Φιγαλεῦσι δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς καὶ πολυάνδριον τῶν λογάδων τῶν Ὀρεσθασίων ἐστί, καὶ ὡς ἥρωσιν αὐτοῖς ἐναγίζουσιν ἀνὰ πᾶν ἔτος.
ποταμὸς δὲ ὁ καλούμενος Λύμαξ ἐκδίδωσι μὲν ἐς τὴν Νέδαν παρʼ αὐτὴν ῥέων Φιγαλίαν, γενέσθαι δὲ τοὔνομά φασι τῷ ποταμῷ καθαρσίων τῶν Ῥέας ἕνεκα. ὡς γὰρ δὴ τεκοῦσαν τὸν Δία ἐκάθηραν ἐπὶ ταῖς ὠδῖσιν αἱ Νύμφαι, τὰ καθάρματα ἐς τοῦτον ἐμβάλλουσι τὸν ποταμόν· ὠνόμαζον δὲ ἄρα οἱ ἀρχαῖοι αὐτὰ λύματα. μαρτυρεῖ δὲ καὶ Ὅμηρος, ἀπολυμαίνεσθαί τε ἐπὶ λύσει τοῦ λοιμοῦ τοὺς Ἕλληνας καὶ ἐμβάλλειν τὰ λύματα εἰπὼν σφᾶς ἐς θάλασσαν.
εἰσὶ δὲ αἱ πηγαὶ τῆς Νέδας ἐν ὄρει τῷ Κεραυσίῳ· τοῦ Λυκαίου δὲ μοῖρά ἐστι. καθότι δὲ ἐγγύτατα ἡ Νέδα Φιγαλέων τῆς πόλεως γίνεται, κατὰ τοῦτο οἱ Φιγαλέων παῖδες ἀποκείρονται τῷ ποταμῷ τὰς κόμας· τὰ δὲ πρὸς θαλάσσῃ καὶ ἀναπλεῖται ναυσὶν οὐ μεγάλαις ἡ Νέδα. ποταμῶν δὲ ὁπόσους ἴσμεν Μαίανδρος μὲν σκολιῷ μάλιστα κάτεισι τῷ ῥεύματι, ἔς τε τὸ ἄνω καμπὰς καὶ αὖθις ἐπιστροφὰς παρεχόμενος πλείστας· δεύτερα δὲ ἑλιγμῶν γε ἕνεκα φέροιτο ἂν ἡ Νέδα.
σταδίοις δὲ ὅσον δώδεκα ἀνωτέρω Φιγαλίας θερμά τέ ἐστι λουτρὰ καὶ τούτων οὐ πόρρω κάτεισιν ὁ Λύμαξ ἐς τὴν Νέδαν· ᾗ δὲ συμβάλλουσι τὰ ῥεύματα, ἔστι τῆς Εὐρυνόμης τὸ ἱερόν, ἅγιόν τε ἐκ παλαιοῦ καὶ ὑπὸ τραχύτητος τοῦ χωρίου δυσπρόσοδον· περὶ αὐτὸ καὶ κυπάρισσοι πεφύκασι πολλαί τε καὶ ἀλλήλαις συνεχεῖς.
