Pausanias · Description of Greece Ἑλλάδος Περιήγησις

Pausanias, Description of Greece 5.23.1–7: Olympia: the Plataea Zeus, the treaty tablet and other images of Zeus

Pausanias describes the Zeus dedicated by the Greeks after Plataea, with its list of participating cities and the notes on which of those cities no longer exist, and the bronze tablet bearing the thirty-year treaty between Athens and Sparta. He also lists Zeus images given by the Megarians, the Hyblaeans and the Clitorians.

Sections 5.23.1–7 · 693 words · click a number to copy its link

παρεξιόντι δὲ παρὰ τὴν ἐς τὸ βουλευτήριον ἔσοδον Ζεύς τε ἕστηκεν ἐπίγραμμα ἔχων οὐδὲν καὶ αὖθις ὡς πρὸς ἄρκτον ἐπιστρέψαντι ἄγαλμά ἐστι Διός· τοῦτο τέτραπται μὲν πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα ἥλιον, ἀνέθεσαν δὲ Ἑλλήνων ὅσοι Πλαταιᾶσιν ἐμαχέσαντο ἐναντία Μαρδονίου τε καὶ Μήδων. εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ ἐγγεγραμμέναι κατὰ τοῦ βάθρου τὰ δεξιὰ αἱ μετασχοῦσαι πόλεις τοῦ ἔργου, Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὲν πρῶτοι, μετὰ δὲ αὐτοὺς Ἀθηναῖοι, τρίτοι δὲ γεγραμμένοι καὶ τέταρτοι Κορίνθιοί τε καὶ Σικυώνιοι,

πέμπτοι δὲ Αἰγινῆται, μετὰ δὲ Αἰγινήτας Μεγαρεῖς καὶ Ἐπιδαύριοι, Ἀρκάδων δὲ Τεγεᾶταί τε καὶ Ὀρχομένιοι, ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτοῖς ὅσοι Φλιοῦντα καὶ Τροίζηνα καὶ Ἑρμιόνα οἰκοῦσιν, ἐκ δὲ χώρας τῆς Ἀργείας Τιρύνθιοι, Πλαταιεῖς δὲ μόνοι Βοιωτῶν, καὶ Ἀργείων οἱ Μυκήνας ἔχοντες, νησιῶται δὲ Κεῖοι καὶ Μήλιοι, Ἀμβρακιῶται δὲ ἐξ ἠπείρου τῆς Θεσπρωτίδος, Τήνιοί τε καὶ Λεπρεᾶται, Λεπρεᾶται μὲν τῶν ἐκ τῆς Τριφυλίας μόνοι, ἐκ δὲ Αἰγαίου καὶ τῶν Κυκλάδων οὐ Τήνιοι μόνοι ἀλλὰ καὶ Νάξιοι καὶ Κύθνιοι, ἀπὸ δὲ Εὐβοίας Στυρεῖς, μετὰ δὲ τούτους Ἠλεῖοι καὶ Ποτιδαιᾶται καὶ Ἀνακτόριοι, τελευταῖοι δὲ Χαλκιδεῖς οἱ ἐπὶ τῷ Εὐρίπῳ.

τούτων τῶν πόλεων τοσαίδε ἦσαν ἐφʼ ἡμῶν ἔρημοι· Μυκηναῖοι μὲν καὶ Τιρύνθιοι τῶν Μηδικῶν ὕστερον ἐγένοντο ὑπὸ Ἀργείων ἀνάστατοι· Ἀμβρακιώτας δὲ καὶ Ἀνακτορίους ἀποίκους Κορινθίων ὄντας ἐπηγάγετο ὁ Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς ἐς Νικοπόλεως συνοικισμὸν πρὸς τῷ Ἀκτίῳ· Ποτιδαιάτας δὲ δὶς μὲν ἐπέλαβεν ἀναστάτους ἐκ τῆς σφετέρας ὑπὸ Φιλίππου τε γενέσθαι τοῦ Ἀμύντου καὶ πρότερον ἔτι ὑπὸ Ἀθηναίων, χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον Κάσσανδρος κατήγαγε μὲν Ποτιδαιάτας ἐπὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα, ὄνομα δὲ οὐ τὸ ἀρχαῖον τῇ πόλει, Κασσάνδρεια δὲ ἐγένετο ἀπὸ τοῦ οἰκιστοῦ. τὸ δὲ ἄγαλμα ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ τὸ ἀνατεθὲν ὑπὸ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐποίησεν Ἀναξαγόρας Αἰγινήτης· τοῦτον οἱ συγγράψαντες τὰ ἐς Πλαταιὰς παριᾶσιν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις.

