A guidebook to Greece in ten books, describing the monuments, temples, artworks, and local legends of every major site. Pausanias saw what we can only imagine. The single most important source for understanding the physical landscape of ancient Greece.
Start ReadingAttica and Athens. The Acropolis, the Parthenon, the Agora, and the sacred sites of Attica. Pausanias walks through the heart of Greek civilisation.
Corinth. The Isthmus, the temples, and the path to Argos. Legends of Sisyphus, Medea at Corinth, and the Isthmian Games.
Laconia and Sparta. The austere city with no walls, the tomb of Leonidas, the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia, and the shrines of the Eurotas valley.
Messenia. The country liberated from Spartan domination. Ithome, the Messenian Wars, and the rebuilding of Messene by Epaminondas.
Elis and Olympia. The greatest sanctuary in Greece. The Temple of Zeus, Phidias' chryselephantine statue, the Olympic Games, and the sacred grove.
Elis continued. The treasuries at Olympia, the training grounds, and detailed descriptions of athletic contests and their winners.
Achaia. The northern Peloponnese. Pausanias describes the cities of the Achaean League and their sanctuaries.
Arcadia. The mountains of central Peloponnese. Tegea, Mantinea, Megalopolis, and the wild shrines of Pan and Despoina.
Boeotia. Thebes, Plataea, and Chaeronea. The battlefields of Greek history and the sanctuaries of the Muses at Helicon and Thespiae.
Phocis and Delphi. The oracle, the Sacred Way, the treasuries, and the Temple of Apollo. Pausanias describes every monument he sees on the climb to the sanctuary.