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TRAVELS 


NORTHERN   GREECE. 


BY 


WILLIAM  MARTIN  LEAKE,  F.R.S.  &c 


IN   FOUR  VOLUMES. 


VOL.  Ill 


LONDON: 
J.  RODWELL,  NEW  BOND  STREET 


1835. 


i.  ci  N  DON  : 
B1LBEKT    &    KlVINOTON,    IMUNTKHS, 

sr  John's  square. 


CONT  E  N  rr  S 


VOLUME   III. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
THIRD  JOURNEY. 

EPIRUS,    I.EUCAS,    ITHACA,    CEPHALLENIA. 

PAGE 

Departure  from  Corfu — Capes  Leucimne,  Amphipagus — Islands 
Sybota — Arpitza,  Chimerium — Parga,  Toryne — Ai  Ianni,  Bu- 
chcetium — Porto  Fanari,  Glycys  Limen,  or  Elcca — Elia — Rini- 
assa — Agriapidhia — Amaxikhi  in  Lefkadha — Kaligoni,  Leucas 
— Dioryctus — Meganisi — Kalarno — Gulf  of  Molo  in  Ithaca — 
Mount  Neritum — Skhino,  Dhexia,  Vathy — Echinades — Aeto — 
Anoi — Oxoi — Polis — Mount  Neium,  Rheithrum — Alcomence — 
JEgilips — Crocyleia — Dulichium — Oxeice  or  Thoce — Frikes — 
Kioni — Port  Lia — Fountain  Arethusa  and  rock  Corax — Samo 
in  Kefalonia,  Same — Siege  of  Same  by  Fulvius — Pulata — Fa- 
raklata — Argostoli — Krania,  Cranii — Lixuri,  Pale — Popula- 
tion and  productions  of  Kefalonia — Proni,  Assus,  Atella, 
Taphus,  Heraclia,  Erissus,  Panormus 1 


CHAFFER  XXIII. 


CYTHERA.    jEG.EAN     ISLANDS. 


Arrival  atTzerigo — Kapsali — Cythera,  Phcenicus,  Seandeia—M\lo 
— Khora—  Kastro — Ruins  of  Melus — Paro,  ancient  city — De- 
scription of  the  Island — Andiparo — Ancient  Quarries  of  Parus  — 
Kosto — Marmara — Xaxia,  Naxus — Island  of  Palati — Villages, 
Population,    Produce  —  Dhiles  —  Deles,    Hierum    of   Apollo, 

a  2 


IV 


CONTENTS. 


Mount  Cynthus,  Olympium — Rheneia — Mykono,  Myconus — 
Skyro,  Scyrus — Port  Achilleium — Skanghero — Scopelus,  Scia- 
tkus,  Hahnesus,  Icus — Aistrati     69 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


MACEDONIA. 

Monasteries  near  the  southern  extremity  of  Athos — Arrival  at 
Xeropotami — Other  monasteries  on  the  southern  side  of  the 
Peninsula — Town  of  Karyes — Iviron — Filotheo — Mylopotamo 
— Lavra — Karakalo — Stavronikita — Pandokratora — Vatopedhi 
— Ancient  Inscriptions  —  Simenu  —  Khilandari  —  Provlaka — 
Isthmus  of  Acte — Sane— Canal  of  Xerxes — Erisso,  Acanthus — 
Ancient  cities  of  Acte,  Sithonia,  and  Pallene 114 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

MACEDONIA. 

Stratoni,  Stratoniceia — Nizvoro — Mines  of  lead  and  silver — 
Lybjadha — Kafkana — Caprus — Stavros,  Stageirus — Gulf  of 
Posidium,  plain  Syleus,  lake,  .BoZie,  Aulon,  Arethusa,  Bromis- 
cus — Aryilus — Ferry  of  Strymon — Eion — Orfana,  Phagres — 
Neokhori — Amphipolis — Lake  Cercinitis — Inscription — Battle 
of  Amphipolis — Capture  of  Amphipolis  by  Brasidas — Takhyno 
— Serres,  Sirrhce — Inhabitants  of  the  Strymonic  plain,  &c.    . .    158 


CHAPfER  XXVI. 


MACEDONIA. 


Ancient  Geography  of  the  Strymonic  Plain  and  surrounding 
Mountains — Battle  of  Philippi — Nigrita — Sokho— Klisali — 
Lakes — Langaza — Khaivat—  Saloniki  —  Antiquities,  Popula- 
tion, &c 209 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

MACEDONIA. 

PAGE 

Departure  from  Saloniki — Tekeli — Bridge  of  the  Vardhari  or 
Axius — Alaklisi,  or  Apostolus — Pella — Yenidje,  or  Iannitza — 
Paleokastro — River  of  Moglena — Vodhena,  Edessa — Vladova 
— Ancient  Inscriptions  at  Vodhena — Via  Egnatia — Niausta, 
Citium — Verria,  Berrhcea — Kastania — Mount  Bermium — Kha- 
dova — Plain  of  Budja — Djuma — Eordaa —  Sulinaria — K6- 
zani , 258 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

MACEDONIA,    PERRH;EB[A. 

Tjersemba — Geography  of  Upper  Macedonia — Elimeia,  Eordeea, 
Orestis,  Lyncestis,  Paonia,  Pelagonia — Compaign  of  Sulpicius 
against  Philip — Tripolitis  of  Pelagonia — Stymbara — Pelium — 
Dassaretia — Antipatria,  &c. — Servia,  Volustana — Livadhi — 
Pass  of  Petra — Tripolitis  of  Perrhoebia — Pythium,  Azorus, 
Doliche — Elassona,  Oloosson — Mount  Titarus,  River  litare- 
sius — Mount  Olympus — Tzaritzena — Pass  of  Meluna — Tur- 
navo    302 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THESSALIA. 

Tiirnavo — Manufactures — Kastri — Tatari — Larissa — Palea  La- 
rissa,  Crannon — Argissa — Atrax — Metropolis — Karalar — Mar- 
mariani,  Sycurium — First  Campaign  of  the  Persic  War — Scea 
— Mopsium — Phalanna — Elateia — Gyrton — Kiserli — Makrik- 
hori — Vale  of  Dereli — Baba — Ascent  of  Mount  Ossa — Ambe- 
lakia,  its  productions,  &c. — Lykostomo,  Gonnus — Pass  of 
Lykostomo,  Tempe — River  Peneius — Ancient  descriptions  of 
Tempe — Gonnocondylus — Charax — Castle  of  Tempe 353 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


MACEDONIA. 


Bridge  of  Salamvria — Karitza — Homole — Platamona,  Heracleium 
— River  of  Platamona,  Apilas — Litokhoro — Mount  Olympus — 


■■■ 


VI 


CUNTR  <TS. 


Malathria,  Dium — River  Baphyrus — Spighi — Katcrina — Pas- 
sage of  Olympus  by  the  Consul  Marcius — Cattipeuce,  Phi/a, 
River  Enipeus,  lAbelhrium,  Pimpleia — March  of  the  Consul 
beyond  Dium — Agassce —  Valla —  River  Mitys — Hatera — As- 
cordus — A  van — Kitro — Paleos  Kitros — Eleftherokhori — Posi- 
tion of  Perseus  on  the  Enipeus — Defeat  of  the  Macedonians  at 
Petra — Battle  of  Pydna — Pydna — Methane — Alorus — Rivers 
Haliacmon,  Lydias,  Axius — Return  to  Saloniki    40 1 


CHAFrER  XXXI 

MACEDONIA. 

Comparative  Geography  of  Macedonia — River  Galliko,  Echi- 
dorus — Doiran,  Tauriana — Gallicum —  Stobi —  Stena  of  the 
Axius — Idomeue  —  Invasion  of  Sitalces — Mount  Cercine — Gor- 
tynia — Europus  — Almopia  — Emathia  —  Madi  —  Amphaxia — 
Anthemus — Mygdonia — Crossaa — Mount  Cissus — Bottiata — 
Chalcidenses — Apollonia  of  Chalcidice — Clynthus — Apollonia  of 
Mygdonia — Lete  —  Paonia  —  Strumitza  — Astraum  —  Roman 
roads  from  Stobi — Velesa,  Bylazora — Almana,  Desudaba,  Mce- 
dica — Ivorina,  Jamphorina — Mount  Scomius — Dentheleta;,  Bessi 
— Istip,  Astapus — Ghiustendil,  Pautalia — Theranda,  Ulpiana 
— Towns  on  the  Mathis — Skopia,  Scupi — Edict  of  Amphipolis 
after  the  conquest  by  Paullus — Limits  of  the  four  regions — 
Coins  of  the  Tetrarchy „ 439 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


FOURTH  JOURNEY. 


EPIRUS,    ACARNANIA,  iETOLIA. 


Prevyza — Aios  Petros,  Anactorium  —  Vonitza — Ruga — Nisi — 
Balimbey — Lutraki — Katuna — Hellenic  city — Makhala — Ex- 
pedition of  Agesilaus  into  Acarnania — Skortus — Lygovitzi — 
Prodhromo — Agriculture  and  productions  of  Acarnania — 
Forest  of  Manina — Podholovitza — Guria — Hellenic  ruin  called 
Palea  Mani — Return  to  Guria — Mastu — Anatoliko — Meso- 
longhi 488 


CONTENTS. 


Vll 


CHAFfER  XXXIII. 


■ETOLIA,  ACARNANIA. 


Kurt-aga,  Calydon — Temple  of  Diana  Laphria — River  Eveiuis 
—  Mount  Chalcis  —  Aia  Triadha  —  Neokhori  —  Stamna  — 
(Etolo-Acarnanian  agriculture — Return  to  Neokhori — Magula 
— Kurtzolari — Katokhi — Trikardho-kastro,  (Eniada — March 
of  Philip  from  Limneea  to  QZniada? — Pha'teicc — Medeon — Me- 
tropolis— Conope,  Ithoria,  Paunium — Elceus — Artemita — Oxeicc 
— Lakes  Melite,  Cynia,  Uria — Lake  of  Calydon — Course  of  the 
Achelous  below  (Eniada 


533 


TRAVELS 


IN 


NORTHERN    GREECE. 


THIRD  JOURNEY. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


EP1RUS,   LEUCAS,   ITHACA,   CEPHALLENIA. 


Departure  from  Corfu — Capes  Leucimne,  Amphipagus — Islands 
Sybota — Arpitza,  Chimerium — Parga,  Toryne — Ai  Ianni, 
Buchcetium — Porto  Fanari,  Glycys  Limen,  or  Elcea — Elia — • 
lliniassa — Agriapidhia — Amaxikhi  in  Lefkadha — Kaligoni, 
Lcucas — Dioryctus — Meganisi — Kalamo — Gulf  of  Molo  in 
Ithaca — Mount  Neritum — Skhino,  Dhexia,  Vathy — Echina- 
des — Aeto — Anoi — Oxoi — Polis — Mount  Neium,  Rheithrum 
— Alcomcnce —  Aigilips —  Crocyleia —  Dulichium — Oxeice  or 
Thoce — Frikes — Kioni — Port  Lia — Fountain  Arethusa  and 
rock  Corax — Samo  in  Kefalonia,  Same — Siege  of  Same  by 
Fulvius  —  Pulata —  Faraklata — Argostoli —  Kraniii,  Cranii — 
Lixiiri,  Pale — Population  and  productions  of  Kefalonia — 
Pron't,  Assus,  Atclla,  Taphns,  Heraclia,  Erissus,  Panormus. 

Corfu,  9th  September,  1806. — Having  engaged 
a  vessel  to  carry  me  through  the  JEycnan  to 
Mount  A  thus,   we  set  sail  this   evening  from  the 

VOL.   III.  B 


i:pirus. 


[chap. 


port  of  Kastradhes,  Italicc  Castrai.  The  vessel  is  of 
55  tons,  and  one  of  those  called  by  the  Venetians 
Manzera,  carrying  square  or  latine  sails,  according 
to  the  state  of  the  weather.  The  captain  refused 
to  put  to  sea  on  a  Tuesday  until  the  sun  was  down, 
that  day  being  considered  unlucky  by  all  classes  of 
Greeks  :  nor  would  lie  consent  to  sail  in  the  day- 
time, as  he  feared  the  effects  of  the  /ucmW/ia,  or 
cattivo  occhio,  of  those  who  may  envy  him  for  the 
beauty  of  his  vessel. 

Sept.  10. — From  the  low  sandy  point  of  Lef- 
kimo  in  Corfu,  the  ancient  Lcucimne,  or  Leu- 
cimme,  to  Cavo  Bianco,  probably  the  Amphi- 
pagus  of  Ptolemy,  the  coast  of  Corfu  has  a  N.  and 
S.  direction  for  6  or  7  miles,  nearly  parallel  to  that 
of  Epirus,  and  thus  forms  the  southern  entrance  of 
the  channel  of  Corfu  :  the  breadth  is  five  miles,  but 
is  narrowed  to  four  between  Cape  Bianco  and  the 
islands  which  preserve  their  ancient  name  Sybota, 
by  extensive  shallows  adjoining  the  former  Cape. 
Similar  shoals  encircle  Cape  Lefkimo,  but  as  they 
stretch  chiefly  to  the  northward,  and  the  channel 
is  here  wider,  they  are  not  so  inconvenient  to  navi- 
gation as  the  former.  There  is  a  sheltered  bay 
between  the  two  principal  Syvota,  and  another 
between  the  inner  island  and  the  main.  In  the 
latter  I  anchored  in  a  Russian  brig  of  war  in  May 
last.  The  adjacent  district  on  the  continent  is 
named  Vrakhana,  and  consists  of  several  dispersed 
hamlets,  among  which,  on  the  shore  opposite  to 
the  inner  island  of  the  Syvota,  are  two  towers  be- 
longing to  Murtzo,  an  Albanian  chief.  These  oc- 
cupy apparently  the  site  of  the  place  which  Thucy- 

12 


XXII, 


EPIRUS. 


dides  calls  "  the  continental  Sybota1,"  an(l  where, 
after  the  second  naval  action  between  the  Corcy- 
raei  and  Corinthians,  in  the  year  before  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Peloponnesian  War,  the  Corinthians 
erected  a  trophy,  while  the  Corcyrasi,  who  equally 
claimed  the  victory,  set  up  their  trophy  "  at  the 
insular  Sybota2 :"  whence  it  would  seem  that  there 
were  villages  of  that  name  on  either  side  of  the  inner 
strait  or  harbour.  Midway  between  the  outerSyvota 
and  Parga  is  Cape  Varlam,  commonly  called  For- 
majo  by  the  seamen  of  Italy  and  the  Seven  Islands. 
Immediately  north  of  it,  is  a  retirement  of  the  coast 
with  a  sandy  beach,  above  which  are  cultivated 
slopes  round  some  dispersed  hamlets,  all  known  by 
the  name  of  Arpitza.  Near  the  shore  are  the  re- 
mains of  a  Hellenic  fortification  now  called  Erimo- 
kastro. 

Parga,  and  the  heights  behind  it,  covered  with 
olive  groves  and  gardens,  have  a  very  pleasing  ap- 
pearance from  the  sea.  The  town  is  situated  on 
the  steep  side  of  a  conical  rock,  which  divides  a 
small  recess  of  the  coast  into  two  bays,  both  exposed 
to  the  Garbino,  and  consequently  dangerous  in 
winter,  except  for  small  boats,  which  may  shelter 
close  under  the  town,  or  behind  some  rocks  on  the 
southern  side  of  the  southern  port.  The  ridge 
which  connects  the  promontory  with  the  neigh- 
bouring mountain  and  separates  the  two  ports,  is 
covered  with  a  street  of  houses,  and  there  is  another 
on  the  beach  of  the  southern  port.     On  the  rock 


rpoTrniov    tfTTT}(rav    tv    toiq  avTfijrr\(rav  tv    rnir    tr   nj 

iv  n~i  f/jreipa  Supdrotc- — Thu-       yr/aut   %vj36toiq, 
cyd.  I.  1,  c.  54. 

u  k2 


EPIRUS. 


[CHAP. 


stands  a  fortress,  in  which  resides  the  Bey  sent  from 
Constantinople  to  receive  the  tribute  ;  the  place 
being  governed  in  the  same  manner  as  Prevyza  '. 

About  six  miles  to  the  south-eastward  of  Parga 
is  the  entrance  of  Splantza,  or  the  harbour  of  Fa- 
nari, the  ancient  Glycys  Limen,  into  which  the 
Acheron  discharges  itself.  The  intermediate  coast 
has  a  direction  first  due  east,  and  then  south ; 
exactly  in  the  angle  is  Ai  Iiinni,  or  St.  John,  which 
is  the  best  harbour  in  this  part  of  the  coast.  Porto 
Fanari  is  small  and  shallow,  and  therefore  fre- 
quented only  by  small  vessels,  which  load  the  corn 
and  kalambokki  of  the  plain  of  Fanari.  The  port 
is  easily  known  by  an  interval  of  low  coast  between 
steep  hills,  and  by  a  remarkable  precipice  on  one 
side  of  the  entrance.  As  at  Buthrotum,  the  water 
of  this  bay  is  rendered  almost  sweet  by  the  great 
river  which  is  discharged  into  it ;  whence  the 
ancient  name  Glycys  Limen.  Suli  is  a  conspicuous 
object  rising  behind  this  part  of  the  coast ;  on  the 
heights  a  little  to  the  southward  of  Porto  Fanari  is 
the  village  of  Klarentza,  and  below  it  a  small  har- 
bour and  some  magazines  for  the  sardeles,  which 
are  caught  in  great  plenty,  in  and  near  Porto  Fa- 
nari. The  coast  is  steep  but  well  cultivated  as  far 
as  Cape  Agriapidhia,  the  heights  above  which  are 
seen  from  Corfu. 

