Pausanias, Description of Greece, W.H.S. Jones (Translator), H.A. Ormerod (Translator), 3.6

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[1]
As Agesipolis died childless, the kingdom devolved upon Cleombrotus, who was general in the battle at Leuctra against the Boeotians.¹ Cleombrotus showed personal bravery, but fell when the battle was only just beginning. In great disasters Providence is peculiarly apt to cut off early the general, just as the Athenians lost Hippocrates the son of Ariphron, who commanded at Delium , and later on Leosthenes in Thessaly .²

[2]
Agesipolis, the elder of the sons of Cleombrotus, is not a striking figure in history, and was succeeded by his younger brother Cleomenes. His first son was Acrotatus, his second Cleonymus. Acrotatus did not outlive his father, and when Cleomenes afterwards died, there arose a dispute about the throne between Cleonymus the son of Cleomenes and Areus the son of Acrotatus. So the senators acted as arbitrators, and decided that the dignity was the inheritance of Areus the son of Acrotatus, and not of Cleonymus.

[3] Deprived of his kingship Cleonymus became violently angry, and the ephors tried to soothe his feelings by bestowing upon him various honors, especially the leadership of the armies, so as to prevent his becoming one day an enemy of Sparta . But at last he committed many hostile acts against his fatherland, and induced Pyrrhus the son of Aeacides to invade Laconia .

[4] While Areus the son of Acrotatus was king in Sparta , Antigonus the son of Demetrius attacked Athens with an army and a fleet.³ To the help of the Athenians there came the Egyptian expedition with Patroclus, and every available man of the Lacedaemonians with Areus their king at their head.

[5] Antigonus invested Athens and prevented the Athenian reinforcements from entering the city; so Patroclus dispatched messengers urging Areus and the Lacedaemonians to take the offensive against Antigonus. On their doing so, he would himself, he said, attack the Macedonians in rear; but before such a move it was not fair for Egyptian sailors to attack Macedonians on land. The Lacedaemonians were eager to make the venture, both because of their friendship for Athens and also because they were ambitious to hand down to posterity a famous achievement,

[6] but as their supplies were exhausted Areus led his army back home, thinking that desperate measures should be reserved for one's own advantage and not risked recklessly for the benefit of others. After they had held out as long as they could, Antigonus made peace with the Athenians, on condition that he brought a garrison into the Museum to be a guard over them. After a time Antigonus himself removed the garrison from Athens of his own accord while Areus begat Acrotatus, and Acrotatus Areus, who died of disease when he was just about eight years old.

[7] And as the only male representative of the house of Eurysthenes was Leonidas the son of Cleonymus, by this time a very old man, the Lacedaemonians gave him the throne. Leonidas, it so happened, had a bitter opponent in Lysander, a descendant of Lysander the son of Aristocritus. This Lysander won over to his side Leonidas' son-in-law Cleombrotus. After gaining his support he brought various charges against Leonidas, in particular that when a boy he had sworn to his father Cleonymus to ruin Sparta .

[8] So Leonidas ceased to be king and Cleombrotus came to the throne in his stead. Now if Leonidas had given way to impulse and retired, like Demaratus the son of Ariston, either to the king of Macedonia or to the Egyptian king, he would have profited nothing even by the Spartans changing their minds. But as it was, when the citizens sentenced him to exile, he went to Arcadia , whence not many years later he was recalled by the Lacedaemonians, who made him king again.

[9] Now how Cleomenes the son of Leonidas performed daring feats of valor, and how after him the Spartans ceased to be ruled by kings, I have already shown in my account of Aratus of Sicyon . My narrative also included the manner of his death in Egypt .

Description of Greece. Pausanias. W.H.S. Jones (Translator), H.A. Ormerod (Translator). Cambridge, MA. 1918-1935.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

Description of Greece (English) (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.)

