Kamaras

This is part 3 of 3. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here.

Ὄρθρου δὲ βαθέος πλῆρες ἦν τό θέατρον. ῥηθέντων δὲ πάντων τῶν κατὰ μέρος ἔδοξεν πρῶτον εἰσελθεῖν ἐπὶ τὸν τάφον ἡμᾶς καί ἀνοίξαντας εἰδῆσαι, πότερον εἴη τό σῶμα ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης ἢ κενόν <τον> τόπον εὑρήσομεν· οὑδὲ γὰρ ἑξάμηνος ἐπεγεγόνει τῷ θανάτῳ τῆς ἀνθρώπου. ἀνοιχθείσης δὲ ὑφ’ ἡμῶν τῆς καμάρας, εἰς ἣν πάντες οἰ οἰκεῖοι μεταλλάσσοντες ἐτίθεντο, ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων κλινῶν ἐφάνη τά σώματα κείμενα, τῶν δὲ παλαίτερον τετελευτηκότων τὰ ὁστᾶ, ἐπὶ μόνης δὲ ἧς ἡ Φιλίννιον ἐτέθη καί συνέβη ταφῆναι εὕρομεν ἐπικείμενον τὸν δακτύλιον τὸν σιδηροῦν, ὃς ἦν τοῦ ξένου, καὶ τό χρυσόκλυστον ποτήριον, ὅπερ ἔλαβε παρὰ τοῦ Μαχάτου τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν ἡμερῶν. θαυμάσαντες δὲ καὶ ἐκπλαγέντες εὐθέως παρεγενόμεθα πρὸς τὸν Δημόστρατον εἰς τὸν ξενῶνα ὀψόμενοι τὴν νεκράν, εἰ κατ’ ἀλήθειαν ἐμφανής ἐστιν. ἰδόντες δὲ χαμαὶ κειμένην εἰς τήν ἐκκλησίαν ἠθροιζόμεθα· τὰ γὰρ γεγονότα μεγάλα τε ἦν καί ἄπιστα. θορύβου δέ ὄντος νεανικοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ σχεδὸν οὐδενὸς δυναμένου κρῖναι τὰ πράγματα, πρῶτος Ὕλλος, ὁ νομιζόμενος παρ’ ἡμῖν οὑ μόνον μάντις ἄριστος, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἰωνοσκόπος κομψὸς εἶναι, τά τε ἄλλα συνεωρακὼς ἐν τῇ τέχνῃ περιττῶς, ἀναστὰς ἐκέλευεν τὴν μὲν ἄνθρωπον κατακλείειν ἐκτὸς ὁρίων—οὐ γὰρ συμφέρειν ἔτι ταύτην ἐντὸς ὁρίων τεθῆναι εἰς γῆν—ἀποτροπιάσασθαι δὲ Ἑρμῆν Χθόνιον καὶ Εὐμενίδας, εἶτα οὕτω περικαθαίρεσθαι πάντας, ἁγνίσαι δὲ καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ καὶ ὄσα θεοῖς χθονίοις νομίζεται ποιῆσαι συνέτασσεν. ἐμοί τε ἰδίᾳ εἶπεν περὶ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων θύειν τε Ἐρμῇ Διί τε Ξενίῳ καὶ Ἄρει, καὶ συντελεῖν ταῦτα μὴ παρέργως. ταῦτα δὲ ἀποφηναμένου τούτου τὸ μὲν συνταχθὲν ἡμεῖς ἐπράττομεν, ὁ δὲ ξένος ὁ Μαχάτης, πρὸς ὃν παρεγίνετο τὸ φάσμα, ὑπ’ ἀθυμίας ἑαυτὸν ἐξήγαγεν τοῦ ζῆν. ἐάν οὖν σοι φαίνηται περὶ τούτων γράφειν τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἐπίστειλον κἀμοί, ἵνα καὶ τῶν σωμάτων τινὰ τῶν ἱστορούντων τὰ κατὰ μέρος ἐξαποστείλω σοι. ἔρρωσο.
(Phlegon, Peri thaumasiōn 1.14-18)

By early dawn the theatre was full. After the particulars had been explained, it was decided that we should first go to the tomb, open it, and see whether the body lay on its bier or whether we would find the place empty. A half-year had not yet passed since the death of the girl. When we opened the chamber into which all deceased members of the family were placed, we saw bodies lying on biers, or bones in the case of those who had died long ago, but on the bier onto which Philinnion had been placed we found only the iron ring that belonged to the guest and the gilded wine cup, objects that she had obtained from Machates on the first day. Astonished and frightened, we proceeded immediately to Demostratos’s house to see if the corpse was truly to be seen in the guest room. After we saw the dead girl lying there on the ground, we gathered at the place of assembly, since the events were serious and incredible. There was considerable confusion in the assembly and almost no one was able to form a judgment on the events. The first to stand up was Hyllos, who is considered to be not only the best seer among us but also a fine augur; in general, he has shown remarkable perception in his craft. He said we should burn the girl outside the boundaries of the city since nothing would be gained by burying her in the ground within its boundaries, and perform an apotropaic sacrifice to Hermes Chthonios and the Eumenides. Then he prescribed that everyone purify himself completely, cleanse the temples and perform all the customary rites to the chthonic deities. He spoke to me also in private about the king and the events, telling me to sacrifice to Hermes, Zeus Xenios and Ares, and to perform these rites with care. When he had made this known to us we undertook to do what he had prescribed. Machates, the guest whom the ghost had visited, became despondent and killed himself. If you decide to write about this to the king, send word to me also in order that I may dispatch to you one of the persons who examined the affair in detail. Farewell. (tr. William Hansen)