σταδίους δὲ ὅσον τεσσαράκοντα προελθόντι ἐκ Δύμης ποταμὸς Πεῖρος ἐς θάλατταν κάτεισι, καὶ Ἀχαιῶν πόλις ποτὲ Ὤλενος ᾠκεῖτο παρὰ τῷ Πείρῳ. ὁπόσοι δὲ ἐς Ἡρακλέα καὶ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ πεποιήκασιν, ἔστιν οὐκ ἐλάχιστά σφισι δείγματα τοῦ λόγου Δεξαμενὸς ὁ ἐν Ὠλένῳ βασιλεὺς καὶ ὁποίων Ἡρακλῆς παρʼ αὐτῷ ξενίων ἔτυχε. καὶ ὅτι μὲν ἦν πόλισμα ἐξ ἀρχῆς μικρὸν ἡ Ὤλενος, μαρτυρεῖ τῷ λόγῳ μου καὶ ἐλεγεῖον ἐς Εὐρυτίωνα Κένταυρον ὑπὸ Ἑρμησιάνακτος πεποιημένον· ἀνὰ χρόνον δὲ τοὺς οἰκήτορας ἐκλιπεῖν ὑπὸ ἀσθενείας φασὶ τὴν Ὤλενον καὶ ἐς Πειράς τε καὶ ἐς Εὐρυτειὰς ἀποχωρῆσαι.
τοῦ δὲ Πείρου ποταμοῦ περὶ τοὺς ὀγδοήκοντα ἀφέστηκε σταδίους Πατρέων ἡ πόλις· οὐ πόρρω δὲ αὐτῆς ποταμὸς Γλαῦκος ἐκδίδωσιν ἐς θάλασσαν. Πατρέων δὲ οἱ τὰ ἀρχαιότατα μνημονεύοντές φασιν Εὔμηλον αὐτόχθονα οἰκῆσαι πρῶτον ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ, βασιλεύοντα αὐτὸν ἀνθρώπων οὐ πολλῶν. Τριπτολέμου δὲ ἐκ τῆς Ἀττικῆς ἀφικομένου τόν τε καρπὸν λαμβάνει τὸν ἥμερον καὶ οἰκίσαι διδαχθεὶς πόλιν Ἀρόην ὠνόμασεν ἐπὶ τῇ ἐργασίᾳ τῆς γῆς.
ὡς δὲ πρὸς ὕπνον ἐτράπετο ὁ Τριπτόλεμος, ἐνταῦθα Ἀνθείαν παῖδα Εὐμήλου τοὺς δράκοντάς φασιν ὑπὸ τοῦ Τριπτολέμου τὸ ἅρμα ζεύξαντα ἐθελῆσαι καὶ αὐτὸν σπεῖραι· καὶ τὸν μὲν ἐπιλαμβάνει τὸ χρεὼν ἐκπεσόντα τοῦ ἅρματος, Τριπτόλεμος δὲ καὶ Εὔμηλος Ἄνθειαν πόλιν οἰκίζουσιν ἐν κοινῷ, τοῦ Εὐμήλου παιδὸς ἐπώνυμον.
ᾠκίσθη δὲ καὶ τρίτη μεταξὺ Ἀνθείας καὶ Ἀρόης Μεσάτις πόλις. ὁπόσα δὲ οἱ Πατρεῖς περὶ Διονύσου λέγουσι, τραφῆναί τε αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ Μεσάτει καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐπιβουλευθέντα ὑπὸ Τιτάνων ἐς παντοῖον ἀφικέσθαι κίνδυνον, οὐκ ἐναντιούμενος τοῖς Πατρεῦσιν αὐτοῖς σφισιν ἐξηγεῖσθαι παρίημι.
Ἀχαιῶν δὲ ὕστερον ἐκβαλόντων Ἴωνας, Πατρεὺς ὁ Πρευγένους τοῦ Ἀγήνορος ἐς μὲν Ἄνθειαν καὶ ἐς Μεσάτιν μὴ ἐνοικίζεσθαι τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς ἀπεῖπε, περίβολον δὲ τείχους πρὸς τῇ Ἀρόῃ βαλόμενος μείζονα, ἵνα ἐντός οἱ τοῦ περιβόλου καὶ ἡ Ἀρόη γένηται, ὄνομα ἔθετο ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ Πάτρας τῇ πόλει. Ἀγήνωρ δὲ ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ Πρευγένους Ἀρέως παῖς ἦν τοῦ Ἄμπυκος, ὁ δὲ Ἄμπυξ Πελίου τοῦ Αἰγινήτου τοῦ Δηρείτου τοῦ Ἁρπάλου τοῦ Ἀμύκλα τοῦ Λακεδαίμονος.
