξόανόν ἐστιν Ἀλέας. πρὶν δὲ ἢ διαβῆναι τὸν Εὐρώταν, ὀλίγον ὑπὲρ τῆς ὄχθης ἱερὸν δείκνυται Διὸς Πλουσίου. διαβᾶσι δὲ Κοτυλέως ἐστὶν Ἀσκληπιοῦ ναός, ὃν ἐποίησεν Ἡρακλῆς· καὶ Ἀσκληπιὸν Κοτυλέα ὠνόμασεν ἀκεσθεὶς τὸ τραῦμα τὸ ἐς τὴν κοτύλην οἱ γενόμενον ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἱπποκόωντα καὶ τοὺς παῖδας προτέρᾳ μάχῃ. ὁπόσα δὲ πεποίηται κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ταύτην, ἐστὶν ἀρχαιότατον αὐτῶν Ἄρεως ἱερόν. τοῦτό ἐστιν ἐν ἀριστερᾷ τῆς ὁδοῦ, καὶ τὸ ἄγαλμα τοὺς Διοσκούρους φασὶ κομίσαι ἐκ Κόλχων·
Θηρίταν δὲ ἐπονομάζουσιν ἀπὸ Θηροῦς, ταύτην γὰρ τροφὸν εἶναι τοῦ Ἄρεως λέγουσι. τάχα δʼ ἂν ἀκηκοότες παρὰ Κόλχων Θηρίταν λέγοιεν, ἐπεὶ Ἔλληνές γε οὐκ ἴσασιν Ἄρεως τροφὸν Θηρώ· δοκεῖν δέ μοι Θηρίτας οὐ διὰ τὴν τροφὸν ἡ ἐπωνυμία τῷ Ἄρει γέγονεν, ὅτι δὲ ἀνδρὶ χρὴ πολεμίῳ καταστάντα ἐς μάχην οὐδὲν ἔτι ἔχειν ἤπιον, καθὰ δὴ καὶ Ὁμήρῳ περὶ Ἀχιλλέως πεποίηται λέων δʼ ὣς ἄγρια οἶδεν. /
Θεράπνη δὲ ὄνομα μὲν τῷ χωρίῳ γέγονεν ἀπὸ τῆς Λέλεγος θυγατρός, Μενελάου δέ ἐστιν ἐν αὐτῇ ναός, καὶ Μενέλαον καὶ Ἑλένην ἐνταῦθα ταφῆναι λέγουσιν. Ῥόδιοι δὲ οὐχ ὁμολογοῦντες Λακεδαιμονίοις φασὶν Ἑλένην Μενελάου τελευτήσαντος, Ὀρέστου δὲ ἔτι πλανωμένου, τηνικαῦτα ὑπὸ Νικοστράτου καὶ Μεγαπένθους διωχθεῖσαν ἐς Ῥόδον ἀφικέσθαι Πολυξοῖ τῇ Τληπολέμου γυναικὶ ἔχουσαν ἐπιτηδείως·
εἶναι γὰρ καὶ Πολυξὼ τὸ γένος Ἀργείαν, Τληπολέμῳ δὲ ἔτι πρότερον συνοικοῦσαν φυγῆς μετασχεῖν τῆς ἐς Ῥόδον καὶ τῆς νήσου τηνικαῦτα ἄρχειν ὑπολειπομένην ἐπὶ ὀρφανῷ παιδί. ταύτην τὴν Πολυξώ φασιν ἐπιθυμοῦσαν Ἑλένην τιμωρήσασθαι τελευτῆς τῆς Τληπολέμου τότε, ὡς ἔλαβεν αὐτὴν ὑποχείριον, ἐπιπέμψαι οἱ λουμένῃ θεραπαίνας Ἐρινύσιν ἴσα ἐσκευασμένας· καὶ αὗται διαλαβοῦσαι δὴ τὴν Ἑλένην αἱ γυναῖκες ἀπάγχουσιν ἐπὶ δένδρου, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ Ῥοδίοις Ἑλένης ἱερόν ἐστι Δενδρίτιδος.
