Pausanias, Description of Greece, ed. Friedrich Spiro, 9.34

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[1]
πρὶν δὲ ἐς Κορώνειαν ἐξ Ἀλαλκομενῶν ἀφικέσθαι, τῆς Ἰτωνίας Ἀθηνᾶς ἐστι τὸ ἱερόν· καλεῖται δὲ ἀπὸ Ἰτωνίου τοῦ Ἀμφικτύονος, καὶ ἐς τὸν κοινὸν συνίασιν ἐνταῦθα οἱ Βοιωτοὶ σύλλογον. ἐν δὲ τῷ ναῷ χαλκοῦ πεποιημένα Ἀθηνᾶς Ἰτωνίας καὶ Διός ἐστιν ἀγάλματα· 0 τέχνη δὲ Ἀγορακρίτου, μαθητοῦ τε καὶ ἐρωμένου Φειδίου. ἀνέθεσαν δὲ καὶ Χαρίτων ἀγάλματα ἐπʼ ἐμοῦ.

[2] λέγεται δὲ καὶ τοιόνδε, Ἰοδάμαν ἱερωμένην τῇ θεῷ νύκτωρ ἐς τὸ τέμενος ἐσελθεῖν καὶ αὐτῇ τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν φανῆναι, τῷ χιτῶνι δὲ τῆς θεοῦ τὴν Μεδούσης ἐπεῖναι τῆς Γοργόνος κεφαλήν· Ἰοδάμαν δέ, ὡς εἶδε, γενέσθαι λίθον. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐπιτιθεῖσα γυνὴ πῦρ ἀνὰ πᾶσαν ἡμέραν ἐπὶ τῆς Ἰοδάμας τὸν βωμὸν ἐς τρὶς ἐπιλέγει τῇ Βοιωτῶν φωνῇ Ἰοδάμαν ζῆν καὶ αἰτεῖν πῦρ.

[3]
Κορώνεια δὲ παρείχετο μὲν ἐς μνήμην ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς Ἑρμοῦ βωμὸν Ἐπιμηλίου, τὸν δὲ ἀνέμων. κατωτέρω δὲ ὀλίγον Ἥρας ἐστὶν ἱερὸν καὶ ἄγαλμα ἀρχαῖον, Πυθοδώρου τέχνη Θηβαίου, φέρει δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ χειρὶ Σειρῆνας· τὰς γὰρ δὴ Ἀχελῴου θυγατέρας ἀναπεισθείσας φασὶν ὑπὸ Ἥρας καταστῆναι πρὸς τὰς Μούσας ἐς ᾠδῆς ἔργον· αἱ δὲ ὡς ἐνίκησαν, ἀποτίλασαι τῶν Σειρήνων τὰ πτερὰ ποιήσασθαι στεφάνους ἀπʼ αὐτῶν λέγονται.

[4] Κορωνείας δὲ σταδίους ὡς τεσσαράκοντα ὄρος ἀπέχει τὸ Λιβήθριον, ἀγάλματα δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ Μουσῶν τε καὶ νυμφῶν ἐπίκλησίν ἐστι Λιβηθρίων· καὶ πηγαὶ—τὴν μὲν Λιβηθριάδα ὀνομάζουσιν, ἡ δὲ ἑτέρα †Πέτρα—γυναικὸς μαστοῖς εἰσιν εἰκασμέναι, καὶ ὅμοιον γάλακτι ὕδωρ ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἄνεισιν.

