Pausanias' description of Greece, Volume I.Pausanias, active approximately 150-175
History
Pausanias' description of Greece, Volume I.
Pausanias, active approximately 150-175
Greece -- Antiquities; Greece -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
The Æginetans inhabit the island opposite Epidauria. And they say
there were no inhabitants there originally, but Zeus having taken Ægina
the daughter of Asopus there to that desert island, it was called Ægina
after her instead of its old name Œnone, and when Æacus was grown up
he asked of Zeus for settlers, and then they say that Zeus produced
men from the soil. And they can tell of no king reigning there but
Æacus, for we know of none of the sons of Æacus continuing there, for
Peleus and Telamon had to flee for the murder of Phocus, and the sons
of Phocus again dwelt near Parnassus in what is now called Phocis. And
the name Phocis was given to the district when Phocus of the family of
Ornytion first came to it. In the days of this Phocus the country near
Tithorea and Parnassus was called Phocis: but in the days of Æacus the
name Phocis included everybody from Minyæ near Orchomenus to Scarphea
in Locris. And Peleus’ sons were kings in Epirus, and of Telamon’s
sons the family of Ajax was rather obscure (as he lived in a retired
way privately), except Miltiades, who led the Athenians at Marathon,
and his son Cimon, both of whom were exceedingly illustrious. And
the descendants of Teucer were kings of Cyprus down to Evagoras. And
according to the poet Asius Phocus’ sons were Panopeus and Crisus: and
the son of Panopeus was Epeus, who according to Homer was the contriver
of the wooden horse, and the grandson of Crisus was Pylades, the son
of Strophius, the son of Crisus by Anaxibia the daughter of Agamemnon.
Such is the pedigree of the so-called Æacidæ, but they branched off
from the beginning into other directions. And in after time a part of
the Argives that had occupied Epidaurus with Deiphontes crossed over to
Ægina, and, mixing among the old settlers at Ægina, introduced into the
island the Doric language and manners. And the Æginetans became a great
power, so that they were even a greater naval power than the Athenians,
and in the Persian War furnished the greatest number of vessels next
to the Athenians, but their prosperity did not last, for they were
turned out of Ægina by the Athenians, and went and dwelt at Thyrea
in Argolis, which the Lacedæmonians gave them. They recovered Ægina
indeed, when the Athenian triremes were captured at the Hellespont, but
never regained their former wealth and power. Of all the Greek islands
Ægina is the most difficult of access. For there are rocks under the
sea all round it, and sunken reefs. And they say that Æacus contrived
this on purpose from fear of pirates, and that he might not be exposed
to enemies. And near the chief harbour is a temple of Aphrodite, and
in the most conspicuous part of the city what is called the Hall of
Æacus, a square court of white stone: at the entrance of which are
statues of the envoys who were sent by the Greeks to Æacus. All give
the same account of this as the Æginetans. A drought for some time
afflicted Greece, and there was no rain either beyond the Isthmus or in
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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