Πατρεῖ μὲν τοιαῦτα ἐς τοὺς προγόνους ὑπάρχοντα ἦν· ἰδίᾳ δὲ ἀνὰ χρόνον Πατρεῖς διέβησαν ἐς Αἰτωλίαν Ἀχαιῶν μόνοι κατὰ φιλίαν τὴν Αἰτωλῶν, τὸν πόλεμόν σφισι τὸν πρὸς Γαλάτας συνδιοίσοντες. προσπταίσαντες δʼ ἐν ταῖς μάχαις λόγου μειζόνως καὶ ὑπὸ πενίας ἅμα οἱ πολλοὶ πιεζόμενοι Πάτρας μὲν πλὴν ὀλίγων τινῶν ἐκλείπουσιν· οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι κατὰ χώραν ὑπὸ φιλεργίας ἐσκεδάσθησαν καὶ πολίσματα παρὲξ αὐτὰς Πάτρας τοσάδε ἄλλα ᾤκησαν, Μεσάτιν καὶ Ἄνθειαν καὶ Βολίνην καὶ Ἀργυρᾶν τε καὶ Ἄρβαν.
Αὔγουστος δὲ ἢ τοῦ παράπλου νομίζων κεῖσθαι καλῶς τὰς Πάτρας ἢ κατʼ ἄλλην τινὰ αἰτίαν ἐπανήγαγεν αὖθις ἐκ τῶν πολισμάτων τῶν ἄλλων τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐς τὰς Πάτρας, προσσυνῴκισε δέ σφισι καὶ Ἀχαιοὺς τοὺς ἐκ Ῥυπῶν, καταβαλὼν ἐς ἔδαφος Ῥύπας· καὶ ἔδωκε μὲν ἐλευθέροις Ἀχαιῶν μόνοις τοῖς Πατρεῦσιν εἶναι, ἔδωκε δὲ καὶ ἐς τὰ ἄλλα γέρα σφίσιν, ὁπόσα τοῖς ἀποίκοις νέμειν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι νομίζουσι.
Πατρεῦσι δὲ ἐν ἄκρᾳ τῇ πόλει Λαφρίας ἱερόν ἐστιν Ἀρτέμιδος· ξενικὸν μὲν τῇ θεῷ τὸ ὄνομα, ἐσηγμένον δὲ ἑτέρωθεν καὶ τὸ ἄγαλμα. Καλυδῶνος γὰρ καὶ Αἰτωλίας τῆς ἄλλης ὑπὸ Αὐγούστου βασιλέως ἐρημωθείσης διὰ τὸ ἐς τὴν Νικόπολιν τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἀκτίου συνοικίζεσθαι καὶ τὸ Αἰτωλικόν, οὕτω τὸ ἄγαλμα τῆς Λαφρίας οἱ Πατρεῖς ἔσχον.
ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα ἀγάλματα ἔκ τε Αἰτωλίας καὶ παρὰ Ἀκαρνάνων, τὰ μὲν πολλὰ ἐς τὴν Νικόπολιν κομισθῆναι, Πατρεῦσι δὲ ὁ Αὔγουστος ἄλλα τε τῶν ἐκ Καλυδῶνος λαφύρων καὶ δὴ καὶ τῆς Λαφρίας ἔδωκε τὸ ἄγαλμα, ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐς ἐμὲ ἔτι ἐν τῇ ἀκροπόλει τῇ Πατρέων εἶχε τιμάς. γενέσθαι δὲ ἐπίκλησιν τῇ θεῷ Λαφρίαν ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς Φωκέως φασί· Λάφριον γὰρ τὸν Κασταλίου τοῦ Δελφοῦ Καλυδωνίοις ἱδρύσασθαι τὸ ἄγαλμα τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος τὸ ἀρχαῖον, οἱ δὲ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος τὸ μήνιμα τὸ
ἐς Οἰνέα ἀνὰ χρόνον τοῖς Καλυδωνίοις ἐλαφρότερον γενέσθαι λέγουσι καὶ αἰτίαν τῇ θεῷ τῆς ἐπικλήσεως ἐθέλουσιν εἶναι ταύτην. τὸ μὲν σχῆμα τοῦ ἀγάλματος θηρεύουσά ἐστιν, ἐλέφαντος δὲ καὶ χρυσοῦ πεποίηται, Ναυπάκτιοι δὲ Μέναιχμος καὶ Σοΐδας εἰργάσαντο· τεκμαίρονται σφᾶς Κανάχου τοῦ Σικυωνίου καὶ τοῦ Αἰγινήτου Κάλλωνος οὐ πολλῷ γενέσθαι τινὶ ἡλικίαν ὑστέρους.