There  is  no  situation  between  Porto  Fanari  and 
the  port  Comarus  ofNicopolis,  now  My  tika,  indicating 
any  great  probability  of  an  ancient  site  :  I  am  in- 
formed, however,  that  some  Hellenic  remains  exist 


1  See  Vol.  I.  p.  177. 


XXII.] 


EPIRUS. 


at  Klarentza.  The  most  conspicuous  object  is  the 
castle  of  Riniassa  !,  situated  at  the  foot  of  a  mari- 
time ridge,  which  is  separated  by  some  elevated 
valleys  from  the  range  extending  from  Zalongo 
towards  Suli.  Two  miles  to  the  north  of  it  is  a 
small  harbour  named  Elia. 

Some  difficulty  occurs  in  adjusting  the  ancient 
names  on  the  coast  between  the  channel  of  Corcyra 
and  Nicopolls.  Arpitza  I  believe  to  be  the  place 
named  Chimerium,  where  the  Corinthians  stationed 
their  fleet,  and  established  a  camp  on  returning  to 
the  Epirote  coast  in  the  summer  following  their 
defeat  by  the  Corcyraei  near  Paxi2,  at  the  same 
time  that  they  formed  another  camp  at  Actium 
for  the  protection  of  Lcucas  and  their  other  allies  in 
that  quarter.  The  station  of  the  Corcyraei  was 
at  Leucimne 3  ;  and  in  those  positions  the  hos- 
tile forces  remained  the  whole  summer  with- 
out coming  to  action.  Previously  to  the  second 
battle  between  the  same  two  parties,  which  oc- 
curred three  years  after  the  first,  Chimerium  was 
again  the  station  of  the  Corinthian  fleet,  while  that 
of  the  Corcyraei  was  at  Sybota.  On  this  occasion, 
Thucydides  describes  Chimerium  as  a  cape  and 
harbour  on  the  Epirote  coast,  between  the  rivers 


1  'Priviaaoa. 

2  In  the  year  B.C.  435,  Thu- 
cyd.  1.  1,  c.  29,  et  seq.  The 
historian  does  not  exactly  state 
where  this  hattle  took  place, 
but  the  Corinthians  who  were  in 
their  route  to  Epidamnus  had 
met  the  herald  of  the  Corcyraei 
olF  Actium,  and  the  latter,  after 
the  battle,  planted  their  trophy 


on  Cape  Leucimme  or  Leucim- 
ne. The  action,  therefore,  oc- 
curred probably  between  Paxu 
and  Cape  Varlmn. 

3  tcTTparoTreSevovTO  kni  Acr/w 
Kai   Trep'i   to  Xeifxepiov  tijq  Qea- 

■KnwrihoQ avrearpa- 

totteCevovto  hi  kcu  ol  KepKv- 
pdloi  eirl  tt}  AEVKtufiy  vavcrl  ti 
koi  *(.'(£>. — Thucyd.  1.  1,  c.  30. 


EPIRUS. 


[chap. 


Acheron  and  Thyamis1.     We  find,  accordingly, 
that  Cape  Varlam  is  about  midway  between  the 
mouths  of  those  two  rivers,  and  that  the  bay  of 
Arpitza,  being  exactly  opposite  to  Cape  Bianco, 
was  peculiarly  well  placed  to  observe  the  entrance 
of  the  channel  of  Corfu,  and  to  prevent  an  enemy 
stationed  at  Lefkimo  from  sailing  out  of  it  un- 
observed.    The  historian  does  not,  indeed,  refer  to 
Chimerium  as  a  fortress,  but  seems  to  describe  it 
as   a  harbour   dependent   upon   Ephyre.     But  I 
have    frequently   had    occasion   to   observe,    that 
places  noticed  only  in  history  as  mountains,   har- 
bours,  or  promontories,   are  proved    by    existing 
ruins  to  have   been  also    fortresses :    and    in  the 
present  instance,  the  words  of  Pausanias  and  Ste- 
phanus  afford  some  presumption  that  Chimerium 
was  more  than  a  mere  cape  or  harbour  2.     If  the 
remark  of  Pausanias  were  verified,  who  states  that 
fresh  water,  similar  to  that  of  the  Deine  on  the 
coast  of  Argolis  3,  rose  in  the  sea  near  Chimerium, 


1  euro  AevKalog  rrXiovreg, 
vp/xi^ovrai  ig  Xeifxtpiov  rfjg 
Qs(TTrp(jJTidoQ  y//e.  tan  £e  Xifii)y, 
Kal  7ru\ig  virtp  avrov  Ktlrat 
ct7ro  On\arT(Tt]c.  kv  rrj  'EXat- 
andi  (al.  'E\«uri£t)  rfjg  Qta- 
irpioriiog,  'JLcjjvprj'  t^eiat  ce  Trap 
ahrtjv  'Aytpovaia  XLfxvr)  ig  ri)v 
OaXuaaar'  cut  £t  rijg  Oeanpoj- 
Ticiog  W.yip(x)v  Trora^bg  pewv  ia- 
flaXXei  ig  avri)v,  a<f  ov  Kal  ri)v 
tTTiopv^iav  tyti'  9tL  *£  KaL  ®ua" 
fj.ig  Trorafxbg  bpii^cjv  ri)v  Otanpu>- 
rtckt  Kal  Ktarpivrjv,  wv  tvrbg  y 
liicpa    aviyti    rb    Xetfiiptov'    ol 


fitv  ovv  Kopivdioi  Tfjg  i)irtipov 
kvravBa  hp^ii'C,ovrai  rt  /cat  arpa- 
roVeeW  tiroiyaavro. — Thucyd. 
1.  1,  c.  46. 

2  yXvKV  vt  uvwo  EK  daXaaarjr 
SrjXov  tanv  tvravOa.  rt  aviov  tv 
rrj  'ApyoXidi  Kal  tv  rrj  Qecnrpio- 
rict  Kara  rb  Xtifxiptov  KaXov- 
\itvov. — Pausan.  Arcad.  c.  7« 
Xetfiip^ov,  a/cpa  Oecnrpwrlag. 
To  idviKov,  Xtifitpuvg. — Ste- 
phan.  in  voce. 

3  For  the  Deine,  see  Travels 
in  the  Moredy  vol.  ii.  p.  480. 


XXII.] 


EPIRUS. 


there  would  remain  no  doubt  on  the  subject.  As 
to  the  mention  of  Ephyre  by  Thucydides  in  con- 
nection with  Chimerium,  it  can  only  be  recon- 
ciled with  the  situation  which  I  have  attributed 
to  the  latter,  by  supposing*  Thucydides  to  have 
employed  the  word  v-rrso  in  its  widest  sense,  and 
merely  for  the  purpose  of  introducing  a  notice 
of  the  rivers  Acheron  and  Thyamis,  and  of  the  po- 
sition of  Chimerium  between  them,  for  the  historian 
himself,  compared  with  Strabo,  leaves  no  doubt 
that  Ephyre,  afterwards  named  Cichyrus,  stood  not 
far  above  the  discharge  of  the  Acherusia  and  Ache- 
ron into  the  Glycys  Limen1,  which  is  twelve  or  four- 
teen miles  distant  from  Cape  Varlam.  But  it  is  ob- 
vious that  no  cape  near  Port  Fanari,  nor  any  other 
position,  such  as  Parga  if  we  might  suppose  that 
place  to  have  been  the  ancient  Chimerium,  can  be 
so  well  adapted  to  the  circumstances  related  by 
Thucydides  as  the  harbour  of  Arpitza  and  Cape 
Varlam. 


1  Eto-t  de  vrfoicEQ  to.  2v/3ora, 
rrjg  fxev  'W-KEipov  piKpov  citte- 
yjwrrui,  Kara.  c)£  to  emov  I'ikoov 
rijg  KopKvpaiag,  tt/v  AevKi/xyrfv, 
Keifievat.  Kai  aAXai  d  kv  t<o 
7rct()('nrXo)  rrialdsg  elfflv  OVK  dujtac 
[ivflfirjs.  "JLtteitu  uKpa  Xeifxi- 
pwv  Kal  TXvkvc  XtfXIIV  £l£  OP 
£/i/3a'\\£t  o  'A^tpwv  7rorafioQ, 
ptujy  be  tTiq  'A-^tpovcriaQ  \lftvrjg, 
Kal  ce^o/j-EPog  ttXeiovq  ttotciiiovq 
('oars  Kal  yXvicatPEtp  tov  koXttov' 
pel    ct.    Kal  !>    Ovct[ii£   nXrjtjiop. 

YTrEpKEtTaittTOVTOV  flEP  tov koX- 


ttov Kl^vpog  1)  irpoTEpov  'E(f)vpa, 

TToXlC,    OE(TTTpu)TWP'    TOV    <)E   Kara 

HovdpMTOv  ?/  fyoiviKr}.  'Eyyur 
&e  r>7c  Kij^vpov  TToXi^viov  Bou- 
■^atTiov  Kao-<7W7r«<wj>,  nucpop 
virlp  Tr}c  daXctTTrjQ  by. — Strabo, 
p.  324.  It  is  easy  to  perceive 
that  Strabo  has  borrowed  his 
information,  in  this  passage, 
from  others;  in  placing  the 
Thyamis  near  the  Glycys  Li  - 
men,  he  follows  probably  the 
negligent  expression  of  Thucy- 
dides. 


8 


EPIRUS. 


[CHAP. 


Parga,  I  am  inclined  to  believe,  was  the  ancient 
Toryne,  which  Octavianus,  coming  from  the  Ionian 
sea,  occupied  with  his  fleet,  and  from  whence  he 
proceeded  to  offer  battle  to  Antonius  at  the  entrance 
of  the  strait  of  Actium.  Ptolemy,  indeed,  may  be 
thought  to  leave  some  doubt  whether  Toryne,  or 
Torone  as  he  writes  it,  was  at  Parga,  or  at  Port  St. 
John,  as  he  names  only  the  following  places,  and 
in  this  order:  "the  mouth  of  the  Thyamis,  Sy- 
bota,  Torone,  the  mouth  of  the  Acheron,  Port 
Ekea,  Nicopolis;"  whence  it  may  be  said  that  St. 
John  being  a  safer  and  more  capacious  harbour  than 
that  of  Parga,  will  correspond  better  to  Toryne. 
St.  John  lies  however  in  an  angle  of  the  coast,  not 
very  easily  entered  or  quitted  by  a  fleet,  and  was 
not  so  convenient  for  the  purpose  of  Octavianus  as 
Parga.  It  was  more  probably  the  harbour  of  Bit- 
chcetium  \  a  town  described  by  Strabo  as  situated 
at  a  small  distance  from  the  sea,  and  not  far  from 
Cichyrus  or  Ephyre,  the  remains  of  which  city  still 
exist  at  a  ruined  monastery  on  the  right  bank  of 
the  Vuvo  or  Cocytus,  at  an  equal  distance  from 
Porto  Fanari  and  from  the  harbour  of  St.  John,  and 
not  more  than  two  hours  from  either. 

Elia,   the  name  of  the  small  harbour  between 


1  The  Buchetii   were  skilful  fishermen,  but  not  even  a  Bu- 
chetian  could  catch  a  hyca. 

'E£  akoQ  ovS'  vkt}v  dvepa  Bou^fVioy 
"EXkeiv. 

Fragm.  Callimach.  ap.  Etymol.  Mag.  voce  Boy^ru. 

On  the  difficulty  of  catching  the   hyca,   see  Hermippus  and 
Philetas  ap.  Athen.  1.  G,  c.  22. 


XXII.] 


EPIRUS. 


Klarentza  and  Riniassa,  seems  to  show  that  the 
JSlcBa,  which  Ptolemy  places  on  this  coast,  between 
the  mouth  of  the  Acheron  and  Nicopolis,  was  there 
situated.  On  the  other  hand,  Thucydides,  by 
describing  the  Eleatis  as  the  district  where  the 
Acherusia  discharged  itself  into  the  sea,  affords 
strong  reason  for  believing  that  the  reading  of 
Scylax  is  correct,  which  represents  the  port 
Glycys  to  have  been  also  called  Elea  l,  and 
that  as  no  Thesprotian  city  of  this  name  is  no- 
ticed by  any  ancient  author,  the  harbour  was 
named  Elea,  and  the  surrounding  district  Eleatis, 
from  the  marshy  nature  of  the  neighbouring 
country,  which,  as  it  affects  even  the  water  of  the 
harbour,  was  the  more  likely  to  attach  that  name 
to  it.  It  may  not  have  been  until  long  after  the 
time  of  Thucydides  and  Scylax,  that  for  Elea  was 
substituted  the  still  more  descriptive  Glycys  Limen, 
as  the  name  of  the  harbour.  It  must  be  confessed, 
however,  that  the  modern  name,  Elia,  together 
with  the  words  of  Ptolemy,  which  represent  the 
mouth  of  the  Acheron  and  the  harbour  of  Elaea  as 
distinct  places,  are  adverse  to  this  conclusion,  and 
that  the  question  is  rather  doubtful. 

The  maestrale,  which  at  this  season  seldom  sets 
in  till  the  afternoon,  falls  about  sunset,  and  we  are 


1   Mera  (ie  Xaoviav  Oetnrpuj-  H,iy)aiv      'A^ipiov      (cat      \ifivif 

toL    e'uriv    'iQvoq   ....   tort    vs.  'A^epuvala,  e£,  ijc  o  'A-^ipwu  pel 

ctvrt)   tv\ifj.evo(j'    ivTiivda    tort  TruTa/xuc. — Scylax  in  0£o-7rpw- 

\ifxtiv   o)   l>rojxa  "EXeo   ('E/Wa)'  rui. 
tig  tovtov  top  \ijutVa  ttotu/jioc 


10 


LEUCAS. 


[chap. 


becalmed  till  midnight,  when  begins  the  usual  gulf 
wind  from  Prevyza,  which  carries  us  to  the  north- 
ern promontory  of  Lefkadha  at  nine  in  the  fore- 
noon of  Sept.  11. — From  this  precipitous  cape  the 
coast  runs  south-westward  as  far  as  Cape  Dukato, 
consisting,  without  intermission,  of  the  same  de- 
scription of  bold  cliffs,  of  which  the  celebrated 
Leucate  forms  the  still  more  remarkable  termina- 
tion. At  the  northern  cape  the  coast  makes  a 
sudden  curve  to  the  eastward,  and  a  sandy  beach 
begins,  from  which,  midway  towards  Amaxikhi, 
branches  the  low  promontory  of  Plaka.  This  spit  of 
sand  makes  an  angle  to  the  north-west,  and  then 
retires  in  the  opposite  direction  until  at  a  short 
distance  from  the  coast  of  Xeromero  it  assumes 
a  direction  parallel  to  that  shore,  forming  the 
northern  entrance  of  the  lagoons,  which  sepa- 
rate the  island  of  Leucas  from  Acarnania.  The 
fortress  of  Aghia  Mavra  stands  exactly  at  the  re- 
entering angle  of  the  promontory,  where  the  strait 
is  narrowest,  and  covers  the  whole  breadth  of  the 
Plaka.  It  is  now  occupied  by  a  Russian  garrison 
of  500  men.  We  land  at  the  foot  of  the  walls,  and 
after  answering  a  few  questions  from  the  fort,  pro- 
ceed to  the  Sanita  in  the  town,  walking  along  the 
narrow  summit  of  an  aqueduct  which  crosses  the 
lagoon  and  conveys  water  to  the  fort.  It  is  sup- 
ported by  about  200  arches,  and  is  1300  yards  in 
length. 


XXII.] 


LEU  CAS. 


11 


Pt.  Drepa.no 


The  modern  capital  of  Leucas,  named  Amaxikhi1, 
resembles  Mesolonghi,  as  well  by  its  situation  on 
the  lagoon  as  in  the  form  of  the  houses,  which  are 
very  unlike  those  of  Corfu,  being  built  chiefly  of 
wood  on  a  substruction  of  stone  or  brick,  with  gal- 
leries supported  by  wooden  pillars.  The  greater 
part  of  them  are  of  one  story  only,  which,  as  well 
as  the  wooden  construction,  is  said  to  have  been 
adopted  in  consequence  of  the  frequency  of  earth- 
quakes. Some  of  the  larger  houses  are  fitted  up 
with  tapestry  in  the  Venetian  taste.     The  town  is 


1  'Afxu^l-^wv. 


12 


LEUCAS. 


