ἡ δὲ Μεγάλη πόλις νεωτάτη πόλεών ἐστιν οὐ τῶν Ἀρκαδικῶν μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐν Ἕλλησι, πλὴν ὅσων κατὰ συμφορὰν ἀρχῆς τῆς Ῥωμαίων μεταβεβήκασιν οἰκήτορες· συνῆλθον δὲ ὑπὲρ ἰσχύος ἐς αὐτὴν οἱ Ἀρκάδες, ἅτε καὶ Ἀργείους ἐπιστάμενοι τὰ μὲν ἔτι παλαιότερα μόνον οὐ κατὰ μίαν ἡμέραν ἑκάστην κινδυνεύοντας ὑπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων παραστῆναι τῷ πολέμῳ, ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀνθρώπων πλήθει τὸ Ἄργος ἐπηύξησαν καταλύσαντες Τίρυνθα καὶ Ὑσιάς τε καὶ Ὀρνεὰς καὶ Μυκήνας καὶ Μίδειαν καὶ εἰ δή τι ἄλλο πόλισμα οὐκ ἀξιόλογον ἐν τῇ Ἀργολίδι ἦν, τά τε ἀπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων ἀδεέστερα τοῖς Ἀργείοις ὑπάρξαντα καὶ ἅμα ἐς τοὺς περιοίκους ἰσχὺν γενομένην αὐτοῖς.
γνώμῃ μὲν τοιαύτῃ συνῳκίζοντο οἱ Ἀρκάδες, τῆς πόλεως δὲ οἰκιστὴς Ἐπαμινώνδας ὁ Θηβαῖος σὺν τῷ δικαίῳ καλοῖτο ἄν· τούς τε γὰρ Ἀρκάδας οὗτος ἦν ὁ ἐπεγείρας ἐς τὸν συνοικισμὸν Θηβαίων τε χιλίους λογάδας καὶ Παμμένην ἀπέστειλεν ἡγεμόνα ἀμύνειν τοῖς Ἀρκάσιν, εἰ κωλύειν πειρῶνται οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι τὸν οἰκισμόν. ᾑρέθησαν δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀρκάδων οἰκισταὶ Λυκομήδης καὶ Ὁπολέας καὶ Τίμων τε καὶ Πρόξενος, οὗτοι μὲν ἐκ Τεγέας, Λυκομήδης δὲ καὶ Ὁπολέας Μαντινεῖς, Κλειτορίων δὲ Κλεόλαος καὶ Ἀκρίφιος, Εὐκαμπίδας δὲ καὶ Ἱερώνυμος ἐκ Μαινάλου, Παρρασίων δὲ Ποσσικράτης τε καὶ Θεόξενος.
πόλεις δὲ τοσαίδε ἦσαν ὁπόσας ὑπό τε προθυμίας καὶ διὰ τὸ ἔχθος τὸ Λακεδαιμονίων πατρίδας σφίσιν οὔσας ἐκλιπεῖν ἐπείθοντο οἱ Ἀρκάδες, Ἀλέα Παλλάντιον Εὐταία Σουμάτειον Ἀσέα Περαιθεῖς Ἑλισσὼν Ὀρεσθάσιον Δίπαια Λύκαια· ταύτας μὲν ἐκ Μαινάλου· ἐκ δὲ Εὐτρησίων Τρικόλωνοι καὶ Ζοίτιον καὶ Χαρισία καὶ Πτολέδερμα καὶ Κναῦσον καὶ Παρώρεια·
παρὰ δὲ Αἰγυτῶν Αἴγυς καὶ Σκιρτώνιον καὶ Μαλέα καὶ Κρῶμοι καὶ Βλένινα καὶ Λεῦκτρον· Παρρασίων δὲ Λυκοσουρεῖς Θωκνεῖς Τραπεζούντιοι Προσεῖς Ἀκακήσιον Ἀκόντιον Μακαρία Δασέα· ἐκ δὲ Κυνουραίων τῶν ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ Γόρτυς καὶ Θεισόα ἡ πρὸς Λυκαίῳ καὶ Λυκαιᾶται καὶ Ἀλίφηρα· ἐκ δὲ τῶν συντελούντων ἐς Ὀρχομενὸν Θεισόα Μεθύδριον Τεῦθις· προσεγένετο δὲ καὶ Τρίπολις ὀνομαζομένη, Καλλία καὶ Δίποινα καὶ Νώνακρις.
