by Pausanias
[7] ταῦτα μὲν δὴ οὐδὲ ἀρχὴν ἀποδέξαιτο ἄν τις, ὡς ὁ τοῦ Κυψέλου πρόγονος Κορίνθιός τε ὢν καὶ τὴν λάρνακα αὑτῷ ποιούμενος κτῆμα, ὁπόσα μὲν Κορινθίοις ἦν ἐπιχώρια, ἑκὼν ὑπερέβαινεν, ἃ δὲ ξενικά τε καὶ οὐδὲ ἄλλως ἥκοντα ἐς δόξαν, ἐτεχνᾶτο ἐπὶ τῇ λάρνακι: αὐτῷ μέντοι παρίστατο ἐμοὶ ταῦτα εἰκάζειν. Κυψέλῳ καὶ τοῖς προγόνοις ἐκ τῶνδε Γονούσσης ἦν γένος ἐξ ἀρχῆς γονούσης τῆς ὑπὲρ Σικυῶνος, καὶ πρόγονός σφισιν ἦν Μέλας ὁ Ἀντάσου:
[18.7] But it cannot for a moment be admitted that the ancestor of Cypselus, a Corinthian, having the chest made as a possession for himself, of his own accord passed over all Corinthian story, and had carved on the chest foreign events which were not famous. The following interpretation suggested itself to me. Cypselus and his ancestors came originally from Gonussa above Sicyon, and one of their ancestors was Melas, the son of Antasus.
[8] Μέλανα δὲ καὶ τὸν σὺν αὐτῷ στρατὸν κατὰ τὰ προειρημένα μοι καὶ ἐν τῇ Κορινθίᾳ συγγραφῇ οὐκ ἤθελεν Ἀλήτης συνοίκους δέξασθαι, γεγονός οἱ μάντευμα ἐκ Δελφῶν ὑφορώμενος, ἐς ὃ θεραπείᾳ τε τῇ πάσῃ χρώμενον καὶ Μέλανα καὶ ὁπότε ἀπελασθείη σὺν δεήσει ἐπανιόντα αὖθις ἐδέξατο καὶ ἄκων Ἀλήτης. τοῦτο τὸ στρατιωτικὸν τεκμαίροιτο ἄν τις τοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ λάρνακι εἰργασμένους εἶναι.
[18.8] But, as I have already related in my account of Corinth, Aletes refused to admit as settlers Melas and the host with him, being nervous about an oracle which had been given him from Delphi; but at last Melas, using every art of winning favours, and returning with entreaties every time he was driven away, persuaded Aletes however reluctantly to receive them. One might infer that this army is represented by the figures wrought upon the chest.
19. τέταρτα δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ λάρνακι ἐξ ἀριστερᾶς περιιόντι Βορέας ἐστὶν ἡρπακὼς Ὠρείθυιαν — οὐραὶ δὲ ὄφεων ἀντὶ ποδῶν εἰσὶν αὐτῷ — καὶ Ἡρακλέους ὁ πρὸς Γηρυόνην ἀγών: τρεῖς δὲ ἄνδρες Γηρυόνης εἰσὶν ἀλλήλοις προσεχόμενοι. Θησεὺς δὲ ἔχων λύραν καὶ παρ᾽ αὐτὸν Ἀριάδνη κατέχουσά ἐστι στέφανον. Ἀχιλλεῖ δὲ καὶ Μέμνονι μαχομένοις παρεστήκασιν αἱ μητέρες:
[19.1] XIX. In the fourth space on the chest as you go round from the left is Boreas, who has carried off Oreithyia; instead of feet he has serpents’ tails. Then comes the combat between Heracles and Geryones, who is represented as three men joined to one another. There is Theseus holding a lyre, and by his side is Ariadne gripping a crown. Achilles and Memnon are fighting; their mothers stand by their side.