[chap. 


composed  of  a  single  street,  from  which  branch  some 
narrow  lanes  of  small  wooden  tenements.  At  the 
northern  termination  of  the  street,  near  the  head  of 
the  aqueduct,  is  a  small  square  called  the  Piazza 
di  San  Marco ;  from  the  other  end  branch  two 
roads  which  are  practicable  for  carriages  for  two  or 
three  miles,  and  then  become  mere  horse-paths. 
Amaxikhi  may  perhaps  have  taken  its  name  from 
being  the  only  place  in  the  island  where  a/ua^ia,  or 
wheel  carriages,  are  or  can  be  used.  The  women 
are  generally  handsome,  as  at  Mesolonghi,  and  in 
some  other  situations  in  Greece  which  have  every 
appearance  of  being  unhealthy  ;  but  many  of  the 
men  have  a  sickly  complexion.  I  am  lodged  in 
the  house  of  Mr.  K.  G.,  Austrian  and  British 
vice-consul,  whose  profits  having  been  sadly  dimi- 
nished since  the  occupation  of  the  Venetian  states 
by  the  French,  his  habitation  is  proportionally 
humble.  In  the  afternoon  Count  Angelo  Orio, 
to  whom  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction,  presents 
me  to  the  Prytano,  after  which  we  walk  out  to  one 
of  the  count's  gardens,  which  is  spacious  and  in 
good  order.  Count  Orio  is  a  Venetian,  who  in 
right  of  his  deceased  wife,  an  heiress  of  this  place, 
has  large  possessions  in  the  plains  of  Amaxikhi, 
Vonitza,  and  Nicopolis.  But  the  uncertain  tenure 
of  his  continental  property  renders  it  of  little  value. 
He  was  of  the  Maggior  Consilio  of  Venice,  a  Go- 
vcrnator  di  Nave,  and  two  years  Proveditor  of 
Cefalonia.  On  being  sent  by  Admiral  Uschakoff 
to  Petersburg,  the  Emperor  Paul  gave  him  the 
title  of  Conseiller  Intime,  with  the  rank  of  briga- 
dier. He  remained  at  Amaxikhi  under  the  French, 


XXII.] 


LEUCAS. 


13 


but  being  persecuted  by  General  Chabot  on  suspi- 
cion of  being  in  intelligence  with  the  Turks  and 
Russians,  was  obliged  to  take  refuge  in  the 
mountains.  On  Chabot's  departure  he  returned 
to  town,  and  claims  the  credit  of  having  pre- 
vented Aly  Pasha  from  entering  the  island  when 
the  Pasha,  encamping  with  his  Albanians  on  the 
shore  opposite  to  the  fortress,  flattered  himself 
that  he  should  obtain  this  favourite  object  in  the 
name  of  the  Porte,  and  be  able  to  hold  it  for  him- 
self. And  he  might  have  succeeded,  if  he  had 
had  a  few  boats  to  transport  his  Albanians.  Orio 
endeavoured  to  gain  time  by  negotiation  with  the 
Bishop  of  Arta  and  the  Pasha,  while  the  islanders, 
taking  up  a  position  to  the  southward,  declared 
their  determination  to  resist  the  Albanians.  But 
the  only  real  impediment  was  the  fire  of  the  French 
from  the  fortress  upon  the  shallow  channel,  which 
the  Albanians  would  otherwise  have  crossed  on 
foot.  After  a  delay  of  fifteen  days  in  the  siege  of 
Cerigo,  Admiral  Uschakoff  arrived,  but  the  French 
held  out  twenty  days  longer  in  the  castle,  the  Rus- 
sian batteries  being  either  too  distant,  or  directed 
against  the  strongest  parts  of  the  work. 

Sept.  12. — Cross  the  lagoon  in  company  with 
Count  Orio  to  the  fortress,  in  a  small  flat-bottomed 
boat  which  is  punted,  and  sails  back  without  any 
danger  under  the  lee  of  the  aqueduct,  though  there 
is  a  strong  south-wester  without.  The  aqueduct 
is  so  narrow,  that  when  the  wind  is  very  strong  it 
sometimes  happens  that  careless  or  drunken  men 
fall,  or  are  blown  over  into  the  water  and  smothered 
in  the  mud.     The  Russians  in  garrison,  who  have 


14 


LEUCAS. 


[chap. 


just  received  a  year's  arrear  of  pay  and  clothing, 
are  commanded  by  a  rough  Russian  colonel,  who 
has  learnt  a  few  words  of  Italian  at  Naples  and  in 
these  islands,  and  says  that  he  should  prefer  the 
most  miserable  village  in  Russia  to  his  present 
solitary  and  disagreeable  station.  Formerly  the 
fortress  was  the  seat  of  government,  and  there 
were  houses  in  it  for  the  proveditori  ordinario  and 
straordinario.  The  profile  is  low,  and  the  wall  is 
very  weak,  especially  towards  the  lagoon.  But  it 
is  well  placed  for  protecting  the  strait  just  where 
it  is  easily  forded  from  the  opposite  heights  in 
Xeromero,  called  Lamia,  on  the  extremity  of 
which  is  a  Tekieh  of  Dervises.  The  shallow 
channel  extends  two  or  three  miles  to  the  north 
of  the  fort,  separated  only  from  the  open  sea  by 
a  continuation  of  the  Plaka,  which  terminates  at 
the  southern  side  of  the  entrance  of  port  Dhe- 
mata,  or  St.  Nicolas.  This  harbour,  being  the 
only  one  between  Viskardho  and  Prevyza,  is  of 
some  importance,  though  the  depth  of  water  is 
sufficient  for  ships  only  at  the  entrance  ;  it  com- 
municates eastward  by  a  narrow  channel  with  the 
Lake  of  Vulkaria.  The  fortress  of  Santa  Maura 
is  the  only  place  where  1  have  seen  date  trees 
growing  on  the  western  coast  of  Greece  ;  they  are 
now  bearing  fruit,  but  it  never  ripens  here. 

On  returning  from  the  fortress  we  proceed  to 
the  paleokastro,  or  remains  of  the  city  of  Z/Cucas, 
a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  south  east  of  Amaxikhi. 
The  site  is  called  Kaligoni,  and  consists  of  irre- 
gular heights,  forming  the  last  falls  of  the  cen- 
tral ridge  of  the  island,  at  the  foot  of  which  is 


XXII.] 


LEUCAS. 


15 


a  narrow  plain  between  the  heights  and  the  lagoon. 
The  hills  are  almost  entirely  covered  with  vine- 
yards ;  the  plain  is  occupied  by  gardens.  To- 
wards the  northern  side  of  the  heights  are  a 
few  houses  called  Zervates,  and  a  church  of 
'Aio  Vlasi.  At  two-thirds  of  the  distance  from 
Amaxikhi  to  the  ancient  site,  a  fountain  called 
Megali  Vrysis  flows  copiously  from  the  rocky 
foot  of  a  hill,  on  the  summit  of  which  stands  a 
casino  which,  as  well  as  Kaligoni  and  the  neigh- 
bouring plain,  belongs  to  the  Count.  Water  is 
conveyed  from  the  Vrysis,  in  a  subterraneous 
conduit,  to  Amaxikhi,  where  it  supplies  the  town 
from  various  fountains  constructed  in  the  Turkish 
style.  The  conduit  was  originally  a  work  of  the 
Turks ;  but  the  Venetians,  when  a  repair  was 
required,  not  having  been  able  to  trace  the  direc- 
tion of  the  old  aqueduct,  were  obliged  to  construct 
the  whole  anew.  That  the  same  accident  may 
not  happen  again,  they  have  marked  the  direc- 
tion by  little  heaps  of  earth,  which  show  the  ex- 
traordinary circuit  taken  by  the  conduit  in  pre- 
serving the  proper  level.  A  hollow  between  Me- 
gali Vrysis  and  the  Paleokastro,  which  is  now 
covered  with  vineyards,  was  a  part  of  the  ceme- 
tery of  jLeucas,  as  appears  from  the  numerous 
bones,  vases,  and  other  sepulchral  remains  which 
have  been  found  there.  The  ancient  inclosure 
is  almost  entirely  traceable  as  well  round  the 
brow  of  the  height  on  the  northern,  western  and 
southern  sides,  as  from  either  end  of  the  heights 
across  the  plain  to  the  lagoon,  and  along  its 
shore.  This  illustrates  Livy,  who  remarks  that  the 
lower  parts  of  Leucas  were  on  a  level  close  to  the 


10 


LEUCAS. 


[chap. 


shore1.  The  walls  on  the  heights  are,  for  the  most 
part,  of  polygonal  masonry,  and  apparently  of  a 
remote  period.  In  the  plain  the  masonry  is  more 
regular,  some  remains  of  towers  are  seen,  and  it 
seems  evident  that  this  part  of  the  fortification  is 
of  a  much  later  date  than  the  original  inclosure  on 
the  hills.  The  latter  is  probably  a  part  of  the 
Nericus  mentioned  in  the  Odyssey,  which  Laertes 
boasts  to  have  taken,  and  which,  even  in  the  Pelo- 
ponnesian  war,  had  not  yet  assumed  the  name  of 
Leucas 2.  This  change,  and  the  extension  of  the 
walls  to  the  lagoon,  occurred  probably  between  that 
war,  when  Leucas  was  opposed  to  the  Acarnanes, 
and  the  time  when  it  became  the  chief  city  of  Acar- 
nania  and  the  seat  of  the  national  council 3.  The 
western,  or  most  inland  point  of  the  hill  of  Leucas, 
is  of  a  peaked  form,  and  was  crowned  by  a  large 
round  tower,  of  which  the  foundations  are  extant. 
Northward  of  this,  on  a  tabular  summit  of  equal 
height,  are  the  remains  of  a  small  fortress  or  Acro- 
polis :  on  the  lower  slope  of  the  hill  are  the  ruins 
of  several  terrace  walls ;  and  there  are  some  foun- 
dations also  in  the  plain.  Some  cisterns  were 
described  to  me  by  a  peasant  as  existing  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  Paleokastro,  but  I  did  not  see 


1  Liv.  1.33,  c.  17. 

2  Thucyd.  1.  3,  c.  7.  Strabo 
therefore  is  at  variance  with  the 
historian,  since  he  not  only  as- 
serts that  the  name  was  changed 
by  the  Corinthian  colony,  but 
that  Leucas  was  built  on  a  dif- 
ferent site  from  that  of  Nericus. 
(Strabo,  p.  452,  vide  infra.) 
But  it  is  not  uncommon  to  find 


that  cities,  which  history  repre- 
sents to  have  been  rebuilt  on  a 
different  site,  have  been  merely 
restored  and  enlarged,  with  a 
change  of  name,  and  such  seems 
to  have  been  the  case  in  the 
present  instance. 

3  Liv.  1.  33,  c.  17;   1.  36, 
c.  11. 


XXII.] 


LEUCAS. 


17 


them.  Close  to  the  remains  of  the  walls  to  the 
southward  there  is  another  fine  fountain,  fitted  up  in 
the  Turkish  manner,  called  airaofxkvn  /3pv<r«;,  or 
the  shattered  fountain,  and  lying  near  it  a  small 
sepulchral  stone,  inscribed  with  the  name  Aapo*, 
the  last  letter  doubtful.  In  an  adjoining  vineyard 
I  observed  a  plain  sarcophagus,  and  among  other 
remains  of  the  southern  cemetery  of  the  city  a  tomb 
made  of  slabs  of  stone  set  upright,  in  the  most  simple 
style,  and  which  had  been  excavated.  Count  Orio 
found  not  long  ago,  in  this  vineyard,  a  sepul- 
chral stone  with  a  woman's  name.  Immediately 
below  the  vineyards  of  Kaligoni  are  some  exten- 
sive salt  pans  of  the  same  name,  which  extend 
southward  to  a  small  round  fortress  in  ruins  called 
Forti,  and  to  the  southern  harbour  of  Amaxikhi, 
named  Drepano. 

Opposite  to  the  middle  of  the  ancient  city  some 
remains  of  a  Hellenic  mole  are  visible,  evidently 
appertaining  to  a  causeway  and  bridge  which  here 
crossed  the  lagoon.  The  bridge  was  rendered  neces- 
sary by  a  channel,  which  pervades  the  whole  length 
of  the  lagoon,  and  admits  a  passage  to  boats  draw- 
ing five  or  six  feet  of  water,  while  the  other  parts 
of  the  lagoon  are  not  more  than  two  feet  in  depth. 
The  great  squared  blocks  which  formed  the  ancient 
causeway  are  still  seen  above  the  shallow  water  in 
several  places  on  either  side  of  the  deep  channel, 
but   particularly  towards   the  Acarnanian  shore  ; 
on  which  side,    a  little   to  the  southward  of  the 
causeway,  on  a  small  rocky  height,  are  remains 
of  habitations,  and  of  a  castle  of  the  middle  ages. 
The  bridge  seems  to  have  been  kept  in  repair  at 

VOL.   III.  c 


18 


LEUCAS. 


[chap. 


a  late  period  of  time,  there  being  a  solid  cubical 
fabric  of  masonry  of  more  modern  workmanship 
erected  on  the  causeway  on  the  western  bank  of 
the  channel. 

The  earliest  appellation  of  Leucas  was  Acte,  or 
the  "peninsula,"  a  name  applied  to  some  other 
great  maritime  projections  of  the  continentofGreece, 
as  Argolis,  Attica,  and  Athos.  To  that  of  Leucas 
the  word  'H-n-upov  was  added  as  a  distinction,  and 
'A/err)  'Hireipoio  seems  to  have  been  its  common  de- 
signation in  the  time  of  Homer  ;  it  was  indeed  very 
naturally  so  named  by  the  neighbouring  island- 
ers, as  Epirus  or  "  the  continent"  was  the  word 
then  applied  to  the  whole  of  Acarnania  as  well  as 
to  Epirus  proper.  According  to  Scylax,  the  people 
of  the  town  were  called  Epileucadii,  so  that  it 
would  seem  that  the  name  Leucas,  derived  from 
the  cliffs  of  the  western  coast,  had  at  an  early 
period  been  adopted  by  the  people.  The  Acar- 
nanes  of  Leucas  being  in  a  state  of  insurrection 
called  in  a  thousand  colonists  from  Corinth,  who 
slew  the  Acarnanes,  occupied  the  country,  and 
cutting  through  the  isthmus  made  it  an  island1. 
According  to  Pliny,  this  canal,  or  dioryctus  as  it 
was  called,  was  3  stades  in  length 2,  a  distance 
which  agrees  so  well  with  the  breadth  of  the 
Plaka,  that  one  cannot  doubt  that  the  dioryctus 
was  cut  through  that  sand-bank,  probably  not 
far  from  the  fort  of  Santa  Maura,  where  the 
spit  making  an  angle  to  the  south,  alluvion  is 
quickly    accumulated,    and    has    a    constant   ten- 

1     Scylax     in     'Ampvavla.  2   Plin.  H.  N.  1.  4,  c.  12. 

Strabo,  p.  452. 


XXII.] 


LEUCAS. 


1!) 


dency  to  close  the  entrance  of  the  deep  channel 
which  pervades  the  lagoon,  and  the  navigation  of 
which  was  probably  the  object  of  the  Corin- 
thians. If  by  this  operation  they  rendered  Leucas 
an  island,  we  are  to  suppose  that  the  part  of  the 
lagoon  between  the  Plaka  and  Lamia,  which  now 
insulates  Leucas,  did  not  anciently  exist.  But  I 
am  more  disposed  to  believe,  notwithstanding  the 
'A/ct?7  of  Homer,  and  other  ancient  testimonies,  that 
Leucas  was  never  more  of  a  peninsula  nor  less  of 
an  island  than  it  is  at  present ;  that  is  to  say,  that 
it  has  always  been  separated  by  a  narrow  fordable 
channel,  and  that  the  changes  which  appear  from 
history  to  have  occurred  were  all  caused  by  the 
natural  obstruction  and  artificial  clearing  of  the 
entrance  of  the  deep  channel. 

The  dioryctus  formed  by  the  Corinthian  colony 
in  the  seventh  century,  B.C.,  had  become  unser- 
viceable before  the  Peloponnesian  war,  as  appears 
by  the  Peloponnesian  fleet  having  on  more  than  one 
occasion  been  dragged  across  the  isthmus,  though 
Leucas  was  entirely  in  their  interest  \  It  was  in  the 
same  state  in  the  reign  of  Philip,  son  of  Demetrius, 
for  Polybius  relates,  that  when  Philip  surprised 
Thermus,  in  the  year  b.  c.  218,  and  was  hastening 
with  his  fleet  from  Cephallenia  by  Leucas  to  the 
Ambracic  Gulf,  he  caused  his  ships  to  be  conveyed 
across  the  isthmus  2,  and  Livy  in  describing  the 


'  Thucyd.  1.  3,  c.  81  ;   1.  4,  The  isthmus  seems  to  have 

c.  8.  been  still  called  the  Dioryctus, 

2  thTpeTTMra/JEvoc  ret  wepl  tvv  although    the    canal    was    ob- 

AtopvKTOv,  Kal  tcivti)  ^lUKOfiiara^  structed. 
rag  vavg. — Polyb.  1.  5,  c.  5. 

c  2 


20 


LEUCAS. 


[chap. 


siege  of  Leucas  by  L.  Quinctius,  21  years  after- 
wards, uses  the  words,  "  Leucadia  nunc  insula  et 
vadoso  freto  quod  perfossum  manu  est  ab  Acar- 
nania  divisa,  turn  peninsula  erat ' ;"  the  restoration 
of  the  dioryctus  was  perhaps  a  work  of  the  Ro- 
mans, after  the  Macedonian  conquest,  when  one 
of  their  first  acts  was  to  separate  Leucas  from  the 
Acarnanian  confederacy.  Both  bridge  and  canal 
appear  from  Strabo  to  have  existed  in  the  reign 
of  Augustus,  whose  policy  it  was  to  facilitate 
communication  by  sea  and  land,  by  these  means 
securing  the  power  of  Rome,  maintaining  peace, 
and  extending  the  commercial  intercourse  of  the 
subject  nations. 