Editions (1)

Ἑλλάδος Περιηγήσεως Perseus (Pausanias. Pausaniae Graeciae descriptio, Volumes 1-3. Spiro, Friedrich, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1903.) — 3.6 focus

[1]
Ἀγησιπόλιδος δὲ ἄπαιδος τελευτήσαντος ἐς Κλεόμβροτον περιῆλθεν ἡ ἀρχή, καὶ ὑπὸ ἡγεμόνι τούτῳ Βοιωτοῖς ἐναντία ἠγωνίσαντο ἐν Λεύκτροις· Κλεόμβροτος δὲ αὐτὸς γενόμενος ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς ἀρχομένης ἔτι ἔπεσε τῆς μάχης. μάλιστα δέ πως ἐπὶ πταίσμασιν ἐθέλει μεγάλοις προαφαιρεῖσθαι τὸν ἡγεμόνα ὁ δαίμων, καθὰ δὴ καὶ Ἀθηναίων ἀπῆγεν Ἱπποκράτην τε τὸν Ἀρίφρονος στρατηγοῦντα ἐπὶ Δηλίῳ καὶ ὕστερον ἐν Θεσσαλίᾳ Λεωσθένην.

[2]
Κλεομβρότου δὲ ὁ μὲν πρεσβύτερος τῶν παίδων Ἀγησίπολις παρέσχετο μέγα οὐδὲν ἐς μνήμην, Κλεομένης δὲ ὁ νεώτερος μετὰ τὸν ἀδελφὸν τελευτήσαντα ἔσχε τὴν ἀρχήν. γενομένων δὲ αὐτῷ παίδων Ἀκροτάτου καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ Κλεωνύμου κατήγαγε τὸ χρεὼν Ἀκρότατον ἔτι πρότερον ἢ αὐτὸν Κλεομένην, καὶ ὡς Κλεομένης ἀπέθανεν ὕστερον, ἐς ἀντιλογίαν ἀφίκοντο ὑπὲρ τῆς βασιλείας Κλεώνυμός τε ὁ Κλεομένους καὶ Ἀρεὺς ὁ Ἀκροτάτου. δικάζουσιν οὖν οἱ γέροντες Ἀρεῖ 0 τῷ Ἀκροτάτου καὶ οὐχὶ Κλεωνύμῳ πατρῴαν εἶναι τὴν τιμήν.

[3] Κλεωνύμῳ δὲ ἀπελαθέντι τῆς βασιλείας περισσῶς δή τι ὁ θυμὸς ᾤδει, καὶ αὐτὸν οἱ ἔφοροι καὶ ἄλλοις γέρασι ψυχαγωγοῦντες καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἐφιστάντες ἄρχοντα παρῆγον μή ποτε πολέμιον γενέσθαι τῇ Σπάρτῃ. τέλος δὲ ὁ μὲν πολλά τε καὶ ἐχθρὰ ἐς τὴν πατρίδα ἐτόλμησε καὶ Πύρρον τὸν Αἰακίδου σφίσιν ἐπηγάγετο ἐς τὴν χώραν·

[4] Ἀρέως δὲ ἐν Σπάρτῃ τοῦ Ἀκροτάτου βασιλεύοντος Ἀντίγονος ὁ Δημητρίου πεζῷ τε καὶ ναυσὶν ἐπὶ Ἀθήνας στρατεύει. τοῖς δὲ Ἀθηναίοις ἀμυνοῦντες ἀφίκοντο μὲν ὁ Αἰγυπτίων ὁμοῦ Πατρόκλῳ στόλος, ἐξίασι δὲ καὶ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι πανδημεί, τὸν βασιλέα ἡγεῖσθαί σφισιν Ἀρέα ἐπιτάξαντες.

[5] περικαθημένου δὲ Ἀντιγόνου τὰς Ἀθήνας καὶ τῆς ἐσόδου τῆς ἐς τὴν πόλιν τὰ Ἀθηναίων συμμαχικὰ εἴργοντος, Πάτροκλος ἀποστέλλων ἀγγέλους προέτρεπε Λακεδαιμονίους καὶ Ἀρέα ἄρχειν πρὸς Ἀντίγονον μάχης, ἐκείνων δὲ ἀρξάντων οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς κατὰ νώτου τοῖς Μακεδόσιν ἔφασκεν ἐπικείσεσθαι· πρότερον δὲ οὐκ εἰκὸς εἶναι σφᾶς Αἰγυπτίους τε ὄντας καὶ ναύτας Μακεδόσιν ἐπιέναι πεζῇ. Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὲν δὴ παρακινδυνεύειν ὥρμηντο Ἀθηναίων τε εὐνοίᾳ καί τι καὶ ἄξιον μνήμης ἐς τοὺς ἔπειτα ἐργάσασθαι προθυμούμενοι·

