Pausanias_Travel_Writing_in_Ancient Greece [Maria_Pretzler]

Preface
‘And what do you do?’ ‘I am working on Pausanias: he wrote a kind of travel
book about Greece in the second century AD’. Over the years I have often
found myself in the position of having to introduce Pausanias in one
sentence, and the one thing I have learned above all else in the process is
that one simply cannot do him justice in a few words. This is mainly
because his work is unique: it does not fit into any generally known genre,
and even among ancient texts there is nothing quite like it. Pausanias’
Periegesis defies simple definitions, and it is highly relevant to many
different areas of study within the fields of classical archaeology, ancient
history and classics; beyond classical scholarship the Periegesis also has
the potential to become a crucial source for the study of reception, art
history, comparative literature (particularly travel literature) and the
history of modern Greece.
This book is aimed at readers at all levels in these different disciplines,
and indeed anyone who is interested in finding out more about the history
of Greece and its historical landscape. I have aimed to make the subject as
widely accessible as possible. All ancient texts are translated (translations
are mine) and Greek phrases which are relevant to the argument are
transliterated. I have, however, also included the original texts in the
notes to allow those with Greek to form their own judgement. Transliterating
Greek into English is an inexact science, and any overly zealous
attempt to achieve consistency would produce awkward idiosyncrasies.
My main principle is to make accessibility a priority over consistency.
Ultimately, every author’s transliterations will be an individual compromise
based on common sense and personal taste. I prefer what might be
called a ‘moderately Greek’ transliteration (Chaironeia, Lykourgos, Schoinous)
to either the traditional Latinised version (Chaeronea, Lycurgus,
Schoenus) or what might be called a ‘purist’ Greek form of transliteration
which can make even familiar names look rather unusual (Khaironeia,
Lukourgos, Skhoinous). Common English names such as Athens (Athenai)
or Corinth (Korinthos) have been retained, and I have been more inclined
to use a Latinised form where the Greek spelling suggests a pronunciation
that differs from established practice (Thucydides, Mycenae rather than
Thukydides, Mykenai). Modern Greek proves even more difficult to transliterate,
because one needs to strike a balance between contemporary
pronunciation and the spelling which is often much closer to ancient Greek
equivalents and therefore looks more familiar. I generally prefer a transix