| June 20, 2013 |
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| Monuments reported by ancient authors
(10)
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Sanctuary of Artemis Agrotera
The Hyperesians gave their city its present name of Aegeira from the goats ( aiges), and where the most beautiful goat, which led the others, crouched, they built a sanctuary of Artemis the Huntress, believing that the trick against the Sicyonians was an inspiration of Artemis.
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Sanctuary of Zeus
The sights of Aegeira worth recording include a sanctuary of Zeus with a sitting image of Pentelic marble, the work of Eucleides the Athenian. In this sanctuary there also stands an image of Athena. The face, hands and feet are of ivory, the rest is of wood, with ornamentation of gilt work and of colors
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Sanctuary of Apollo
There is also a sanctuary of Apollo; the sanctuary itself, with
the sculptures on the pediments, are very old; the wooden image of the god also
is old, the figure being nude and of colossal size. None of the inhabitants could
give the name of the artist, but anyone who has already seen the Heracles at Sicyon
would be led to conjecture that the Apollo in Aegeira was also a work of the same
artist, Laphaes the Phliasian.
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Sanctuary of Earth Broad-bosomed
From the grave it is a journey of about thirty stades to what
is called the Gaeus, a sanctuary of Earth surnamed Broad-bosomed, whose wooden
image is one of the very oldest. The woman who from time to time is priestess
henceforth remains chaste, and before her election must not have had intercourse
with more than one man. The test applied is drinking bull's blood. Any woman who
may chance not to speak the truth is immediately punished as a result of this
test. If several women compete for the priesthood, lots are cast for the honor.
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Sanctuary of the Heavenlly Goddess
They worship most devoutly the Heavenly Goddess, but human beings must not enter her sanctuary.
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Sanctuary of the Syrian Goddess
But into the sanctuary of the goddess they surname Syrian they enter on stated days, but they must submit beforehand to certain customary purifications, especially in the matter of diet.
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Temple of Artemis
There is also a temple of Artemis, with an image of the modern style of workmanship. The priestess is a maiden, who holds office until she reaches the age to marry. There stands here too an ancient image, which the folk of Aegeira say is Iphigeneia, the daughter of Agamemnon. If they are correct, it is plain that the temple must have been built originally for Iphigeneia.
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Statues of Asclepius, Sarapis and Isis
There are in a temple standing images of Asclepius, and elsewhere images of Serapis and of Isis, these too being of Pentelic marble.
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Statue of Tyche (Fortune)
I remember observing at Aegeira a building in which was an image of Fortune carrying the horn of Amaltheia. By her side is a winged Love, the moral of which is that even success in love depends for mankind on fortune rather than on beauty.
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Image of Sympathes
In this building at Aegeira is also an old man in the attitude
of a mourner, three women taking off their bracelets, and likewise three lads,
with a man wearing a breastplate. They say that in a war of the Achaeans this
last man fought more bravely than any other soldier of Aegeira, but was killed.
His surviving brothers carried home the news of his death, and therefore in mourning
for him his sisters are discarding their ornaments, and the natives call the father
Sympathes, because even in the statue he is a piteous figure.
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