Pausanias_Travel_Writing_in_Ancient Greece [Maria_Pretzler]

6. A Sense of Time: Pausanias as Historian
the most memorable sights. Historical logoi embedded in the descriptions
give a special meaning to particular monuments, but they can also expand
on a narrative that has been given only in outline. A specific place can
enhance an account significantly, especially when a historical event is
discussed on location and in context with related monuments. Pausanias’
Greece was full of opportunities to explore the topography of historical
events, particularly on battlefields where one could compare historical
accounts with the landscape and with monuments connected to the event,
and perhaps also discover a few local stories that could add to what was
already widely known. 24
A good example is the account of the death of
Epameinondas at the battle of Mantinea in 362 BC. This event is presented
twice, once in its context on the battlefield south of Mantinea, and then
again as part of the short biography of the general presented in his native
city of Thebes, where his end is merely mentioned in one sentence. 25 The
account presented as part of the description of Mantinea shows how even
a well-known story can be enhanced within its local context. Pausanias
adds a few details which were part of the local tradition, pointing out
relevant locations on the battlefield with its significant place names and
evocative topography, and there was also the general’s grave where the
emperor Hadrian himself had left particular marks of his esteem. The
treatment of the battle and Epameinondas’ death at Mantinea goes beyond
mere narrative, commenting upon the relevance of the event in
different contexts and periods.
As we have already seen with the accounts of Hellenistic history included
in the description of Athens, direct local relevance was not always
a necessary condition for a historical digression. Although Pausanias
became more systematic in the treatment of history within his work as it
progressed, he continued to include long accounts of events that were not
strictly speaking part of local history, but that were in some way linked to
a monument. 26 Just as in Athens Pausanias includes an overview of early
Hellenistic history which goes beyond what is relevant to the site itself, so
the Periegesis as a whole continues to provide more than just local perspectives,
covering aspects of general Greek history from the earliest
beginnings down to Pausanias’ own time. It has been suggested that
different sections of his work focus on particular historical periods and
themes. 27 In Athens the focus on the Hellenistic period is clear, but there
is little to suggest that the description of every other book or region was
meant to be dominated by a set of specific ideas. In some places Pausanias’
description does indeed emphasise a particular issue or historical event,
but this often reflects immediate literary concerns or the state of the
actual memorial landscape, for example his unusual interest in Roman
monuments at Mantinea. 28 Similarities between disparate passages in the
Periegesis cannot be ignored, but it is important not to over-interpret
apparent connections. Pausanias reacts to common habits of constructing
local histories and similar interests of local informants, and many of the
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