[5]
ἐς δὲ τὸ ὄρος τὸ Λαφύστιον καὶ ἐς τοῦ Διὸς τοῦ Λαφυστίου τὸ τέμενός εἰσιν ἐκ Κορωνείας στάδιοι μάλιστα εἴκοσι. λίθου μὲν τὸ ἄγαλμά ἐστιν· Ἀθάμαντος δὲ θύειν Φρίξον καὶ Ἕλλην ἐνταῦθα μέλλοντος πεμφθῆναι κριὸν τοῖς παισί φασιν ὑπὸ Διὸς ἔχοντα 0 τὸ ἔριον χρυσοῦν, καὶ ἀποδρᾶναι σφᾶς ἐπὶ τοῦ κριοῦ τούτου. ἀνωτέρω δέ ἐστιν Ἡρακλῆς Χάροψ ἐπίκλησιν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οἱ Βοιωτοὶ λέγουσιν ἀναβῆναι τὸν Ἡρακλέα ἄγοντα τοῦ Ἅιδου τὸν κύνα. ἐκ δὲ Λαφυστίου κατιόντι ἐς τῆς Ἰτωνίας Ἀθηνᾶς τὸ ἱερὸν ποταμός ἐστι Φάλαρος ἐς τὴν Κηφισίδα ἐκδιδοὺς λίμνην.

[6]
τοῦ δὲ ὄρους τοῦ Λαφυστίου πέραν ἐστὶν Ὀρχομενός, εἴ τις Ἕλλησιν ἄλλη πόλις ἐπιφανὴς καὶ αὕτη ἐς δόξαν. εὐδαιμονίας δέ ποτε ἐπὶ μέγιστον προαχθεῖσαν ἔμελλεν ἄρα ὑποδέξεσθαι τέλος καὶ ταύτην οὐ πολύ τι ἀποδέον ἢ Μυκήνας τε καὶ Δῆλον. περὶ δὲ τῶν ἀρχαίων τοιαῦτʼ ἦν ὁπόσα καὶ μνημονεύουσιν. Ἀνδρέα πρῶτον ἐνταῦθα Πηνειοῦ παῖδα τοῦ ποταμοῦ λέγουσιν ἐποικῆσαι καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου τὴν γῆν Ἀνδρηίδα ὀνομασθῆναι·

[7] παραγενομένου δὲ ὡς αὐτὸν Ἀθάμαντος, ἀπένειμε τῆς αὑτοῦ τῷ Ἀθάμαντι τήν τε περὶ τὸ Λαφύστιον χώραν καὶ τὴν νῦν Κορώνειαν καὶ Ἁλιαρτίαν. Ἀθάμας δὲ ἅτε οὐδένα οἱ παίδων τῶν ἀρσένων λελεῖφθαι νομίζων—τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐς Λέαρχόν τε καὶ Μελικέρτην ἐτόλμησεν αὐτός, Λεύκωνι δὲ ὑπὸ νόσου τελευτῆσαι συνέβη, Φρίξον δὲ ἄρα οὐκ ἠπίστατο ἢ αὐτὸν περιόντα ἢ γένος ὑπολειπόμενον Φρίξου—τούτων ἕνεκα ἐποιήσατο Ἁλίαρτον καὶ Κόρωνον τοὺς Θερσάνδρου τοῦ Σισύφου· Σισύφου γὰρ ἀδελφὸς ἦν ὁ Ἀθάμας.

[8] ὕστερον δὲ ἀναστρέψαντος ἐκ Κόλχων οἱ μὲν αὐτοῦ Φρίξου φασίν, οἱ δὲ Πρέσβωνος—γεγονέναι δὲ Φρίξῳ τὸν Πρέσβωνα ἐκ τῆς Αἰήτου θυγατρός— οὕτω συγχωροῦσιν οἱ Θερσάνδρου παῖδες οἶκον μὲν τὸν Ἀθάμαντος Ἀθάμαντι καὶ τοῖς ἀπὸ ἐκείνου
προσήκειν· αὐτοὶ δὲ—μοῖραν γὰρ δίδωσί σφισιν Ἀθάμας τῆς γῆς—Ἁλιάρτου καὶ Κορωνείας ἐγένοντο οἰκισταί.

[9] πρότερον δὲ ἔτι τούτων Ἀνδρεὺς Εὐίππην θυγατέρα Λεύκωνος λαμβάνει παρὰ Ἀθάμαντος γυναῖκα, καὶ υἱὸς Ἐτεοκλῆς αὐτῷ γίνεται, Κηφισοῦ δὲ τοῦ ποταμοῦ κατὰ τῶν πολιτῶν τὴν φήμην, ὥστε καὶ τῶν ποιησάντων τινὲς Κηφισιάδην τὸν Ἐτεοκλέα ἐκάλεσαν ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσιν.