ἔστι δὲ πρὸ τοῦ Διὸς τούτου στήλη χαλκῆ, Λακεδαιμονίων καὶ Ἀθηναίων συνθήκας ἔχουσα εἰρήνης ἐς τριάκοντα ἐτῶν ἀριθμόν. ταύτας ἐποιήσαντο Ἀθηναῖοι παραστησάμενοι τὸ δεύτερον Εὔβοιαν, ἔτει τρίτῳ τῆς τρίτης πρὸς τὰς ὀγδοήκοντα Ὀλυμπιάδος, ἣν Κρίσων Ἱμεραῖος ἐνίκα στάδιον. ἔστι δὲ ἐν ταῖς συνθήκαις καὶ τόδε εἰρημένον, εἰρήνης μὲν τῆς Ἀθηναίων καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων τῇ Ἀργείων μὴ μετεῖναι πόλει, ἰδίᾳ δὲ Ἀθηναίους καὶ Ἀργείους, ἢν ἐθέλωσιν, ἐπιτηδείως ἔχειν πρὸς ἀλλήλους. αὗται μὲν λέγουσι τοιαῦτα αἱ συνθῆκαι, Διὸς δὲ ἄλλο ἄγαλμα παρὰ τὸ ἅρμα

ἀνάκειται τὸ Κλεοσθένους· τούτου μὲν δὴ ἡμῖν καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἔπειτα ἔσται μνήμη, τὸ δὲ ἄγαλμα τοῦ Διὸς Μεγαρέων μέν ἐστιν ἀνάθημα, ἀδελφοὶ δὲ αὐτὸ Ψύλακός τε καὶ Ὄναιθος καὶ οἱ παῖδες οἱ τούτων εἰργάσαντο· ἡλικίαν δὲ αὐτῶν ἢ πατρίδα ἢ παρʼ ᾧ τινι ἐδιδάχθησαν, οὐκ ἔχω δηλῶσαι.

πρὸς δὲ τῷ ἅρματι τῷ Γέλωνος Ζεὺς ἕστηκεν ἀρχαῖος ἔχων σκῆπτρον, Ὑβλαίων δέ φασιν εἶναι ἀνάθημα· αἱ δὲ ἦσαν ἐν Σικελίᾳ πόλεις αἱ Ὕβλαι, ἡ μὲν Γερεᾶτις ἐπίκλησιν, τὴν δὲ—ὥσπερ γε καὶ ἦν —ἐκάλουν Μείζονα. ἔχουσι δὲ καὶ κατʼ ἐμὲ ἔτι τὰ ὀνόματα, ἐν τῇ Καταναίᾳ δὲ ἡ μὲν ἔρημος ἐς ἅπαν, ἡ δὲ κώμη τε Καταναίων ἡ Γερεᾶτις καὶ ἱερόν σφισιν Ὑβλαίας ἐστὶ θεοῦ, παρὰ Σικελιωτῶν ἔχον τιμάς. παρὰ τούτων δὲ κομισθῆναι τὸ ἄγαλμα ἐς Ὀλυμπίαν ἡγοῦμαι· τεράτων γὰρ σφᾶς καὶ ἐνυπνίων Φίλιστος ὁ Ἀρχομενίδου φησὶν ἐξηγητὰς εἶναι καὶ μάλιστα εὐσεβείᾳ τῶν ἐν Σικελίᾳ βαρβάρων προσκεῖσθαι.

πλησίον δὲ τοῦ Ὑβλαίων ἀναθήματος βάθρον τε πεποίηται χαλκοῦν καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ Ζεύς· τοῦτον ὀκτὼ μάλιστα εἶναι ποδῶν καὶ δέκα εἰκάζομεν. οἵτινες δὲ αὐτὸν ἔδοσαν τῷ θεῷ καὶ ὧντινών ἐστιν ἔργον, ἐλεγεῖον γεγραμμένον σημαίνει· Κλειτόριοι τόδʼ ἄγαλμα θεῷ δεκάταν ἀνέθηκαν, / πολλᾶν ἐκ πολίων χερσὶ βιασσάμενοι. / †καιμετρειτ Ἀρίστων ἠδὲ Τελέστας / αὐτοκασίγνητοι καλὰ Λάκωνες ἔθεν. / τούτους οὐκ ἐς ἅπαν τὸ Ἑλληνικὸν ἐπιφανεῖς νομίζω γενέσθαι· εἶχον γὰρ ἄν τι καὶ Ἠλεῖοι περὶ αὐτῶν λέγειν, καὶ πλέονα ἔτι Λακεδαιμόνιοι πολιτῶν γε ὄντων.

