Pausanias' description of Greece, Volume I.

by active approximately 150-175 Pausanias

CHAPTER XII.

As you go from the market-place on the road which they call Apheta (starting-place), you come to what is called Booneta, (Ox-purchased). I must first explain the name of the road. They say that Icarius proposed a race for the suitors of Penelope, and that Odysseus won the prize is clear, and they started they say at the road called Apheta. And I think Icarius imitated Danaus in proposing this contest. For this was Danaus’ plan in regard to his daughters; as no one would marry any of them because of their atrocious crime, Danaus made it known that he would marry his daughters to any one who should select them for their beauty without requiring wedding-presents, but when only a few came to apply he established a race, and the winner might take his pick of the girls, and the second the next, and so on to the last in the race: and the girls still remaining had to wait for a second batch of suitors and a second race. And what the Lacedæmonians call Booneta on this road, was formerly the house of king Polydorus: and after Polydorus’ death they bought it of his widow for some oxen. For as yet there was no coinage either in silver or gold, but in primitive fashion they gave in barter oxen and slaves, and silver or gold in the lump. And mariners to India tell us the Indians give in exchange for Greek commodities various wares, but do not understand the use of money, and that though they have plenty of gold and silver. And opposite the public Hall of the Bidiæi is the temple of Athene, and Odysseus is said to have put there the statue of the goddess, and called it Celeuthea, when he outran the suitors of Penelope. And he built three temples of Celeuthea at some distance from one another. And along the road called Apheta there are hero-chapels of Iops, who is supposed to have been a contemporary of Lelex or Myles, and of Amphiaraus the son of Œcles, (and this last they think the sons of Tyndareus erected as Amphiaraus was their uncle), and also one of Lelex himself. And not far from these is the shrine of Tænarian Apollo, for that is his title, and at no great distance a statue of Athene, which they say was a votive offering of those who migrated to Italy and Tarentum. And the place which is called Hellenium is so called because those of the Hellenes (Greeks), who strove to prevent Xerxes’ passing into Europe, deliberated in this place how they should resist him. But another tradition says that it was here that those who went to Ilium to oblige Menelaus deliberated on the best plan for sailing to Troy, and exacting punishment of Paris for the rape of Helen. And near Hellenium they exhibit the tomb of Talthybius: as do also the people of Ægæ in Achaia in their market-place, who also claim the tomb of Talthybius as being with them. And the wrath of this Talthybius for the murder of the envoys, who were sent by King Darius to Greece to ask for earth and water, was publicly manifested to the Lacedæmonians, but on the Athenians was visited privately, and mainly on the house of one man, Miltiades the son of Cimon, for he was the person responsible for getting the envoys that came to Attica put to death by the Athenians. And the Lacedæmonians have an altar of Apollo Acritas, and a temple of Earth called Gaseptum, and above it is Apollo Maleates. And at the end of the road Apheta, and very near the walls, is the temple of Dictynna, and the royal tombs of the Eurypontidæ. And near Hellenium is the temple of Arsinoe, the daughter of Leucippus, and the sister of the wives of Polydeuces and Castor. And at what is called Garrison there is a temple of Artemis, and as you go on a little further there is a monument erected to the prophets from Elis who are called Iamidæ. And there is a temple of Maro and Alpheus, who, of the Lacedæmonians that fought at Thermopylæ, seem to have been reckoned most valiant next to Leonidas. And the temple of Victory-giving Zeus was erected by the Dorians, after a victory over the people of Amyclæ and the other Achæans, who at this time occupied Laconia. And the temple of the great Mother is honoured especially. And next to it are hero-chapels of Theseus, and the Arcadian Aulon, and the son of Tlesimenes: some say that Tlesimenes was the brother, others the son, of Parthenopæus the son of Melanion.

And there is another outlet from the market-place, where is built the place called Scias, where even now they hold meetings. This Scias was they say built by the Samian Theodorus, who was the first discoverer of fusing, and making statues, in iron. Here the Lacedæmonians hung up the harp of Milesian Timotheus, censuring him for adding four chords in harpistry to the old Seven. And near Scias there is a round building (in which are statues of Olympian Zeus and Olympian Aphrodite) constructed they say by Epimenides, of whom they give a different account to that of the Argives, since they say that the Argives never fought with the Gnossians.