ἄγουσι δὲ καὶ Λάφρια ἑορτὴν τῇ Ἀρτέμιδι οἱ Πατρεῖς ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος, ἐν ᾗ τρόπος ἐπιχώριος θυσίας ἐστὶν αὐτοῖς. περὶ μὲν τὸν βωμὸν ἐν κύκλῳ ξύλα ἱστᾶσιν ἔτι χλωρὰ καὶ ἐς ἑκκαίδεκα ἕκαστον πήχεις· ἐντὸς δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ τὰ αὐότατά σφισι τῶν ξύλων κεῖται. μηχανῶνται δὲ ὑπὸ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ἑορτῆς καὶ ἄνοδον ἐπὶ τὸν βωμὸν λειοτέραν, ἐπιφέροντες γῆν ἐπὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ τοὺς ἀναβασμούς.
πρῶτα μὲν δὴ πομπὴν μεγαλοπρεπεστάτην τῇ Ἀρτέμιδι πομπεύουσι, καὶ ἡ ἱερωμένη παρθένος ὀχεῖται τελευταία τῆς πομπῆς ἐπὶ ἐλάφων ὑπὸ τὸ ἅρμα ἐζευγμένων· ἐς δὲ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν τηνικαῦτα ἤδη δρᾶν τὰ ἐς τὴν θυσίαν νομίζουσι, δημοσίᾳ τε ἡ πόλις καὶ οὐχ ἧσσον ἐς τὴν ἑορτὴν οἱ ἰδιῶται φιλοτίμως ἔχουσιν. ἐσβάλλουσι γὰρ ζῶντας ἐς τὸν βωμὸν ὄρνιθάς τε τοὺς ἐδωδίμους καὶ ἱερεῖα ὁμοίως ἅπαντα, ἔτι δὲ ὗς ἀγρίους καὶ ἐλάφους τε καὶ δορκάδας, οἱ δὲ καὶ λύκων καὶ ἄρκτων σκύμνους, οἱ δὲ καὶ τὰ τέλεια τῶν θηρίων· κατατιθέασι δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν βωμὸν καὶ δένδρων καρπὸν τῶν ἡμέρων.
τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τούτου πῦρ ἐνιᾶσιν ἐς τὰ ξύλα. ἐνταῦθά που καὶ ἄρκτον καὶ ἄλλο τι ἐθεασάμην τῶν ζῴων, τὰ μὲν ὑπὸ τὴν πρώτην ὁρμὴν τοῦ πυρὸς βιαζόμενα ἐς τὸ ἐκτός, τὰ δὲ καὶ ἐκφεύγοντα ὑπὸ ἰσχύος· ταῦτα οἱ ἐμβαλόντες ἐπανάγουσιν αὖθις ἐς τὴν πυράν. τρωθῆναι δὲ οὐδένα ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων μνημονεύουσιν.
About forty furlongs beyond Dyme the river Pirus falls into the sea, and beside the Pirus once stood the Achaean city of Olenus. With the poets who have sung of Hercules and his deeds a favourite theme is Dexamenus, king of Olenus, and the reception he gave to Hercules. That Olenus was from the first a small town is proved by an elegy composed by Hermesianax on the Centaur Eurytion ; and in course of time they say that the inhabitants, being a feeble folk, abandoned Olenus and migrated to Pirae and Euryteae.
