by Pausanias
SPHAERA & CALAUREA
33. νῆσοι δέ εἰσι Τροιζηνίοις μία μὲν πλησίον τῆς ἠπείρου, καὶ διαβῆναι ποσὶν ἐς αὐτὴν ἔστιν: αὕτη Σφαιρία ὀνομαζομένη πρότερον Ἱερὰ δι᾽ αἰτίαν ἐκλήθη τοιαύτην. ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῇ Σφαίρου μνῆμα: Πέλοπος δὲ ἡνίοχον εἶναι λέγουσι τὸν Σφαῖρον. τούτῳ κατὰ δή τι ἐξ Ἀθηνᾶς ὄνειρον κομίζουσα Αἴθρα ἐς χοὰς διέβαινεν ἐς τὴν νῆσον, διαβάσῃ δὲ ἐνταῦθα λέγεται Ποσειδῶνα μιχθῆναι. ἱδρύσατο μὲν διὰ τοῦτο Αἴθρα ναὸν ἐνταῦθα Ἀθηνᾶς Ἀπατουρίας καὶ Ἱερὰν ἀντὶ Σφαιρίας ὠνόμασε τὴν νῆσον: κατεστήσατο δὲ καὶ ταῖς Τροιζηνίων παρθένοις ἀνατιθέναι πρὸ γάμου τὴν ζώνην τῇ Ἀθηνᾷ τῇ Ἀπατουρίᾳ.
[33.1] XXXIII. The Troezenians possess islands, one of which is near the mainland, and it is possible to wade across the channel. This was formerly called Sphaeria, but its name was changed to Sacred Island for the following reason. In it is the tomb of Sphaerus, who, they say, was charioteer to Pelops. In obedience forsooth to a dream from Athena, Aethra crossed over into the island with libations for Sphaerus. After she had crossed, Poseidon is said to have had intercourse with her here. So for this reason Aethra set up here a temple of Athena Apaturia, and changed the name from Sphaeria to Sacred Island. She also established a custom for the Troezenian maidens of dedicating their girdles before wedlock to Athena Apaturia.
[2] Καλαύρειαν δὲ Ἀπόλλωνος ἱερὰν τὸ ἀρχαῖον εἶναι λέγουσιν, ὅτε περ ἦσαν καὶ οἱ Δελφοὶ Ποσειδῶνος: λέγεται δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, ἀντιδοῦναι τὰ χωρία σφᾶς ἀλλήλοις. φασὶ δὲ ἔτι καὶ λόγιον μνημονεύουσιν:”ἶσόν τοι Δῆλόν τε Καλαύρειάν τε νέμεσθαι
Πυθώ τ᾽ ἠγαθέην καὶ Ταίναρον ἠνεμόεσσαν.
“Unknownἔστι δ᾽ οὖν Ποσειδῶνος ἱερὸν ἐνταῦθα ἅγιον, ἱερᾶται δὲ αὐτῷ παρθένος, ἔστ᾽ ἂν ἐς ὥραν προέλθῃ γάμου.
[33.2] Calaurea, they say, was sacred to Apollo of old, at the time when Delphi was sacred to Poseidon. Legend adds that the two gods exchanged the two places. They still say this, and quote an oracle:–
Delos and Calaurea alike thou lovest to dwell in,
Pytho, too, the holy, and Taenarum swept by the high winds.
At any rate, there is a holy sanctuary of Poseidon here, and it is served by a maiden priestess until she reaches an age fit for marriage.