It  is  curious  that  Livy,  though  he  has  probably 
borrowed,  as  usual,  the  part  of  his  narrative  just 
referred  to  from  Polybius,  has  represented  the 
town  of  Leucas  as  situated  on  the  isthmus,  where 
it  was  500  paces  long  and  120  broad.  Perhaps 
in  improving  the  expression  he  lost  some  of  the 
truth  of  his  author,  as  he  has  done  in  some 
other  instances.  From  a  similar  inaccuracy  we 
may  suspect  that  Strabo  never  visited  Leucas 
in  person,  like  many  other  places  which  he  has 
incorrectly  described,  for  he  represents  the  isth- 
mus, the  dioryctus,  the  bridge,  and  Leucas  to 
have  been  all  in  the  same  place,  and  Nericus  in 
a  different  situation  2,  whereas  from  what  I  have 


1   Liv.  1.  33,  c.  17.  viyKavTEQ  rt]v  Nijpixoi'  iirl  tov 

3   Kupii'dioi  cie tottov   oq   r'jv    ttote   (jlev   to-fyzoc 

•    TVG   ytppoyiiaov  Ciopv-  vvv  Se  wopdfJ-oc  yetpvpy.  ^evktuq, 

lavrtc    tov    Iffdfivv,    tiroitjaai'  fXErwvofiaaar    AtVKaBa. — Stra- 

vfjaov   ri]f   AevkABu    cai    jxete-  bo,  p.  4o2. 


XXII.] 


LEUCAS. 


21 


already  stated,  it  is  evident  that  Nericus,  Leucas, 
and  the  bridge,  were  in  one  position,  and  the  isth- 
mus and  dioryctus  at  a  distance  of  three  miles  to 
the  north  of  them. 

The  insecurity  which  the  city  of  Leucas  felt 
from  being  placed  on  a  peninsula,  or  what  was 
nearly  the  same  thing  in  a  military  sense,  an 
island  to  which  there  was  a  fordable  access  from 
the  continent,  is  strongly  proved  by  the  traces  of 
a  Hellenic  wall,  commencing  near  Amaxikhi,  and 
terminating  at  the  bluff  cape  which  rises  from  the 
western  extremity  of  the  sandy  beach.  This  wall 
intercepted  the  communication  between  the  an- 
cient city  and  the  isthmus,  or  promontory  of 
Plaka,  and  may  have  been  useful  also  against  a 
landing  in  the  bay  of  Amaxikhi.  It  was  probably 
built  before  the  union  of  Leucas  with  Acarnania. 
Count  Orio  affirms  that  just  before  the  fall  of 
Venice,  every  thing  was  in  readiness  to  renew  the 
ancient  canal,  which  would  be  extremely  useful  to 
the  island,  as  well  as  to  the  whole  coast  of  Acar- 
nania and  Epirus,  by  enabling  small  vessels  to 
avoid  the  circuit  of  Cape  Dukato  \ 

Sept.  13. — This  being  the  first  of  the  month 
(Greek  style)  is  the  day  of  meeting  of  the  Syncliti 
to  choose  the  members  of  the  legislative  body,  of 
whom  this  island  sends  four,  Corfu  ten,  Zante  ten, 
Cefalonia  ten,  Ithaca  two,  Paxu  two,  Cerigo  two. 


1  The    canal  has    been    re-  side  of  Fort  Santa  Maura,  and 

stored  since  Leucas  has  been  joins    the    deep   channel    near 

under  English  protection  :  it  en-  Amaxikhi. 
ters  the  lagoon  on  the  western 


22 


LEUCAS. 


[CH.AP. 


The  Assembly  meets  in  the  church  of  St.  Minas 
on  the  out-skirts  of  the  town,  with  a  Russian  guard 
at  the  door.  The  Prytano,  S.  V.  .  .  of  Corfu,  opens 
the  assembly  with  a  long  speech  in  Greek,  point- 
ing out  the  importance  of  the  business  on  which 
they  are  met,  and  supporting  his  arguments  by 
examples  from  ancient  history.  He  has  the  cha- 
racter of  being  one  of  the  most  learned  men  in 
these  islands,  and  the  speech  is  much  commended, 
though  I  hear  one  of  the  country  nobles  whisper- 
ing to  another,  Ka\a  \6yia,  '  fine  words  without 
meaning.'  In  fact,  not  one  of  those  present  is 
ignorant  that  the  meeting  is  all  a  farce,  and  that 
the  legislators  have  been  named  a  fortnight  ago 
by  N.  the  emissary  of  the  Russian  plenipotentiary. 
But  this  does  not  prevent  the  ceremony  of  a  ballot 
for  26  names,  out  of  which  a  selection  of  four  is 
to  be  made  by  the  Senate.  Two  days  are  allowed 
for  the  ballot,  when  the  boxes,  sealed  by  the  pry- 
tano, are  sent  to  Corfu  to  be  opened  before  the 
Senate.  It  is  a  common  joke  to  call  the  Syncliti, 
Synklefti.  Lefkadha  produces  corn  enough  for  its 
own  consumption,  and  some  oil  for  exportation ;  a 
great  quantity  of  salt,  and  wine  sufficient  not  only 
for  home  consumption,  but  for  exportation  in  con- 
siderable quantities  to  Corfu,  Prevyza,  and  other 
places.  Besides  the  salt-works  of  Kaligoni,  there 
are  some  smaller  near  the  town.  The  salt-cham- 
bers are  separated  from  one  another  by  other 
chambers  in  which  no  salt  is  made ;  the  stagnant 
water  in  these  and  in  the  ditches  causes  malaria. 
The  salt  is  piled  up  in  large  pyramids,  and  co- 
vered with  a  roof  of  tiles.     At  Corfu  it  is  formed 


XXII.] 


LEUCAS. 


23 


into  little  hillocks.  The  manufacture  there  is 
not  so  good  as  it  is  here,  nor  the  salt  so  much 
esteemed. 

On  the  Acarnanian  mountain,  which  lies  oppo- 
site to  the  anchorage  of  Forti,  and  which  extends 
to  the  bay  of  Zaverdha,  is  the  scattered  village  of 
Plaia  l,  and  on  the  slope  of  Lamia  the  monastery 
and  small  village  of  Aghia  Varvara.  There  is 
considerable  confusion  in  common  discourse  as  to 
the  name  of  Santa  Maura,  which  is  given  occasion- 
ally to  the  island,  the  town,  or  the  fortress,  but 
properly  'Ay'ia  MaOpa,  is  the  fortress,  having  re- 
ceived that  name  from  a  small  church  which  stood 
on  the  site,  'Afia^iyi  is  the  town  and  AtvicaSa  the 
island. 

Sept.  14. — The  manzera  having  made  the  tour 
of  the  island  by  Kavo  Dukato,  I  pass  through  the 
channel  of  the  Lagoons  in  a  small  flat-bottomed 
boat,  and  rejoin  the  vessel  a  little  below  Forti. 
Sailing  out  of  the  harbour  of  Drepano,  we  leave 
the  fountain  of  the  Pasha2,  on  the  right  hand,  and 
then  pass  the  port  of  Klimino,  which  is  sheltered 
by  four  or  five  islands  lying  before  it.  The  two 
principal,  called  Sparti  and  Skropeo,  produce  good 
corn.  Maduri,  situated  exactly  in  the  entrance  of 
Klimino,  is  covered  with  olives,  and  belongs  to  Kyr 
Nikola  Vretto  of  Ithaca.  The  harbour  communi- 
cates by  a  narrow  opening  with  a  long  interior  bay. 
Klimino  I  take  to  be  a  corruption  of  the  Ellome- 
nus  of  Thucydides 3. 


1    HAaytar. 

3  Thucyd.  1.  3,  c.  94. 


2    YSnvaiv  rod  Wutnu. 


24 


ITHACA, 


[chap. 


Leaving  Meganisi  on  the  right,  we  run  along 
the  coast  of  Acamajiia,  which  rises  to  a  lofty 
mountain  named  Kandili,  containing  a  village  of 
the  same  name ;  but  the  wind  coming  to  the  south 
we  are  unable  to  weather  the  outer  cape  of  Ka- 
lamo called  Kefali,  and  stand  close  in  to  the  shore 
towards  the  northern  extremity  of  the  island, 
where  is  the  village  Piskopi,  and  below  it  a 
small  harbour.  Opposite  to  the  northern  ex- 
tremity of  Kalamo,  is  a  large  bay,  bordered  by 
an  extensive  plain,  in  which  are  the  ruins  of  the 
village  Varnaka,  and  some  Hellenic  remains, 
probably  those  of  Alyzia.  The  bay  is  divided 
into  two  by  a  low  projection  named  Mytika. 
The  eastern  anchorage  is  called  Vurko,  and  from 
some  magazines  of  that  name  there  is  a  road  of 
an  hour  across  a  fertile  valley  and  steep  ascent 
to  Zavitza,  a  large  village  on  the  mountain  at  the 
head  of  the  valley.  Mount  Kandili  is  separated 
by  a  remarkable  pass  from  Mount  Bumisto,  which 
is  the  highest  summit  in  this  part  of  Acarnania, 
and  is  nearly  opposite  to  Kalamo.  Southward 
of  Bumisto  a  long  ridge  borders  the  coast,  which 
ends  in  the  promontory  on  the  western  side  of 
the  entrance  of  the  harbour  of  Tragamesti. 

Sept.  15. — Never  having  seen  a  tolerable  map 
of  Ithaca,  I  was  most  agreeably  surprised  in  enter- 
ing the  noble  Gulf  of  Molo  this  morning  at  day- 
break'. To  the  right  rises  with  extreme  steepness 
the    great    mountain   of  Anoi,   which,    being   the 


1  See  a  Map  of  Ithaca  at  the  end  of  this  volume. 


XXII.] 


ITHACA. 


25 


highest  and  greatest  in  the  island,  we  can  have 
no  difficulty  in  identifying  with  the  Neritum  of 
the  poet.  To  the  left  are  three  harbours ;  the 
outer  is  a  semicircular  port  called  Skhino,  per- 
haps an  ancient  name,  then  Vathy  two  miles  in 
length,  and  widening  to  the  breadth  of  half  a  mile 
towards  the  bottom ;  then  Dhexia,  resembling 
Skhino,  but  smaller,  and  so  called  probably  as 
being  to  the  right  in  entering  the  principal  har- 
bour Vathy.  An  island  before  it  is  named 
Katzurbo.  Beyond  Dhexia  the  gulf  extends  two 
miles  to  the  S.W.,  and  terminates  in  the  port 
of  Aeto,  separated  only  from  the  channel  of 
Kefalonia  by  a  narrow  ridge  which  thus  divides 
the  island  into  two  peninsulas.  The  town  of 
Vathy  occupies  a  long  narrow  space  on  the  shore 
at  the  head  of  the  bay  of  the  same  name.  Before 
it  is  an  island  named  Pandokratora,  on  which 
stands  a  lazaretto.  I  am  lodged  in  the  house  of 
Mr.  Constantine  Zavo,  English  vice-consul,  whose 
father  held  the  same  office  for  50  years.  The 
Pry  tan  o  is  of  a  Venetian  family  settled  at  Kefalo- 
nia. He  has  lately  excited  considerable  discon- 
tent by  disarming  the  Ithacans,  and  taking  away 
from  them  even  the  small  knives  which  they  wore 
in  their  girdles. 

In  a  decree  of  the  senate  of  Venice,  dated  in  the 
year  1504,  of  which  a  copy  still  exists  at  Vathy, 
lands  are  offered  gratis,  and  an  exemption  from 
all  imposts  for  ten  years  in  the  uninhabited  island 
lying  on  the  eastern  side  of  Cefalonia  called  Val 
di   Compare,    or    Val    di    Compagno  ;    in    conse- 


26 


ITHACA. 


[chap. 


quence  of  this  decree  the  island  was  occupied, 
and  25  years  afterwards  was  governed  by  a  Vene- 
tian styled  II  Capitano.  In  this  instance,  as  in 
many  others,  the  Greeks,  however  much  behind 
the  Italians  they  may  be  in  civilization  generally, 
show  that  they  were  not  so  ignorant  of  the  an- 
cient geography  of  Greece,  for  they  have  never 
ceased  to  apply  to  this  island  its  ancient  name, 
altered  merely  by  a  simple  metathesis  of  the  two 
first  letters,  Giukjj  for  'Wann,  while  the  latter  is  well 
known  by  the  better  classes  to  be  the  correct  ortho- 
graphy. The  gentile  'IOaKrjmoc,  employed  by  Ho- 
mer, is  in  use,  as  well  as  'Wuko^,  which  is  found  in 
Euripides1,  and  on  the  coins  of  the  island;  the 
corresponding  Oiukoq  is  now  the  vulgar  gentile. 
From  Qidicr)  has  been  formed  the  Italian  Teachi  or 
Teaci.  Every  peasant  is  acquainted  with  the  name 
of  Odhyssefs,  though  few  know  much  of  his  story, 
and  probably  not  six  persons  in  the  island  have 
ever  read  Homer. 

Thiaki  has  a  population  of  8000  souls,  of  whom 
about  1200  are  absentees,  either  as  merchants 
employed  chiefly  at  Constantinople  in  importing 
grain  and  iron  into  that  city  from  the  Black  Sea, 
or  as  sailors  working  the  ships  of  the  island, 
possessed  by  those  merchants.  By  the  majority 
the  two  employments  are  combined.  There  are 
50   square-rigged  vessels   owned   and  manned  by 


1    2/A»/»'0£. — Xatp'  (i>  ijtV  0(TTiQ  cS'tt,  <f>pa(Toi'  Trc'iTpav  re  ai]v. 
'OSveraevg. — 'IOecKOf  'Ocvautvq  yrjq  KifaXXiiiojy  (iicti,. 

Eurip.  Cyclop,  v.  102. 


XXII.] 


ITHACA. 


27 


Ithacans,  and  about  as  many  boats,  which  carry 
on  a  traffic  with  the  neighbouring  islands  and 
shores  of  the  continent.  About  20  of  the  ships 
have  been  built  in  the  island. 

The  exports  of  Thiaki  are  250,000  lire  Venete  of 
currants,  now  valued  at  25,000  piastres,  6,000  bar- 
rels of  wine  at  60,000  piastres,  and  1,500  barrels 
of  oil  every  other  year,  valued  at  30,000  piastres. 
The  island  produces  also  a  sufficiency  of  oil  and 
wine  for  its  own  consumption,  20,000  kila  of  wheat 
and  barley,  and  a  small  quantity  of  cheese.  The 
grain  is  hardly  sufficient  for  half  the  year's  con- 
sumption, and  the  yearly  expenditure  on  this  head 
is  reckoned  at  125,000  piastres.  There  is  some 
importation  also  of  salt  fish,  and  cattle  for  slaugh- 
ter. The  currants  of  the  island  were  sent  formerly 
to  England  by  the  Zante  merchants,  and  were  the 
most  esteemed  of  any,  but  they  are  now  chiefly 
bought  by  the  Sclavonians  and  Moreites.  The 
wine  is  sent  to  Corfu  and  the  continent ;  the  oil 
to  Trieste  and  Venice  ;  the  cheese  to  Zante.  The 
daily  price  of  labour  is,  on  ordinary  occasions,  80 
paras  a  day  without  provision,  which  is  higher 
than  in  most  of  the  other  islands,  agricultural 
hands  being  scarce.  The  valley  around  Vathy  is 
well  cultivated  with  corn,  and  scarcely  a  spot  on 
the  heights,  that  will  admit  of  a  vineyard,  has  been 
neglected.  The  remainder  consists  of  rocky  ground 
covered  with  brushwood.  To  the  south-west  of 
the  town  rises  the  highest  mountain  in  the  southern 
peninsula,  and  next  to  the  mountain  of  Anoi  the 
highest  point  in  the  island.     It  is  called  Stefano- 


28 


ITHACA. 


[chap. 


vuni,  or  Merovugli  :  on  its  slope  are  situated  the 
village  of  Perakhorio  and  the  Monastery  of  the 
Archangels.  On  the  opposite  or  western  side  it 
slopes  abruptly  to  the  channel  of  Kefalonia.  The 
superiority  of  Vathy  in  fertility,  and  the  con- 
venience of  its  harbour  render  probable  the 
supposition  that  here  was  one  of  the  towns  of 
Ithaca,  if  not  the  capital,  and  the  presumption  is 
supported  by  the  numerous  wrought  stones  of  Hel- 
lenic times,  found  in  the  houses  and  streets  of  the 
town,  and  in  the  fences  around  it. 

The  three  principal  families  of  Ithaca  are  the 
Petaliadhes,  the  Karaviadhes,  and  the  Dhendhri- 
nadhes ;  a  principal  branch  of  the  first  has  taken 
the  name  of  Zavo,  because  one  of  the  ancestors  of 
our  present  Vice-Consul  was  an  idiot.  This  family 
owns  the  valley  at  Aeto,  the  greater  part  of  Anoi, 
and  a  part  of  the  land  near  Vathy,  of  which  the 
remainder  chiefly  belongs  to  the  Dhendhrinadh.es, 
particularly  to  their  chief  Asimaki  Dhrakoleone. 
The  valley  of  Oxoi,  the  most  productive  district  in 
the  island,  is  chiefly  the  property  of  the  Vrettei,  a 
branch  of  the  Karaviadhes  :  a  Vrettos  from  Vasi- 
liki,  in  Lefkadha,  came  to  settle  in  the  island  near 
200  years  ago,  from  whom  150  families  of  that 
name  are  descended. 

