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Complete Works
Pausanias’ ‘Description of Greece’ serves as a topographical guidebook, providing a tour of Attica, the Peloponnese and central Greece, spiced with historical accounts and digressions on the lost wonders of the ancient world. Delphi’s Ancient Classics series provides eReaders with the wisdom of the Classical world, with both English translations and the original Greek texts. This comprehensive eBook presents the complete extant works of Pausanias, with beautiful illustrations, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1)
* Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Pausanias’ life and works
* Features the complete extant works of Pausanias, in both English translation and the original Greek
* Concise introduction to the ‘Description of Greece’
* Excellent formatting of the texts
* Easily locate the books you want to read with individual contents tables
* Provides a special dual English and Greek text, allowing readers to compare the sections paragraph by paragraph – ideal for students
* Features a bonus biography – discover Pausanias’ ancient world
* Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres
Please note: some Kindle software programs cannot display Greek characters correctly; however the characters do display correctly on Kindle devices.
* Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Pausanias’ life and works
* Features the complete extant works of Pausanias, in both English translation and the original Greek
* Concise introduction to the ‘Description of Greece’
* Excellent formatting of the texts
* Easily locate the books you want to read with individual contents tables
* Provides a special dual English and Greek text, allowing readers to compare the sections paragraph by paragraph – ideal for students
* Features a bonus biography – discover Pausanias’ ancient world
* Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres
Please note: some Kindle software programs cannot display Greek characters correctly; however the characters do display correctly on Kindle devices.
2447 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 16, 2014
52 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Pausanias
456 books31 followersborn circa 110
died circa 180
Pausanias, geographer and historian, wrote Description of Greece , a valuable source on the ancient topography.
This traveler of the 2nd century lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius. From firsthand observations, his famous lengthy work crucially links classical literature and modern archaeology.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pausani...
died circa 180
Pausanias, geographer and historian, wrote Description of Greece , a valuable source on the ancient topography.
This traveler of the 2nd century lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius. From firsthand observations, his famous lengthy work crucially links classical literature and modern archaeology.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pausani...
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 5, 2017
PAUSANIAS - (110 – 180)
« Description of Ancient Greece »
This important work, presented as a cultural, historical, and geographical tour guide was created from personal observation.
It is composed in 10 books, each describing an area as known from Greek History.
Starting from Athens the Attica, then descending to Corinth, Laconia, Messenia, Elis, Achaia, Arcadia, Boeotia, Phocis and Ozolian Locris.
According to Pausanias’s descriptions, he traveled to all these places. I wonder how he traveled, by foot, or mule, or horse, or maybe all of that, according to the distances. And how did he make, on what material, and how carry his notes? After some distance, these must have represented a lot of luggage.
I wish I could have been a fellow traveler, to see what he saw, unfortunately, most of it now lost.
He describes essentially, first the geographical location, then the buildings and monuments or ruins visible, then the religious worship places, the shrines, the statues, paintings, and other lost wonders. On the sites of the Olympic Games, as well as Delphi, there were endless temples and countless statues.
From the things he is describing he digresses into related history or mythology, legends and local beliefs. He knows, of course, all the gods and heroes from Homer, Hesiod, Pindar and others, he relates to many events deriving from the Trojan War, real history and mythology entwined. He would tell names of heroes, son of….. Back over eight or ten generations.
I enjoy reading his work, but like the author, I am free to believe what I choose.
One of the most striking features for me, is the enormous presence of superstition, the belief in otherworldly influence in their lives and actions. The sacrifices offered to the different gods, mostly of animals, but back in time, also human beings, before undertaking any action, war or otherwise.
Another striking thing is the great number of wars, back and forth, either from foreign invaders or between Greek rival populations. People were slaughtered by the sword, knife, spear, and arrows by the hundred thousand, even though, of course, events and history go on over a thousand years and more.
But we have not learned from history. The world's military budgets are frightening.
« Description of Ancient Greece »
This important work, presented as a cultural, historical, and geographical tour guide was created from personal observation.
It is composed in 10 books, each describing an area as known from Greek History.
Starting from Athens the Attica, then descending to Corinth, Laconia, Messenia, Elis, Achaia, Arcadia, Boeotia, Phocis and Ozolian Locris.
According to Pausanias’s descriptions, he traveled to all these places. I wonder how he traveled, by foot, or mule, or horse, or maybe all of that, according to the distances. And how did he make, on what material, and how carry his notes? After some distance, these must have represented a lot of luggage.
