Pausanias was an ancient Greek author who probably lived in the second century AD (115-180?). His only known work is the

Periegesis Hellados

(

Description of Greece

) in ten books.

Life and times

Life and times

Pausanias never explicitly states where he was born or lived. However, it is generally assumed that he was a native of one of the Greek-speaking communities of Asia Minor, and scholars maintain that Pausanias’s birthplace is most likely the city of Magnesia on Sipylos (modern Manisa, Turkey) in Lydia (Anatolia), one of the most prosperous parts of the Roman Empire. Such an assumption is supported by the fact that Pausanias states in 5.13.7 that certain monuments on Mount Sipylos relating to the mythical figures of Tantalos and Pelops are located “among us” and that he has seen

2287 words

Citation: Franchi, Elena. "Pausanias". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 September 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=13942, accessed 28 March 2024.]

13942 Pausanias 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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