ὃν δὲ οἶδα λέγοντας Κροτωνιάτας περὶ Ἑλένης λόγον, ὁμολογοῦντας δέ σφισι καὶ Ἱμεραίους, ἐπιμνησθήσομαι καὶ τοῦδε. ἔστιν ἐν τῷ Εὐξείνῳ νῆσος κατὰ τοῦ Ἴστρου τὰς ἐκβολὰς Ἀχιλλέως ἱερά· ὄνομα μὲν τῇ νήσῳ Λευκή, περίπλους δὲ αὐτῇ σταδίων εἴκοσι, δασεῖα δὲ ὕλῃ πᾶσα καὶ πλήρης ζῴων ἀγρίων καὶ ἡμέρων, καὶ ναὸς Ἀχιλλέως καὶ ἄγαλμα ἐν αὐτῇ.
ἐς ταύτην πρῶτος ἐσπλεῦσαι λέγεται Κροτωνιάτης Λεώνυμος. πολέμου γὰρ Κροτωνιάταις συνεστηκότος πρὸς τοὺς ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ Λοκρούς, τῶν Λοκρῶν κατὰ οἰκειότητα πρὸς Ὀπουντίους Αἴαντα τὸν Ὀιλέως ἐς τὰς μάχας ἐπικαλουμένων, ὁ Λεώνυμος Κροτωνιάταις στρατηγῶν ἐπῄει τοῖς ἐναντίοις κατὰ τοῦτο ᾗ προτετάχθαι σφίσι τὸν Αἴαντα ἤκουε. τιτρώσκεται δὴ τὸ στέρνον καὶ— ἔκαμνε γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ τραύματος—ἀφίκετο ἐς Δελφούς. ἐλθόντα δὲ ἡ Πυθία Λεώνυμον ἀπέστελλεν ἐς νῆσον τὴν Λευκήν, ἐνταῦθα εἰποῦσα αὐτῷ φανήσεσθαι τὸν Αἴαντα καὶ ἀκέσεσθαι τὸ τραῦμα.
χρόνῳ δὲ ὡς ὑγιάνας ἐπανῆλθεν ἐκ τῆς Λευκῆς, ἰδεῖν μὲν ἔφασκεν Ἀχιλλέα, ἰδεῖν δὲ τὸν Ὀιλέως καὶ τὸν Τελαμῶνος Αἴαντα, συνεῖναι δὲ καὶ Πάτροκλόν σφισι καὶ Ἀντίλοχον· Ἑλένην δὲ Ἀχιλλεῖ μὲν συνοικεῖν, προστάξαι δέ οἱ πλεύσαντι ἐς Ἱμέραν πρὸς Στησίχορον ἀγγέλλειν ὡς ἡ διαφθορὰ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἐξ Ἑλένης γένοιτο αὐτῷ μηνίματος. Στησίχορος μὲν ἐπὶ τούτῳ τὴν παλινῳδίαν ἐποίησεν·
The part of the throne where the god would sit is not continuous, but contains several seats. Beside each seat a wide space is left: the middle space is widest of all, and here the image stands.
I know of no one who has measured the size of the image, but one would guess it to be quite thirty cubits. It is not the work of Bathycles, but is an ancient and rude image; for except that it has a face and feet and hands, it otherwise resembles a bronze pillar. On its head it has a helmet, and in its hands a spear and bow.
The pedestal of the image is in the form of an altar, and they say that Hyacinth is buried in it; and at the Hyacinthian festival, before sacrificing to Apollo, they bring a sacrifice for Hyacinth, as for a hero, into this altar through a bronze door. The door is on the left side of the altar.
