Pausanias' description of Greece, Volume I.

by active approximately 150-175 Pausanias

CHAPTER XXXIV.

In the Trœzenian district there is an isthmus jutting out some way into the sea, and on it has been built a small town near the sea called Methana. And there is a temple of Isis there, and a statue in the market-place of Hermes, and another of Hercules. And at the distance of about 30 stades from this small town are some warm baths. And they say that water first appeared there when Antigonus, the son of Demetrius, was King of the Macedonians, and water did not first appear, but fire bubbled up from the ground, and when this burnt itself out then water began to flow, which bubbles up even to this day warm and very salt. And if one bathes here the water is not cold near the shore, but if you go well out to sea swimming is dangerous, for there are many kinds of sea-monsters and especially sea dogs. But the most wonderful thing at Methana I will now record. The South West Wind when the vines are growing blows upon them from the Saronic Gulf, and scorches them up. And when the wind is still sweeping down on them, two men take a cock with white feathers only, and tear it in half, and run round the vines in different directions, each with half the cock, and when they come back to the place where they started, they bury it there. This is their invention and contrivance against the South West Wind. The little islands, which lie just off the coast, 9 in number, they call the islands of Pelops, and they say when it rains rain never comes on one of them. Whether this is so I do not know, but the people about Methana say so, and I have heard of people trying to avert hail by sacrifices and incantations. Methana then is an Isthmus in the Peloponnese: and inside the Trœzenian Isthmus is the neighbouring town of Hermione. And the people of Hermione say that the founder of the old city was one Hermion the son of Europs. And this Europs, who was certainly the son of Phoroneus, was said by Herophanes of Trœzen to be illegitimate, on the ground that the kingdom of Argos would not have come to Argus the daughter’s son of Phoroneus, had Phoroneus had a legitimate son. But, even if Europs was legitimate and died before Phoroneus, I know very well that a son of his would not have been considered equal to Niobe’s son, who was reckoned to be the son of Zeus. And afterwards Dorians from Argos colonized Hermione, but amicably I think, for had there been a war it would have been mentioned by the Argives.

And there is a road to Hermione from Trœzen along the rock which was formerly called the altar of Zeus Sthenius, but after Theseus removed the shoes and sword of Ægeus, it was called Theseus’ rock. As you go by this rock on the mountain side, you come to the temple of Apollo called The God of the Plane-Trees, and the hamlet is called Ilei, and in it are temples of Demeter and her daughter Proserpine. And near the sea, on the border of the territory of Hermione, is a temple of Demeter under the title Thermasia. And at the distance of about eighty stades is the promontory called Scyllæum from Scylla, the daughter of Nisus. For after Minos took Nisæa and Megara through her treason, he refused to marry her though he had promised, and even ordered the Cretans to throw her overboard, and the tide washed her dead body on to this promontory. And they exhibit no tomb of her, for they say that her body was neglected, and carried away by sea birds bit by bit. And as you sail from Scyllæum in the direction of the city is another promontory called Bucephala, and next to it 3 islands, of which the first is Haliusa, which affords a convenient harbour for ships to ride at anchor, and next is Pityusa, and the third they call Aristeræ. And as you coast along by these islands, there is another promontory called Colyergia jutting out from the mainland, and next it an island called Tricrana, and a mountain Buporthmus jutting out into the sea from the Peloponnese. And at Buporthmus is a temple of Demeter and Proserpine, and also one of Athene under the title Promachorma. And in front of Buporthmus lies an island called Aperopia. And at no great distance from Aperopia is another island called Hydrea. And the shore on the mainland opposite these islands extends in a crescent shape, and is rocky from the easterly direction close to the sea as far as the temple of Poseidon, but slopes at the westerly end of the bay, where it has its harbours. The length of this rocky headland is about seven stades, and the breadth in the broadest part about three stades or a little more. Here was the old town of Hermione. And even now there are several temples there, one of Poseidon at the commencement of the headland, and as you go from the sea to the heights a temple of Athene, and near it some remains of a race-course, where they say the sons of Tyndareus used to practise. There is also another small temple of Athene, but the roof has fallen in. And there is a temple to the Sun, and another to the Graces, and another to Serapis and Isis. And there is a circle of huge unhewn stones, and inside this circle they perform the sacred rites of Demeter. Such are the objects to be seen at the old town of Hermione. But the new town is at about four stades’ distance from the promontory on which there is the temple of Poseidon, and it lies on a gentle slope as you ascend the hill called Pron, for that is its name. There is a wall all round Hermione. And it has various objects of interest, but what I select as most worthy of record are the temple of Marine Aphrodite and Aphrodite of the Harbour, and a statue of white stone of huge size, and a work of art. And there is another temple of Aphrodite, which has other honours from the people of Hermione and this special one, that maidens or widows intending to marry must all sacrifice here before their marriage. And Thermasian Demeter has two temples, one on the borders of Trœzen as I have before said, and one in new Hermione.