Pausanias
Pausanias was a second-century CE Greek travel writer best known for his monumental work, Description of Greece. This extensive survey of the Greek world combines topography, local legends, myths, religious rituals, cult practices, historical traditions, and eyewitness descriptions of artworks and monuments. Because many of the temples, statues, and sanctuaries he described were later destroyed or lost, Pausanias’ work is considered an invaluable source for Greek mythology, religious practice, and art history.
Rather than writing a purely geographical guide, Pausanias approached Greece as a living sacred landscape, recording what people believed about their gods, heroes, and ancestors, as well as how they worshipped them. His work preserves countless local myths and variant traditions that appear nowhere else in surviving literature.
Description of Greece is divided into ten books, each devoted to a specific region:
- Attica and Megara
- Argolis (and neighbouring areas)
- Laconia
- Messenia
- Elis and Olympia
- Achaia
- Arcadia
- Boeotia
- Phocis and Delphi
Through these regional accounts, Pausanias documents sacred sites such as Delphi, Olympia, and Eleusis, as well as lesser-known shrines, mystery cults, hero tombs, and local divinities. His work provides a rare bridge between myth, ritual practice, and physical space, making it essential for the study of ancient Greek religion, mystery traditions, and sacred geography.
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow– Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante
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