The river Helisson rises in a village of the same name, and flows
through the districts of Dipæa and Lycæatæ and Megalopolis, and falls
into the Alpheus about 30 stades from Megalopolis. And near the city is
a temple of Watching Poseidon, the head of the statue is all that now
remains.
The river Helisson divides Megalopolis into two parts, as Cnidos and
Mitylene are divided by their channels, and the market-place is built
in a northerly direction, on the right of the river’s course. There are
precincts and a stone temple to Lycæan Zeus. But there is no approach
to it, for the inside is visible, there are altars to the god and two
tables and as many eagles. And there is a stone statue of Pan, surnamed
Œnois from the Nymph Œnoe, who used to be with the other Nymphs, and
was privately Pan’s nurse. And in front of the sacred precincts is
a brazen statue of Apollo, very fine, about 12 feet high, it was a
contribution from Phigalia towards the beautifying of Megalopolis. And
the place where the statue was originally put by the people of Phigalia
was called Bassæ. Epicurius, the title of the god, accompanied the
statue from Phigalia, the origin of that title I shall explain when I
come to Phigalia. And on the right of the statue of Apollo is a small
statue of the Mother of the Gods, but no remains of the temple except
the pillars. In front of the temple is no statue of the Mother, but
the bases on which statues are put are visible. And an elegiac couplet
on one of the bases says that the effigy there was Diophanes the son
of Diæus, who first ranged all the Peloponnese into what is called the
Achæan League. And the portico in the market-place called Philip’s was
not erected by Philip the son of Amyntas, but the people of Megalopolis
to gratify him named it after him. And a temple was built close to it
to Hermes Acacesius, of which nothing now remains but a stone tortoise.
And near Philip’s portico is another not so large, which contains six
public offices for the magistrates of Megalopolis: in one of them is a
statue of Ephesian Artemis, and in another a brazen Pan a cubit high
surnamed Scolitas. Pan got this title from the hill Scolitas, which is
inside the walls, and from which water flows into the Helisson from a
spring. And behind these public offices is a temple of Fortune, and a
stone statue five feet high. And the portico which they call Myropolis
is in the market-place, it was built out of the spoils taken from the
Lacedæmonians under Acrotatus the son of Cleomenes, who were defeated
fighting against Aristodemus, who at that time had the chief power in
Megalopolis. And in the market-place behind the precincts sacred to
Lycæan Zeus is the statue on a pillar of Polybius the son of Lycortas.
Some elegiac verses are inscribed stating that he travelled over every
land and sea, and was an ally of the Romans and appeased their wrath
against Greece. This was the Polybius that wrote the history of Rome,
and the origin and history of the Carthaginian war, and how at last
not without a mighty struggle Scipio, whom they called Africanus, put
an end to the war and rased Carthage to the ground. And when the Roman
General followed the advice that Polybius gave, things went well, when
he did not he met they say with misfortune. And all the Greek cities
that joined the Achæan League got the Romans to allow Polybius to fix
their constitution and frame their laws. And the council chamber is on
the left of Polybius’ statue.
And the portico in the market-place called Aristandreum was they say
built by Aristander, one of the citizens. Very near this portico
towards the east is the temple of Zeus Soter, adorned with pillars all
round. Zeus is represented seated on his throne, and by him stands
Megalopolis, and on the left is a statue of Artemis Preserver. All
these are in Pentelican marble, and were carved by the Athenians
Cephisodotus and Xenophon.