[2] ἔστι δὲ καὶ Μελανίων καὶ Ἀταλάντη παρ᾽ αὐτὸν ἔχουσα ἐλάφου νεβρόν. μονομαχοῦντος δὲ Αἴαντι Ἕκτορος κατὰ τὴν πρόκλησιν, μεταξὺ ἕστηκεν αὐτῶν Ἔρις αἰσχίστη τὸ εἶδος ἐοικυῖα: πρὸς δὲ ταύτῃ καὶ Καλλιφῶν Σάμιος ἐν Ἀρτέμιδος ἱερῷ τῆς Ἐφεσίας ἐποίησεν Ἔριν, τὴν μάχην γράψας τὴν ἐπὶ ταῖς ναυσὶν Ἑλλήνων. εἰσὶ δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ λάρνακι Διόσκουροι, ὁ ἕτερος οὐκ ἔχων πω γένεια, μέση δὲ αὐτῶν Ἑλένη:
[19.2] There is also Melanion by whom is Atalanta holding a young deer. Ajax is fighting a duel with Hector, according to the challenge, and between the pair stands Strife in the form of a most repulsive woman. Another figure of Strife is in the sanctuary of Ephesian Artemis; Calliphon of Samos included it in his picture of the battle at the ships of the Greeks. On the chest are also the Dioscuri, one of them a beardless youth, and between them is Helen.
[3] Αἴθρα δὲ ἡ Πιτθέως ὑπὸ τῆς Ἑλένης τοῖς ποσὶν ἐς ἔδαφος καταβεβλημένη μέλαιναν ἔχουσά ἐστιν ἐσθῆτα, ἐπίγραμμα δὲ ἐπ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἔπος τε ἑξάμετρον καὶ ὀνόματός ἐστιν ἑνὸς ἐπὶ τῷ ἑξαμέτρῳ προσθήκη: “Τυνδαρίδα Ἑλέναν φέρετον, Αἴθραν δ᾽ ἕλκετον
Ἀθάναθεν.
“
[19.3] Aethra, the daughter of Pittheus, lies thrown to the ground under the feet at Helen. She is clothed in black, and the inscription upon the group is an hexameter line with the addition of a single word:–
The sons of Tyndareus are carrying of Helen, and are dragging Aethra from Athens.
[4] τοῦτο μὲν δὴ τὸ ἔπος οὕτω πεποίηται: Ἰφιδάμαντος δὲ τοῦ Ἀντήνορος κειμένου μαχόμενος πρὸς Ἀγαμέμνονα ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ Κόων ἐστί: Φόβος δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀγαμέμνονος τῇ ἀσπίδι ἔπεστιν, ἔχων τὴν κεφαλὴν λέοντος. ἐπιγράμματα δὲ ὑπὲρ μὲν τοῦ Ἰφιδάμαντος νεκροῦ, “Ἰφιδάμας οὗτός τε Κόων περιμάρναται αὐτοῦ:
“τοῦ Ἀγαμέμνονος δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀσπίδι,
[19.4] Such is the way this line is constructed. Iphidamas, the son of Antenor, is lying, and Coon is fighting for him against Agamemnon. On the shield of Agamemnon is Fear, whose head is a lion’s. The inscription above the corpse of Iphidamas runs:
Iphidamas, and this is Coon fighting for him.
The inscription on the shield of Agamemnon runs:
[5] “οὗτος μὲν Φόβος ἐστὶ βροτῶν, ὁ δ᾽ ἔχων Ἀγαμέμνων.
“ἄγει δὲ καὶ Ἑρμῆς παρ᾽ Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν Πριάμου τὰς θεὰς κριθησομένας ὑπὲρ τοῦ κάλλους, καὶ ἔστιν ἐπίγραμμα καὶ τούτοις:”Ἑρμείας ὅδ᾽ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ δείκνυσι διαιτῆν
τοῦ εἴδους Ἥραν καὶ Ἀθάναν καὶ Ἀφροδίταν.
“Ἄρτεμις δὲ οὐκ οἶδα ἐφ᾽ ὅτῳ λόγῳ πτέρυγας ἔχουσά ἐστιν ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων, καὶ τῇ μὲν δεξιᾷ κατέχει πάρδαλιν, τῇ δὲ ἑτέρᾳ τῶν χειρῶν λέοντα. πεποίηται δὲ καὶ Κασσάνδραν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀγάλματος Αἴας τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς ἕλκων, ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ δὲ καὶ ἐπίγραμμά ἐστιν:”Αἴας Κασσάνδραν ἀπ᾽ Ἀθαναίας Λοκρὸς ἕλκει.
