ἐκ Θηβῶν δὲ ὁδὸς ἐς Χαλκίδα κατὰ πύλας ταύτας ἐστὶ τὰς Προιτίδας. τάφος δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ λεωφόρῳ δείκνυται Μελανίππου, Θηβαίων ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα ἀγαθοῦ τὰ πολεμικά· καὶ ἡνίκα ἐπεστράτευσαν οἱ Ἀργεῖοι, Τυδέα ὁ Μελάνιππος οὗτος καὶ ἀδελφῶν τῶν Ἀδράστου Μηκιστέα ἀπέκτεινε, καί οἱ καὶ αὐτῷ τὴν τελευτὴν ὑπὸ Ἀμφιαράου γενέσθαι λέγουσι.
τούτου δὲ ἐγγύτατα τρεῖς εἰσιν ἀργοὶ λίθοι· Θηβαίων δὲ οἱ τὰ ἀρχαῖα μνημονεύοντες Τυδέα φασὶν εἶναι τὸν ἐνταῦθα κείμενον, ταφῆναι δὲ αὐτὸν ὑπὸ Μαίονος, καὶ ἐς μαρτυρίαν τοῦ λόγου παρέσχον τῶν ἐν Ἰλιάδι ἔπος Τυδέος, ὃν Θήβῃσι χυτὴ κατὰ γαῖα καλύπτει. /
ἑξῆς δέ ἐστι τῶν Οἰδίποδος παίδων μνήματα· καὶ τὰ ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς δρώμενα οὐ θεασάμενος πιστὰ ὅμως ὑπείληφα εἶναι. φασὶ γὰρ καὶ ἄλλοις οἱ Θηβαῖοι τῶν καλουμένων ἡρώων καὶ τοῖς παισὶν ἐναγίζειν τοῖς Οἰδίποδος· τούτοις δὲ ἐναγιζόντων αὐτῶν τὴν φλόγα, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τὸν ἀπʼ αὐτῆς καπνὸν διχῇ διίστασθαι. ἐμὲ δὲ ἐπηγάγοντο ὧν λέγουσιν ἐς πίστιν ἰδόντα ἄλλο τοιόνδε.
ἐν Μυσίᾳ τῇ ὑπὲρ Καΐκου πόλισμά ἐστι Πιονίαι, τὸν δὲ οἰκιστὴν οἱ ἐνταῦθα Πίονιν τῶν τινα ἀπογόνων τῶν Ἡρακλέους φασὶν εἶναι· μελλόντων δὲ ἐναγίζειν αὐτῷ καπνὸς αὐτόματος ἄνεισιν ἐκ τοῦ τάφου. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν συμβαίνοντα εἶδον, Θηβαῖοι δὲ καὶ Τειρεσίου μνῆμα ἀποφαίνουσι, πέντε μάλιστα καὶ δέκα ἀπωτέρω σταδίοις ἢ Οἰδίποδος τοῖς παισίν ἐστιν ὁ τάφος· ὁμολογοῦντες δὲ καὶ οὗτοι συμβῆναι Τειρεσίᾳ τὴν τελευτὴν ἐν τῇ Ἁλιαρτίᾳ, τὸ παρὰ σφίσιν ἐθέλουσιν εἶναι κενὸν μνῆμα.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ Ἕκτορος Θηβαίοις τάφος τοῦ Πριάμου πρὸς Οἰδιποδίᾳ καλουμένῃ κρήνῃ, κομίσαι δὲ αὐτοῦ τὰ ὀστᾶ ἐξ Ἰλίου φασὶν ἐπὶ τοιῷδε μαντεύματι· Θηβαῖοι Κάδμοιο πόλιν καταναιετάοντες, / αἴ κʼ ἐθέλητε πάτραν οἰκεῖν σὺν ἀμύμονι πλούτῳ, / Ἕκτορος ὀστέα Πριαμίδου κομίσαντες ἐς οἴκους / ἐξ Ἀσίης Διὸς ἐννεσίῃσʼ ἥρωα σέβεσθαι. /
τῇ δὲ Οἰδιποδίᾳ κρήνῃ τὸ ὄνομα ἐγένετο, ὅτι ἐς αὐτὴν τὸ αἷμα ἐνίψατο Οἰδίπους τοῦ πατρῴου φόνου. πρὸς δὲ τῇ πηγῇ τάφος ἐστὶν Ἀσφοδίκου· καὶ ὁ Ἀσφόδικος οὗτος ἀπέκτεινεν ἐν τῇ μάχῃ τῇ πρὸς Ἀργείους Παρθενοπαῖον τὸν Ταλαοῦ, καθὰ οἱ Θηβαῖοι λέγουσιν, ἐπεὶ τά γε ἐν Θηβαΐδι ἔπη τὰ ἐς τὴν Παρθενοπαίου τελευτὴν Περικλύμενον τὸν ἀνελόντα φησὶν εἶναι.
A road leads from Thebes to Chalcis by the Proetidian gate. On the high road is shown the grave of Melanippus, one of the best soldiers of Thebes. In the Argive invasion he slew Tydeus and Mecisteus, one of the brothers of Adrastus, and met his end, they say, at the hand of Amphiaraus.
Close to this grave are three unwrought stones. The Theban antiquaries say that it is Tydeus who lies here, and that he was buried by Maeon; as evidence, they quote a line of the Iliad ----- Of Tydeus, whom at Thebes the heaped earth covers.
Next are the tombs of the children of Oedipus. Though I did not see the ceremonies which are performed at them, I think they are quite credible. For the Thebans say that among the so-called heroes to whom they sacrifice are the children of Oedipus, and that while they are sacrificing to them the flame and the smoke from the flame part in two. I was disposed to believe their story by what I have seen myself, and that is this. In Mysia, beyond the Caicus, is a town Pioniae, the inhabitants of which say that it was founded by Pionis, one of the descendants of Hercules ; and when they are about to sacrifice to him, a smoke ascends of itself out of the grave. I have seen it happening myself. The Thebans point out the tomb of Tiresias also: it is just fifteen furlongs farther off than the grave of the children of Oedipus. They admit that Tiresias died in Haliartia, and confess that the tomb here is a cenotaph. 4. At Thebes is also the grave of Hector, son of Priam, beside what is called the fountain of Oedipus. The Thebans say that they brought his bones from Ilium in consequence of the following oracle :— Ye Thebans, who dwell in the city of Cadmus, If you wish your country to enjoy blameless wealth, Bring the bones of Hector, son of Priam, to your homes From Asia, and worship the hero as Zeus commands. The fountain of Oedipus got its name because in it Oedipus washed off the blood of his murdered father. Beside the spring is the grave of Asphodicus, who, in the battle with the Argives, slew Parthenopaeus, son of Talaus. So the Thebans say. But in the passage of the Thebaid about the death of Parthenopaeus, it is said that it was Periclymenus who killed him.
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