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Pafl. 143–176 CE
Person · Historical

Pausanias

Greek travel writer, author of the Description of Greece

Flourished
c. 143–176 CE
Origin
Probably Lydia, Asia Minor
Work
Description of Greece (Periegesis Hellados), 10 books
Reliability
Many descriptions confirmed by excavation

The 2nd-century travel writer whose guide to Greece records that Helike was swallowed without a trace.

What is Pausanias known for?

Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century CE, probably from Lydia in Asia Minor. His Description of Greece, in ten books, is laid out as a tour of the Greek mainland, beginning in Attica, and was written between about 143 and 176 CE.

He combines short histories of each city with descriptions of temples, statues, tombs and paintings, and records local myths and religious customs. Archaeologists have confirmed many of his descriptions on the ground, at sites such as Olympia, Delphi and Athens, and the classicist James Frazer said that without him the ruins of Greece would be a labyrinth without a clue.

In his book on Achaea he describes the destruction of Helike in 373 BCE: an earthquake followed by a surge from the sea that swallowed the city so completely that no trace was left. He also connects the disaster to an offense against Poseidon, a common ancient explanation for earthquakes.

Why it is on Credible Theories

He is quoted on the earthquake and sea surge that destroyed Helike in 373 BCE.

Mentioned on these pages

Sources

  1. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Pausanias (Greek geographer)'Reference
  2. Wikipedia, 'Pausanias (geographer)'Reference

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