“
[19.5]
This is the Fear of mortals: he who holds him is Agamemnon.
There is also Hermes bringing to Alexander the son of Priam the goddesses of whose beauty he is to judge, the inscription on them being: Here is Hermes, who is showing to Alexander, that he may arbitrate
Concerning their beauty, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite.
On what account Artemis has wings on her shoulders I do not know; in her right hand she grips a leopard, in her left a lion. Ajax too is represented dragging Cassandra from the image of Athena, and by him is also an inscription: Ajax of Locri is dragging Cassandra from Athena.
[6] τῶν δὲ Οἰδίποδος παίδων Πολυνείκει πεπτωκότι ἐς γόνυ ἔπεισιν Ἐτεοκλῆς. τοῦ Πολυνείκους δὲ ὄπισθεν γυνὴ ἕστηκεν ὀδόντας τε ἔ�
�ουσα οὐδὲν ἡμερωτέρους θηρίου καί οἱ τῶν χειρῶν εἰσιν ἐπικαμπεῖς οἱ ὄνυχες: ἐπίγραμμα δὲ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῇ εἶναί φησι Κῆρα, ὡς τὸν μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ πεπρωμένου τὸν Πολυνείκην ἀπαχθέντα, Ἐτεοκλεῖ δὲ γενομένης καὶ σὺν τῷ δικαίῳ τῆς τελευτῆς. Διόνυσος δὲ ἐν ἄντρῳ κατακείμενος, γένεια ἔχων καὶ ἔκπωμα χρυσοῦν, ἐνδεδυκώς ἐστι ποδήρη χιτῶνα: δένδρα δὲ ἄμπελοι περὶ αὐτὸν καὶ μηλέαι τέ εἰσι καὶ ῥόαι.
[19.6] Polyneices, the son of Oedipus, has fallen on his knee, and Eteocles, the other son of Oedipus, is rushing on him. Behind Polyneices stands a woman with teeth as cruel as those of a beast, and her fingernails are bent like talons. An inscription by her calls her Doom, implying that Polyneices has been carried off by fate, and that Eteocles fully deserved his end. Dionysus is lying down in a cave, a bearded figure holding a golden cup, and clad in a tunic reaching to the feet. Around him are vines, apple-trees and pomegranate-trees.
[7] ἡ δὲ ἀνωτάτω χώρα — πέντε γὰρ ἀριθμόν εἰσι — παρέχεται μὲν ἐπίγραμμα οὐδέν, λείπεται δὲ εἰκάζειν ἐς τὰ ἐπειργασμένα. εἰσὶν οὖν ἐν σπηλαίῳ γυνὴ καθεύδουσα σὺν ἀνδρὶ ἐπὶ κλίνῃ, καὶ σφᾶς Ὀδυσσέα εἶναι καὶ Κίρκην ἐδοξάζομεν ἀριθμῷ τε τῶν θεραπαινῶν, αἵ εἰσι πρὸ τοῦ σπηλαίου, καὶ τοῖς ποιουμένοις ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν: τέσσαρές τε γάρ εἰσιν αἱ γυναῖκες καὶ ἐργάζονται τὰ ἔργα, ἃ ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσιν Ὅμηρος εἴρηκε. Κένταυρος δὲ οὐ τοὺς πάντας ἵππου πόδας, τοὺς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν ἔχων ἀνδρός ἐστιν.
[19.7] The highest space – the spaces are five in number – shows no inscription, so that we can only conjecture what the reliefs mean. Well, there is a grotto and in it a woman sleeping with a man upon a couch. I was of opinion that they were Odysseus and Circe, basing my view upon the number of the handmaidens in front of the grotto and upon what they are doing. For the women are four, and they are engaged on the tasks which Homer mentions in his poetry. There is a Centaur with only two of his legs those of a horse; his forelegs are human.
