Stephanus 116

116a ring that ran about the central island itself was a single stade across.

Critias: The island on which the palace stood was five stades in diameter. Around it, together with the rings and the bridge—which was a plethrum in width on either side—they threw a wall of stone, setting towers and gates upon the bridges wherever the crossings of the sea came. The stone they quarried from beneath the circle of the central island and from beneath the rings, from outside and from within: one kind white, another black, 116b a third red; and as they cut it, they hollowed out at the same time ship-sheds, hollow and double within, roofed by the native rock itself. And of their buildings some were simple, while in others they blended the stones and wove them into varied patterns for the sake of delight, giving them a pleasure native to their substance. The wall about the outermost ring they sheathed with bronze all round its circuit, as one might apply an ointment; the wall inside that they overlaid with tin, melted on, 116c and the wall about the acropolis itself with orichalcum, which flashed like fire.

Inside the acropolis the palace was furnished as follows. In the middle they set apart a holy precinct, inviolate, of Cleito and Poseidon, girdled about with a fence of gold; this was the very spot where in the beginning they sowed and begot the race of the ten kings, and here, too, year by year, from every one of the ten allotments, they carried to this place the offerings of the season, making sacrifice there to each of them. There was also a temple of Poseidon himself, 116d a stade in length, three plethra in breadth, and in height proportionate to these to look upon, though of a somewhat barbaric aspect. The outside of the temple they overlaid all about with silver, except the ornaments at its crowning points, which were of gold; within, the ceiling was of ivory throughout, inlaid with gold and silver and orichalcum, while all the rest—the walls and the pillars and the floor—they covered with orichalcum. And they set up statues of gold: the god himself standing in a chariot, the charioteer of six winged 116e horses, of such a size that his head touched the ridge of the roof; and Nereids mounted upon dolphins, a hundred of them all around—for that was the number they believed these to be in those days—and within were many other statues, the private offerings of individuals. About the temple outside stood figures of gold of all the wives, and of the kings themselves, all the ten of them, and many other great dedications, from kings and private men alike, both from the city itself and from all the peoples they ruled beyond it.

Critias: An altar

116a that ran around the island in the middle was one stade wide.

Critias: The island where the palace stood was five stades across. They surrounded it with a circle of stone wall, and the rings and the bridge too—the bridge was a plethrum wide on each side. They set towers and gates on the bridges, at every crossing of the sea. They cut the stone from under the ring of the island in the middle, and from under the rings outside and inside. Some was white, some black, 116b and some red. As they cut it, they also made ship sheds, hollow and double inside, roofed with the native rock. Some of the buildings they left plain. In others they mixed the stones and wove varied patterns, for the pleasure of it, giving the buildings a charm that grew out of them. They covered the whole circuit of the wall around the outermost ring with bronze, as one uses an ointment. The inner one they coated with melted tin, and the one 116c around the acropolis itself with orichalc that flashed like fire.

The royal home inside the acropolis was fitted out like this. In the middle there was a holy place set apart for Cleito and Poseidon, barred to all, fenced with a wall of gold. This was the spot where, at the beginning, they planted and brought forth the family of the ten kings. And there, each year, from all the ten lots, they brought seasonal offerings, for each of these two. The temple of Poseidon himself was one stade 116d long, three plethra wide, and its height matched these to the eye, and it had a look that was somehow foreign. They covered the whole outside of the temple with silver, except the ornaments at the roof ends; those they covered with gold. Inside, the whole roof looked ivory, patterned with gold and silver and orichalc; and all the rest—the walls, the columns, and the floor—they covered with orichalc. They set up golden statues: the god standing in a chariot as the driver of six winged 116e horses, so tall that his head touched the top of the roof; and a hundred Nereids on dolphins around him in a circle—for the people of that time believed there were that many of them. Many other statues stood inside, gifts from private people. Outside, around the temple, stood golden statues of them all: the wives, and the ten kings themselves, all who had ever been. And there were many other large gifts, from the kings and from private people, both from the city itself and from the peoples outside, over whom they ruled.

Critias: An altar

116a wherein stood the royal palace, was of five stades in diameter. Now the island and the circles and the bridge, which was a plethrum in breadth, they encompassed round about, on this side and on that, with a wall of stone; and upon the bridges on each side, over against the passages for the sea, they erected towers and gates. And the stone they quarried beneath the central island all round, and from beneath the outer and inner circles, some of it being white, some black 116b and some red; and while quarrying it they constructed two inner docks, hollowed out and roofed over by the native rock. And of the buildings some they framed of one simple color, in others they wove a pattern of many colors by blending the stones for the sake of ornament so as to confer upon the buildings a natural charm. And they covered with brass, as though with plaster, all the circumference of the wall which surrounded the outermost circle; and that of the inner one they coated with tin; and that which encompassed the acropolis itself 116c with orichalcum which sparkled like fire.

The royal palace within the acropolis was arranged in this manner. In the center there stood a temple sacred to Cleito and Poseidon, which was reserved as holy ground, and encircled with a wall of gold; this being the very spot where at the beginning they had generated and brought to birth the family of the ten royal lines. Thither also they brought year by year from all the ten allotments their seasonable offerings to do sacrifice to each of those princes.

116d And the temple of Poseidon himself was a stade in length, three plethra in breadth, and of a height which appeared symmetrical therewith; and there was something of the barbaric in its appearance. All the exterior of the temple they coated with silver, save only the pinnacles, and these they coated with gold. As to the interior, they made the roof all of ivory in appearance, variegated with gold and silver and orichalcum, and all the rest of the walls and pillars and floors they covered with orichalcum. And they placed therein golden statues, one being that of the God standing on a chariot and driving six 116e winged steeds, his own figure so tall as to touch the ridge of the roof, and round about him a hundred Nereids on dolphins (for that was the number of them as men then believed); and it contained also many other images, the votive offerings of private men. And outside, round about the temple, there stood images in gold of all the princes, both themselves and their wives, as many as were descended from the ten kings, together with many other votive offerings both of the kings and of private persons not only from the State itself but also from all the foreign peoples over whom they ruled.

Critias: And the altar,