Passing by the entrance to the Council House you come to a standing image of Zeus without an inscription. Then turning to the north you will come to another image of Zeus, which looks towards the rising sun: it was dedicated by the Greeks who fought at Plataea against Mardonius and the Medes. There are also engraved on the right side of the pedestal the names of the cities that took part in the battle, first the Lacedaemonians, next the Athenians, third and fourth the Corinthians and Sicyonians, fifth the Aeginetans, next the Megarians and Epidaurians, the Arcadians of Tegea and Orchomenus, and after them the peoples of Phlius, Troezen, and Hermion, the Tirynthians of Argolis, the Plataeans (the only Boeotian people), the Argives of Mycenae, the islanders of Ceos and Melos, the Ambraciots of Thesprotis in Epirus, the Tenians and Lepreans. The Lepreans were the only people from Triphylia, but the Tenians were not the only people from the Aegean and the Cyclades, there were also Naxians and Cythnians, also Styrians from Euboea. After these, there are the Eleans and Potidaeans and Anactorians, and, lastly, the Chalcidians of the Euripus.

Of these cities the following are now uninhabited :—Mycenae and Tiryns were destroyed by the Argives after the Persian war ; and the populations of Ambracia and Anactorium, colonies of Corinth, were removed by the Roman emperor to found Nicopolis near Actium. It befell the Potidaeans to be twice driven from their country, once by Philip, son of Amyntas, and previously by the Athenians. Afterwards they were restored to their homes by Cassander ; the city, however, did not take its old name, but was called Cassandrea after its founder. The image at Olympia dedicated by the Greeks was made by Anaxagoras of Aegina. The name of this artist is omitted by the historians of sculpture.

In front of this image of Zeus is a bronze tablet containing a thirty years’ treaty of peace between the Lacedaemonians and Athenians. This treaty was made by the Athenians after they had subjugated Euboea for the second time in the third year of the.... Olympiad in which Crison of Himera won the foot-race. It is stipulated in the treaty that Argos should be no party to the peace between Athens and Lacedaemon, but that privately the Athenians and Argives might, if they pleased, be friends with each other. Such are the terms of this treaty.

There is another image of Zeus beside the chariot of Cleosthenes: the chariot will be mentioned by me later on. The image of Zeus is an offering of the Megarians : it was wrought by two brothers, Phylacus and Onaethus, and by their sons ; but the date or country of these artists, or the master under whom they studied, I cannot tell.

Beside the chariot of Gelo stands an ancient Zeus holding a sceptre: they say it is an offering of the Hyblaeans. There were two cities called Hybla in Sicily, one surnamed Gereatis, the other surnamed Greater, as indeed it was the greater. They still retain their names in the district of Catana: Hybla the Greater is entirely desolate ; but Hybla Gereatis is a Catanian village, and contains a sanctuary of the goddess Hyblaea which is venerated by the Sicilians. It was from this Hybla, I believe, that the image was brought to Olympia; for Philistus, son of Archomenides, says that these Hyblaeans were interpreters of portents and dreams, and were the most devout of all the barbarians in Sicily. 6. Near the offering of the Hyblaeans is a bronze pedestal, and on it an image of Zeus, which we guessed to be about eighteen feet high. An inscription in elegiac verse declares who presented it to the god and who made it :— The Clitorians dedicated this image to the god as a tithe From many cities which they conquered. It was made by Aristo and Telestas, Own brothers and Laconians. These Laconians cannot, I suppose, have been celebrated all over Greece, else the Eleans would have been able to tell something about them, and the Lacedaemonians would have been able to tell still more, seeing that they were citizens of Lacedaemon.

People and places in this passage

English translation by Sir James George Frazer (1898). Original text: Friedrich Spiro (ed.), Pausaniae Graeciae descriptio, 3 vols., Leipzig: Teubner, 1903 (Greek text as digitised by Perseus).

Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library, Greek text); translation public domain (OCR from the Internet Archive scan). Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.