[8] ἑξῆς καὶ ἵππων συνωρίδες καὶ γυναῖκες ἐπὶ τῶν συνωρίδων εἰσὶν ἑστῶσαι: πτερὰ δὲ τοῖς ἵπποις χρυσᾶ ἐστι, καὶ ἀνὴρ δίδωσιν ὅπλα μιᾷ τῶν γυναικῶν. ταῦτα ἐς τὴν Πατρόκλου τελευτὴν ἔχειν τεκμαίρονται: Νηρηίδας τε γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν συνωρίδων εἶναι καὶ Θέτιν τὰ ὅπλα λαμβάνειν παρὰ Ἡφαίστου. καὶ δὴ καὶ ἄλλως ὁ τὰ ὅπλα διδοὺς οὔτε τοὺς πόδας ἐστὶν ἐρρωμένος καὶ ὄπισθεν οἰκέτης ἕπεταί οἱ πυράγραν ἔχων:
[19.8] Next come two-horse chariots with women standing in them. The horses have golden wings, and a man is giving armour to one of the women. I conjecture that this scene refers to the death of Patroclus; the women in the chariots, I take it, are Nereids, and Thetis is receiving the armour from Hephaestus. And moreover, he who is giving the armour is not strong upon his feet, and a slave follows him behind, holding a pair of fire-tongs.
[9] λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἐς τὸν Κένταυρον ὡς Χίρων, ἀπηλλαγμένος ἤδη παρὰ ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἠξιωμένος εἶναι σύνοικος θεοῖς, ῥᾳστώνην τινὰ ἥκοι τοῦ πένθους Ἀχιλλεῖ παρασκευάσων. παρθένους δὲ ἐπὶ ἡμιόνων τὴν μὲν ἔχουσαν τὰς ἡνίας, τὴν δὲ ἐπικειμένην κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ, Ναυσικᾶν τε νομίζουσιν εἶναι τὴν Ἀλκίνου καὶ τὴν θεράπαιναν, ἐλαυνούσας ἐπὶ τοὺς πλυνούς. τοξεύοντα δὲ ἄνδρα Κενταύρους, τοὺς δὲ καὶ ἀπεκτονότα ἐξ αὐτῶν, δῆλα Ἡρακλέα τε τὸν τοξεύοντα καὶ Ἡρακλέους εἶναι τὸ ἔργον.
[19.9] An account also is given of the Centaur, that he is Chiron, freed by this time from human affairs and held worthy to share the home of the gods, who has come to assuage the grief of Achilles. Two maidens in a mule-cart, one holding the reins and the other wearing a veil upon her head, are thought to be Nausicaa, the daughter of Alcinous, and her handmaiden, driving to the washing-pits. The man shooting at Centaurs, some of which he has killed, is plainly Heracles, and the exploit is one of his.
[10] τὸν μὲν δὴ τὴν λάρνακα κατεἰργασμένον ὅστις ἦν, οὐδαμῶς ἡμῖν δυνατὰ ἦν συμβαλέσθαι: τὰ ἐπιγράμματα δὲ τὰ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῆς τάχα μέν που καὶ ἄλλος τις ἂν εἴη πεποιηκώς, τῆς δὲ ὑπονοίας τὸ πολὺ ἐς Εὔμηλον τὸν Κορίνθιον εἶχεν ἡμῖν, ἄλλων τε ἕνεκα καὶ τοῦ προσοδίου μάλιστα ὃ ἐποίησεν ἐς Δῆλον.
[19.10] As to the maker of the chest, I found it impossible to form any conjecture. But the inscriptions upon it, though possibly composed by some other poet, are, as I was on the whole inclined to hold, the work of Eumelus of Corinth. My main reason for this view is the processional hymn he wrote for Delos.
VOTIVE OFFERINGS IN THE TEMPLE OF HERA
20. ἔστι δὲ ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἄλλα ἀναθήματα, κλίνη τε μέγεθος οὐ μεγάλη, τὰ πολλὰ ἐλέφαντι κεκοσμημένη, καὶ ὁ Ἰφίτου δίσκος καὶ τράπεζα ἐφ᾽ ἧς προτίθενται τοῖς νικῶσιν οἱ στέφανοι. τὴν μὲν δὴ Ἱπποδαμείας λέγουσιν εἶναι παίγνιον: ὁ δὲ τοῦ Ἰφίτου δίσκος τὴν ἐκεχειρίαν, ἣν ἐπὶ τοῖς Ὀλυμπίοις ἐπαγγέλλουσιν Ἠλεῖοι, ταύτην οὐκ ἐς εὐθὺ ἔχει γεγραμμένην, ἀλλὰ ἐς κύκλου σχῆμα περίεισιν ἐπὶ τῷ δίσκῳ τὰ γράμματα.