[10] οὗτος ὡς ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ Ἐτεοκλῆς, τὴν μὲν χώραν ἀπὸ Ἀνδρέως ἔχειν τὸ ὄνομα εἴασε, φυλὰς δὲ Κηφισιάδα, τὴν δὲ ἑτέραν ἐπώνυμον αὑτῷ κατεστήσατο. ἀφικομένῳ δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν Ἄλμῳ τῷ Σισύφου δίδωσιν οἰκῆσαι τῆς χώρας οὐ πολλήν, καὶ κώμη τότε ἐκλήθη σαν Ἄλμωνες ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἄλμου τούτου· χρόνῳ δὲ ἐξενίκησεν ὕστερον ὄνομα εἶναι τῇ κώμῃ Ὄλμωνας.

Description of Greece. Pausanias. ed. Friedrich Spiro. Leipzig. 1903.

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Current edition Perseus

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

Translations (2)

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.) — 9.34 focus

[1]
Before reaching Coroneia from Alalcomenae we come to the sanctuary of Itonian Athena. It is named after Itonius the son of Amphictyon, and here the Boeotians gather for their general assembly. In the temple are bronze images of Itonian Athena and Zeus; the artist was Agoracritus, pupil and loved one of Pheidias. In my time they dedicated too images of the Graces.

[2] The following tale, too, is told. Iodama, who served the goddess as priestess, entered the precinct by night, where there appeared to her Athena, upon whose tunic was worked the head of Medusa the Gorgon. When Iodama saw it, she was turned to stone. For this reason a woman puts fire every day on the altar of Iodama, and as she does this she thrice repeats in the Boeotian dialect that Iodama is living and asking for fire.

[3]
On the market-place of Coroneia I found two remarkable things, an altar of Hermes Epimelius (Keeper of flocks) and an altar of the winds. A little lower down is a sanctuary of Hera with an ancient image, the work of Pythodorus of Thebes ; in her hand she carries Sirens. For the story goes that the daughters of Achelous were persuaded by Hera to compete with the Muses in singing. The Muses won, plucked out the Sirens' feathers (so they say) and made crowns for themselves out of them.

[4] Some forty stades from Coroneia is Mount Libethrius, on which are images of the Muses and Nymphs surnamed Libethrian. There are springs too, one named Libethrias and the other Rock ( Petra ), which are shaped like a woman's breasts, and from them rises water like milk.

[5]
The distance from Coroneia to Mount Laphystius and the precinct of Laphystian Zeus is about twenty stades. The image is of stone. They say that when Athamas was about to sacrifice here Phrixus and Helle, a ram with his fleece of gold was sent by Zeus to the children, and that on the back of this ram they made good their escape. Higher up is a Heracles surnamed Charops (With bright eyes). Here, say the Boeotians, Heracles ascended with the hound of Hades. On the way down from Mount Laphystius to the sanctuary of Itonian Athena is the river Phalarus, which runs into the Cephisian lake.

[6]
Over against Mount Laphystius is Orchomenus , as famous a city as any in Greece . Once raised to the greatest heights of prosperity, it too was fated to fall almost as low as Mycenae and Delos . Its ancient history is confined to the following traditions. They say that Andreus, son of the river Peneius, was the first to settle here, and after him the land Andreis was named.

[7] When Athamas joined him, he assigned to him, of his own land, the territory round Mount Laphystius with what are now the territories of Coroneia and Haliartus. Athamas, thinking that none of his male children were left, adopted Haliartus and Coronus, the sons of Thersander, the son of Sisyphus, his brother. For he himself had put to death Learchus and Melicertes; Leucon had fallen sick and died; while as for Phrixus, Athamas did not know if he survived or had descendants surviving.

[8] When later Phrixus himself, according to some, or Presbon, according to others, returned from Colchis—Presbon was a son of Phrixus by the daughter of Aeetes—the sons of Thersander agreed that the house of Athamas belonged to Athamas and his descendants, while they themselves became founders of Haliartus and Coroneia, for Athamas gave them a part of his land.

