Pausanias, Phocis

CHAPTER XV.


The gilt statue of Phryne here was made by Praxiteles,
one of her lovers, and was an offering of Phryne herself. And next it are two statues of Apollo, one offered by the Epidaurians in Argolis after victory over the Medes, and the other by the Megarians after their victory over the Athenians at Nisaea. And there is an ox an offering of the Plataeans, when they defended themselves successfully on their own soil with the rest of the Greeks against Mardonius the son of Gobryas. Next come two more statues of Apollo, one offered by the people of Heraclea near the Euxine, the other by the Amphictyones when they fined the Phocians for cultivating land sacred to the god. This Apollo is called by the Delphians Sitalcas, 1 and is about 35 cubits high. Here too are statues of the Aetolian Generals, and of Artemis and Athene, and two statues of Apollo, votive offerings of the Aetolians after their victories over the Galati. Phaennis indeed foretold in her oracles, a generation before it happened, that the army of the Celts would pass from Europe to Asia to destroy the cities there.

"Then indeed the destroying host of the Galati shall cross the narrow passage of the Hellespont, marching to the flute, and shall lawlessly make havoc of Asia. And the god shall even afflict more grievously all those that dwell near the sea shore. But Cronion shall verily soon raise up a helper, the dear son of a Zeus-reared bull, who shall bring a day of destruction to all the Gralati."

By the bull Phaennis meant Attalus the king of Pergamus, who was also called bull-horned in the oracle. 2

The statues of cavalry leaders seated on horseback were offered to Apollo by the Pheraeans, when they had routed the Athenian cavalry. And the bronze palm and gilt statue of Athene on the palm were dedicated by the Athenians for the victory at the Eurymedon on the same day both on land and river. I noticed that some of the gold on this statue was plucked off. I put this down to the cupidity of sacrilegious thieves. But Clitodemus, the oldest writer on Athenian Antiquities, says in his account of Attica that, when the Athenians were making preparations for the expedition to Sicily, an immense number of crows came to Delphi, and with their beaks knocked off and tore away the gold off the statue. He also says that they broke off the spear, the owls, and all the fruit on the palm in imitation of real fruit. Clitodemus relates also other prodigies to deter the Athenians from the fatal expedition to Sicily. The people of Cyrene also placed at Delphi a figure of Battus in his chariot, who took them by ship from Thera to Libya. Cyrene is the charioteer, and Battus is in the chariot and Libya is crowning him, the design is by the Cretan Amphion the son of Acestor. And when Battus built Cyrene, he is said to have found the following remedy for an impediment in his speech. As he was travelling in the remote parts of Cyrene which were still unoccupied he chanced to see a lion, and his terror at the sight made him cry out loud and clearly. 3 And not far from Battus the Amphictyones erected another statue of Apollo, out of the proceeds of the fine imposed on the Pkocians for their impiety to the god.

1 i.6, Prohibitor of corn-growing (on the sacred land)-

2 The words of the oracle were as follows : Tharsei Tavrokeros, exeis basileida timen kai paidon paides.touton ge men ouketi paides

3 So the son of Croesus found his tongue from sudden fright. See Herodotus i, 85.