τὸ μὲν δὴ ἄλλο Ἀρκαδικὸν οὔτε τι παρέλυε τοῦ κοινοῦ δόγματος καὶ συνελέγοντο ἐς τὴν Μεγάλην πόλιν σπουδῇ· Λυκαιᾶται δὲ καὶ Τρικολωνεῖς καὶ Λυκοσουρεῖς τε καὶ Τραπεζούντιοι μετεβάλοντο Ἀρκάδων μόνοι, καὶ—οὐ γὰρ συνεχώρουν ἔτι τὰ ἄστη τὰ ἀρχαῖα ἐκλιπεῖν— οἱ μὲν αὐτῶν καὶ ἄκοντες ἀνάγκῃ κατήγοντο ἐς τὴν Μεγάλην πόλιν, Τραπεζούντιοι δὲ ἐκ Πελοποννήσου
τὸ παράπαν ἐξεχώρησαν, ὅσοι γε αὐτῶν ἐλείφθησαν καὶ μὴ σφᾶς ὑπὸ τοῦ θυμοῦ παραυτίκα διεχρήσαντο οἱ Ἀρκάδες· τοὺς δὲ αὐτῶν ἀνασωθέντας ἀναπλεύσαντας ναυσὶν ἐς τὸν Πόντον συνοίκους ἐδέξαντο μητροπολίτας τʼ ὄντας καὶ ὁμωνύμους οἱ Τραπεζοῦντα ἔχοντες τὴν ἐν τῷ Εὐξείνῳ. Λυκοσουρεῦσι δὲ καὶ ἀπειθήσασιν ἐγένετο ὅμως παρὰ τῶν Ἀρκάδων αἰδὼς Δήμητρός τε ἕνεκα καὶ Δεσποίνης ἐλθοῦσιν ἐς τὸ ἱερόν.
τῶν δὲ ἄλλων τῶν κατειλεγμένων πόλεων αἱ μὲν ἐς ἅπαν εἰσὶν ἐφʼ ἡμῶν ἔρημοι, τὰς δὲ ἔχουσιν οἱ Μεγαλοπολῖται κώμας, Γόρτυνα Διποίνας Θεισόαν τὴν πρὸς Ὀρχομενῷ Μεθύδριον Τεῦθιν Καλλιὰς Ἑλισσόντα· μόνη δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν Παλλάντιον ἔμελλεν ἄρα ἠπιωτέρου πειρᾶσθαι καὶ τότε τοῦ δαίμονος. τοῖς δὲ Ἀλιφηρεῦσι παραμεμένηκεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς πόλιν σφᾶς καὶ ἐς τόδε νομίζεσθαι.
συνῳκίσθη δὲ ἡ Μεγάλη πόλις ἐνιαυτῷ τε τῷ αὐτῷ καὶ μησίν ὀλίγοις ὕστερον ἢ τὸ πταῖσμα ἐγένετο Λακεδαιμονίων τὸ ἐν Λεύκτροις, Φρασικλείδου μὲν Ἀθήνησιν ἄρχοντος, δευτέρῳ δὲ ἔτει τῆς ἑκατοστῆς Ὀλυμπιάδος καὶ δευτέρας, ἣν Δάμων Θούριος ἐνίκα στάδιον.