A  peaked  height  to  the  S.  E.  of  Vathy,  easily 
recognized  from  the  A  car  nanian  coast,  furnishes  an 
excellent  geographical  station,  and  commands  an 
interesting  view  of  the  sea,  surrounded  by  Leucas, 
Ithaca,  and  Acarnania,  with  the  numerous  islands 
•vhich  rise  from  its  surface  and  the  coast  of  the  main 


XXTT.] 


ECHINADES. 


29 


as  far  as  Cape  Chclonatas  in  the  Peloponnesus.  Of 
the  islands, — Kalamo,  Kastus,  'Atoko,  and  all  the 
Echinades,  are  dependencies  of  Thiaki — Meganisi, 
Arkudhi,  and  the  small  islands  near  Klimino,  of 
Lefkadha.  As  several  of  them  are  within  gunshot 
of  the  Ottoman  shore,  the  Septinsular  Republic 
would  have  some  difficulty  in  establishing  any 
better  right  to  them  than  that  of  undisputed  pos- 
session for  several  centuries,  unless  there  was  some 
particular  treaty  by  which  they  were  ceded  to  the 
Venetians,  unknown  to  every  person  of  whom  I 
have  made  the  inquiry. 

The  Protogeros  of  Kalamo,  who  happens  at  pre- 
sent to  be  at  Vathy,  informs  me  that  his  island 
contains  100  families,  living  in  the  two  villages  of 
Muli  and  Piskopi,  the  former  situated  on  the 
eastern  face  of  the  mountain ;  the  latter  on  the 
western  as  before  mentioned.  The  island  pro- 
duces nothing  but  wheat  and  barley,  both  ex- 
cellent, but  particularly  the  former,  which  is 
preferred  to  any  other  produced  in  the  Seven  Is- 
lands. At  the  northern  extremity  of  the  island, 
over  against  Kandiles,  is  the  port  of  Ai  Dhonato, 
with  magazines  and  a  square  Castle  called  Spanish, 
on  the  water  side,  and  on  the  slope  above  it  some 
imperfect  remains  of  Hellenic  masonry.  On  the 
summit  of  the  hill  which  immediately  faces  the 
continent,  there  is  also  a  Hellenic  castle  or  acro- 
polis, built  of  very  large  wrought  stones.  This 
mountain  is  very  little  lower  than  the  central 
summit  of  the  island,  which  declines  rapidly  to- 
wards the  south-western  cape  Kefali,  not  far  from 
which,  on  the  eastern  side,  and  opposite  to  Kastus, 


30 


ECHINADES. 


[chap. 


is  the  port  of  Ghero  Limiona  open  to  the  east. 
Kastus,  which  contains  20  or  30  families,  is  about 
half  as  large  as  Kalamo.  The  islands  are  both 
long  and  narrow,  and  lie  in  a  parallel  direction, 
the  channel  which  separates  them  is  two  miles 
wide  in  the  broadest  part.  Off  the  northern  ex- 
tremity of  Kastus  is  Provataki,  an  islet  covered 
with  wild  olives,  which  have  been  grafted,  but 
without  much  success. 

Meganisi  contains  about  200  families  in  two 
villages,  and  produces  twice  as  much  corn  as  Ka- 
lamo, the  soil  being  generally  cultivable.  The 
Meganisiotes  pretend  that  their  wheat  is  better 
than  that  of  Kalamo.  The  island  consists  of  a 
single  ridge,  forming  a  half  circle  round  a  large 
bay  on  the  eastern  side,  and  diminishing  in  height 
and  breadth  from  north  to  south.  The  latter  ex- 
tremity is  a  mere  rock,  off  which  is  a  small  low 
island  called  Khithro,  separated  from  Meganisi  by 
a  narrow  channel,  and  appearing  at  a  distance 
like  a  part  of  it. 

The  Echinades,  which  name,  although  not  in 
vulgar  use,  is  known  to  all  Greeks  of  any  educa- 
tion, are  divided  into  two  clusters,  besides  Pe- 
tala,  which  being  quite  barren  and  close  to  the 
main  land,  is  not  claimed,  or  at  least  is  not  occu- 
pied by  the  Ithacans,  though  anciently  it  was 
undoubtedly  one  of  the  Echinades.  The  northern 
cluster  is  commonly  called  the  Dhragonares,  from 
Dhragonara,  the  principal  island ;  and  the  south- 
ern, the  Oxies,  or  Skrofes.  By  the  Venetians  they 
were  known  as  the  islands  of  Kurtzohiri,  which 
name  belongs  properly  to  a  peninsula  to  the  left 

J2 


XXII.] 


ITHACA. 


31 


of  the  mouth  of  the  Achelous,  near  Oxia.  Seven- 
teen of  the  islands  have  names  beside  the  four 
Modhia,  two  of  which  are  mere  rocks,  and  nine  of 
them  are  cultivated.  These  are  beginning  from 
the  southward  : — Oxia,  Makri,  Vromona,  Pondiko- 
nisi,  Karlonisi,  Provati,  Lambrino,  Sofia,  Dhrago- 
nara.  Oxia  alone  is  lofty.  Dhragonara  produces 
from  250  to  300  kila  of  grain  per  annum ;  and 
Mr.  Zavo,  of  Ithaca,  to  whom  the  island  be- 
longs, has  grafted  many  wild  olives,  which  have 
succeeded  to  perfection.  Makri  and  Vromona 
are  the  two  islands  next  in  importance.  It  is 
said  that  most  of  the  JEchinades,  as  well  as  the 
other  islands  attached  to  the  government  of  Tlii- 
aki,  formerly  belonged  to  a  large  monastery  at 
Kastus. 

Ithaca,  as  the  poet  justly  remarks  in  the  Odys- 
sey, is  rugged,  has  no  good  roads,  and  is  not 
well  adapted  to  horses  ;  though  small,  it  is  not 
unproductive,  but  yields  good  corn  and  wine, 
and   feeds   goats  and   oxen1.     So   far  its  modern 


1  'Ev  ri'  'Iddxr)  ovr   dp'  cpofxoL  evpieg  ovre  rt  \eijxmv' 
Alyifiorog  Kal  fiaWov  eirijparog  'nnrofioroio. 
Ov  ydp  rig  vi'i<twv  t7r7n'/\aroc  ovd'  evXel/jicov 
At  6'  a\t  kekXIcltcu'  'Iddxr]  Si  re  Kat  ir(.p\  irdaaov. 

Od.  A.  v.  (505. 

NaiETciu)  $'  'Wdtcrjv  tvSe.ie\oy'  kv  o'  vpog  avrrj 
N?/ptro)',  elvoffifvWop,  apiirpewig 


Tpr)yjiT  d\X  dyadt)  KovpoTpofog. 


Od.  I.  v.  21. 


T  Hroi 


32 


ITHACA. 


[chap. 


state  resembles  that  of  the  time  of  Homer  ;  but 
the  mountains  are  no  longer  shaded  with  woods, 
and  this  may  be  the  reason  why  the  rain  and  the 
dew  are  not  so  plentiful  as  the  poet  represents, 
and  why  the  island  no  longer  abounds  in  hogs  fat- 
tening upon  acorns. 

Mr.  Zavo  came  in  eleven  hours  in  a  boat  from 
the  port  of  Kastradhes,  at  Corfu,  to  the  town  of 
Vathy.  The  same  voyage  by  Ulysses,  therefore, 
in  the  course  of  a  night1  was  not  wonderful,  with 
the  assistance  of  Minerva.  The  port  of  Phorcys, 
which  was  his  place  of  landing,  I  am  inclined  to 
identify  with  Skhino,  for  this  seems  the  only  point 
in  the  island  exactly  corresponding  to  the  poet's 
data  :  1.  In  being  suited  to  the  intention  of  those 
who  conveyed  Ulysses  from  Corcyra,  namely,  that 
of  landing  him  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  of  quit- 
ting the  coast  before  he  was  awake  ;  2dly,  in  ad- 
mitting of  an  easy  and  "unobserved  walk  from  the 
place  of  landing  to  the  station  of  Eumaeus,  at  the 


'Urol  nil'  Tpi]\tia  kcu  ov%  t7T7r//\aroe  tarty, 
Ovdt  Xirjy  \v7rpf1,  drdp  obfr  tvptla  rtrvKrai. 
'Ej/  fitv  yap  o\  oitoq  ddiatyaroc,  tv  $£  rt  olvoc 
riyytrai'  altl  &  ofifipoQ  tyti,  TtBaXv'id  t   ttparj. 
Alylporog  t)'  dyad))  xat  fiovfioroc'  tan  fitv  vXi] 
llarroii],  tv  c'  dpd[.io'i  tirr)tTavoi  rrapiaaiv. 

Od.  N.  v.  242. 

A//£i<,  tuv  ye  avtaai  Trapi'iptvoi''  at  It  vifxorTat 
Hap  KopaKog  TTtVprj  iizi  re  Kp{) rt]  'Aptdovay, 
"  V.aBovaai  (oliXayov  uevoeiKta,  xal  /xtXay  vciop 
Uirovaai,  ra  0'  iieaai  rptQsi  redaXvlav  dXoi(j>)'iv. 

Od.  N.  v.  407. 
1  Od.  N.  v.  81. 


XXII.] 


ITHACA. 


33 


£<x)(araj,  or  extremity1  of  the  island  which  was  nearest 
to  the  Peloponnesus2,  the  first  might,  perhaps,  have 
been  better  obtained  by  a  landing  in  some  port  of 
the  northern  peninsula,  but  the  second  would  have 
been  impracticable  from  thence  ;  3dly,  the  situation 
of  Mount  Neritum,  which  rises  directly  in  face  of 
Skhino,  is  exactly  adapted  to  the  speech  of  the 
disguised  Minerva,  when  she  proves  to  Ulysses 
that  he  is  in  Ithaca,  by  pointing  to  the  mountain3; 
4thly,  the  road  from  Skhino  to  the  station  of  Eu- 
maeus  was  exactly  as  Homer  describes,  rugged, 
and  leading  through  woods  and  mountains4. 

The  island  is  now  divided  into  four  parts, 
Vathy,  Aetos,  Anoi,  and  Exoi  or  Oxoi5.  Vathy  and 
Oxoi,  the  two  extremities,  have  each  a  fertile  val- 
ley. In  Aetos  and  Anoi,  which  occupy  the  middle 
part  of  the  island,  the  rocky  mountains  admit  of 
little  cultivation.  Aetos  is  the  only  division  which 
has  not  a  homonymous  village  ;  the  name,  vulgarly 
Aeto6,  is  specifically  attached  to  the  remains  of 


1  Od.  a.  v.  149. 

2  Avrdp  etti)v  wptjrrjv  oIkt^V  'I0a'(C»j£  ctytKijai. 

Od.  O.  v.  36. 

Telemachus  was  sailing  from  the  Peloponnesus. 

3  QopKvvog  [xtv  oh'  tori  Xtfiijv  aXloio  yipovroQ' 

Tovto  £e  Niipirov  zotiv  opoc,  Karadfievov  vXy. 

Od.  N.  v.  345. 

4  Avrdp  o  Ik  Xifxevog  Trpoaefir)  rpi]\fiav  aVapirov, 

XCjpov  aV  vXi'ievra  Bi  axpiae. 

Od.  SS.  v.  1. 

5  Ba$v,  'Aeroe,  'Avwrj,  'Eijwi)  or  'Qfar). 

6  (xtov  'Aerov,  according  to   the  common  mode  of  naming  a 
place  in  the  third  case,  when  the  final  v  is  generally  mute. 

VOL.  III.  D 


34 


ITHACA. 


[CHAP. 


a  Hellenic  fortress  situated  on  the  height  already 
alluded  to,  which  rises  from  the  extremity  of  the 
Gulf  of  Molo,  and  falls  on  the  opposite  side  to 
the  channel  of  Kefalonia. 

This  height  is  separated  from  Mount  Mero- 
vugli  by  a  hollow  cultivated  with  vineyards. 
Here  on  the  16th  of  September,  having  sailed 
from  Vathy,  I  pitched  my  tent,  and  remained  the 
whole  day  examining  the  ruins,  or  looking  over 
the  topographical  passages  of  the  Odyssey,  while  a 
party  of  labourers  excavated  some  ancient  sepul- 
chres in  the  valley.    There  is  a  ridge  in  the  middle 


Part  of  the  Isthmus  of  Aeto. 


of  the  hollow,  which  slopes  to  the  sea  on  either 
side,  terminating  to  the  north  in  the  extremity  of 
the  Gulf  of  Molo,  or  anchorage  of  Aeto,  and  to 
the  south  in  a  small  cove  named  Exo-Aeto,  almost 
the  only  shelter  in  the  rocky  coast  of  that  side  of 
the  island  ;  the  distance  from  the  one  port  to  the 
other  across  the  hollow,  is  less  than  a  mile  and  a 
half.  A  church  stands  on  the  crest  of  the  ridge, 
which  crosses  the  hollow,  and  along  the  crest  are 

12 


XXII.  j 


ITHACA. 


35 


traced  the  remains  of  an  ancient  wall,  and  of  a 
tower  facing  towards  the  harbour  of  Aeto,  or  Gulf 
of  Molo.  A  prolongation  of  this  wall,  but  without 
any  towers,  mounts  the  steep  hill  of  Aeto  on  the 
western  side  of  the  hollow,  and  is  connected  near 
the  summit  with  the  lower  wall  of  the  citadel  of  an 
ancient  town  which  occupied  the  triangular  face 
of  this  hill,  extending  downwards  to  the  edge  of 
the  hollow,  where  its  lower  walls  may  still  be 
traced ;  it  was  thus  divided  by  the  wall  first-men- 
tioned into  two  nearly  equal  parts.  Several  ter- 
race walls  and  foundations  of  buildings  are  still 
apparent  on  the  side  of  the  hill,  within  the  ancient 
inclosure.  On  the  summit,  or  acropolis,  are  the 
remains  of  an  interior  keep,  or  some  other  build- 
ing, consisting  of  two  parallel  walls,  which  inclose 
a  long  narrow  space  containing  two  ancient  cisterns 
constructed  in  the  usual  manner. 

The  wall  along  the  ridge  of  the  hollow  appears 
to  have  been  made  for  the  purpose  of  interrupting 
occasionally  the  communication  between  the  har- 
bours of  Aeto  and  Exo-Aeto,  but  chiefly,  as  appears 
from  the  facing  of  the  tower,  as  a  defence  on  the 
side  towards  the  Gulf  of  Molo,  from  whence  a 
landing  was  most  to  be  feared,  as  being  easier  than 
on  the  other  side.  Another  intention  of  this  wall 
may  have  been  that  of  protecting  the  only  springs 
of  water  which  the  town  possessed :  one  of  these  is 
the  source  of  a  torrent  which  flows  to  the  Gulf  of 
Molo  ;  the  other  is  a  well  lined  with  large  blocks  of 
stone  of  ancient  workmanship,  situated  a  little  on 
the  descent  towards  Exo-Aeto.  A  little  above  it, 
on  the  rocky  side  of  the  height,  there  is  a  sepulchral 

d  2 


36 


ITHACA. 


[chap. 


niche  excavated  in  the  rock.  The  walls  of  the 
acropolis  on  the  hill  of  Aeto  are  of  the  polygonal 
order  of  masonry,  and  in  some  places  of  a  rudeness 
of  construction  approaching  to  the  earliest  kind. 
The  remains  below  seem  in  general  to  be  less 
ancient. 

The  peasants  who  work  in  the  vineyards  of  Aeto 
very  often  find  ancient  coins  :  generally  near  the 
well  and  tower.  My  own  excavators,  however, 
produce  nothing  to-day  but  some  coarse  beads, 
remains  of  pottery,  and  a  few  obliterated  coins  of 
Ithaca,  of  which  I  had  already  procured  others 
from  the  peasants  in  better  preservation.  None 
of  these  remains  appear  to  be  earlier  than  the 
Roman  empire.  One  of  the  coins  has  the  head 
of  Ulysses  covered  with  the  pileus ;  on  another 
is  the  head  of  Minerva  ;  and  on  a  third,  a  cock 
with  the  legend  'I(Wwv  at  length. 

Although  the  ancient  town  which  stood  at  Aeto 
was  of  small  dimensions,  not  much  more  than  a 
mile  in  circumference,  the  position  was  of  great 
importance,  as  not  only  commanding  the  inter- 
course by  land  between  the  two  peninsulas  which 
form  the  island,  but  as  having,  by  means  of  its 
port  on  either  side,  a  ready  communication  by  sea 
with  both  sides  of  Ithaca  as  well  as  with  the  ad- 
jacent coasts  and  islands.  It  appears  accordingly 
to  have  been  inhabited  in  very  distant  ages.  The 
Cyclopian  masonry  of  some  parts  of  the  walls  in- 
dicates a  date  prior  to  the  Trojan  war,  while  some 
of  the  relics  found  in  the  sepulchres,  fields,  and 
valley,  show  that  the  place  was  inhabited  twelve 
centuries  later.     Among  those  remains  are  two  se- 


XXII.] 


ITHACA. 


