ἐν δὲ τῇ χώρᾳ τῇ Ὀρχομενίων, ἐν ἀριστερᾷ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς ἀπὸ Ἀγχισιῶν, ἐν ὑπτίῳ τοῦ ὄρους τὸ ἱερόν ἐστι τῆς Ὑμνίας Ἀρτέμιδος· μέτεστι δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ Μαντινεῦσι καὶ ἱέρειαν καὶ ἄνδρα ἱερέα. τούτοις οὐ μόνον τὰ ἐς τὰς μίξεις ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐς τὰ ἄλλα ἁγιστεύειν καθέστηκε τὸν χρόνον τοῦ βίου πάντα, καὶ οὔτε λουτρὰ οὔτε δίαιτα λοιπὴ κατὰ τὰ αὐτά σφισι καθὰ καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐστιν, οὐδὲ ἐς οἰκίαν παρίασιν ἀνδρὸς ἰδιώτου. τοιαῦτα οἶδα ἕτερα ἐνιαυτὸν καὶ οὐ πρόσω Ἐφεσίων ἐπιτηδεύοντας τοὺς τῇ Ἀρτέμιδι ἱστιάτορας τῇ Ἐφεσίᾳ γινομένους, καλουμένους δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν πολιτῶν Ἐσσῆνας. τῇ δὲ Ἀρτέμιδι τῇ Ὑμνίᾳ καὶ ἑορτὴν ἄγουσιν ἐπέτειον.
Ὀρχομενίοις δὲ ἡ προτέρα πόλις ἐπὶ ὄρους ἦν ἄκρᾳ τῇ κορυφῇ, καὶ ἀγορᾶς τε καὶ τειχῶν ἐρείπια λείπεται· τὴν δὲ ἐφʼ ἡμῶν πόλιν ὑπὸ τὸν περίβολον οἰκοῦσι τοῦ ἀρχαίου τείχους. θέας δὲ αὐτόθι ἄξια πηγή τε, ἀφʼ ἧς ὑδρεύονται, καὶ Ποσειδῶνός ἐστι καὶ Ἀφροδίτης ἱερά, λίθου δὲ τὰ ἀγάλματα. πρὸς δὲ τῇ πόλει ξόανόν ἐστιν Ἀρτέμιδος· ἵδρυται δὲ ἐν κέδρῳ μεγάλῃ, καὶ τὴν θεὸν ὀνομάζουσιν ἀπὸ τῆς κέδρου Κεδρεᾶτιν.
σωροὶ δὲ ὑπὸ τὴν πόλιν λίθων εἰσὶ διεστηκότες ἀπὸ ἀλλήλων, ἐπενήθησαν δὲ ἐν πολέμῳ πεσοῦσιν ἀνδράσιν. οἷς τισι δὲ Πελοποννησίων ἐπολέμησαν ἢ τῶν ἄλλων ἢ Ἀρκάδων αὐτῶν, οὔτε ἐπιγράμματα ἐπὶ τοῖς τάφοις ἐσήμαινεν οὔτε οἱ Ὀρχομένιοι μνημονεύουσιν.
ἔστι δὲ ἀπαντικρὺ τῆς πόλεως ὄρος Τραχύ. τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ τὸ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ χαράδρας ῥέον κοίλης μεταξὺ τῆς τε πόλεως καὶ τοῦ Τραχέος ὄρους κάτεισιν ἐς ἄλλο Ὀρχομένιον πεδίον, τὸ δὲ πεδίον τοῦτο μεγέθει μὲν μέγα, τὰ πλείω δέ ἐστιν αὐτοῦ λίμνη. ἰόντι δὲ ἐξ Ὀρχομενοῦ καὶ σταδίους προελθόντι ὅσον τρεῖς, ἡ μὲν εὐθεῖα ἐπὶ πόλιν Καφυὰν ἄγει παρά τε αὐτὴν τὴν χαράδραν καὶ μετὰ ταύτην ἐν ἀριστερᾷ παρὰ τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ λιμνάζον· ἡ δὲ ἑτέρα τῶν ὁδῶν διαβάντι τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ διὰ τῆς χαράδρας ῥέον ὑπὸ τὸ Τραχύ ἐστιν ὄρος.
