Pausanias at Oropus: An Example of an On the Road Discussion

The information furnished in the Periegesis often derive from discussions held in places that Pausanias had visited: a relevant example is in 1.34.1-5. At Oropus, Pausanias discussed with Iophon, an ἐξηγητής that he had met at the temple of Amphiaraus. Iophon exhibits a collection of oracular responses in hexameters, that were attributed to Amphiaraus and that was of great popularity. Pausanias refutes the authenticity of the document presented by Iophon. From a careful reading of the text, it has been deduced that this confutation is the personal contribution of Pausanias and a debate which took place near the ‘fountain of Amphiaraus’. In this fountain, those who had recovered from an illness, thanks to the oracular response received in a dream, would throw silver and coined gold into the fountain. With this confutation, Pausanias expresses his personal scepticism relating to the way in which the Amphiaraus cult was managed and manipulated in the Sanctuary of Oropus.