37 


pulchral  stones  with  single  names1.  The  modern 
path,  which  now  forms  the  only  communication 
by  land  from  the  district  of  Vathy  to  the  northern 
parts  of  the  island,  touches  the  shore  of  Port  Molo, 
and  a  little  beyond  it,  below  the  northern  walls  of 
the  Paleokastro,  divides  into  two,  that  to  the  right 
leading  to  the  monastery  of  Katara  and  village  of 
Anoi,  the  more  direct  crossing  the  isthmus  of  Aeto 
obliquely,  and  thence  proceeding  along  the  heights 
composing  the  western  coast  to  Oxoi.  It  first  passes 
a  church  of  St.  John,  which  is  just  below  Katara, 
and  from  thence  continues  to  the  village  of  Lefka, 
which  is  situated  among  terraces  of  corn,  overhang- 
ing the  steep  and  abrupt  shore  midway  between 
Aeto  and  Oxoi.  Between  Aeto  and  Ai  Ianni  are 
some  vestiges  of  the  ancient  road  cut  in  the  rock, 
and  the  letters  OA  are  distinguishable  on  the  face  of 
it.  The  learned  of  Ithaca  suppose  these  letters  to  be 
remains  of  the  name  of  Ulysses,  and  to  mark  the 
place  where  he  was  born  by  the  road  side,  from 
which  circumstance  his  name  is  supposed  to  have 
been  derived.  This  accident,  however,  according 
to  the  best  authorities,  happened  to  Anticleia  not 
in  Ithaca,  but  in  Boeotia,  and  the  letters  on  the 
rock  are  more  probably  part  of  the  word  6S6g. 

Sept.  ]  9. — Sail  in  a  small  boat  from  Vathy  for 
Frikes,  the  eastern  port  of  Oxoi,  but  the  wind  pro- 
mising to  be  a  fresh  maestrale,  land  in  the  gulf  of 
Molo,  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Neritum,  and  proceed 
on  foot  to  the  village  of  Anoi,  by  a  road  deservedly 
called  the  Klimaka,  or  ladder,  being  excessively 
steep  and  rocky  ;    for  the  greater  part  of  the  dis- 

3   V.  Inscriptions,  Nos.  106,  107. 


38 


ITHACA. 


[chap. 


tance  it  ascends  the  bed  of  a  torrent,  flowing  from 
the  summit  of  the  mountain  of  Anoi,  which  remains 
on  our  left.  The  village  of  Anoi  stands  on  the  side 
of  this  great  summit  to  the  eastward,  and  overlooks 
an  elevated  level,  if  level  it  can  be  called,  which 
consists  of  a  labyrinth  of  rocks,  separated  by  inter- 
vals of  fertile  soil  grown  with  vines.  Some  of  the 
rocks  are  needles  of  ten  or  twenty  feet  in  height. 
From  the  further  side  of  this  plain  of  Anoi,  the 
mountain  falls  to  the  sea  by  a  rapid  slope,  like  that 
by  which  we  mounted.  After  dining  at  the  vil- 
lage, we  descend  the  mountain  on  the  northern 
side,  by  a  road  which  threads  its  way  among  the 
pointed  rocks,  and  enter  the  territory  of  Oxoi, 
which  consists  of  an  undulated  valley,  together 
with  the  cultivated  slopes  of  three  surrounding 
mountains,  inclosing  a  triangular  space  between 
the  three  ports  of  Polis,  Frikes,  and  Afales1.  The 
mountain  of  Anoi  rises  on  the  southern  side  of  the 
basin  ;  the  hill  of  Oxoi,  which  has  a  remarkable 
double  summit,  incloses  it  to  the  westward,  and  to 
the  north  that  of  Marmaka,  which  is  rocky  and 
barren,  and  forms  a  peninsula  at  the  northern  ex- 
tremity of  the  island.  In  a  lofty  situation  on  the 
slope  of  the  hill  of  Oxoi  is  situated  the  village  of 
that  name,  consisting  of  fifty  or  sixty  houses  ;  and 
between  it  and  the  shore  of  Afales  stands  the  house 
of  Mr.  Nicolas  Vretto,  whom  I  met  at  Vathy,  and 
now  find  here  ready  to  receive  me,  according  to  the 
kind  invitation  which  he  there  gave  me. 

Among  other  fine  wines  of  the  island  my  host 


1    IldXte,  <t>piKa.LC,  qu.  'AipptKaig  ?    'AtydXatg,  qu.  'E<f>d.\atg  '. 


XXII.] 


ITHACA. 


39 


has  a  delicate  old  malmsey,  made  of  currants. 
These  dwarf  grapes  succeed  admirably  in  Ithaca, 
though  the  soil  does  not  resemble  that  white  argil 
of  Achaia  and  Zante  which  is  there  so  favourable 
to  them.  Here  it  is  a  loose,  light  mould,  equally 
proper  for  grain,  but  much  intersected  with  rocks, 
and  strewn  with  loose  stones.  These  in  some  places 
are  so  numerous  as  totally  to  hide  every  particle  of 
earth,  in  which  case,  though  the  land  is  useless  for 
corn,  it  is  not  ill  adapted  to  vines,  the  stones  being 
of  service  to  the  plant,  by  keeping  the  earth  moist 
in  summer.  In  fact,  the  vines  and  currants  pro- 
duced in  that  kind  of  soil  are  as  good  as  any.  The 
wine  exported  from  Ithaca  in  the  greatest  quantity, 
is  a  strong,  dry,  red  wine.  The  wheat  grown  in 
the  district  of  Oxoi  is  of  excellent  quality,  some 
particularly,  of  which  Mr.  Vretto  procured  the 
seed  from  Kalamo,  furnishes  bread  as  good  as  that 
made  from  the  grain  of  that  island.  But  the  greater 
part  of  the  bread  consumed  in  Ithaca  is  made  from 
a  mixture  of  wheat  and  barley,  raised  from  mixed 
seed.  This  bread  is  often  recommended  by  the 
physicians  of  the  Seven  Islands  to  their  dyspeptic 
patients. 

Sept.  20. — Mr.  Vretto  conducts  me  to  the  an- 
tiquities, and  other  objects  which  he  considers 
worthy  of  notice  in  the  district  of  Oxoi.  We  first 
visit  at  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  northward  of  his 
house,  on  the  side  of  the  northern  summit  of  the 
hill  of  Oxoi,  and  about  half  a  mile  above  the  sea, 
a  precipice  of  25  or  30  feet  in  perpendicular  height, 
called  Koraka  \   from  a  little  below  which  flows  a 


<JTI)V    ¥k.6p(lK(l. 


40 


ITHACA. 


[chap. 


fountain  of  the  purest  water,  very  cool  and  copious, 
even  in  this  season  of  uncommon  dryness.  The 
same  vein  of  water  shows  itself  in  other  parts  of 
the  hill  in  smaller  sources,  and  waters  some  gardens 
belonging  to  Mr.  Vretto,  which  produce  among  other 
fruits,  excellent  lemons  and  oranges,  sufficient  not 
only  for  the  consumption  of  the  island,  which 
possesses  no  other  gardens,  but  which  are  even  ex- 
ported to  Arta  and  Ioannina.  Immediately  below 
the  gardens  is  a  little  bend  of  the  coast,  called 
Perivoli l,  where  boats  sometimes  anchor.  Mr. 
Vretto 's  father  attempted  to  establish  a  mole  here 
for  the  convenience  of  himself  and  the  village,  but 
it  was  carried  away  by  the  sea  during  the  first 
winter.  In  forming  it,  he  broke  down  a  fine  cave 
in  the  clifT  above,  which  an  old  man  who  was  pre- 
sent at  the  work  describes  to  me  as  having  had  two 
openings.  All  this  of  course  is  intended  to  support 
the  pretensions  of  the  Oxoites,  to  the  honour  of 
being  the  possessors  of  the  rock  Corax  and  fountain 
Arethusa  mentioned  by  Homer,  as  well  as  of  the 
port  of  Phorcys,  on  the  shore  of  which  was  the 
cave  of  the  Nymphs,  with  its  double  entrance  2. 
But  this  situation  will  scarcely  accord  with  the 
poet,  who  indicates  a  considerable  distance  between 
Port  Phorcys  and  the  station  of  Eumceus.  Possibly 
it  may  be  thought  that  Frikes  is  a  corruption  of 
Phorcys,  and  proves  the  situation  of  that  harbour. 

1  otu  7npifto\ioy,  at  the  garden. 

2 Svu)  b*£  re  ol  dvpai  eloiv' 

Ai  fitv  rrpoQ  Ropiao  Karai/Saral  avdpwnoiffiv, 
At  &  av  Ttpoc  Norou  slot  dtwrepai. 

Od.  N.  v.  109. 


XXII.] 


ITHACA. 


41 


In  that  case  there  would  indeed  have  been  a 
walk  for  Ulysses  of  three  miles  to  the  station  of 
Eumaeus,  supposing  it  to  have  been  at  the  Koraka 
of  Oxoi ;  not  over  rocks  and  mountains,  however,  as 
Homer  requires,  but  across  the  largest  plain  in  the 
island.  As  to  the  name  Koraka,  it  is  one  not  uncom- 
monly attached  to  a  precipice,  and  I  am  assured  that 
there  is  a  much  higher  and  more  remarkable  rock, 
also  called  Koraka,  near  the  southern  end  of  the 
island,  and  over  which  there  is  a  cascade.  It  is 
said  there  was  formerly  a  quarter  of  Oxoi,  just 
above  the  cliff,  named  the  town  of  the  Korakini1. 
Nothing  indeed  appears  more  likely  than  that  Oxoi 
should  have  once  stood  wholly  or  principally  in 
that  situation,  from  whence  it  may  have  been  re- 
moved from  the  fear  of  pirates  ;  for  the  fountain  is 
now  at  a  very  inconvenient  distance  from  the  vil- 
lage, and  gives  the  women  a  painful  ascent,  after 
filling  their  hydrise  and  water  kegs. 

Oxoi  and  the  neighbouring  heights,  command  a 
fine  view  of  the  southern  side  of  Lefkadha,  from 
the  white  cliffs  of  Kavo  Dukato  or  Leucate,  to  a  re- 
markable hill  above  Poro,  a  village  so  called  as 
standing  in  the  channel  of  Meganisi.  This  chan- 
nel, which  is  about  a  mile  in  breadth,  commences 
a  little  south  of  Poro,  and  extends  about  four  miles 
to  the  north  of  that  village.  Leucate,  upon  the  ex- 
tremity of  which  stood  the  temple  of  Apollo  Leu- 
catas  2,  is  a  long  promontory,  consisting  entirely  of 
perpendicular  cliffs  to  the  westward,  and  falling 


1  ari]v  KopaKi'ivwf  ttjv  -fcilipav. 

2  Strabo,   p.    452. 

Et  formidatus  nautis  aperitur  Apollo. - 


-Virgil.  Ma.  1.  3,  v.  275. 


42 


ITHACA. 


[chap. 


steeply  to  the  eastward,  where  it  shelters  from  the 
west  a  bay  named  Vasiliko.  This  bay  extends  ten 
miles  inland  from  the  Cape,  and  terminates  in  a 
curved  beach,  where  is  a  river  and  some  Hellenic 
remains.  They  mark  perhaps  the  site  of  Pherse, 
a  place  described  by  Scylax  as  being  opposite  to 
Ithaca  \  Between  Vasiliko  and  Poro  are  the  har- 
bours of  Syvota  and  Aftelia. 

Having  returned  to  Mr.  Vretto's  house,  we  pro- 
ceed south-westward  half  a  mile  along  the  slope 
of  the  mountain  of  Oxoi,  and  arrive  at  a  little 
insulated  cliff,  on  the  summit  of  which  are  the 
remains  of  a  small  ancient  temple,  now  converted 
into  a  church  of  St.  Athanasius.  Its  dimen- 
sions within  are  21  feet  6  inches  by  13  feet  6 
inches,  and  attached  to  it  on  the  eastern  side  are 
the  foundations  of  another  smaller  edifice,  14  feet 
6  inches  by  12  feet.  The  larger  has  a  foundation 
extending  beyond  the  superincumbent  courses,  of 
which,  where  the  ground  is  lowest,  there  remain 
two  formed  of  very  large  regular  blocks,  above 
which  is  a  wall  of  polygonal  masonry,  a  few 
feet  high,  and  afoot  and  a  half  in  thickness.  The 
church  (if  it  ever  was  finished  beyond  what  at 
present  appears)  was  formed  of  rubble  and  mortar. 
The  smaller  ancient  building  has  nothing  but  the 
foundation  stones  apparent.  An  old  priest  named 
Leondio  Vretto,  who  resides  in  an  adjoining 
house,  remembers  other  remains,  particularly  a 
subterraneous  apartment,  which  he  calls  a  ^uAa/ci}, 
or  prison.    The  walls  of  his  house  and  an  adjoining 

1  Mtra  Se  ravra  tt6\iq  4>£pcu'  'IOa/oj  ical  Tr6\i£  Kal  \i/x?/i'. — 
teal     Kara    ruvra     vfjcroQ    tariv       Scylax  in  'Anapvayia. 


XXII.] 


ITHACA. 


43 


building  are  chiefly  composed  of  ancient  blocks. 
Along  the  crest  of  the  cliff  are  remains  of  a  ter- 
race wall,  almost  destroyed  by  bushes  of  prinari 
growing  between  the  stones  ;  some  votive  niches 
of  the  usual  form  are  seen  in  the  face  of  the  cliff, 
and  at  its  foot  are  eight  or  ten  steps  cut  in  the  rock  ; 
the  natives  remember  the  existence  of  many  more. 
On  the  level  ground  beneath,  are  some  rocks  cut 
into  the  form  of  door-posts,  probably  the  remains 
of  the  entrance  of  the  sacred  enclosure,  and  in  the 
vineyards  just  below  several  sepulchres  have  been 
found,  in  one  of  which  was  the  head  of  a  spear,  in 
another  vases.  Papa  Leondio  made  me  a  present 
of  a  piece  of  calcareous  stone  having  an  ornament  of 
oak  leaves  and  acorns  upon  it,  which  was  found  in  the 
same  place,  and  probably  was  a  part  of  the  temple. 
It  does  not  indicate  an  antiquity  higher  than  that  of 
the  Roman  empire.  Not  above  100  yards  from  this 
spot  to  the  southward  is  a  fountain  called  Melany- 
dhro  l.  In  consequence  of  the  uncommon  drought 
of  the  season,  it  is  now  reduced  to  two  or  three  little 
stagnant  pools  at  the  foot  of  a  small  cliff,  which  is 
about  fifteen  feet  high,  and  crowned  with  bushes  ; 
in  the  winter  the  rivulet  which  flows  from  the  hol- 
low between  the  two  summits  of  the  mountain  of 
Oxoi  falls  over  the  face  of  the  cliff.  The  name 
Melanydhro  has  much  the  appearance  of  having 
been,  like  Koraka,  a  modern  invention  for  the  pur- 
pose of  supporting  the  claim  of  the  Oxoites  to  the 
honour  of  possessing  the  station  of  JEumceus,  where 


1    MeXdvvdpoQ. 


44 


ITHACA. 


[chap. 


the  fitXav  v$up  assuaged  the  thirst  of  the  godlike 
hog-driver's  cattle,  when  satiated  with  the  sweet 
fruit  of  the  oak.  The  Papas,  however,  assert  that 
the  name  is  derived  from  a  black  mud  of  a  sulphu- 
reous smell,  which  is  said  constantly  to  collect  it- 
self here,  notwithstanding  any  pains  which  may  be 
taken  to  clear  it  away.  The  water  is  now  turbid 
and  ill -tasted,  but  is  said  to  be  very  good  in  other 
seasons.  Two  or  three  hundred  yards  farther,  in 
the  same  direction,  I  find  in  a  corn-field  a  large 
wrought  stone,  precisely  similar  to  one  which  I  saw 
in  the  ruins  oiLeucas.  It  is  pierced  with  two  square 
holes,  and  seems  to  have  been  the  architrave  of  a 
great  door  or  gate.  Just  beyond,  are  the  foundations 
of  a  large  Hellenic  wall  in  the  vineyards.  The  situ- 
ation is  called  2a|ut/cou,  apparently  an  ancient  name 
preserved.  A  little  to  the  north  of  this  wall  a  sorus, 
or  coffin,  is  excavated  in  the  summit  of  a  great  in- 
sulated rock,  and  another  adjoining  rock  has  two 
round  holes,  about  nine  inches  in  depth,  surmounted 
by  a  square  excavation  of  half  that  depth,  in 
which  are    four    small    round   holes   thus, 


O 


The  largest  is  1  foot  3  inches  square  : — 
The  ancient  walls  at  Samiku  crossed  the 
northern  end  of  a  long  height  which  terminates  to 
the  south  at  Stavro,  where  are  a  few  houses,  just 
above  the  head  of  the  harbour  called  Polis.  The 
name  Stavro  is  attached  also  to  some  other  houses 
on  the  neighbouring  ascent  of  Neritum.  In  some 
modern  buildings  on  the  summit  of  the  long  height 
just  mentioned,  are  many  ancient  blocks  and  other 
remains,  particularly  in  a  ruined  chapel  of  St.  Elias, 


XXII. J 


ITHACA. 


45 


where  a  sepulchral  stone  is  inscribed  with  the 
name  AAMQS.  On  the  descent  from  the  middle 
of  this  ridge  towards  the  bay  of  Polis,  is  another 
fountain,  now  almost  dry  ;  from  thence  we  ascend 
to  the  brow  of  the  extremity  of  the  mountain  of 
Oxoi,  where  it  overhangs  the  northern  side  of  the 
harbour.  Here  is  a  small  acropolis  of  the  same 
width  as  that  of  Acto,  and  about  half  the  length. 
The  wall,  which  on  one  side  exists  in  part,  is  of 
the  rudest  kind  of  Greek  masonry.  The  situation 
commands  a  view  of  the  western  coast  of  the  island 
as  far  as  Aeto,  and  of  the  channel  of  Kefalonia  with 
the  island  of  Dhaskalio,  which  lies  immediately 
opposite  to  the  harbour  of  Polis.  Ancient  sepul- 
chres are  found  in  several  situations  adjacent  to 
Polis,  particularly  to  the  southward  of  the  beach 
at  the  head  of  the  port,  and  on  the  slope  of  Mount 
Neritum,  beyond  Stavro,  where  not  long  since  a 
massive  gold  ring  fitting  the  human  finger  was 
brought  to  light,  which  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
the  Prytano,  and  is  engraved  in  intaglio  with  the 
figure  of  a  woman  holding  a  staff. 