Μεγαλοπολίταις δὲ ἐς τὴν Θηβαίων συμμαχίαν ἐγγραφεῖσιν ἀπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων δεῖμα ἦν οὐδέν. ὡς δὲ ἐς τὸν πόλεμον τὸν ἱερὸν ὀνομασθέντα οἱ Θηβαῖοι κατέστησαν καὶ αὐτοῖς ἐπέκειντο οἱ Φωκεῖς, τήν τε ὅμορον τῇ Βοιωτῶν ἔχοντες καὶ ὄντες οὐκ ἀδύνατοι χρήμασιν ἅτε τὸ ἱερὸν τὸ ἐν Δελφοῖς κατειληφότες,
τηνικαῦτα οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι προθυμίας μὲν ἕνεκα Ἀρκάδας τε ἂν τοὺς ἄλλους καὶ τοὺς Μεγαλοπολίτας ἐποίησαν ἀναστάτους, ἀμυνομένων δὲ τῶν τότε οὐκ ἀθύμως καὶ ἅμα τῶν περιοίκων ἀπροφασίστως σφίσιν ἐπικουρούντων, λόγου μὲν συνέπεσεν οὐδὲν ἄξιον γενέσθαι παρὰ οὐδετέρων· Φίλιππον δὲ τὸν Ἀμύντου καὶ Μακεδόνων τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐχ ἥκιστα αὐξηθῆναι τὸ ἔχθος τὸ Ἀρκάδων ἐς Λακεδαιμονίους ἐποίησε, καὶ Ἕλλησιν ἐν Χαιρωνείᾳ καὶ αὖθις περὶ Θεσσαλίαν τοῦ ἀγῶνος οὐ μετέσχον οἱ Ἀρκάδες.
χρόνον δὲ οὐ μετὰ πολὺν Ἀριστόδημος Μεγαλοπολίταις ἀνέφυ τύραννος, Φιγαλεὺς μὲν γένος καὶ υἱὸς Ἀρτύλα, ποιησαμένου δὲ αὐτὸν Τριταίου τῶν οὐκ ἀδυνάτων ἐν Μεγάλῃ πόλει· τούτῳ τῷ Ἀριστοδήμῳ καὶ τυραννοῦντι ἐξεγένετο ὅμως ἐπικληθῆναι Χρηστῷ. ἐπὶ τούτου τυραννοῦντος ἐσβάλλουσιν ἐς τὴν Μεγαλοπολῖτιν στρατιᾷ Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως Κλεομένους ὁ πρεσβύτατος τῶν παίδων Ἀκρότατος· ἐγενεαλόγησα δὲ ἤδη τά τε ἐς τοῦτον καὶ ἐς τὸ πᾶν γένος τῶν ἐν Σπάρτῃ βασιλέων. γενομένης δὲ ἰσχυρᾶς μάχης καὶ ἀποθανόντων πολλῶν παρʼ ἀμφοτέρων κρατοῦσιν οἱ Μεγαλοπολῖται τῇ συμβολῇ· καὶ ἄλλοι τε διεφθάρησαν Σπαρτιατῶν καὶ Ἀκρότατος, οὐδέ οἱ τὴν πατρῴαν παραλαβεῖν ἐξεγένετο ἀρχήν.
μετὰ δὲ Ἀριστόδημον τελευτήσαντα δύο μάλιστα ὕστερον γενεαῖς ἐτυράννησε Λυδιάδης, οἴκου μὲν οὐκ ἀφανοῦς, φύσιν δὲ φιλότιμος ὢν καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα, ὡς ἐπέδειξεν ὕστερον, καὶ φιλόπολις. ἔσχε μὲν γὰρ ἔτι νέος ὢν τὴν ἀρχήν· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἤρχετο φρονεῖν, κατέπαυεν ἑαυτὸν ἑκὼν τυραννίδος, καίπερ ἐς τὸ ἀσφαλὲς ἤδη οἱ τῆς ἀρχῆς καθωρμισμένης. Μεγαλοπολιτῶν δὲ συντελούντων ἤδη τότε ἐς τὸ Ἀχαϊκόν, ὁ Λυδιάδης ἔν τε αὐτοῖς Μεγαλοπολίταις καὶ ἐν τοῖς πᾶσιν Ἀχαιοῖς ἐγένετο οὕτω δόκιμος ὡς Ἀράτῳ παρισωθῆναι τὰ ἐς δόξαν.
Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ αὐτοί τε πανδημεὶ καὶ ὁ τῆς οἰκίας βασιλεὺς τῆς ἑτέρας Ἆγις ὁ Εὐδαμίδου στρατεύουσιν ἐπὶ Μεγάλην πόλιν παρασκευῇ μείζονι καὶ ἀξιολογωτέρᾳ τῆς ὑπὸ Ἀκροτάτου συναχθείσης· καὶ μάχῃ τε ἐπεξελθόντας τοὺς Μεγαλοπολίτας ἐνίκησαν καὶ μηχάνημα ἰσχυρὸν προσάγοντες τῷ τείχει τὸν πύργον τὸν ταύτῃ διʼ αὐτοῦ σείουσι καὶ ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίαν καταρρίψειν τῷ μηχανήματι ἤλπιζον.
ἔμελλε δὲ ἄρα οὐχ Ἕλλησιν ὁ Βορέας ἔσεσθαι μόνον τοῖς πᾶσιν ὄφελος, τοῦ Μήδων ναυτικοῦ ταῖς Σηπιάσι προσράξας τὰς πολλάς, ἀλλὰ καὶ Μεγαλοπολίτας ὁ ἄνεμος οὗτος ἐρρύσατο μὴ ἁλῶναι· κατέλυσέ τε γὰρ τὸ μηχάνημα τοῦ Ἄγιδος καὶ διεφόρησεν ἐς ἀπώλειαν παντελῆ βιαίῳ τῷ πνεύματι ὁμοῦ καὶ συνεχεῖ. ὁ δὲ Ἆγις ὅτῳ τὰ ἐκ τοῦ Βορέου μὴ ἑλεῖν τὴν Μεγαλόπολιν ἐγένετο ἐμποδών, ἔστιν ὁ τὴν ἐν Ἀχαΐᾳ Πελλήνην ἀφαιρεθεὶς ὑπὸ Ἀράτου καὶ Σικυωνίων καὶ ὕστερον πρὸς Μαντινείᾳ χρησάμενος τῷ τέλει.
μετὰ δὲ οὐ πολὺν χρόνον Κλεομένης ὁ Λεωνίδου Μεγαλόπολιν κατέλαβεν ἐν σπονδαῖς. Μεγαλοπολιτῶν δὲ οἱ μὲν ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ εὐθὺς τότε ἀμύνοντες τῇ πατρίδι ἐπεπτώκεσαν, ἔνθα καὶ Λυδιάδην ἀγωνιζόμενον ἀξίως λόγου κατέλαβεν ἐν τῇ μάχῃ τὸ χρεών· τοὺς δὲ αὐτῶν Φιλοποίμην ὁ Κραύγιδος ὅσον τε τὰ δύο μέρη τῶν ἐν ἡλικίᾳ καὶ παῖδας ἅμα ἔχων καὶ γυναῖκας διέφυγεν ἐς τὴν Μεσσηνίαν.
Κλεομένης δὲ τούς τε ἐγκαταληφθέντας ἐφόνευε καὶ κατέσκαπτέ τε καὶ ἔκαιε τὴν πόλιν. Μεγαλοπολῖται μὲν δὴ τρόπον ὁποῖον ἀνεσώσαντο τὴν αὑτῶν καὶ ὁποῖα κατελθοῦσιν αὖθις ἐπράχθη σφίσι, δηλώσει τοῦ λόγου μοι τὰ ἐς Φιλοποίμενα· Λακεδαιμονίων δὲ τῷ δήμῳ τοῦ τῶν Μεγαλοπολιτῶν παθήματος μέτεστιν αἰτίας οὐδέν, ὅτι σφίσιν ἐκ βασιλείας μετέστησεν ἐς τυραννίδα ὁ Κλεομένης τὴν πολιτείαν.
Μεγαλοπολίταις δὲ καὶ Ἡραιεῦσι κατὰ τὰ εἰρημένα ἤδη μοι τοῦ Βουφάγου ποταμοῦ περὶ τὰς πηγάς εἰσιν ὅροι τῆς χώρας. γενέσθαι δὲ τῷ ποταμῷ τὸ ὄνομα ἀπὸ Βουφάγου φασὶν ἥρωος, εἶναι δὲ Ἰαπετοῦ τε παῖδα αὐτὸν καὶ Θόρνακος. ταύτην καὶ ἐν τῇ Λακωνικῇ Θόρνακα ὀνομάζουσι. λέγουσι δὲ καὶ ὡς ἐν Φολόῃ τῷ ὄρει τοξεύσειεν Ἄρτεμις Βουφάγον ἔργα τολμήσαντα οὐχ ὅσια ἐς τὴν θεόν.
Megalopolis is the newest city not only in Arcadia, but in Greece, if we except the case of cities whose inhabitants, under the Roman Empire, have chanced to be transferred to new sites. The Arcadians gathered into Megalopolis for the sake of security ; for they knew that the Argives of old had stood in almost daily danger of being conquered by the Lacedaemonians, but that after they had swelled the population of Argos by destroying Tiryns, Hysiae, Orneae, Mycenae, Midea, and the other petty towns of Argolis, they had had less to fear from the Lacedaemonians, and had at the same time gained a firmer hold over the outlying subject population. Such were the views with which the Arcadians united in a single city.
Of that city Epaminondas, the Theban, may justly be called the founder ; for he it was who collected the Arcadians to found the united city, and sent a thousand picked Thebans under Pammenes to stand by the Arcadians in case the Lacedaemonians should attempt to hinder the founding of the city. The Arcadians also chose as founders Timon and Proxenus, both from Tegea; Lycomedes and Hopoleas from Mantinea; Cleolaus and Acriphius from Clitor ; Eucampidas and Hieronymus from Maenalus ; and two Parrhasians, Possicrates and Theoxenus. 3. The following is a list of the cities which the Arcadians in their zeal and out of the hatred they bore the Lacedaemonians were persuaded to abandon, though in doing so they abandoned at the same time the homes of their fathers :—Alea, Pallantium, Eutaea, Sumateum, Iasaea, Peraethenses, Helisson, Oresthasium, Dipaea, Lycaea ; all these were in Maenalus. Of the towns of the Eutresians, there were the following :—Tricoloni, Zoetium, Charisia, Ptolederma, Cnausum, Paroria; of the towns of the Aegytians .... [and] Scirtonium, Malaea, Cromi, Blenina, and Leuctrum ; of the towns of the Parrhasians, there were Lycosura, Thocnia, Trapezus, Prosenses, Acacesium, Acontium, Macaria, Dasea; of the towns of the Arcadian Cynurians, there were Gortys, Thisoa on Mount Lycaeus, Lycaea, and Aliphera; of the towns belonging to Orchomenus, there were Thisoa, Methydrium, Teuthis; and besides these there was also the so-called Tripolis (‘three cities’), comprising Callia, Dipoena, and Nonacris. Now, whereas the rest of the Arcadians set aside none of the provisions of the common resolution, but gathered briskly to Megalopolis, the people of Lycaea, Tricoloni, Lycosura, and Trapezus, changed their minds (they were the only Arcadians who did so), and refusing to abandon their old towns, some of them were brought by force reluctantly to Megalopolis.
But the Trapezuntians departed clean out of Peloponnese, that is to say, the remnant of them whom the Arcadians in their fury did not put to the sword. Such as escaped with their lives sailed to the Euxine, where the people of Trapezus on the Euxine welcomed them into their midst as namesakes and brethren from the mother city. The Lycosurians, though disobedient, were spared by the Arcadians for the sake of Demeter and the Mistress, to whose sanctuary they had betaken themselves. 5. Of the other cities I have enumerated, some at the present day are totally desolate; others are villages belonging to Megalopolis, namely, Gortys, Dipoenae, Thisoa near Orchomenus, Methydrium, Teuthis, Calliae, Helisson. Pallantium alone was to experience [even then] a milder fortune. Aliphera has retained the rank of a city down to the present day. 6. Megalopolis was founded in the year in which the defeat of the Lacedaemonians took place at Leuctra, a few months after the battle, in the archonship of Phrasiclides at Athens, in the second year of the hundred and second Olympiad, in which Damon, a Thurian, won the foot-race.
