Pausanias, Description of Greece, ed. W. H. S. Jones, ed. H. A. Ormerod, ed. Gregory Nagy, 1.21.6

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[6] Their breastplates [ thōrakes] they make in the following way. Each man keeps many mares, since the land is not divided [ merizein] into allotments [ klēroi], nor does it bear anything except wild trees, as the people are nomads. These mares they not only use for war, but they also sacrifice [ thuein] them to the local [ epikhōroioi] gods [ theoi] and eat them for food. Their hooves they collect, clean, split, and make from them as it were scales of serpents [ drakontes]. Whoever has never seen a serpent [ drakōn] must at least have seen a pine-cone still green. He will not be mistaken if he likens the product from the hoof to the segments that are seen on the pine-cone. These pieces they bore and stitch together with the sinews of horses and oxen, and then use them as breastplates [ thōrakes] that are as beautiful and strong as those of the Greeks [ Hellēnes]. For they can withstand blows of missiles or when struck in close combat.

Description of Greece. Pausanias. ed. W. H. S. Jones, ed. H. A. Ormerod, ed. Gregory Nagy. . .

Current edition Experimental

English (Jones and Ormerod; retranslated Gregory Nagy, CHS, 2018) (OCR draft) (English) (CHS Pausanias Reader retranslation by Gregory Nagy, based on Jones and Ormerod, with marked Greek terms, notes, quotations, and bibliographic attributions preserved.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)

Ἑλλάδος Περιηγήσεως Perseus (Pausanias. Pausaniae Graeciae descriptio, Volumes 1-3. Spiro, Friedrich, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1903.) — 1.21.6 focus

[6] τοὺς δὲ θώρακας ποιοῦνται τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον. ἵππους πολλὰς ἕκαστος τρέφει, ὡς ἂν οὔτε ἐς ἰδιωτῶν κλήρους τῆς γῆς μεμερισμένης οὔτε τι φερούσης πλὴν ὕλης ἀγρίας ἅτε ὄντων νομάδων· ταύταις οὐκ ἐς πόλεμον χρῶνται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ θεοῖς θύουσιν ἐπιχωρίοις καὶ ἄλλως σιτοῦνται. συλλεξάμενοι δὲ τὰς ὁπλὰς ἐκκαθήραντές τε καὶ διελόντες 0 ποιοῦσιν ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἐμφερῆ δρακόντων φολίσιν· ὅστις δὲ οὐκ εἶδέ πω δράκοντα, πίτυός γε εἶδε καρπὸν χλωρὸν ἔτι· ταῖς οὖν ἐπὶ τῷ καρπῷ τῆς πίτυος φαινομέναις ἐντομαῖς εἰκάζων τὸ ἔργον τὸ ἐκ τῆς ὁπλῆς οὐκ ἂν ἁμαρτάνοι. ταῦτα διατρήσαντες καὶ νεύροις ἵππων καὶ βοῶν συρράψαντες χρῶνται θώραξιν οὔτε εὐπρεπείᾳ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν ἀποδέουσιν οὔτε ἀσθενεστέροις· καὶ γὰρ συστάδην τυπτόμενοι καὶ βληθέντες ἀνέχονται.

Translations (1)

Description of Greece Perseus (Pausanias. Pausanias Description of Greece, Volumes 1-4. Jones, W.H.S. (William Henry Samuel), translator; Ormerod, Henry Arderne, translator. London, New York: W. Heinemann, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1918-1935.) — 1.21.6 focus

[6] Their breastplates they make in the following fashion. Each man keeps many mares, since the land is not divided into private allotments, nor does it bear any thing except wild trees, as the people are nomads. These mares they not only use for war, but also sacrifice them to the local gods and eat them for food. Their hoofs they collect, clean, split, and make from them as it were python scales. Whoever has never seen a python must at least have seen a pine-cone still green. He will not be mistaken if he liken the product from the hoof to the segments that are seen on the pine-cone. These pieces they bore and stitch together with the sinews of horses and oxen, and then use them as breastplates that are as handsome and strong as those of the Greeks. For they can withstand blows of missiles and those struck in close combat.

New Alexandria Commentaries

Gregory Nagy, Editors: Angelia Hanhardt and Keith DeStone, Web producer: Noel Spencer, Consultant for images: Jill Curry Robbins, \[\[Noel gives this a separate URN\]\]

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Pausanias Description of Greece 1.21.6

ed. W. H. S. Jones, ed. H. A. Ormerod, ed. Gregory Nagy

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