[3] τοῦ περιβόλου δὲ ἐντὸς καὶ τὸ Δημοσθένους μνῆμά ἐστι. καί μοι τὸ δαιμόνιον δεῖξαι μάλιστα ἐπὶ τούτου δοκεῖ καὶ Ὁμήρου πρότερον ὡς εἴη βάσκανον, εἰ δὴ Ὅμηρον μὲν προδιεφθαρμένον τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐπὶ τοσούτῳ κακῷ κακὸν δεύτερον πενία πιέζουσα ἐπὶ πᾶσαν γῆν πτωχεύοντα ἦγε, Δημοσθένει δὲ φυγῆς τε συνέπεσεν ἐν γήρᾳ λαβεῖν πεῖραν καὶ ὁ θάνατος ἐγένετο οὕτω βίαιος. εἴρηται μὲν οὖν περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἄλλοις καὶ αὐτῷ Δημοσθένει πλεῖστα, ἦ μὴν τῶν χρημάτων ἃ ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίας ἤγαγεν Ἅρπαλος μὴ μεταλαβεῖν αὐτόν:
[33.3] Within the enclosure is also the tomb of Demosthenes. His fate, and that of Homer before him, have, in my opinion, showed most plainly how spiteful the deity is; for Homer, after losing his sight, was, in addition to this great affliction, cursed with a second – a poverty which drove him in beggary to every land; while to Demosthenes it befell to experience exile in his old age and to meet with such a violent end. Now, although concerning him, not only others, but Demosthenes himself, have again and again declared that assuredly he took no part of the money that Harpalus brought from Asia,
[4] τὸ δὲ ὕστερον λεχθὲν ἐπέξειμι ὁποῖον ἐγένετο. Ἅρπαλος μὲν ὡς ἐξ Ἀθηνῶν ἀπέδρα διαβὰς ναυσὶν ἐς Κρήτην, οὐ πολὺ ὕστερον ὑπὸ τῶν θεραπευόντων ἀπέθανεν οἰκετῶν: οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ ἀνδρὸς Μακεδόνος Παυσανίου δολοφονηθῆναί φασιν αὐτόν. τὸν δέ οἱ τῶν χρημάτων διοικητὴν φυγόντα ἐς Ῥόδον Φιλόξενος Μακεδὼν συνέλαβεν, ὃς καὶ αὐτὸν παρὰ Ἀθηναίων ἐξῄτησεν Ἅρπαλον. τὸν δὲ παῖδα τοῦτον ἔχων ἤλεγχεν ἐς ὃ πάντα ἐπύθετο, ὅσοι τῶν Ἁρπάλου τι ἔτυχον εἰληφότες:
[33.4] yet I must relate the circumstances of the statement made subsequently. Shortly after Harpalus ran away from Athens and crossed with a squadron to Crete, he was put to death by the servants who were attending him, though some assert that he was assassinated by Pausanias, a Macedonian. The steward of his money fled to Rhodes, and was arrested by a Macedonian, Philoxenus, who also had demanded Harpalus from the Athenians. Having this slave in his power, he proceeded to examine him, until he learned everything about such as had allowed themselves to accept a bribe from Harpalus. On obtaining this information he sent a dispatch to Athens,
[5] μαθὼν δὲ ἐς Ἀθήνας γράμματα ἐπέστελλεν. ἐν τούτοις τοῖς γράμμασι τοὺς λαβόντας παρὰ Ἁρπάλου καταριθμῶν καὶ αὐτοὺς καὶ ὁπόσον αὐτῶν ἔλαβεν ἕκαστος οὐδὲ ἐμνημόνευσεν ἀρχὴν Δημοσθένους, Ἀλεξάνδρῳ τε ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ἀπεχθανομένου καὶ αὐτὸς ἰδίᾳ προσκρούσας.
Δημοσθένει μὲν οὖν τιμαὶ καὶ ἑτέρωθι τῆς
Ἑλλάδος καὶ παρὰ τῶν Καλαυρείας εἰσὶν οἰκητόρων:
[33.5] in which he gave a list of such as had taken a bribe from Harpalus, both their names and the sums each had received. Demosthenes, however, he never mentioned at all, although Alexander held him in bitter hatred, and he himself had a private quarrel with him. So Demosthenes is honored in many parts of Greece, and especially by the dwellers in Calaurea.