τὴν δὲ Εὐρυνόμην ὁ μὲν τῶν Φιγαλέων δῆμος ἐπίκλησιν εἶναι πεπίστευκεν Ἀρτέμιδος· ὅσοι δὲ αὐτῶν παρειλήφασιν ὑπομνήματα ἀρχαῖα, θυγατέρα Ὠκεανοῦ φασιν εἶναι τὴν Εὐρυνόμην, ἧς δὴ καὶ Ὅμηρος ἐν Ἰλιάδι ἐποιήσατο μνήμην ὡς ὁμοῦ Θέτιδι ὑποδέξαιτο Ἥφαιστον. ἡμέρᾳ δὲ τῇ αὐτῇ κατὰ ἔτος ἕκαστον τὸ ἱερὸν ἀνοιγνύουσι τῆς Εὐρυνόμης, τὸν δὲ ἄλλον χρόνον οὔ σφισιν ἀνοιγνύναι καθέστηκε·
τηνικαῦτα δὲ καὶ θυσίας δημοσίᾳ τε καὶ ἰδιῶται θύουσιν. ἀφικέσθαι μὲν δή μοι τῆς ἑορτῆς οὐκ ἐξεγένετο ἐς καιρὸν οὐδὲ τῆς Εὐρυνόμης τὸ ἄγαλμα εἶδον· τῶν Φιγαλέων δʼ ἤκουσα ὡς χρυσαῖ τε τὸ ξόανον συνδέουσιν ἁλύσεις καὶ εἰκὼν γυναικὸς τὰ ἄχρι τῶν γλουτῶν, τὸ ἀπὸ τούτου δέ ἐστιν ἰχθύς. θυγατρὶ μὲν δὴ Ὠκεανοῦ καὶ ἐν βυθῷ τῆς θαλάσσης ὁμοῦ Θέτιδι οἰκούσῃ παρέχοιτο ἄν τι ἐς γνώρισμα αὐτῆς ὁ ἰχθύς· Ἀρτέμιδι δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν ὅπως ἂν μετά γε τοῦ εἰκότος λόγου μετείη τοιούτου σχήματος.
περιέχεται δὲ ἡ Φιγαλία ὄρεσιν, ἐν ἀριστερᾷ μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ καλουμένου Κωτιλίου, τὰ δὲ ἐς δεξιὰν ἕτερον προβεβλημένον ἐστὶν αὐτῆς ὄρος τὸ Ἐλάιον. ἀπέχει δὲ τῆς πόλεως ἐς τεσσαράκοντα τὸ Κωτίλιον μάλιστα σταδίους· ἐν δὲ αὐτῷ χωρίον τέ ἐστι καλούμενον Βᾶσσαι καὶ ὁ ναὸς τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος τοῦ Ἐπικουρίου, λίθου καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ ὁ ὄροφος.
ναῶν δὲ ὅσοι Πελοποννησίοις εἰσί, μετά γε τὸν ἐν Τεγέᾳ προτιμῷτο οὗτος ἂν τοῦ λίθου τε ἐς κάλλος καὶ τῆς ἁρμονίας ἕνεκα. τὸ δὲ ὄνομα ἐγένετο τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι ἐπικουρήσαντι ἐπὶ νόσῳ λοιμώδει, καθότι καὶ παρὰ Ἀθηναίοις ἐπωνυμίαν ἔλαβεν Ἀλεξίκακος ἀποτρέψας καὶ τούτοις τὴν νόσον.
ἔπαυσε δὲ ὑπὸ τὸν Πελοποννησίων καὶ Ἀθηναίων πόλεμον καὶ τοὺς Φιγαλέας καὶ οὐκ ἐν ἑτέρῳ καιρῷ· μαρτύρια δὲ αἵ τε ἐπικλήσεις ἀμφότεραι τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος ἐοικός τι ὑποσημαίνουσαι καὶ Ἰκτῖνος ὁ ἀρχιτέκτων τοῦ ἐν Φιγαλίᾳ ναοῦ γεγονὼς τῇ ἡλικίᾳ κατὰ Περικλέα καὶ Ἀθηναίοις τὸν Παρθενῶνα καλούμενον κατασκευάσας. ἐδίδαξε δὲ ὁ λόγος ἤδη μοι τὸ ἄγαλμα εἶναι τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος Μεγαλοπολιτῶν ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ.
ἔστι δὲ ὕδατος ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῷ Κωτιλίῳ πηγή, καὶ ὅπου συνέγραψεν ἤδη τις ἀπὸ ταύτης τῷ ποταμῷ τὸ ῥεῦμα τῷ Λύμακι ἄρχεσθαι, συνέγραψεν οὔτε αὐτὸς θεασάμενος οὔτε ἀνδρὸς ἀκοὴν ἰδόντος· ἃ καὶ ἀμφότερα παρῆσαν ἐμοί· τὸ μὲν ποταμοῦ ῥεῦμα ὂν ἑωρῶμεν, τῆς δὲ ἐν τῷ Κωτιλίῳ πηγῆς οὐκ ἐπὶ πολὺ ἐξικνούμενον τὸ ὕδωρ ἀλλὰ ἐντὸς ὀλίγου παντάπασιν ἀφανὲς γινόμενον. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ὅπου τῆς Ἀρκάδων ἐστὶν ἡ πηγὴ τῷ Λύμακι, ἐπῆλθε πολυπραγμονῆσαί μοι. ἔστι δὲ ὑπὲρ τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος τοῦ Ἐπικουρίου χωρίον Κώτιλον μὲν ἐπίκλησιν, Ἀφροδίτη δέ ἐστιν ἐν Κωτίλῳ· καὶ αὐτῇ ναός τε ἦν οὐκ ἔχων ἔτι ὄροφον καὶ ἄγαλμα ἐπεποίητο.
