Pausanias' description of Greece, Volume II.Pausanias, active approximately 150-175
History
Pausanias' description of Greece, Volume II.
Pausanias, active approximately 150-175
Greece -- Antiquities; Greece -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
And next is the temple of Artemis Euclea, the statue of the goddess is
by Scopas. They say the daughters of Antipœnus, Androclea and Alcis,
are buried in this temple. For when Hercules and the Thebans were going
to engage in battle with the Orchomenians, an oracle informed them
that, if any one of their most notable citizens in respect to birth
was willing to commit suicide, they would obtain victory in the war.
To Antipœnus, who was of most illustrious descent, it did not appear
agreeable to die for the people, but his daughters had no objection,
so they committed suicide and were honoured accordingly. In front of
the temple of Artemis Euclea is a lion in stone, which was it is said
a votive offering of Hercules, when he had vanquished in battle the
Orchomenians and their king Erginus the son of Clymenus. And near it is
a statue of Apollo Boedromius, and one of Hermes Agoræus, this last
the votive offering of Pindar. The funeral pile of the children of
Amphion is about half a stade from their tombs, the ashes still remain.
And near the statue of Amphitryon are they say two stone statues of
Athene Zosteria (_the Girder_), and they say Amphitryon armed himself
here, when he was on the point of engaging the Eubœans and Chalcodon.
The ancients called putting on one’s armour _girding oneself_: and they
say that when Homer represents Agamemnon as having a belt like Ares, he
refers to his armour.[54]
A mound of earth not very high is the sepulchre of Zethus and Amphion.
The inhabitants of Tithorea in Phocis like to carry away earth from
this mound when the Sun is in Taurus, for if they take of this soil
then, and put it on the tomb of Antiope, their land gains in fertility
while the Theban loses. So the Thebans guard the sepulchre at that time
of the year. And these two cities believe this in consequence of the
oracles of Bacis, in which the following lines occur.
“Whenever a native of Tithorea shall pour libations on the earth to
Amphion and Zethus, and offer prayers and propitiations when the Sun
is in Taurus, then be on your guard against a terrible misfortune
coming on your city: for the fruits of the earth will suffer a blight,
if they take of the earth and put it on the sepulchre of Phocus.”
Bacis calls it the sepulchre of Phocus for the following reason.
_Dirce_, the wife of Lycus, honoured Dionysus more than any of the
gods, and when she suffered according to the tradition a cruel
death[55] he was angry with Antiope: and the excessive wrath of the
gods is somehow fatal. They say Antiope went mad and wandered over all
Greece out of her mind, and that Phocus the son of Ornytion the son of
Sisyphus fell in with her and cured her, and made her his wife. And
certainly Antiope and Phocus are buried together. And the stones by
the tomb of Amphion, which lie about in no particular order, are they
say those which followed Amphion’s music. Similar legends are told of
Orpheus, how the animals followed his harping.
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