CHAPTER XVIII.
Near the two figures of Pausanias is a statue of Youth-prolonging Aphrodite, made at the bidding of an oracle, and statues of Sleep and Death. People have reckoned them to be brothers according to Homer’s lines in the Iliad.[39] And on the way to Alpium as it is called you come to the temple of Athene the Eye-preserver, erected they say by Lycurgus who had one of his eyes knocked out by Alcander, because he did not find Lycurgus’ legislation agreeable. And he took refuge at this place, and the Lacedæmonians prevented his losing his remaining eye, so he built a temple to Athene the Eye-preserver. And as you go on from thence you come to the temple of Ammon. The Lacedæmonians seem from time immemorial to have used his oracle in Libya most of all the Greeks. And it is said that, when Lysander was besieging Aphytis in Pallene, Ammon appeared to him by night, and told him it would be better for him and Lacedæmon to raise the siege. And accordingly he did so, and induced the Lacedæmonians to honour the god even more than before. And the people of Aphytis honour Ammon as much as the Ammonians themselves in Libya. And the following is the tradition about Cnagian Artemis. Cnageus they say was a native of Sparta, and went on the expedition against Aphidna with Castor and Pollux, and was taken prisoner in the battle and sold into slavery in Crete, and was slave at the temple of Artemis in Crete, and in course of time ran off with the priestess who also took with her the image of the goddess. This is why they call her Cnagian Artemis. But I cannot help thinking this Cnageus must have gone to Crete in some other way, and not as the Lacedæmonians say, for I do not think a battle was fought at Aphidna, as Theseus was detained in Thesprotia, and the Athenians were not unanimous for him, but inclined rather to Menestheus. Not but that, if a contest took place, one might readily believe that prisoners were taken by the conquerors, especially as it was a decisive victory, for Aphidna was captured. Let this suffice for the subject.
On the road from Sparta to Amyclæ you come to the river Tiasa. Tiasa was they think the daughter of Eurotas, and near the river is a temple of the Graces Phaenna and Clete, whom Alcman has celebrated. And they think that Lacedæmon erected this temple to the Graces and gave them these names. The things worth seeing at Amyclæ are the statue of Ænetus on a pillar (he won all the prizes in the pentathlum, and died they say directly after being crowned for his victory at Olympia,) and some brazen tripods, three[40] of which are older they say than the Messenian War. Under the first of these is a statue of Aphrodite, under the second one of Artemis, both the design and work of Gitiadas. And the third is by Callon of Ægina, and under it is a statue of Proserpine the daughter of Demeter. And the Parian Aristander has represented a woman with a lyre to signify Sparta no doubt, and Polycletus the Argive has represented Aphrodite called the Aphrodite near Amyclæan Apollo. These 3 tripods are bigger than any of the rest, and were dedicated in consequence of the victory at Ægos-potamoi. And Bathycles the Magnesian, who made the throne of Amyclæan Apollo, also carved some of the Graces on the throne and a statue of Artemis Leucophryene. Who he learnt his art from, or in whose reign he made this throne I pass by, but I have seen it and will describe it. Before and behind it are two Graces and two Seasons, on the left is the Hydra and Typhos, and on the right the Tritons. But to narrate every detail of this work of art would tire my readers, to make therefore a short summary, since most are well known, Poseidon and Zeus are carrying off Taygetes, the daughter of Atlas, and her sister Alcyone. There also is Atlas delineated, and the combat between Hercules and Cycnus, and the fight of the Centaurs with Pholus. There too is the Minotaur represented by Bathycles (I know not why) as fettered and led alive by Theseus. And there is a dance of Phæacians on the throne, and Demodocus is singing. There too is Perseus’ victory over Medusa. And not to mention the contest of Hercules with the giant Thurius, and of Tyndareus with Eurytus, there is the rape of the daughters of Leucippus. And there is Hermes carrying to heaven Dionysus as a boy, and Athene taking Hercules to dwell among the gods. And there is Peleus handing over Achilles for his education to Chiron, who is said to have been his tutor. And there is Cephalus carried off by Aurora for his beauty. And there are the gods bringing their gifts at the wedding of Harmony. There too is the single combat between Achilles and Memnon, and Hercules slaying Diomede, King of Thrace, and Nessus by the river Evenus, and Hermes bringing up the goddesses to Paris for the trial of beauty, and Adrastus and Tydeus stopping the fight between Amphiarus and Lycurgus the son of Pronax. And Hera is gazing at Io already changed into a heifer, and Athene is running away from the pursuit of Hephæstus. There too is Hercules fighting with the hydra, and bringing up Cerberus from Hades. There too are Anaxis and Mnasinous each of them on horseback, and Megapenthes, the son of Menelaus, and Nicostratus both on one horse. And there is Bellerophon killing the Chimæra in Lycia, and Hercules driving off the cattle of Geryon. And on each side of the upper portions of the throne are Castor and Pollux on horseback: under their horses are some Sphinxes and some wild beasts running above, on Castor’s side a leopard, but near Pollux a lioness. And at the very top of the throne is a company of the Magnesians who assisted Bathycles in this work of art. And if you go under the throne to see its interior parts where the Tritons are, there is the boar of Calydon, and Hercules slaying the sons of Actor, and Calais and Zetes driving away the Harpies from Phineus, and Pirithous and Theseus carrying off Helen, and Hercules throttling the Nemean lion. And there are Apollo and Artemis transfixing Tityus. And there is the contest of Hercules with the Centaur Oreus, and of Theseus with the Minotaur, and the wrestling of Hercules with Achelous, and Hera bound by Hephæstus as the story goes, and the games established by Acastus in memory of his father, and what we read in the Odyssey about Menelaus and the Egyptian Proteus. Lastly there is Admetus yoking to his chariot a boar and a lion, and the Trojans making their offerings at the grave of Hector.