I  have  been  thus  particular  in  noticing  the  re- 
mains of  antiquity  in  this  quarter,  because  they 
show  that  one  of  the  towns  of  Ithaca  stood  on  the 
shore  of  Port  Polis,  and  that  it  flourished  during  a 
long  succession  of,  or  at  least  during  very  different 
ages  ;  the  scattered  monuments  in  the  plain  being 
chiefly  of  the  Roman  Empire,  while  some  of  the 
defensive  works  near  the  harbour  are  of  a  remote 
antiquity,  and  others  of  a  middle  Hellenic  date. 
The  name  Polis  is  alone  a  strong  argument  that 


46 


ITHACA. 


[chap. 


the  town  which  stood  here  was  that  which  Scylax, 
and  more  expressly  Ptolemy,  mention  as  having 
borne  the  same  name  as  the  island  \  That  Ho- 
mer also,  in  the  earliest  times  of  history,  had  in 
view  the  position  of  Polis  as  that  of  the  capital  of 
Ithaca  might  be  presumed  from  that  passage  of 
the  Odyssey  where  the  poet  represents  the  suitors 
as  lying  in  wait  for  Telemachus,  on  his  return  from 
the  Peloponnesus  at  Asteris ;  for  he  describes  As- 
teris  as  a  small  island  in  the  channel  between 
Ithaca  "and  Samus 2,  where  the  only  island  is 
Dhaskalio,  situated  exactly  opposite  to  the  entrance 
of  port  Polis,  at  a  distance  of  two  miles,  and  there- 
fore perfectly  adapted  to  the  purpose  of  the  suitors 
if  the  capital  and  royal  residence  were  at  Polis. 
Indeed,  there  is  no  other  harbour,  nor  any  other 
small  island,  with  which  the  poet's  narrative  can 
be  made  to  accord.  It  is  true  that  his  description 
of  the  double  port  of  Asteris  does  not  so  well  agree 
with  the  rock  of  Dhaskalio,  which  has  no  port,  and 
could  only  have  furnished  a  temporary  shelter  on 
the  lee  side  ;  this,  however,  may  be  considered  as 
merely  a  poetical  amplification,  and  is  very  dif- 
ferent from  a  misrepresentation  of  the  relative  situa- 


1    vijaoc  'IdaKr)   rat  TroXig  rat       'WuKtj   kv  r\  ttoXlq  bfiajvvfwg. — 
Xijifjv. — Scylax  in  'ArapraWa.       Ptolem.  1.  3,  c.  14. 

3    'EflTt  $6  TIQ   I'tjtTOQ   fXE(T(Tr}   OtX(    TETpy'lEffaa, 

Mtcrarriyvg  'ldtiK^g  re  ^djioiu  re  TranraXoivarjc 
'Aortptg  ov  jj.eya.Xi]'  Xifilrec  3'  tvi  vaiiXo-^ot  avrrj 
'AfjKpidv/uoc  Trj  tov  ye  jievov  Xo-^otovreg  'A^atoL 

Od.  A.  v.  844. 


XXII.] 


ITHACA. 


47 


tions  of  places,  a  kind  of  error  which  can  seldom 
or  never  be  imputed  to  Homer. 

If  the  Laertian  capital  of  Ithaca  was  at  Pol  is, 
it  will  follow  that  the  Mount  Neium}  below  which 
it  stood !,  was  the  mountain  of  Oxoi,  and  its 
southern  summit  the  hill  of  Hermes,  from  which 
EumcBus  saw  the  ship  of  Telemachus  entering 
the  harbour2 ;  it  becomes  probable,  also,  that  the 
harbour  Rheithrum,  which  was  under  Neium,  but 
not  near  the  city 3,  was  in  the  bay  of  Afales, 
towards  Perivolio  :  having  derived  its  name  per- 
haps from  the  stream  which  flows  from  the  fountain 
of  Koraka.  Such  a  position  for  Rheithrum  accords 
perfectly  with  the  fiction  which  the  poet  represents 
Minerva  to  have  employed  when  having  assumed 
the  form  of  Mentes,  king  of  the  Taphii,  she  pre- 
tended to  Telemachus  that  Mentes  was  on  his 
passage  from  Taphus  (now  Meganisi)  with  a  cargo 
of  iron,  to  be  exchanged  for  copper  at  Temese  in 
Calabria,  and  that  he  had  left  his  ship  at  Rheithrum 
while  he  came  to  the  city.  It  is  obvious  that  the 
bay  of  Afales  was  more  in  the  route  from  Taphus 
to  Temese  than  any  other  harbour  in  Ithaca. 

By  Plutarch,  Stephanus,  and  Istrus  of  Alexan- 

1  'H/X£«C  f's  "WuKT]Q  VTTO   NlJlOV   £t  \>/\oi>0/Z£J'. 

Od.  T.  v.  81. 

2  "llSr)  vKsp  TroXtog,  odey'JLn^ia'iog  Xotyog  tar'tv. 

Od.  n.  v.  471. 

3  N^i/e  Zi  fxoi  ijc1  'iarrjKEV  fV'  aypov  v6o<bt.  TroXrjog, 
'Ev  Xtfiivi  'Feidpa)  vtto  N?ytw  vXijEvri. 

Od.  A.  v.  185. 

Lycophr.  v.  768,  represents      rum,  but  in  this  he  differs  from 
Ulysses  as  landing  at  Rheith-      Homer. 


48 


ITHACA, 


[chap. 


dria,  an  author  cited  by  Plutarch,  we  are  informed 
that  the  proper  name  of  the  capital  of  Ithaca  was 
Alcomenae,  or  Alalcomense  ;  that  Ulysses  bestowed 
this  name  upon  it  from  his  having  been  born  on 
the  road  near  Alalcomenaa  in  Bceotia,  and  that 
hence  he  was  sometimes  described  as  Ulysses  the 
Alcomenian  \  But  this  name  is  not  found  in 
Homer,  and  if  it  ever  existed,  was  probably  not  so 
early  as  the  Trojan  war,  nor  lasted  so  long  as  the 
time  when  Scylax  or  Ptolemy  wrote,  but  was 
employed  in  an  intermediate  period,  beginning 
from  the  time,  perhaps,  when  Ulysses  was  re- 
established in  his  kingdom.  A  passage  in  Strabo 
tends  to  the  belief,  that  Alcomence  was  the  town 
at  Aeto 2,  a  place  where  Ulysses  may  well  be 
supposed  to  have  fixed  his  residence,  for  the 
sake  of  the  advantages  of  position  already  noticed. 
At  Polis  I  conceive  to  have  stood  the  city  of  Ithaca, 
referred  to  by  Homer,  as  well  as  by  Scylax,  and 
Ptolemy.     We  may  readily  believe  that  in  every 


1  Plutarch.  Quaest.  Graec. 
Istrus  apud  Plut.  ibid.  'AX- 
KOfi£vait  ttoXiq  tv  'I0a/oj  rrj 
y{]ffo),  a<j>  ?iq  'AXKOfxsvevg  6 
'QIvooevq. — Stephan.  in  voce. 

2  Mtra£u  Zk  ttjq  'IQa/oje  Kal 
r»/c  Ke(j>a\\rjvlag  i)  'Aarepta 
vrjaiov,  'Aorcpie  frinro  rov  Tloit}- 
tov  Xiytrai'  ffv  6  fxev  So/i/ztoc 
u»)  \iivuv  roiavrrjv,  o'lav  cp-qerlv 
6  IToi7;r>}c,  "  Xifxiueg  &  tvi  vav- 
\o\oi  ahrn  afxtylfivfioi'"  o  £e 
'ATToWuSwpos  [lively  ical  vvv  (cat 


itoKiy\'iov  Xt'yei  iv  avrrj  'AXaX- 
Kofisvag,  to  i-K  ai/rw  rw  ladfxu 
Ktifitvov. — Strabo,  p.  456. 

As  Alcomenae  was  certainly 
not  in  Asteris,  which  is  too 
small  to  contain  a  town,  there 
is  some  reason  to  believe  that 
Strabo  mistook  the  meaning  of 
Apollodorus,  and  that  the  lat- 
ter referred  to  the  situation  of 
Alcomenae  on  the  isthmus  of 
Ithaca,  which  is  the  precise  de- 
scription of  Aeto. 


XXII.] 


ITHACA. 


49 


age,  i)  noXic,  or  the  city,  was  among  the  Ithacans 
the  most  common  designation  of  their  chief 
town. 

As  natural  causes  are  likely  to  produce  in  all 
ages  similar  effects,  it  is  probable  that  the  pecu- 
liar conformation  of  Ithaca  has  always  caused 
it  to  be  divided,  as  it  now  is,  into  four  districts ; 
and  that  those  which  are  now  called  Vathy,  Aeto, 
Anoi,  and  Oxoi,  are  very  nearly  the  same  as  the 
four  divisions  of  the  island  noticed  by  Heracleon, 
an  author  cited  by  Stephanus  l.  Three  of  these 
were  named  Neium,  Crocyleium,  and  iEgireus, 
the  fourth  is  lost  by  a  defect  in  the  text.  iEgireus 
was  probably  the  same  as  the  iEgilips  of  Homer  : 
Strabo,  indeed,  places  Crocyleia  and  iEgilips  in 
Leucas 2 ;  but  if  Neritum  was  in  Ithaca,  of  which 
Homer  in  several  passages  leaves  no  room  to 
doubt,  there  is  nothing  in  the  poet  which  connects 
Crocyleia  and  iEgilips  with  Leucas  3,  and  the  tes- 
timony of  Heracleon  is  opposed  to  Strabo.  In 
another  place  Stephanus  favours  the  supposition 
that  Crocyleia  was  the   name  of  the  capital   of 


1   KpoKvXewv,    vrjcrog  'Waicrjg' 

QoVKvSlCiTIQ     TpiTTJ,      TO      iQviKOV 

KpoKvXivg'  'HpatcXiwv  8e  6 
VXcivkov,  TE-pafxeprj  (prfct  t>)v 
'LQiiKrjv,  r/c  to  pav  npaJTOV  etti 
liEcriiiifipiav   ku\  OuXarray,   ical 

TO  CEVTEpOV   Nj/'fOJ',   KCU  TO  TpiTOV 


KpOKvXEWV,     TO     TETUpTOV    Atyi- 

prja — Stephan.  in,  KponvXewv. 
Stephanus  here  confuses  this 
Crocylium  with  another  in 
iEtolia  mentioned  by  Thucy- 
dides. 

2  Strabo,  p.  3 7 G,  453. 


3  Ol  p'  'IduKijv  eJ)(ov  rai  NypiTOv  EivoaifvXXov, 
Kal  KpoKvXei  kvifxovTO,  koX  AiylXiwu  Tpr)-)(E~tav. 

II.  B.  v.  632. 


VOL.  III. 


50 


ITHACA. 


[chap. 


Laertes  ' ;  but  this  is  obviously  inconsistent  with 
the  latter  having  been  in  the  quarter  of  Neium. 
On  the  other  hand,  Heracleon  is  adverse  to  the 
placing  of  Crocyleia  at  Vathy,  because  he  states 
the  unnamed  town  to  have  been  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  island.  But  where  a  bearing  is  con- 
cerned, little  reliance  can  be  placed  upon  ancient 
authority,  and  if  Crocyleia  was  the  second  town  in 
importance,  as  the  ancient  notices  of  it  seem  to 
show,  we  cannot  but  believe  Vathy  to  have  been 
its  site.  The  rugged  iEgilips  can  be  nowhere  so 
well  placed  as  at  Anoi. 

But  of  all  the  topographical  questions  arising 
from  the  Odyssey,  that  of  the  site  of  Dulichium 
is  the  most  puzzling,  and  the  same  difficulty 
was  felt  by  the  ancient  critics.  Hellanicus  sup- 
posed Dulichium  to  have  been  the  ancient  name 
of  the  island  of  Cephallenia  :  Andron  that  of 
one  of  its  cities,  which  Pherecydes  conceived  to 
have  been  Pale, — an  opinion  supported  by  Pausa- 
nias 2.  But  Strabo  insists  that  Dulichium  was  one 
of  the  Echinades,  which  were  occupied  (together 
with  Dulichium)  before  the  Trojan  war  by  some 
of  the  Epeii  of  Elis,  under  Meges,  grandson  of 
Augeas,  who  led  300  ships  from  the  Echinades  to 


1  tv-ttov    iv   'I0a»o/     bv    kuI      fj.o£.     This  refers  to  the  line  in 
KpoKvXsiov. — Stephan.  in  A*/-      the  Odyssey,  A.  v.  103. 

Sri;  o  '10uki]q  lv\  A?//xw  irri  irpodvpo~ic  'OcWjJoc. 

On  which  Eustathius  ohserves  2  Straho,  p.  450.     Pausan. 

that  Dermis  was  the  name  of     Eliac.  post.  c.  15. 
a  town  in  Ithaca. 


XXII. 


ECHINADES. 


51 


Troy  l.  The  opinion  of  Strabo,  therefore,  is  in  con- 
formity with  the  poet,  and  there  seems  no  good 
reason  for  doubting;  that  Dulichium  was  the  head  of 
an  insular  state,  which,  as  well  as  that  of  the  neigh- 
bouring islands  of  the  Teleboee  and  Taphii,  and  like 
some  of  the  islands  of  Greece  in  modern  times, 
may  have  attained  by  maritime  commerce,  not  un- 
mixed perhaps  with  piracy,  a  degree  of  populous- 
ness  and  opulence,  beyond  the  proportion  of  its 
dimensions  and  natural  resources. 

Petala  being  the  largest  of  the  Echinades,  and 
possessing  the  advantage  of  two  well  sheltered  har- 
bours, seems  to  have  the  best  claim  to  be  considered 
the  ancient  Dulichium.  It  is  indeed  a  mere  rock, 
but  being  separated  only  by  a  strait  of  a  few  hundred 
yards  from  the  fertile  plains  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Achelous  and  river  of  CEnia,  its  natural  deficiencies 
may  have  been  there  supplied,  and  the  epithets  of 
grassy  and  abounding  in  wheat,  which  Homer  ap- 
plies to  Dulichium 2,  may  be  referred  to  that  part 
of  its  territory.  But  in  fact,  there  is  no  proof  in 
the  Iliad  or  Odyssey  that  Dulichium,  although  at 
the  head  of  an  insular  confederacy,  was  itself  an 
island ;  it  may  very  possibly,  therefore,  have  been 
a  city  on  the  coast  of  Acarnania,  opposite  to  the 
Echinadcs,  perhaps  at  Tragamesti,  or  more  pro- 
bably at  the  harbour  named  Pandeleimona,  or 
Platya,  which  is  separated  only  by  a  channel  of  a 

1  Strabo,  pp.  351,  458,  459. 
Oi  3'  Ik  AovXi^ioio,  'E^iva'w)'  0'  lepdwv 
Nj/ffwv,  at  vaiovai  izipr]v  aXoc'llXiCog  aura' 
Tdv  avQ'  fiyEfjiciyeve  Meyrjc,  &c. —  II.  B.  v.  625. 

2 AovXiylov  TwXvrrvpov  TTOu'lEVTOe. (M.    II.    V.   396. 

e2 


52 


miACA. 


[chap. 


mile  or  two  from  the  Echinades.  The  Oxeiae  seem 
not  to  have  been  included  in  this  little  state,  for 
Homer  in  another  place  alludes  to  them  under  the 
name  of  Those,  a  synonym  of  Oxeioe  !. 

Sept.  21. — In  proceeding  to  the  port  of  Frikes 
I  observe,  near  a  ruined  church  of  the  Panaghia, 
several  ancient  blocks  of  stone  carved  in  furrows, 
as  if  for  a  rustic  basement.  Here  are  also  two  in- 
scriptions, one  of  which  is  in  Latin.  Like  all  those 
found  in  the  district  of  Oxoi,  they  are  sepulchral, 
and  of  the  time  of  the  Roman  empire2.  At  Frikes 
are  several  magazines,  and  here  the  Oxoites  prin- 
cipally carry  on  their  maritime  trade,  though  the 
harbour  is  exposed  to  a  swell  when  the  wind  is 
strong  at  east,  as  well  as  to  dangerous  gusts  from 
the  narrow  gorge  which  communicates  with  the 
vallejr  of  Oxoi.  It  is  much  safer,  however,  than 
the  open  bays  of  Polis  and  Afales.  Ships  generally 
anchor  at  Mavrona,  on  the  southern  side,  or  at 
Limeni,  to  the  north,  in  preference  to  Frikes  itself. 
At  Mavrona  there  is  a  convent  of  St.  Nicolas,  and 
behind  it  vineyards,  on  the  ascent  as  far  up  as 
Anoi.  Having  embarked  in  the  Manzera,  we  beat 
out  of  the  harbour  at  noon,  soon  meet  the  Mae- 
strale,  and  quickly  pass  the  port  of  Kioni,  which 
is  at  the  foot  of  a  steep  descent  from  Anoi.  Here 
are  several  houses  and  magazines  on  its  shore,  but 
the  harbour,  like  Frikes,  is  exposed  to  danger  from 
the  eastward.     Having  crossed  the  entrance  of  the 

1  'H$c  7rap'  "HXt^a  ciav,  oQi  Kpariovaiv  'E7r£iot, 

"EvOev  $'  av  vijaoiffiv  iiwrpoirjKe  Qoijaiv. — Od.  O.  v.  298. 
Strabo,  p.  351,  458. 
2  V.  Inscription,  Nos.  108,  109,  110,  111,  112,  113. 