[6] Ἀρεὺς δέ, ὥς σφισι τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἐξανήλωτο, ἀπῆγεν ὀπίσω τὴν στρατιάν. ταμιεύεσθαι γὰρ τὴν ἀπόνοιαν ἐς τὰ οἰκεῖα ἠξίου καὶ μὴ ἀφειδῶς ἐπʼ ἀλλοτρίοις ἀναρρῖψαι. τοῖς δὲ Ἀθηναίοις ἀντισχοῦσιν ἐπὶ μακρότατον ἐποιήσατο Ἀντίγονος εἰρήνην, ἐφʼ ᾧ τέ 0 σφισιν ἐπαγάγῃ φρουρὰν ἐς τὸ Μουσεῖον. καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἀνὰ χρόνον αὐτὸς ἐξήγαγεν ἑκουσίως τὴν φρουρὰν ὁ Ἀντίγονος, Ἀρέως δὲ ἐγένετο υἱὸς Ἀκρότατος, τοῦ δὲ Ἀρεύς, ὃς ὀκτὼ μάλιστα ἔτη γεγονὼς τελευτᾷ νόσῳ.

[7] καὶ ἐλείπετο γὰρ τῆς Εὐρυσθένους οἰκίας γένος τὸ πρὸς ἀνδρῶν Λεωνίδας ὁ Κλεωνύμου, παντάπασιν ἤδη γέρων· τούτῳ δὴ διδόασιν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι τὴν ἀρχὴν. τῷ δὲ Λεωνίδᾳ διάφορος ἐτύγχανεν ὢν ἐς τὰ μάλιστα Λύσανδρος, ἀπόγονος Λυσάνδρου τοῦ Ἀριστοκρίτου. οὗτος προσποιεῖται Κλεόμβροτον θυγατέρα ἔχοντα Λεωνίδου· τοῦτον δὲ οἰκειωσάμενος ἐπῆγε Λεωνίδᾳ καὶ ἄλλα ἐγκλήματα καὶ ὅρκους αὐτὸν Κλεωνύμῳ τῷ πατρὶ ὀμόσαι παῖδα ὄντα ἐπὶ ὀλέθρῳ τῆς Σπάρτης.

[8] ἐπαύσθη τε δὴ Λεωνίδας βασιλείας καὶ ἀντʼ αὐτοῦ Κλεόμβροτος ἔσχε τὴν τιμήν. εἰ μὲν δὴ ὁ Λεωνίδας ἐπέτρεψε τῷ θυμῷ καὶ Δημαράτῳ τῷ Ἀρίστωνος κατὰ ταὐτὰ ἀπεχώρησεν ἤτοι παρὰ τὸν ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ βασιλεύοντα ἢ τὸν Αἰγύπτιον, ὁ δὲ καὶ μεταγνόντων ἂν Σπαρτιατῶν ὤνατο οὐδέν· νῦν δὲ ἐπιβαλόντων οἱ φυγὴν τῶν πολιτῶν ἀφίκετο ἐς Ἀρκαδίαν, ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ἔτεσιν ὕστερον οὐ πολλοῖς κατάγουσί τε αὐτὸν Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ αὖθις βασιλέα ἐποιήσαντο.