CHAPTER XIX.
As to the seat for the god on this throne, it is not one continuous surface but has several partitions with intervals between them. The largest partition is in the middle, where there is a statue about 30 cubits high I conjecture, for no one has taken its measure. And this is not by Bathycles but an ancient and inartistic production, for except the face toes and hands it resembles a brazen pillar. There is a helmet on its head, and a lance and bow in its hands. And the base of the statue is like an altar, and they say Hyacinthus is buried there, and at the festival of Hyacinthus, before they sacrifice to Apollo, they make offerings to Hyacinthus on this altar through a brazen door which is on the left of the altar. And carved upon this altar are effigies of Biris and Amphitrite and Poseidon, and Zeus and Hermes talking together, and near them Dionysus and Semele, and near Semele Ino. On this altar too are effigies of Demeter and Proserpine and Pluto, the Destinies and the Seasons, Aphrodite and Athene and Artemis; and they are carrying to heaven Hyacinthus and his sister Polybœa who they say died a virgin. Hyacinthus has a small beard, and Nicias the son of Nicomedes has represented him as very handsome, hinting at the love of Apollo for him. There is also a representation of Hercules being taken to heaven by Athene and the other gods; as also effigies of the daughters of Thestius and the Muses and the Seasons. As to the Zephyr, and the story of Hyacinth having been accidentally slain by Apollo, and the legends about the flower Hyacinth, the traditions may possibly be baseless, but let them stand.
Amyclæ was destroyed by the Dorians, and is now only a village, which contains a temple and statue of Alexandra well worth seeing, (by Alexandra the people of Amyclæ mean Cassandra the daughter of Priam).
There is here also an effigy of Clytæmnestra, and a statue of Agamemnon, and his supposed tomb. And Amyclæan Apollo and Dionysus are the chief gods worshipped here, the latter they call very properly in my opinion Psilax (Winged). Psila is the Dorian word for wings, and wine elevates men and lightens their judgment just as wings elevate birds. And such is all that is memorable about Amyclæ.
Another road from Sparta leads to Therapne. And on the way is a wooden statue of Athene Alea. And before you cross the Eurotas a little above the bank stands the temple of Wealthy Zeus. And when you have crossed the Eurotas, you come to the temple of Cotylean Æsculapius built by Hercules, who called Æsculapius Cotylean because in the first conflict with Hippocoon and his sons he received a wound on his cotyle or hip. And of all the temples built on this road, the most ancient is one of Ares, on the left of the road, and the statue of the god was they say brought by Castor and Pollux from Colchi. And Theritas gets its name they say from Thero, who was the nurse of Ares. And perhaps they got the name Theritas from the Colchians, for the Greeks know nothing of a nurse of Ares called Thero. But I cannot but think that the name Theritas was given to Ares not on account of his nurse, but because in an engagement with the enemy one must be mild no longer, but be like the description of Achilles in Homer, “as a lion he knows savageness.”[41]
Therapne got its name from Therapne, the daughter of Lelex, and it has a temple of Menelaus, and they say that Menelaus and Helen were buried here. But the Rhodians have a different account to that of the Lacedæmonians, and say that Helen after the death of Menelaus, while Orestes was still on his travels, was driven away by Nicostratus and Megapenthes and went to Rhodes, as she was a connection of Polyxo the wife of Tlepolemus, for Polyxo was of Argive descent, and being the wife of Tlepolemus fled with him to Rhodes, and there became Queen, being left with one fatherless child. This Polyxo they say desired to avenge on Helen the death of Tlepolemus, and when she got her in her power sent to her as she was bathing some attendants dressed like the Furies, and they laid hold of Helen and hung her on a tree, and for this reason the Rhodians have a temple to Helen Hung on the Tree. And I will record the tradition of the people of Croton about Helen, which is the same as that of the people of Himera. There is in the Euxine sea, near the mouth of the Ister, an island sacred to Achilles called Leuce. It is 20 stades in extent, entirely thick forest and full of beasts domesticated and wild, and contains a temple and statue of Achilles. They say Leonymus of Croton was the first that ever sailed to it. For when there was a war between the people of Croton and the Locrians in Italy, and the Locrians invited in Ajax the son of Oileus to aid them because of their kinsmanship to the Opuntians, Leonymus the general of the Crotonians attacked that part of the enemy’s army where he was told that Ajax was stationed, and got wounded in the breast, and, as he suffered very much from his wound, went to Delphi. And the Pythian Priestess sent him to the island Leuce, and told him that Ajax would appear there and heal his wound. And in process of time getting well he returned from Leuce, and said that he had seen Achilles, and Ajax the son of Oileus, and Ajax the son of Telamon, and that Patroclus and Antilochus were in the company, and that Helen was married to Achilles and had told him to sail to Himera, and tell Stesichorus that the loss of his eyesight was a punishment to him from her. In consequence of this Stesichorus composed his palinode.