METHANA
34. τῆς δὲ Τροιζηνίας γῆς ἐστιν ἰσθμὸς ἐπὶ πολὺ διέχων ἐς θάλασσαν, ἐν δὲ αὐτῷ πόλισμα οὐ μέγα ἐπὶ θαλάσσῃ Μέθανα ᾤκισται. Ἴσιδος δὲ ἐνταῦθα ἱερόν ἐστι καὶ ἄγαλμα ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς Ἑρμοῦ, τὸ δὲ ἕτερον Ἡρακλέους. τοῦ δὲ πολίσματος τριάκοντά που στάδια ἀπέχει θερμὰ λουτρά: φασὶ δὲ Ἀντιγόνου τοῦ Δημητρίου Μακεδόνων βασιλεύοντος τότε πρῶτον τὸ ὕδωρ φανῆναι, φανῆναι δὲ οὐχ ὕδωρ εὐθὺς ἀλλὰ πῦρ ἀναζέσαι πολὺ ἐκ τῆς γῆς, ἐπὶ δὲ τούτῳ μαρανθέντι ῥυῆναι τὸ ὕδωρ, ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐς ἡμᾶς ἄνεισι θερμόν τε καὶ δεινῶς ἁλμυρόν. λουσαμένῳ δὲ ἐνταῦθα οὔτε ὕδωρ ἐστὶν ἐγγὺς ψυχρὸν οὔτε ἐσπεσόντα ἐς τὴν θάλασσαν ἀκινδύνως νήχεσθαι: θηρία γὰρ καὶ ἄλλα καὶ κύνας παρέχεται πλείστους.
[34.1] XXXIV. Stretching out far into the sea from Troezenia is a peninsula, on the coas
t of which has been founded a little town called Methana. Here there is a sanctuary of Isis, and on the market-place is an image of Hermes, and also one of Heracles. Some thirty stades distant from the town are hot baths. They say that it was when Antigonus, son of Demetrius, was king of Macedon that the water first appeared, and that what appeared at once was not water, but fire that gushed in great volume from the ground, and when this died down the water flowed; indeed, even at the present day it wells up hot and exceedingly salt. A bather here finds no cold water at hand, and if he dives into the sea his swim is full of danger. For wild creatures live in it, and it swarms with sharks.
[2] ὃ δὲ ἐθαύμασα ἐν τοῖς Μεθάνοις μάλιστα, γράψω καὶ τοῦτο. ἄνεμος ὁ Λὶψ βλαστανούσαις ταῖς ἀμπέλοις ἐμπίπτων ἐκ τοῦ Σαρωνικοῦ κόλπου τὴν βλάστην σφῶν ἀφαυαίνει: κατιόντος οὖν ἔτι τοῦ πνεύματος ἀλεκτρυόνα τὰ πτερὰ ἔχοντα διὰ παντὸς λευκὰ διελόντες ἄνδρες δύο ἐναντίοι περιθέουσι τὰς ἀμπέλους, ἥμισυ ἑκάτερος τοῦ ἀλεκτρυόνος φέρων: ἀφικόμενοι δ᾽ ἐς τὸ αὐτὸ ὅθεν ὡρμήθησαν, κατορύσσουσιν ἐνταῦθα.
[34.2] I will also relate what astonished me most in Methana. The wind called Lips, striking the budding vines from the Saronic Gulf, blights their buds. So while the wind is still rushing on, two men cut in two a cock whose feathers are all white, and run round the vines in opposite directions, each carrying half of the cock. When they meet at their starting place, they bury the pieces there.
[3] τοῦτο μὲν πρὸς τὸν Λίβα σφίσιν ἐστὶν εὑρημένον: τὰς δὲ νησῖδας αἳ πρόκεινται τῆς χώρας ἀριθμὸν ἐννέα οὔσας Πέλοπος μὲν καλοῦσι, τοῦ θεοῦ δὲ ὕοντος μίαν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὔ φασιν ὕεσθαι. τοῦτο δὲ εἰ τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν οὐκ οἶδα, ἔλεγον δὲ οἱ περὶ τὰ Μέθανα, ἐπεὶ χάλαζάν γε ἤδη θυσίαις εἶδον καὶ ἐπῳδαῖς ἀνθρώπους ἀποτρέποντας.
[34.3] Such are the means they have devised against the Lips. The islets, nine in number, lying off the land are called the Isles of Pelops, and they say that when it rains one of them is not touched. If this be the case I do not know, though the people around Methana said that it was true, and I have seen before now men trying to keep off hail by sacrifices and spells.
