Page:History of Greece Vol I.djvu/307

 AMPHIARAUS. 275 he fled with the rest, closely pursued by Periklymenus. The latter was about to pierce him with his spear, when the beneficence of Zeus rescued him from this disgrace miraculously opening the earth under him, so that Amphiaraus with his chariot and horses was received unscathed into her bosom. 1 The exact spot where this memorable incident happened was indicated by a se- pulchral building, and shown by the Thebans down to the days of Pausanias its sanctity being attested by the fact, that no animal would consent to touch the herbage which grew within the sacred inclosure. Amphiaraus, rendered immortal by Zeus, was wor- sliipped as a god at Argos, at Thebes and at Oropus and for many centuries gave answers at his oracle to the questions of the pious applicant. 2 1 Apollodor. iii. 6,8. Pindar, Olymp. vi. 11; Nem. ix. 13-27. Pausan. ix. 8, 2; 18, 2-4. Euripides, in the Phcenissa: fl!22 s&]q.), describes the battle generally; see also JEsch. S. Th. 392. It appears by Pausanias that the Thebans had poems or legends of their own, relative to this war : they dissented in various points from the Cyclic Thebais (ix. 18, 4). The Thebai's said that Perikly- menus had killed Parthenopams ; the Thebans assigned this exploit to Asphodikus, a warrior not commemorated by any of the poets known to us. The village of Harma, between Tanagra and Mykalessus, was affirmed by some to have been the spot where Amphiaraus closed his life (Strabo, ix. p 404) : Sophokles placed the scene at the Amphiarasium near Oropus (up Strabon. ix. p. 399). 2 Pindar, Olymp. vi. 16. "ETTTO ff ETreiTa nvpuv veicpuv Tefoa&evTuv 'TaAa'iovidas EtTrev iv &tj[3ai(Ti TOIOVTOV n enof HO&EU orpartuf o^'&a^./j.bv fydf 'Afj.OTfpov, pavTiv T* ayadbv nal Sovpl fiaxEa&ai. The scholiast affirms that these last expressions are borrowed by Pindai from the Cyclic Thfibats. The temple of Amphiaraus (Tausan. ii. 23, 2), his oracle, seems to have been inferior in estimation only to that of Delphi CHerodot. i. 52 ; Pausan. i. 34 ; Cicero, Divin. i. 40 J. Croesus sent a rich present to Amphiaraus, TTV&O- fiEvof avrov rriv TE aperftv KOI rijv Kd-&i)v ("Herod. 1. c) ; a striking proof how these interesting legends were recounted and believed as genuine historical facts. Other adventures of Amphiaraus in the expedition against Thebes were commemorated in the carvings on the Thronus at Amyklas ("Pausan. iii. 18,4). ^Eschylns ("Sept. Theb. 611) seems to enter into the The'ban view, doubt- less highly respectful towards Amphiaraus, when he places in the month of the Kadmeian king Eteokles such high encomiums on Amphiaraus, and so marked a contrast with the other chiefs from Argos.