[20.1] XX. There are here other offerings also: a couch of no great size and for the most part adorned with ivory; the quoit of Iphitus; a table on which are set out the crowns for the victors. The couch is said to have been a toy of Hippodameia. The quoit of Iphitus has inscribed upon it the truce which the Eleans proclaim at the Olympic festivals; the inscription is not written in a straight line, but the letters run in a circle round the quoit.
[2] ἡ τράπεζα δὲ ἐλέφαντος μὲν πεποίηται καὶ χρυσοῦ, Κωλώτου δέ ἐστιν ἔργον: εἶναι δέ φασιν ἐξ Ἡρακλείας τὸν Κωλώτην, οἱ δὲ πολυπραγμονήσαντες σπουδῇ τὰ ἐς τοὺς πλάστας Πάριον ἀποφαίνουσιν ὄντα αὐτόν, μαθητὴν Πασιτέλους, Πασιτέλη δὲ αὐτὸν διδαχθῆναι * *. καὶ Ἥρα τε καὶ Ζεὺς καὶ θεῶν Μήτηρ καὶ Ἑρμῆς καὶ Ἀπόλλων μετὰ Ἀρτέμιδος πεποίηται: ὄπισθε δὲ ἡ διάθεσίς ἐστιν ἡ τοῦ ἀγῶνος.
[20.2] The table is made of ivory and gold, and is the work of Colotes. Colotes is said to have been a native of Heracleia, but specialists in the history of sculpture maintain that he was a Parian, a pupil of Pasiteles, who himself was a pupil of . . . There are figures of Hera, Zeus, the Mother of the gods, Hermes, and Apollo with Artemis. Behind is the disposition of the games.
[3] κατὰ δὲ ἑκατέ
ραν πλευρὰν τῇ μὲν Ἀσκληπιὸς καὶ τῶν Ἀσκληπιοῦ θυγατέρων Ὑγεία ἐστίν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ Ἄρης καὶ Ἀγὼν παρ᾽ αὐτόν, τῇ δὲ Πλούτων καὶ Διόνυσος Περσεφόνη τε καὶ Νύμφαι, σφαῖραν αὐτῶν ἡ ἑτέρα φέρουσα: ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ κλειδὶ — ἔχει γὰρ δὴ ὁ Πλούτων κλεῖν — , λέγουσιν ἐπ᾽ αὐτῇ τὸν καλούμενον Ἅιδην κεκλεῖσθαί τε ὑπὸ τοῦ Πλούτωνος καὶ ὡς ἐπάνεισιν οὐδεὶς αὖθις ἐξ αὐτοῦ.
[20.3] On one side are Asclepius and Health, one of his daughters; Ares too and Contest by his side; on the other are Pluto, Dionysus, Persephone and nymphs, one of them carrying a ball. As to the key (Pluto holds a key) they say that what is called Hades has been locked up by Pluto, and that nobody will return back again therefrom.
[4] λόγον δέ, ὃν Ἀρίσταρχος ἔλεγεν ὁ τῶν Ὀλυμπίασιν ἐξηγητής, οὔ με εἰκὸς ἦν παριδεῖν: ὃς ἐπὶ τῆς ἡλικίας ἔφη τῆς ἑαυτοῦ τὸν ὄροφον τοῦ Ἡραίου πεπονηκότα ἐπανορθουμένων Ἠλείων ὁπλίτου νεκρὸν τραύματα ἔχοντα μεταξὺ ἀμφοτέρων εὑρεθῆναι, τῆς τε ἐς εὐπρέπειαν στέγης καὶ τῆς ἀνεχούσης τὸν κέραμον: τοῦτον τὸν ἄνδρα μαχέσασθαι τὴν μάχην τὴν ἐντὸς Ἄλτεως πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους Ἠλείων.
[20.4] I must not omit the story told by Aristarchus, the guide to the sights at Olympia. He said that in his day the roof of the Heraeum had fallen into decay. When the Eleans were repairing it, the corpse of a foot-soldier with wounds was discovered between the roof supporting the tiles and the ornamented ceiling. This soldier took part in the battle in the Altis between the Eleans and the Lacedaemonians.