HERMIONE
[4] τὰ μὲν δὴ Μέθανα ἰσθμός ἐστι τῆς Πελοποννήσου: ἐντὸς δὲ τοῦ ἰσθμοῦ τῆς Τροιζηνίων ὅμορός ἐστιν Ἑρμιόνη. οἰκιστὴν δὲ τῆς ἀρχαίας πόλεως Ἑρμιονεῖς γενέσθαι φασὶν Ἑρμίονα Εὔρωπος. τὸν δὲ Εὔρωπα — ἦν γὰρ δὴ Φορωνέως — Ἡροφάνης ὁ Τροιζήνιος ἔφασκεν εἶναι νόθον: οὐ γὰρ δή ποτε ἐς Ἄργον τὸν Νιόβης θυγατριδοῦν ὄντα Φορωνέως τὴν ἐν Ἄργει περιελθεῖν ἂν ἀρχὴν παρόντος Φορωνεῖ γνησίου παιδός.
[34.4] Methana, then, is a peninsula of the Peloponnesus. Within it, bordering on the land of Troezen, is Hermione. The founder of the old city, the Hermionians say, was Hermion, the son of Europs. Now Europs, whose father was certainly Phoroneus, Herophanes of Troezen said was an illegitimate child. For surely the kingdom of Argos would never have devolved upon Argus, Niobe’s son, the grandchild of Phoroneus, in the presence of a legitimate son.
[5] ἐγὼ δέ, εἰ καὶ γνήσιον ὄντα Εὔρωπα πρότερον τὸ χρεὼν ἢ Φορωνέα ἐπέλαβεν, εὖ οἶδα ὡς οὐκ ἔμελλεν ὁ παῖς αὐτῷ Νιόβης παιδὶ ἴσα οἴσεσθαι Διός γε εἶναι δοκοῦντι. ἐπῴκησαν δὲ καὶ Ἑρμιόνα ὕστερον Δωριεῖς οἱ ἐξ Ἄργους: πόλεμον δὲ οὐ δοκῶ γενέσθαι σφίσιν, ἐλέγετο γὰρ ἂν ὑπὸ Ἀργείων.
[34.5] But even supposing that Europs was a legitimate child who died before Phoroneus, I am quite sure that his son was not likely to stand a fair chance against Niobe’s child, whose father was supposed to be Zeus. Subsequently the Dorians from Argos settled, among other places, at Hermion, but I do not think there was war between the two peoples, or it would have been spoken of by the Argives.
[6] ἔστι δὲ ὁδὸς ἔς Ἑρμιόνα ἐκ Τροιζῆνος κατὰ τὴν πέτραν ἣ πρότερον μὲν ἐκαλεῖτο Σθενίου Διὸς βωμός, μετὰ δὲ Θησέα ἀνελόμενον τὰ γνωρίσματα ὀνομάζουσιν οἱ νῦν Θησέως αὐτήν. κατὰ ταύτην οὖν τὴν πέτραν ἰοῦσιν ὀρεινὴν ὁδόν, ἔστι μὲν Ἀπόλλωνος ἐπίκλησιν Πλατανιστίου ναός, ἔστι δὲ Εἰλεοὶ χωρίον, ἐν δὲ αὐτῷ Δήμητρος καὶ Κόρης τῆς Δήμητρος ἱερά: τὰ δὲ πρὸς θάλασσαν ἐν ὅροις τῆς Ἑρμιονίδος ἱερὸν Δήμητρός ἐστιν ἐπίκλησιν Θερμασίας.
[34.6] There is a road from Troezen to Hermion by way of the rock which aforetime was called the altar of Zeus Sthenius (Strong) but afterwards Theseus took up the tokens, and people now call it the Rock of Theseus. As you go, then, along a mountain road by way of this rock, you reach a temple of Apollo surnamed Platanistius (God of the Plane-tree Grove), and a place called Eilei, where are sanctuaries of Demeter and of her daughter Core (Maid). Seawards, on the borders of Hermionis, is a sanctuary of Demeter surnamed Thermasia (Warmth).