In the market-place at Phigalia is the common grave of the picked Oresthasians, and the Phigalians sacrifice to them as heroes every year. 2. A river called the Lymax flows just beside Phigalia and falls into the Neda. They say that the river got its name by reason of the purification of Rhea. For when she had brought forth Zeus, the nymphs purified her after her travail, and flung the filth into the river ; now the ancients called such filth lymata. Thus, for example, Homer says that when the Greeks were rid of the pestilence they cleansed themselves, and cast the filth (lymata) into the sea.
The springs of the Neda are in Mount Cerausius, which is a part of Mount Lycaeus. Where the Neda comes nearest to the city of Phigalia, the Phigalian boys shear their hair in honour of the river. ‘Near the sea the Neda is navigated by small craft. Of all the rivers that we know of the Maeander flows with the most crooked stream, very often doubling back on its course and then bending round again ; but for windings and turnings the Neda might rank second.
About twelve furlongs above Phigalia there are warm baths, and not far from them the Lymax falls into the Neda. At the meeting of the streams is the sanctuary of Eurynome, hallowed from of old, and not easily accessible on account of the rugged nature of the place: a thick wood of cypresses grows round it. The Phigalian people are persuaded that Eurynome is a surname of Artemis; but those of them who are depositaries of ancient traditions say that Eurynome was that daughter of Ocean, of whom Homer makes mention in the Iliad, where he describes how in company with Thetis she received Hephaestus. They open the sanctuary of Eurynome on the same day every year; but it is against their rule to open it at any other time. On that occasion they offer both public and private sacrifices. I did not happen to arrive at the season of the festival, nor did I see the image of Eurynome ; but I was told by the Phigalians that the image, which is of wood, is bound fast by golden chains, and that it represents a woman to the hips, but below that a fish. Now if she is a daughter of Ocean, and dwells with Thetis in the depths of the sea, the fish might be a sort of emblem of her; but if she were Artemis, she could not with any show of probability be represented by such a figure.
Phigalia is surrounded by mountains, on the left by Mount Cotilius, while on the right it is sheltered by Mount Elaius (‘Mount of Olives’). Mount Cotilius is distant about forty furlongs from the city: on it is a place called Bassae, and the temple of Apollo the Succourer, built of stone, roof and all. Of all the temples in Peloponnese, next to the one at Tegea, this may be placed first for the beauty of the stone and the symmetry of its proportions. Apollo got the name of Succourer for the succour he gave in time of plague, just as at Athens he received the surname of Averter of Evil for delivering Athens also from the plague. It was at the time of the war between the Peloponnesians and Athenians that he delivered the Phigalians also, and at no other time: this is proved by his two surnames, which mean much the same thing, as well as by the fact that Ictinus, the architect of the temple at Phigalia, was a contemporary of Pericles, and built for the Athenians the Parthenon, as it is called. I have already shown that the image of Apollo stands in the marketplace of Megalopolis. 6. There is a spring of water on Mount Cotilius. A certain writer states that this spring is the source of the river Lymax, but he made this statement without having seen the spring himself, or spoken with any man who had. I have done both. I saw the river flowing, and I saw the water of the spring on Mount Cotilius not running far, but soon disappearing entirely. But it did not occur to me to inquire diligently in what part of Arcadia the Lymax has its source. Above the sanctuary of Apollo the Succourer is a place called Cotilum, and there is an Aphrodite in Cotilum: she has a temple and an image, but the roof of the temple is gone.
Cite This Text