Enrolled among the allies of Thebes, the Megalopolitans had nothing to fear from the Lacedaemonians. But when the Thebans became involved in the war known as the Sacred War, and were hard put to it by the Phocians, whose territory adjoins Boeotia, and who were well supplied with money, seeing they had laid hands on the Delphic sanctuary, then, to be sure, the Lacedaemonians would have turned all the Arcadians, and especially the Megalopolitans, out of house and home, if wishing could have done it. However, as the Arcadians defended themselves with courage, and their neighbours staunchly supported them, neither side effected anything worth speaking of. But the hatred that the Arcadians bore to the Lacedaemonians contributed not a little to the growth of the power of Philip, son of Amyntas, and to the spread of the Macedonian Empire ; and the Arcadians did not stand side by side with the Greeks at Chaeronea nor again on the battlefield in Thessaly.
Not long afterwards Aristodemus rose to be tyrant of Megalopolis: he was a native of Phigalia, and son of Artylas, but had been adopted by Tritaeus, a man of influence in Megalopolis. This Aristodemus, tyrant as he was, earned the surname of ‘the Good.’ During his tyranny the Lacedaemonians, under the command of Acrotatus, eldest son of King Cleomenes, invaded the territory of Megalopolis. I have already given the genealogy of Acrotatus, as well as of the whole race of the Spartan kings. A sharp engagement took place, and many fell on both sides, but the Megalopolitans had the best of it, and amongst the Spartan dead was Acrotatus, who thus never lived to sit on the throne of his fathers. 9. About two generations after the death of Aristodemus Lydiades made himself tyrant : his family was respectable, and his character was at once ambitious and, as he afterwards proved, patriotic; for he was still young when he seized the government, and when he came to years of discretion he voluntarily abdicated, although by that time his power was securely anchored. Megalopolis at that time belonged to the Achaean League, and so high did the character of Lydiades stand, not only with the Megalopolitans, but with all the Achaeans, that his fame was equal to that of Aratus. The Lacedaemonians now put every man in the field, and under the command of the king of the other house, Agis, son of Eudamidas, marched against Megalopolis with a larger and better appointed force than that which Acrotatus had got together. The Megalopolitans took the field against them, but were worsted, whereupon the Lacedaemonians brought up a powerful engine against the walls, with which they shook the tower that stood there, and were in hopes of battering it down the next day. The North Wind, however, was to be the saviour of Megalopolis, even as it had once done service to the whole of Greece, by dashing most of the ships of the Medes against the Sepiad rocks. For it blew a steady and furious hurricane, which broke down the engine of Agis and scattered it like chaff. The Agis, who was prevented by the North Wind from taking Megalopolis, is the same who lost Pellene, in Achaia, to the Sicyonians under Aratus, and afterwards came by his end at Mantinea. 10. Not long afterwards Cleomenes, son of Leonidas, seized Megalopolis in time of truce. Of the Megalopolitans some fell that night in defence of their country, and amongst them Lydiades met a hero’s death in the fray; but about two-thirds of the men of military age, together with the women and children, made their escape to Messenia, under the conduct of Philopoemen, son of Craugis. Cleomenes put all whom he caught to the sword, razed the city to the ground, and burned it. How the Megalopolitans recovered their country, and what they did afterwards, will be told in my notice of Philopoemen. The Lacedaemonian people are not to blame for the sack of Megalopolis, for Cleomenes had converted the constitution from a monarchy into a despotism.
As I have already said, the boundary between Megalopolis and Heraea is at the springs of the Buphagus. They say that the river got its name from a hero Buphagus, son of Iapetus and Thornax. The name of Thornax occurs again in Laconia. They say, further, that Artemis shot Buphagus on Mount Pholoe for daring to make a wicked attempt upon her.
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