About eighty furlongs from the river Pirus is the city of Patrae, and not far from the city the river Glaucus falls into the sea. The antiquaries of Patrae say that the first man who dwelt in the land was Eumelus, an aboriginal, and that he reigned over a few people. When Triptolemus came from Attica, he gave Eumelus seed to sow, and taught him to build a city, which Eumelus named Aroe, because of the tilling of the soil. They say that once when Triptolemus had fallen asleep, Antheas, a son of Eumelus, yoked the dragons to the car of Triptolemus, and tried to sow the ground himself. But he fell off the chariot and was killed, and Triptolemus and Eumelus together founded a city, and called it Anthea after Eumelus’ son. A third city, Mesatis, was founded between Anthea and Aroe.
As to the stories which the people of Patrae tell about Dionysus, how he was brought up at Mesatis, and there ran all sorts of risks from the plots of the Titans, I will not contradict them, but will allow them to explain the name of Mesatis in their own way. Afterwards when the Achaeans had expelled the Ionians, Patreus, son of Preugenes, son of Agenor, forbade the Achaeans to settle in Anthea and Mesatis, but at Aroe he built a wall of a wider circuit in order to include the town of Aroe within it, and he named the city Patrae after himself.
Now Agenor, the father of Preugenes, was a son of Areus, son of Ampyx, and Ampyx was a son of Pelias, who was a son of Aeginetes, who was a son of Derites, who was a son of Harpalus, who was a son of Amyclas, who was a son of Lacedaemon. Such was the ancestry of Patreus.
In course of time the Patreans crossed over on their own account to Aetolia to help the Aetolians in their war with the Gauls: they took this step out of friendship for the Aetolians, and they were the only Achaeans who did so. But in consequence both of the unspeakable reverses which they sustained in the battles, and of the poverty by which most of them were oppressed, all but a few of the inhabitants abandoned Patrae, and dispersed up and down the country out of love for an agricultural life. Besides Patrae, the towns they dwelt in were Mesatis, Anthea, Bolina, Argyra, and Arba. But Augustus, either because he thought Patrae was a convenient place for vessels to touch at in passing, or for some other reason, brought back the people from the other towns to Patrae, and he incorporated with them the Achaeans of Rhypes, after razing that town to the ground. Of all the Achaeans he conferred freedom on the Patreans alone, and he further invested them with all the other privileges which are commonly accorded to a Roman colony.
In the acropolis of Patrae is a sanctuary of Artemis Laphria. The name of the goddess is foreign, and her image also was brought from elsewhere. For when Calydon and the rest of Aetolia had been depopulated by the Emperor Augustus, the inhabitants being removed and settled at Nicopolis above Actium as part of the population of that new city, the Patreans got possession of the image of Laphria. Most of the images from Aetolia and Acarnania were taken to Nicopolis by order of Augustus, but he gave to the Patreans some of the spoils of Calydon, including the image of Laphria, which in my time was still worshipped in the acropolis of Patrae. They say that the goddess was called by the surname of Laphria after a man of Phocis, the ancient image of Artemis having been set up at Calydon by Laphrius, son of Castalius, son of Delphus. But some say that the wrath of Artemis, which had been stirred by Oeneus, in course of time pressed more lightly (elaphroteron) on the Calydonians, and they hold that this was the cause of the goddess’s surname. The image represents the goddess hunting: it is of ivory and gold, the work of two Naupactians, Menaechmus and Soidas. They are supposed to have lived not much later than Canachus of Sicyon and Callon of Aegina.
Every year the Patreans hold a festival called the Laphria in honour of Artemis, at which they have a peculiar mode of sacrifice. Round the altar in a circle they set up green logs of wood, each of them sixteen ells long, and inside this fence they pile the driest wood on the altar. When the time of the festival is at hand they construct a smooth ascent to the altar by heaping earth on the altar steps. The festival opens with a most gorgeous procession in honour of Artemis, the rear being brought up by the virgin priestess riding on a car drawn by deer. The sacrifice, however, does not take place till the following day: it is not merely an affair of state, but a highly popular festival. For the people bring the edible kinds of birds and victims of every sort, and throw them alive on the altar ; also wild boars, deer, and roe ; others bring the cubs of wolves and bears, others the full-grown beasts. They also lay on the altar the fruit of cultivated trees. Next they set fire to the wood. I have seen a bear and other beasts struggling to get out at the first burst of the flames, and some of them actually escaping by sheer strength. But the people who threw them in drag them back again to the burning pile. They do not remember that any one was ever wounded by the beasts.
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