κατὰ δὲ τὴν ὁδὸν ταύτην πρῶτον μὲν μνῆμά ἐστιν Ἀριστοκράτους, ὃς βίᾳ ποτὲ ᾔσχυνε τὴν ἱερωμένην τῇ Ὑμνίᾳ θεῷ παρθένον, μετὰ δὲ τοῦ Ἀριστοκράτους τὸν τάφον πηγαί τέ εἰσι καλούμεναι Τενεῖαι καὶ ἀπέχει τῶν πηγῶν στάδια ὡς ἑπτὰ Ἄμιλος χωρίον· πόλιν δὲ τὴν Ἄμιλόν ποτε εἶναι λέγουσι. κατὰ τοῦτο αὖθις τὸ χωρίον δίχα ἡ ὁδὸς τέμνεται, καὶ ἡ μὲν ἐπὶ Στύμφηλον, ἡ δὲ ἐς Φενεὸν αὐτῶν ἄγει.
κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐς Φενεὸν ἐκδέξεταί σε ὄρος· ἐν δὲ τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ συνάπτουσιν Ὀρχομενίων καὶ Φενεατῶν τε καὶ Καφυατῶν ὅροι τῆς γῆς. ἀνατείνει δὲ ὑπὲρ τοὺς ὅρους κρημνὸς ὑψηλός· πέτραν Καφυατικὴν ὀνομάζουσι τὸν κρημνόν. μετὰ δὲ τοὺς ὅρους ταῖς κατειλεγμέναις πόλεσι φάραγξ τε ὑπόκειται καὶ φέρει διʼ αὐτῆς ἡ ἐς Φενεὸν ὁδός· κατὰ μέσην δέ που μάλιστα τὴν φάραγγα ὕδωρ ἄνεισιν ἐκ πηγῆς, καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ πέρατι τῆς φάραγγος Καρυαί ἐστι χωρίον.
In the territory of Orchomenus, to the left of the road that leads from Anchisiae, there stands on the slope of the mountain the sanctuary of Artemis Hymnia. The Mantineans also share in it . a priestess and a priest. They are bound to observe rules of purity, not only in sexual, but in all matters, during the whole course of their lives ; and neither their washings nor their ways of life in general are like those of common folk, nor do they enter the house of a private man. I know that the Hestiatores (‘entertainers’) of Ephesian Artemis observe similar rules for a year, but not more, and they are called Essenes by the citizens. An annual festival is also held in honour of Artemis Hymnia.
The former city of Orchomenus stood on the very top of a mountain, and remains of the market-place and of walls are still to be seen ; but the present inhabited city is lower down than the circuit of the ancient walls. Here there is a spring worth seeing, from which they draw water, and there are sanctuaries of Poseidon and Aphrodite : the images are of stone. Close to the city is a wooden image of Artemis: it stands in a great cedar, and hence they name her the Cedar Goddess. Down from the city are cairns standing at intervals : they were heaped over men who fell in war. But with what Arcadian or Peloponnesian people the war was waged there is no inscription on the graves to tell, nor do the Orchomenians themselves remember. 3. Opposite the city is Mount Trachy. The rain-water, flowing through a deep gully between the city and Mount Trachy, falls into another plain in the territory of Orchomenus. This plain is spacious, but most of it is a mere. As you go from Orchomenus the road divides after about three furlongs: the straight road leads to the city of Caphya, running by the edge of the gully, and afterwards skirting the water of the mere on the left. The other road crosses the stream that flows through the gully, and then leads by the foot of Mount Trachy.
On this road there is first the tomb of Aristocrates who once violated the virgin priestess of the goddess Hymnia. After the grave of Aristocrates there are springs called Teneae, and distant about seven furlongs from the springs is a place Amilus, which, they say, was once a city.
At this place again the road branches into two: one leads to Stymphalus, the other to Pheneus. On the road to Pheneus you will come to a mountain, where the boundaries of Orchomenus, Pheneus, and Caphya meet. Above the spot where the boundaries meet rises a lofty crag: they name it the Caphyatic rock. After you have passed the boundaries of the said cantons there is a ravine down below, and the road to Pheneus runs through it. Just about the middle of the ravine a spring of water wells up, and at the end of the ravine is a place Caryae.
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