Greece -- History -- To 146 B.C.; History, Ancient
82. Now the grudge which was due beforehand from the Eginetans to the
Athenians came about from a beginning which was as follows:--The land
of the Epidaurians yielded to its inhabitants no fruit; and accordingly
with reference to this calamity the Epidaurians went to inquire at
Delphi, and the Pythian prophetess bade them set up images of Damia and
Auxesia, and said that when they had set up these, they would meet with
better fortune. The Epidaurians then asked further whether they should
make images of bronze or of stone; and the prophetess bade them not use
either of these, but make them of the wood of a cultivated olive-tree.
The Epidaurians therefore asked the Athenians to allow them to cut for
themselves an olive-tree, since they thought that their olives were the
most sacred; nay some say that at that time there were no olives in any
part of the earth except at Athens. The Athenians said that they would
allow them on condition that they should every year bring due offerings
to Athene Polias 70 and to Erechtheus. The Epidaurians, then, having
agreed to these terms, obtained that which they asked, and they made
images out of these olive-trees and set them up: and their land bore
fruit and they continued to fulfil towards the Athenians that which they
had agreed to do.
83. Now during this time and also before this the Eginetans were subject
to the Epidaurians, and besides other things they were wont to pass over
to Epidauros to have their disputes with one another settled by law: 71
but after this time they built for themselves ships and made revolt
from the Epidaurians, moved thereto by wilfulness. So as they were at
variance with them, they continued to inflict damage on them, since in
fact they had command of the sea, and especially they stole away from
them these images of Damia and Auxesia, and they brought them and set
them up in the inland part of their country at a place called Oia, which
is about twenty furlongs distant from their city. Having set them up
in this spot they worshipped them with sacrifices and choruses of women
accompanied with scurrilous jesting, ten men being appointed for each of
the deities to provide the choruses: and the choruses spoke evil of no
man, but only of the women of the place. Now the Epidaurians also had
the same rites; and they have also rites which may not be divulged.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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