[9] Κλεομένει δὲ τῷ Λεωνίδους τά τε ἄλλα ὁποῖα ἐς τόλμαν ἐτόλμησαν ὁμοῦ καὶ ἀνδρείαν ὑπῆρξε καὶ ὡς ἐπαύσαντο ἐξ ἐκείνου Σπαρτιᾶται βασιλευόμενοι, πρότερον ἔτι ἐδήλωσέ μοι τὰ ἐς τὸν Σικυώνιον Ἄρατον· προσεπελάβετο δὲ ὁ λόγος μοι καὶ τρόπον ὅντινα ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ Κλεομένης ἐτελεύτησεν. 0

Translations (1)

English (Jones and Ormerod; retranslated Gregory Nagy, CHS, 2018) (OCR draft) Experimental (CHS Pausanias Reader retranslation by Gregory Nagy, based on Jones and Ormerod, with marked Greek terms, notes, quotations, and bibliographic attributions preserved.) — 3.6 focus

[1] As Agesipolis died childless, the kingdom devolved upon Kleombrotos, who was general in the battle at Leuktra against the Boeotians. Kleombrotos showed personal bravery, but fell when the battle was only just beginning. In great disasters Providence is peculiarly apt to cut off early the general, just as the Athenians lost Hippocrates the son of Ariphron, who commanded at Delium, and later on Leosthenes in Thessaly.

[2] Agesipolis, the elder of the sons of Kleombrotos, is not a striking figure in history, and was succeeded by his younger brother Kleomenes. His first son was Akrotatos, his second Kleonymos. Akrotatos did not outlive his father, and when Kleomenes afterwards died, there arose a dispute about the throne between Kleonymos the son of Kleomenes and Areus the son of Akrotatos. So the senators acted as arbitrators, and decided that the dignity was the inheritance of Areus the son of Akrotatos, and not of Kleonymos.

[3] Deprived of his kingship Kleonymos became violently angry, and the ephors tried to soothe his feelings by bestowing upon him various honors, especially the leadership of the armies, so as to prevent his becoming one day an enemy of Sparta. But at last he committed many hostile acts against his fatherland, and induced Pyrrhos the son of Aiakidēs to invade Laconia.

[4] While Areus the son of Akrotatos was king in Sparta, Antigonos the son of Demetrios attacked Athens with an army and a fleet. To the help of the Athenians there came the Egyptian expedition with Patroklos, and every available man of the Lacedaemonians with Areus their king at their head.

[5] Antigonos invested Athens and prevented the Athenian reinforcements from entering the city; so Patroklos dispatched messengers urging Areus and the Lacedaemonians to take the offensive against Antigonos. On their doing so, he would himself, he said, attack the Macedonians in rear; but before such a move it was not fair for Egyptian sailors to attack Macedonians on land. The Lacedaemonians were eager to make the venture, both because of their friendship for Athens and also because they were ambitious to hand down to posterity a famous achievement,

[6] but as their supplies were exhausted Areus led his army back home, thinking that desperate measures should be reserved for one’s own advantage and not risked recklessly for the benefit of others. After they had held out as long as they could, Antigonos made peace with the Athenians, on condition that he brought a garrison into the Museum to be a guard over them. After a time Antigonos himself removed the garrison from Athens of his own accord while Areus begat Akrotatos, and Akrotatos Areus, who died of disease when he was just about eight years old.

[7] And as the only male representative of the house of Eurysthenes was Leonidas the son of Kleonymos, by this time a very old man, the Lacedaemonians gave him the throne. Leonidas, it so happened, had a bitter opponent in Lysander, a descendant of Lysander the son of Aristokritos. This Lysander won over to his side Leonidas’ son-in-law Kleombrotos. After gaining his support he brought various charges against Leonidas, in particular that when a boy he had sworn to his father Kleonymos to ruin Sparta.

[8] So Leonidas ceased to be king and Kleombrotos came to the throne in his stead. Now if Leonidas had given way to impulse and retired, like Demaratos the son of Ariston, either to the king of Macedonia or to the Egyptian king, he would have profited nothing even by the Spartans changing their minds. But as it was, when the citizens sentenced him to exile, he went to Arcadia, whence not many years later he was recalled by the Lacedaemonians, who made him king again.

[9] Now how Kleomenes the son of Leonidas performed daring feats of valor, and how after him the Spartans ceased to be ruled by kings, I have already shown in my account of Aratos of Sikyon. My narrative also included the manner of his death in Egypt.

Notes on the current edition

Description of Greece

1. 371 B.C.

2. 424 B.C.

3. c. 262 B.C.

New Alexandria Commentaries

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

Pausanias Description of Greece 3.6

W.H.S. Jones (Translator), H.A. Ormerod (Translator)

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