[9] Even before this Andreus took to wife from Athamas Euippe, daughter of Leucon, and had a son, Eteocles. According to the report of the citizens, Eteocles was the son of the river Cephisus, wherefore some of the poets in their verses called him Cephisiades.

[10] When this Eteocles became king, he let the country be still called after Andreus, but he established two tribes, naming one Cephisias, and the other after himself. When Almus , the son of Sisyphus, came to him, he gave him to dwell in a little of the land, and a village was then called Almones after this Almus . Afterwards the name of the village that was generally adopted was Olmones.

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.) — 9.34 focus

[1] Before reaching Koroneia from Alalkomenai we come to the sanctuary of Itonian Athena. It is named after Itonios the son of Amphiktyon, and here the Boeotians gather for their general assembly. In the temple are bronze images of Itonian Athena and Zeus; the artist was Agorakritos, pupil and loved one of Pheidias. In my time they dedicated too images of the Graces.

[3] On the marketplace of Coroneia I found two remarkable things, an altar of Hermes Epimelios (Keeper of flocks) and an altar of the winds. A little lower down is a sanctuary of Hērā with an ancient image, the work of Pythodoros of Thebes; in her hand she carries Sirens. For the story goes that the daughters of Akhelōos were persuaded by Hērā to compete with the Muses in singing. The Muses won, plucked out the Sirens’ feathers (so they say) and made garlands for themselves out of them.

[4] Some forty stadium-lengths from Coroneia is Mount Libethrios, on which are images of the Muses and Nymphs surnamed Libethrian. There are springs too, one named Libethrias and the other Rock (Petra), which are shaped like a woman’s breasts, and from them rises water like milk.

[5] The distance from Coroneia to Mount Laphystios and the precinct of Laphystian Zeus is about twenty stadium-lengths. The image is of stone. They say that when Athamas was about to sacrifice here Phrixos and Helle, a ram with his fleece of gold was sent by Zeus to the children, and that on the back of this ram they made good their escape. Higher up is a Hēraklēs surnamed Kharops (With bright eyes). Here, say the Boeotians, Hēraklēs ascended with the hound of Hades. On the way down from Mount Laphystios to the sanctuary of Itonian Athena is the river Phalarus, which runs into the Cephisian lake.

[6] Over against Mount Laphystios is Orkhomenos, as famous a city as any in Greece. Once raised to the greatest heights of prosperity, it too was fated to fall almost as low as Mycenae and Delos. Its ancient history is confined to the following traditions. They say that Andreus, son of the river Peneios, was the first to settle here, and after him the land Andreis was named.

[7] When Athamas joined him, he assigned to him, of his own land, the territory round Mount Laphystios with what are now the territories of Coroneia and Haliartos. Athamas, thinking that none of his male children were left, adopted Haliartos and Koronos, the sons of Thersandros, the son of Sisyphus, his brother. For he himself had put to death Learkhos and Melikertes; Leucon had fallen sick and died; while as for Phrixos, Athamas did not know if he survived or had descendants surviving.

[8] When later Phrixos himself, according to some, or Presbon, according to others, returned from Kolkhis—Presbon was a son of Phrixos by the daughter of Aietes—the sons of Thersandros agreed that the house of Athamas belonged to Athamas and his descendants, while they themselves became founders of Haliartos and Coroneia, for Athamas gave them a part of his land.

[9] Even before this Andreus took to wife from Athamas Euippe, daughter of Leucon, and had a son, Eteokles. According to the report of the citizens, Eteokles was the son of the river Kephisos, wherefore some of the poets in their verses called him Cephisiades.

[10] When this Eteokles became king, he let the country be still called after Andreus, but he established two tribes, naming one Cephisias, and the other after himself. When Almus, the son of Sisyphus, came to him, he gave him to dwell in a little of the land, and a village was then called Almones after this Almus. Afterwards the name of the village that was generally adopted was Olmones.

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 9.34

ed. Friedrich Spiro

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