On the altar is an image of Biris wrought in relief, also images of Amphitrite and Poseidon. Zeus and Dionysus are conversing with each other, and near them stand Dionysus and Semele, and beside Semele is Ino. Upon the altar are also represented Demeter and the Maid and Pluto, and besides them the Fates and the Seasons, and likewise Aphrodite and Athena and Artemis. They are carrying to heaven Hyacinth and Polybaea: the latter, they say, was Hyacinth’s sister and died a maid. Hyacinth is here represented with a beard; but Nicias, son of Nicomedes, painted him as the pink of youthful beauty, hinting at the love of Apollo for him. Further, on the altar is represented Hercules, also in the act of being led to heaven by Athena and the rest of the gods. And on the altar are also the daughters of Thestius, and the Muses, and Seasons. The story of the Zephyr wind, and how Hyacinth was unwittingly slain by Apollo, and the legend about the flower, may not be literally true, but let them pass. 5. Amyclae was destroyed by the Dorians, and has since remained a mere village, but it contained a sanctuary of Alexandra and an image of her, which are worth seeing. The Amyclaeans say that Alexandra is no other than Cassandra, the daughter of Priam. Here, too, is a likeness of Clytaemnestra and the reputed tomb of Agamemnon.
The deities worshipped by the people here are the Amyclaean god and Dionysus. The latter they surname Psilax, and very rightly, I think. For the Dorians call wings psila, and wine uplifts men and raises their spirits, as wings do birds. Such were the notable objects at Amyclae.
Another road leads from the capital to Therapne. On this road there is a wooden image of Athena Alea. Before you cross the Eurotas, a little above the bank, they show you a sanctuary of Wealthy Zeus. Having crossed the river we come to a temple of Cotylean Aesculapius, which was built by Hercules. He gave Aesculapius the name of Cotylean, because he had himself been healed of the wound which he received in the hollow of his hand (kotyle) in the first battle with Hippocoon and his sons. The oldest building on this road is a sanctuary of Ares. It is on the left of the road: they say that the image was brought by the Dioscuri from Colchis.
They surname him Theritas, from Thero; for they say that Thero was the nurse of Ares. But perhaps they learned the name Theritas from the Colchians ; for certainly the Greeks know of no nurse of Ares called Thero. However, it seems to me that Ares got the surname Theritas, not because of his nurse, but because a man must needs be fierce when he fights a foe, as Homer says of Achilles :— And fierce as a lion is he.
Therapne got its name from the daughter of Lelex. It contains a temple of Menelaus, and they say that Menelaus and Helen were buried here.
The story told by the Rhodians is different. They say that when Menelaus was dead, and Orestes was still roaming, Helen was driven forth by Nicostratus and Megapenthes, and betook herself to Rhodes, where she had a friend in Polyxo, the wife of Tlepolemus. For Polyxo was an Argive by birth, and when her husband Tlepolemus fled to Rhodes, she had fled with him. She was now the queen of the island, having been left a widow with an orphan son. They say she wished to avenge her husband’s death on Helen; and she now had Helen in her hands. So when Helen was bathing, the queen sent some handmaidens in the guise of Furies, who seized her and hanged her on a tree. Hence there is in Rhodes a sanctuary of Helen of the Tree.
I know that the people of Crotona tell another story about Helen, and that the people of Himera agree with them. I will record it also. In the Euxine Sea there is an island over against the mouths of the Danube: it is sacred to Achilles, and is called the White Isle. Its circumference is twenty furlongs, and all the isle is wooded, and full of beasts, both wild and tame; and there is in it a temple of Achilles, with an image of him. The first who sailed to this island is said to have been a Crotonian named Leonymus. War had broken out between the Crotonians and the Italian Locrians, who, being akin to the Opuntian Locrians, call upon Ajax, son of Ojileus, to help them in battle. Leonymus, as general of the Crotonian army, attacked the enemy at the point where he had heard that Ajax was posted in the van. He received, we are told, a wound in the breast, and being enfeebled by it he repaired to Delphi. When he was come, the Pythian priestess bade him sail to the White Isle, telling him that Ajax would there appear to him and would heal him of his wound. In time he came back from the White Isle sound and well, and used to tell that he had seen Achilles, and Ajax the son of Oileus, and Ajax the son of Telamon. And Patroclus and Antilochus, he said, were with them; and Helen was wedded to- Achilles, and she had bidden him sail to Himera, and tell Stesichorus that the loss of his eyesight was a consequence of her displeasure. Therefore Stesichorus composed his palinode.
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