Description of Greece
The text divides into ten books covering specific regions of mainland Greece. Pausanias begins his tour in Attica and continues through Athens including its suburbs or demes. The journey proceeds to Corinthia then Laconia and Messenia. Elis follows next before Achaea and Arcadia appear in the sequence. Boeotia comes after Arcadia while Phocis leads into Ozolian Locris at the end. Large parts of Greece remain unmentioned including all islands. This geographical organization creates a path for readers to follow across the Greek peninsula.
At Thebes Pausanias views ruins of the house belonging to poet Pindar. He describes shields left behind by warriors who died at the Battle of Leuctra. Statues of Arion Hesiod Orpheus and Thamyris stand among the relics he records. The grove of Muses on Helicon contains portraits of Polybius and Corinna found at Tanagra in Arcadia. Christian Habicht notes that Pausanias prefers sacred over profane elements and old over new features. His descriptions focus heavily on classical art rather than contemporary buildings or statues of politicians. Pine trees line the coast of Ancient Elis while wild boars roam oak woods near Seliana.
Description of Greece left faint traces within known Greek literary collections until the sixth century AD. No single quotation from the work appears before Stephanus Byzantius wrote about it. Only three or two references exist throughout the Middle Ages period. Eighteen surviving manuscripts were known during the 1830s with copies dating from fifteenth or sixteenth centuries. All these copies depend on a single manuscript now missing called an archetype. Niccolò Niccoli owned this archetype in Florence around 1418. After his death in 1437 the manuscript went to San Marco library in Florence where it disappeared after 1500.
The first printed edition appeared in Venice in 1516 produced by Aldus Manutius firm. Marcus Musurus edited this version though he had died the previous year. A Latin translation followed in Rome during 1547. Thomas Fritsch published a combined Greek and Latin edition from Leipzig in 1696. An Italian translation arrived in Mantua in 1593 through Alfonso Bonacciuoli. Nicolas Gédoyn released a French translation in 1731. English translations began much later with Thomas Taylor publishing in London in 1794. William Henry Samuel Jones created a widely known version available through Loeb Classical Library.
Modern excavations have confirmed various descriptions provided by Pausanias about ancient sites. Twenty-first century research increased his credibility as a witness among scholars significantly. In the nineteenth century many accounts were regarded as unreliable by historians. His few words often remain the only surviving literary source from antiquity for certain objects. He describes date palms at ancient Aulis and wild strawberries growing on Mount Helicon. Olive oil production occurs in Tithorea while white blackbirds inhabit Mount Kyllini. Tortoises of Arcadia appear among the natural products he documents throughout his travels.
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Common questions
When did Pausanias live and write Description of Greece?
Pausanias lived between the years 110 and 180 CE. He wrote Description of Greece during the second century when Roman rule covered much of the Mediterranean world.
What regions does Pausanias cover in his ten books about mainland Greece?
The text divides into ten books covering specific regions starting with Attica and Athens before proceeding to Corinthia Laconia Messenia Elis Achaea Arcadia Boeotia Phocis and Ozolian Locris. Large parts of Greece remain unmentioned including all islands while the geographical organization creates a path for readers across the Greek peninsula.
Which ancient sites and artifacts does Pausanias describe at Thebes and Helicon?
At Thebes Pausanias views ruins of the house belonging to poet Pindar and describes shields left behind by warriors who died at the Battle of Leuctra. The grove of Muses on Helicon contains portraits of Polybius and Corinna found at Tanagra in Arcadia alongside statues of Arion Hesiod Orpheus and Thamyris.
How many manuscripts of Description of Greece survived and what happened to the original archetype?
Eighteen surviving manuscripts were known during the 1830s with copies dating from fifteenth or sixteenth centuries. All these copies depend on a single manuscript now missing called an archetype that Niccolò Niccoli owned in Florence around 1418 before it disappeared after 1500 from San Marco library in Florence.
When was the first printed edition of Description of Greece published and who translated it into English?
The first printed edition appeared in Venice in 1516 produced by Aldus Manutius firm while Marcus Musurus edited this version though he had died the previous year. English translations began much later with Thomas Taylor publishing in London in 1794 followed by William Henry Samuel Jones creating a widely known version available through Loeb Classical Library.
All sources
12 references cited across the entry
- 2journalPausanias and the Evidence of InscriptionsChristian Habicht — April 1984
- 3journalPausanias: a Greek pilgrim in the Roman worldJohn Elsner — 1992
- 4journalAn Ancient Baedeker and His Critics: Pausanias' 'Guide to Greece'Christian Habicht — 1985
- 5bookJewish and Christian Communal Identities in the Roman WorldMartin Goodman — Brill — 2016
- 6bookPausanias' Guide to Ancient GreeceChristian Habicht — University of California Press — 1985
- 7journalPausanias: Past, Present, and ClosureH. Sidebottom — December 2002
- 8journalThe Manuscripts of PausaniasAubrey Diller — 1957
- 13journalPausanias and his commentator Sir James George FrazerS. MacCormack — November 2010