[7] σταδίους δὲ ὀγδοήκοντα ἀπέχει μάλιστα ἄκρα Σκυλλαῖον ἀπὸ τῆς Νίσου καλουμένη θυγατρός. ὡς γὰρ δὴ τὴν Νίσαιαν ὁ Μίνως καὶ τὰ Μέγαρα εἷλεν ἐκείνης προδούσης, οὔτε γυναῖκα ἕξειν αὐτὴν ἔτι ἔφασκε καὶ προσέταξε τοῖς Κρησὶν ἐκβάλλειν τῆς νεώς: ἀποθανοῦσαν δὲ ἀπέρριψεν ἐς τὴν ἄκραν ταύτην ὁ κλύδων. τάφον δὲ οὐκ ἀποφαίνουσιν αὐτῆς, ἀλλὰ περιοφθῆναι τὸν νεκρόν φασι διαφορηθέντα ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκ θαλάσσης ὀρνίθων.
[34.7] Just about eighty stades away is a headland Scyllaeum, which is named alter the daughter of Nisus. For when, owing to her treachery, Minos had taken Nisaea and Megara, he said that now he would not have her to wife, and ordered his Cretans to throw her from the ship. She was drowned, and the waves cast up her body on this headland. They do not show a grave of her, but say that the sea birds were allowed to tear the corpse to pieces.
[8] ἀπὸ δὲ Σκυλλαίου πλέοντι ὡς ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ἄκρα τέ ἐστιν ἑτέρα Βουκέφαλα καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἄκραν νῆσοι, πρώτη μὲν Ἁλιοῦσσα — παρέχεται δὲ αὕτη λιμένα ἐνορμίσασθαι ναυσὶν ἐπιτήδειον — , μετὰ δὲ Πιτυοῦσσα, τρίτη δὲ ἣν Ἀριστερὰν ὀνομάζουσι. ταύτας δὲ παραπλεύσαντί ἐστιν αὖθις ἄκρα Κωλυεργία ἀνέχουσα ἐκ τῆς ἠπείρου, μετὰ δὲ αὐτὴν νῆσος Τρίκρανα καλουμένη καὶ ὄρος ἐς θάλασσαν ἀπὸ τῆς Πελοποννήσου προβεβλημένον Βούπορθμος. ἐν Βουπόρθμῳ δὲ πεποίηται μὲν ἱερὸν Δήμητρος καὶ τῆς παιδός, πεποίηται δὲ Ἀθηνᾶς:
[34.8] As you sail from Scyllaeum in the direction of the city, you reach another headland, called Bucephala
(Ox-head), and, after the headland, islands, the first of which is Haliussa (Salt Island). This provides a harbor where there is good anchorage. After it comes Pityussa (Pine Island), and the third they call Aristerae. On sailing past these you come to another headland, Colyergia, jutting out from the mainland, and after it to an island, called Tricrana (Three Heads), and a mountain, projecting into the sea from the Peloponnesus, called Buporthmus (Oxford). On Buporthmus has been built a sanctuary of Demeter and her daughter, as well as one of Athena, surnamed Promachorma (Champion of the Anchorage).
[9] ἐπίκλησις δέ ἐστι τῇ θεῷ Προμαχόρμα. πρόκειται δὲ Βουπόρθμου νῆσος Ἀπεροπία καλουμένη, τῆς δὲ Ἀπεροπίας ἀφέστηκεν οὐ πολὺ ἑτέρα νῆσος Ὑδρέα. μετὰ ταύτην αἰγιαλός τε παρήκει τῆς ἠπείρου μηνοειδὴς καὶ ἀκτὴ μετὰ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν ἐπὶ Ποσείδιον, ἐκ θαλάσσης μὲν ἀρχομένη τῆς πρὸς ἀνατολάς, προήκουσα δὲ ὡς ἐπὶ τὴν ἑσπέραν: ἔχει δὲ καὶ λιμένας ἐν αὑτῇ. μῆκος μὲν δὴ τῆς ἀκτῆς ἐστιν ἑπτά που στάδια, πλάτος δὲ ᾗ πλατυτάτη σταδίων τριῶν οὐ πλέον.
[34.9] Before Buporthmus lies an island called Aperopia, not far from which is another island, Hydrea. After it the mainland is skirted by a crescent-shaped beach and after the beach there is a spit of land up to a sanctuary of Poseidon, beginning at the sea on the east and extending westwards. It possesses harbors, and is some seven stades in length, and not more than three stades in breadth where it is broadest.