2.1.6 – The Quarrel of Poseidon and Helios

[6] τὸ δὲ οὐ Κορινθίοις μόνον περὶ τῆς χώρας ἐστὶν εἰρημένον, ἀλλὰ ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν Ἀθηναῖοι πρῶτοι περὶ τῆς Ἀττικῆς ἐσεμνολόγησαν: λέγουσι δὲ καὶ οἱ Κορίνθιοι Ποσειδῶνα ἐλθεῖν Ἡλίῳ περὶ τῆς γῆς ἐς ἀμφισβήτησιν, Βριάρεων δὲ διαλλακτὴν γενέσθαι σφίσιν, ἰσθμὸν μὲν καὶ ὅσα ταύτῃ δικάσαντα εἶναι Ποσειδῶνος, τὴν δὲ ἄκραν Ἡλίῳ δόντα τὴν ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως. ἀπὸ μὲν τούτου λέγουσιν εἶναι τὸν ἰσθμὸν Ποσειδῶνος:

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Why would Poseidon and Helios both think they have a claim on the Corinthia?  As you read further in Pausanias, notice where these gods reappear.

Quiz Bowl: The Road to Isthmia is full of stories about evil-doers, good deeds, transgressions, and arguments.  Write 7-8 questions in Greek about the episodes recounted in Pausanias 2.1.3-6.  Be sure that you are ready with the answer to each question.

Marble sculpture of Poseidon, from Melos.
Poseidon of Melos. Parian marble. 125-100 BCE. National Archaeological Museum, Athens.
Red-figure calyx crater depicting Helios pulled in his chariot
Helios rising from the sea, pulled by a four-horse chariot, while the stars (represented as youths) sink into the ocean. Red-figure calyx crater. 430 BCE. British Museum 1867,0508.1133.