I wish I could have been a fellow traveler, to see what he saw, unfortunately, most of it now lost.
He describes essentially, first the geographical location, then the buildings and monuments or ruins visible, then the religious worship places, the shrines, the statues, paintings, and other lost wonders. On the sites of the Olympic Games, as well as Delphi, there were endless temples and countless statues.
From the things he is describing he digresses into related history or mythology, legends and local beliefs. He knows, of course, all the gods and heroes from Homer, Hesiod, Pindar and others, he relates to many events deriving from the Trojan War, real history and mythology entwined. He would tell names of heroes, son of….. Back over eight or ten generations.
I enjoy reading his work, but like the author, I am free to believe what I choose.
One of the most striking features for me, is the enormous presence of superstition, the belief in otherworldly influence in their lives and actions. The sacrifices offered to the different gods, mostly of animals, but back in time, also human beings, before undertaking any action, war or otherwise.
Another striking thing is the great number of wars, back and forth, either from foreign invaders or between Greek rival populations. People were slaughtered by the sword, knife, spear, and arrows by the hundred thousand, even though, of course, events and history go on over a thousand years and more.
But we have not learned from history. The world's military budgets are frightening.
November 25, 2021
Pausanias fue un viajero, historiador y cronista griego que vivió en el siglo II de nuestra era, (c. 110-180). En su obra nos lleva en visita guiada por muchas ciudades de Grecia, en tiempos del Imperio Romano, recordando las viejas glorias.
Comienza en el Ática, mostrando un bonito paisaje de lo que fue el camino a la Acrópolis Ateniense, adornada a ambos lados con esculturas de hombres famosos, esculpidas por conocidos artistas como Praxiteles o Fidias entre muchos. Cuenta entre una y otra, la historia del personaje.
En otra parte, viaja a Delfos, cuyo oráculo fue conocido por su certeza. Estos eran en realidad unos acertijos, por ejemplo: "Los focios aterrorizados por el ejército tesalio, mandaron una misión a Delfos, rogando al dios para poder escapar del peligro que los amenazaba," escribe Pausanias. Esto les dijo el Oráculo: "Emparejaré en la lucha lo mortal e inmortal, y a ambos les daré la victoria, pero más a los mortales." Esto me recordó otro acertijo contenido en la celebérrima frase atribuida a Luis Echeverría, expresidente de México: "La relación con Estados Unidos, ni nos perjudica ni nos beneficia, sino todo lo contrario." En fin, de risa.
Regresando a los griegos, los focios ganaron dirigidos por su comandante Foco después de muchos esfuerzos y más muertos, los tesalios aconsejados por Atenea, tuvieron que retirarse, vencidos.
Aunque, en general, Pausanias repasa la Mitología, hay acontecimientos raros o desconocidos como las invasiones a Delfos de los galos o celtas para despojar los templos que se sabía eran ricos en oro. Por fortuna para los griegos fracasaron doblemente.
Comienza en el Ática, mostrando un bonito paisaje de lo que fue el camino a la Acrópolis Ateniense, adornada a ambos lados con esculturas de hombres famosos, esculpidas por conocidos artistas como Praxiteles o Fidias entre muchos. Cuenta entre una y otra, la historia del personaje.
En otra parte, viaja a Delfos, cuyo oráculo fue conocido por su certeza. Estos eran en realidad unos acertijos, por ejemplo: "Los focios aterrorizados por el ejército tesalio, mandaron una misión a Delfos, rogando al dios para poder escapar del peligro que los amenazaba," escribe Pausanias. Esto les dijo el Oráculo: "Emparejaré en la lucha lo mortal e inmortal, y a ambos les daré la victoria, pero más a los mortales." Esto me recordó otro acertijo contenido en la celebérrima frase atribuida a Luis Echeverría, expresidente de México: "La relación con Estados Unidos, ni nos perjudica ni nos beneficia, sino todo lo contrario." En fin, de risa.
Regresando a los griegos, los focios ganaron dirigidos por su comandante Foco después de muchos esfuerzos y más muertos, los tesalios aconsejados por Atenea, tuvieron que retirarse, vencidos.
Aunque, en general, Pausanias repasa la Mitología, hay acontecimientos raros o desconocidos como las invasiones a Delfos de los galos o celtas para despojar los templos que se sabía eran ricos en oro. Por fortuna para los griegos fracasaron doblemente.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews