Description of Greece (Volume I)

Pausanias is the second century Greek travelographer who is most well known for his "Description of Greece." This work is often cited as an important firsthand account of ancient Greece which provides a crucial link between classical literature and modern archaeology. "Description of Greece" is composed of ten books describing the various regions in which Pausanias traveled, they are as follows: 1. Attica, 2. Corinth, 3. Laconia, 4. Messenia, 5. Elis, 6. Elis (continued), 7. Achaia, 8. Arcadia, 9. Boetia, and 10. Phocis and Ozolian Locris. Pausanias’ "Description of Greece" is a richly detailed description of the art and culture of ancient Greece which gives the reader and historian a context for understanding those items of art and culture which have survived to the present as well as an appreciation for all that has been lost to history. While primarily focused on the art and architecture of the time, Pausanias’ work also details some aspects of the natural landscape as well as the more trivial aspects of daily life. The Greece that Pausanias describes is one that is beholden to Rome and his work makes an effort to navigate the balance between a formerly independent Greece and the one of his time. Presented here in the first volume are the first six books in a translation by Arthur Richard Shiletto.