Pausanias' description of Greece, Volume I.

by active approximately 150-175 Pausanias

CHAPTER XIV.

As you go westwards from the market-place is the cenotaph of Brasidas the son of Tellis, and at no great distance a theatre in white stone well worth seeing. And opposite the theatre are the tombs of Pausanias the General at Platæa, and of Leonidas: and every year they have speeches over them, and a contest in which none but Spartans may compete. The remains of Leonidas were 40 years after his death removed from Thermopylæ by Pausanias, and there is a pillar with the names and pedigree of those who fought against the Medes at Thermopylæ. And there is in Sparta a place called Theomelida, where are the tombs of the kings descended from Agis, and at no great distance is what is called the Lounge of the Crotani; who belong to the Pitanatæ. And not far from this Lounge is the temple of Æsculapius, called the temple among the tombs of the descendants of Agis. And as you go on you come to the tomb of Tænarus, from whom they say the promontory Tænarum gets its name. And there are temples of Hippocurian Poseidon and Æginetan Artemis. And as you retrace your steps to the Lounge is the temple of Artemis Issora, they also call her Limnæa, though she is not called Artemis but Britomartis by the Cretans, but about her I shall speak when I come to Ægina. And very near the tombs of the descendants of Agis you will see a pillar, and inscribed on it are the victories which Chionis a Lacedæmonian carried off in the course, and others which he won at Olympia. For there he had seven victories, four in the course, and three in the double course. The shield race at the end of the sports was not then instituted. Chionis also took part they say with Theræan Battus in founding Cyrene, and in ejecting the neighbouring Libyans. And they allege the following as the reason why the temple of Thetis was built. When they were fighting against the Messenians who had revolted, and their king Anaxander invaded Messenia and took captive some women, and among them Cleo the priestess of Thetis, Anaxander’s wife Leandris begged Cleo of her husband, and she found Cleo in possession of a wooden statue of Thetis, and joined her in building a temple to the goddess: and Leandris built this according to the pattern which she saw in a dream: and the old wooden statue of Thetis they keep in a private place. And the Lacedæmonians say they were taught to worship Demeter Chthonia by Orpheus, but I am of opinion that the temple at Hermion taught them this worship of Demeter Chthonia. The Spartans have also a very recent temple of Serapis, and another of Olympian Zeus.

And the Lacedæmonians give the name Dromus to the place where it is customary still for the young men to practise in running. As you go to this Dromus from the tomb of the descendants of Agis you see on the left hand the sepulchre of Eumedes, who was the son of Hippocoon, and an old statue of Hercules, to whom the Spartan youths called Sphærei sacrifice. This name is given to the lads who are just growing to manhood.[35] There are also gymnasiums in Dromus, one the offering of the Spartan Eurycles. And outside Dromus, and opposite the statue of Hercules, is a house which now belongs to a private person, but was of old the house of Menelaus. And as you go on from Dromus you come to the temples of Castor and Pollux, and the Graces, and Ilithyia, and Carnean Apollo, and Sovereign Artemis. And on the right of Dromus is a temple of Æsculapius surnamed Agnitas (Willowy), because the god’s statue is made of willow, of the same kind as that called rhamnus: and at no great distance is a trophy, which they say Polydeuces put up after his victory over Lynceus. And this confirms in my opinion the probability that the sons of Aphareus were not buried at Sparta. Near the beginning of Dromus are Castor and Pollux of the Startingpoint, and as you go a little way further is the hero-chapel of Alco, who they say was the son of Hippocoon. And next to the hero-chapel of Alco is the temple of Poseidon whom they surname Domatites. And there is a place called Platanistas from the plane-trees which grow high and continuous round it. And this place, where it is customary for the young men to have their fights, is surrounded by water as an island is by the sea, and you enter it by bridges. On one side of these bridges is a statue of Hercules, and on the other one of Lycurgus, who not only legislated for the state generally but even for the fights of the youths. And the youths have the following customs also. They sacrifice before their fights in the temple of Phœbus, which is outside the city and not very far from Therapne. Here each division of the young men sacrifice a puppy dog to Enyalius,[36] deeming the most valiant of domesticated animals a suitable victim to the most valiant of the gods. And I know no other Greeks who are accustomed to sacrifice puppy dogs except the Colophonians, who sacrifice a black puppy to Enodius. The sacrifices both of the Colophonians and also of these young men at Lacedæmon take place by night. And after their sacrifice the young men pit together tame boars to fight, whichever boar gets the victory, the party to which it belongs are generally victorious at Platanistas. This is what they do in the temple of Phœbus: and on the next day a little before noon they cross the bridges to Platanistas. And the approach for each division is appointed by lot the night before. And they fight with hands and feet, and bite and tear one another’s eyes out. So they fight, and violently attack one another full tilt, and push one another into the water.