XXII.] 


ITHACA. 


53 


Gulf  of  Molo,  we  pass  a  small  port  to  the  north-east 
of  Skhino,  named  Ghidhaki,  having  an  islet  of  that 
name  before  it,  then  a  bare  coast,  then  Filiatro  and 
Sarakiniko,  two  little  bays  at  the  foot  of  the  ridge 
which  separates  this  coast  from  the  plain  of  Vathy, 
and  reach  Port  Lia  in  time  for  me  to  land  and  visit 
the  fountain,  which  by  the  learned  of  Vathy  is 
supposed  to  be  the  Arethusa  of  the  poet.  The 
spring  is  in  a  ravine  midway  between  the  shore 
and  a  long  perpendicular  cliff  which  closes  the 
ravine,  at  a  distance  of  a  mile  from  the  sea.  This 
precipice  forms  the  point  of  junction  between 
Mount  Merovugli  and  a  range  of  hills  which  follow 
the  eastern  and  southern  shore  of  the  island.  In 
seasons  of  rain  a  torrent  falls  in  a  cascade  over 
the  precipice,  and  from  its  foot  descends  rapidly 
between  slopes  covered  with  vines,  corn,  and 
fig  trees,  and  leaving  the  pigadhi  or  fountain 
on  its  left,  joins  the  sea  at  port  Lia.  The  fountain 
is  a  natural  and  never-failing  reservoir  in  a  cavern, 
before  which  a  wall  has  been  built  with  a  trough 
for  the  convenience  of  watering  cattle.  There  is 
every  reason  to  believe  that  this  is  really  the  foun- 
tain Arethusa  intended  by  Homer,  and  that  the 
precipice  above  it  is  the  rock  Corax,  which  the 
poet  had  in  view  in  describing  the  station  of  the 
swineherd  Eumceus.  Such  a  source  of  water  must 
always  have  been  valuable  and  celebrated  in  this 
thirsty  land  ;  the  cliff  is  sufficiently  remarkable  to 
have  deserved  the  poet's  notice,  and  the  station  of 
Eumaeus,  as  I  before  remarked,  was  evidently  at  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  island.  It  would  even 
seem  that  the  poet  alluded  to  this  precipice  when 


64 


ITHACA. 


[chap. 


he  represented  Ulysses  as  confirming  the  assur- 
ances which  he  gives  to  the  incredulous  Eumaeus 
of  the  approaching  return  of  his  master,  hy  per- 
mitting the  swineherd  to  throw  him  over  the  "  great 
rock"  if  his  words  should  prove  false  \  Near  the 
pigadhi  is  another  smaller  cavern,  which  also 
contains  water. 

Below  them  the  torrent  continues  its  rapid  course 
to  the  sea  along  a  narrow  glen,  where  a  deep 
channel  in  the  lime-stone  rock  is  overhung  with 
the  trees  which  cover  all  the  heights  around,  and 
which  consist  chiefly  of  lentisk,  agnus-castus,  myrtle, 
and  holly-oak.  The  scenery  of  the  Arethusa  and 
Corax  is  very  beautiful,  not  only  in  its  nearer  fea- 
tures, but  as  commanding  a  noble  prospect  of  the 
sea,  of  the  Echinades,  and  of  the  coasts  of  Acarnania 
and  iEtolia,  seen  through  the  openings  of  the 
woody  precipices.  The  port  of  Lia  is  well  shel- 
tered from  the  north  by  an  island,  on  either  side 
of  which  there  is  a  convenient  access  to  the  har- 
bour, and  a  considerable  depth  of  water  near  the 
shore,  as  in  every  part  of  the  coast  of  Ithaca. 
The  island  is  covered  with  brushwood,  and  is  up- 
wards of  a  mile  in  circumference ;  it  is  called 
Parapigadhi,  from  its  position  with  respect  to  the 
fountain,  of  which  the  pure  and  never-failing  sup- 
ply is  as  useful  to  ships  as  to  shepherds.  After 
having  doubled  the  cape  of  St.  John,  which  is  the 
south-eastern  extremity  of  the  island,  we  sail  close 

1  Et  ()i  tee  fii)  'iXdrjcriy  avai,  teoq  we  ayopevu), 
Ajuwac  E-nrtaosvaac,  ftaXieiv  /xeyuXr/c  Kara  irirpiic, 
"Oippu  kcu  aXXoc  irriitxps  aXevcrai  iiwEpontvtiv. 

Od.  S.  v.  398. 


XXII.] 


CEPHALLKNIA. 


55 


under  the  coast  with  a  pleasant  maestrale,  and 
having-  passed  the  little  harbour  of  St.  Andrew 
under  the  southern  termination  of  Mount  Mero- 
vugli,  stand  over  for  Cape  Khelia,  in  Kefalonia. 
The  wind  coming  afterwards  from  that  shore,  we 
are  obliged  to  beat  into  the  anchorage  of  Agrili,  in 
the  south-eastern  angle  of  the  great  bay  of  Samo. 

Sept.  22. — Samos,  which  has  preserved  its  name 
ever  since  the  first  establishment  of  a  Greek  city 
on  this  spot,  is  now  nothing  more  than  a  street  of 
magazines,  situated  at  the  north-eastern  extremity 
of  a  wide  valley  which  borders  the  bay,  and  which 
is  overlooked  to  the  southward  by  the  great  sum- 
mit called  'Elato,  and  by  the  Italians  Montenero. 
Same,  or  the  city  of  the  Sapiioi,    as  we   find   it 
written  on  the  coins  of  this  place,   stood  on  the 
north-western  face  of  a  bicipitous  height,  which 
rises  from  the  shore  at  the  northern  end   of  the 
street  of  magazines.     The  ruins  and   vestiges   of 
the  ancient  walls  show  that  the  city  occupied  the 
two  summits,   an  intermediate  hollow,   and  their 
slope  as  far  as  the  sea.     With  the  exception  of 
some  terraces  of  olive  trees  and  corn  on  the  northern 
side  of  the  two  hills,  they  are  entirely  covered  with 
wild  shrubs,  and  are  connected  behind  with  higher 
ridges  in  a  similar  state,  which  follow  the  coast  to  the 
southward,  as  far  as  the  vale  of  Pronos.  On  the  north- 
ern of  the  two  summits  are  the  ruins  of  an  acropolis, 
consisting  of  the  entire  circuit  of  the  foundations, 
and  in  some  places  of  several  courses  of  masonry 
of  the  most  regular  kind ;    the  stones   are   fitted 
together  with  the  greatest  nicety,  and  some  which 
1  measured  are  equal  to  cubes  of  6  or  8  feet.      All 

12 


56 


CEPHALLENIA. 


[chap. 


the  ground  within  the  citadel,  with  the  exception 
of  a  rocky  height  in  the  centre,  is  cultivated  with 
corn,  and  strewn  with  fragments  of  ancient  pottery. 
In  the  midst  of  the  ploughed  ground  are  the  re- 
mains of  a  large  cistern  built  of  Roman  bricks. 
On  the  summit  of  the  southern  height  stands  a 
monastery  dedicated  to  the  ayloi  Qavevrig,  on  one 
side  of  which  are  some  remains  of  a  Hellenic  wall, 
which  appears  to  have  encircled  this  summit,  thus 
forming  a  second  but  smaller  castle.  This  agrees 
with  Livy,  who  mentions  both  the  arx  major,  or 
greater  citadel  of  Same,  and  another  named  Cy- 
atis. 

Same  was  considerably  smaller  than  Leucas,  its 
circuit  being  barely  two  miles.  The  south-eastern 
or  upper  wall  of  the  city,  which  united  the  two 
citadels,  is  still  in  part  preserved  on  the  side  of 
either  hill ;  the  eastern  and  western  faces  of  the 
town  walls  may  also  be  traced  in  places,  as  well 
as  some  parts  of  that  side  which  was  parallel  to 
the  sea  beach  ;  one  piece  in  particular  towards 
the  western  angle,  is  of  the  most  regular  kind  and 
finest  workmanship,  being  formed  of  stones  exactly 
equal,  with  projections  in  the  middle  of  the  face 
of  each  stone,  and  as  usual  in  this  kind  of  masonry, 
with  one  narrow  course  near  the  ground.  In  the 
hollow  between  the  two  hills  towards  the  center  of 
the  site  are  many  foundations  of  ancient  masonry, 
and  near  the  western  angle  of  the  city  some  re- 
mains of  moles,  which  were  probably  connected 
with  the  maritime  wall  of  the  city,  project  from 
the  beach  into  the  sea ;  they  formed  an  artificial 
shelter  for  vessels,  which  was  very  necessary  here, 


XXII.] 


CEPHALLENIA. 


57 


as  the  bay,  although  well  adapted  to  a  large 
modern  fleet,  was  too  much  exposed  for  ancient 
ships.  Near  the  jetties  are  some  shapeless  ruins 
of  Roman  brick.  Some  other  remains  of  the  same 
construction,  vulgarly  called  the  zecca,  or  mint, 
are  to  be  seen  at  a  considerable  distance  to  the 
eastward  of  the  ancient  site,  near  a  metokhi  of 
the  monastery  ;  and  there  is  a  third  ruin  of  brick- 
work on  the  western  side  of  the  walls,  behind  the 
modern  street,  which  by  the  apertures  in  its  walls 
seems  to  have  been  a  bath.  These  ruins  of  Roman 
construction  are  the  more  remarkable,  as  Strabo, 
who  correctly  describes  the  situation  of  Same, 
asserts  that  in  his  time  there  remained  only  a 
few  vestiges  of  the  city  \  It  would  seem  that 
Same,  like  many  other  Greek  cities,  revived  after 
the  time  of  Augustus,  and  that  the  existing  re- 
mains belonged  to  buildings  of  a  subsequent  date. 
Many  sepulchres  have  been  discovered  in  the  cul- 
tivated fields  adjacent  to  the  ancient  site,  as  well 
as  near  the  Mint,  where  in  particular  an  old  monk 
of  the  metokhi  remembers  two  gold  coins  to  have 
been  found. 

The  solidity  and  finished  construction  of  the 
existing  specimens  of  the  Hellenic  walls  of  Same 
seem  worthy  of  a  city  which  stood  a  siege  of  four 
months  against  the  Romans  under  the  consul  M. 
Fulvius  Nobilior,  in  the  year  189  b.  c.  2.  I  have 
already  hinted  that  the  northern  height  seems  to 
be  the  major  arx,  or  chief  citadel,  noticed  by  Livy 

1  >/  vvv  [xtv  ovkIt  Etrrtv,  V^vtj       arr'  avrfje  So/iaioi  KaXovvrai. — 
o    avrriQ   SeiMvrai.   Kara  [itoov       Strabo,  p.  455. 
rov  irpog  'I0aA://  TropOfxuv'   ol   el'  2   Liv.  1.  38,  C.  29. 


58 


CEPHALLENIA. 


[chap. 


on  that  occasion,  and  the  height  of  the  Fanendes 
that  named  Cyatis.  Fulvius,  after  having  reduced 
Ambracia  and  JEtolia,  had  passed  over  into  Ce- 
phallenia,  and  received  hostages  from  its  four 
cities,  when  the  Samaei,  suddenly  changing  their 
conduct,  shut  their  gates  against  the  Romans. 
The  siege  was  remarkable  for  the  diligence  with 
which  the  besieged  retrenched  their  walls  as 
quickly  as  they  were  demolished,  and  for  the 
vigorous  and  frequent  sallies  by  which  they  in- 
terrupted the  operations  of  the  enemy.  In  these 
sorties,  their  most  effective  opponents  were  100 
slingers  of  Achaia,  who  having  been  habituated 
from  their  youth  to  exercise,  with  pebbles  found 
on  the  beach  of  iEgium,  Patrse,  and  Dyme,  had 
acquired  a  greater  skill  in  their  art,  even  than  the 
slingers  of  the  Balearic  Islands.  When  at  length 
the  besieged  had  become  weakened  by  fatigue  and 
loss  of  men,  the  Romans  scaled  the  Cyatis  during 
the  night,  and  from  thence  penetrated  into  the 
agora,  upon  which  the  Samaei  retired  into  the 
larger  citadel,  and  the  next  day  surrendered  and 
were  enslaved. 

The  ruins  of  Same  command  a  good  view  of  the 
western  side  of  Ithaca,  and  the  outline  of  the  four 
natural  divisions  of  the  island,  Oxoi,  Anoi,  Aeto, 
and  Vath}r,  is  particularly  well  marked  from  hence. 
The  valley  of  Same  is  about  3  miles  in  width  at 
the  sea,  and  5  or  6  in  length  from  north  to  south. 
Above  the  latter  extremity,  in  a  lofty  situation, 
stands  the  village  of  Kulurata,  under  Mount  'Elato ', 

1  Pliny  (1.  4,  c.  12.)  gives  mountain,  not  of  Cephallenia, 
the    name    of    Elatus     to    the      butof  Zacynthus,  which  accords 


XXII. ] 


CEPHALLENIA. 


59 


and  there  are  several  other  small  villages  on  the 
heights  around  the  plain.  The  whole  forms  the 
district  of  Samos ;  it  produces  chiefly  corn  and 
olives.  A  brook,  now  dry,  which  rises  in  Mount 
'Elato  flows  through  the  middle  of  the  plain  into 
the  bay.  According  to  Strabo,  the  ancient  appel- 
lation of  this  great  mountain,  which  is  so  lofty  as 
to  be  visible  at  sea,  together  with  i£tna  in  Sicily, 
was  iEnus ;  and  he  adds,  that  upon  it  stood  a 
temple  of  Jupiter  iEnesius  \  A  few  years  ago, 
an  accidental  fire,  like  that  which  happened  in 
Mount  Parncs,  destroyed  a  great  part  of  the 
woods  of  fir,  from  which  Mount  'Elato  derives  its 
modern  name.  The  bare  stems  are  now  conspicu- 
ous monuments  of  the  misfortune. 

Having  with  difficulty  procured  a  mule  and  two 
asses,  I  depart  from  Samo  for  Argostoli  at  3.30, 
p.m.  ;  we  cross  the  plain  in  its  widest  part,  and 
arrive  in  an  hour  at  the  village  of  Pulata,  situated 
on  the  slope  of  the  range,  which  is  a  continuation 
of  Mount  'Elato,  and  occupies  the  whole  length  of 
the  island,  beginning  southward  at  Cape  Skala, 
and  approaching  the  northern  coast  near  Asso  ; 
from  whence  it  is  prolonged  northward  in  the 
form  of  a  long  promontory,  which  lies  parallel  to 
Ithaca,  and  terminates  at  Cape  Viskardho,  oppo- 
site to  Cape  Dukato  in  Lefkadha. 


in  some  measure  with  the  vXi)-  '  fityiaroy    $'  opog  kv  avrn 

eacra   ZukwOoq   of  Homer,    by  Aiyog,   iy  J  to  tov  Aioe  Alyrj- 

rendering  it  probable  that  the  aiov  iepov. — 'Strabo,  p.  456. 
mountains  of  Zante,  though  now- 
bare,     were    formerly    covered 
with  firs. 


60 


CEPHALLENIA. 


[chap. 


After  passing  Pulata,  we  ascend  the  ridge  slowly 
through  bushes  and  rocks  by  a  very  rugged  path, 
and  arrive  a  little  after  sunset  at  the  summit,  from 
whence  there  is  a  fine  view  of  both  sides  of  the 
island.  To  the  west  appears  the  great  bay  and 
the  town  of  Lixuri.  Argostoli  and  its  harbour  are 
hid  by  a  round  mountain  in  face  of  us,  which 
forms  a  ridge  parallel  to  that  of  Mount  'Elato  ; 
between  them  is  a  rugged  valley  poorly  cultivated, 
with  a  torrent  at  the  bottom.  To  the  left  of  the 
round  mountain,  near  the  head  of  Argostoli  Bay, 
is  seen  Livadho,  the  third  town  in  the  island,  and 
having  in  its  dependency  22  villages,  with  all  the 
ancient  plain  of  the  Cranii,  whose  city  occupied 
a  site  still  called  Krania,  above  the  south-eastern 
angle  of  the  bay  of  Argostoli.  In  the  middle  of  the 
plain  of  Livadho  rises  the  insulated  height  of 
St.  George,  crowned  with  a  Venetian  castle,  now 
abandoned.  Strabo  seems  to  have  had  a  most 
incorrect  idea  of  Cephallenia,  for  he  states  that 
its  circumference  was  only  300  stades,  instead  of 
which  it  is  near  800,  and  that  at  the  gulf  contain- 
ing the  cities  of  the  Cranii  and  Palenses  the  island 
was  divided  into  two  parts  by  an  isthmus,  so  low 
that  it  was  sometimes  covered  by  the  sea !. 

We  descend  on  foot  into  the  head  of  the  valley 
just  mentioned,  and  then  passing  over  the  second 
ridge,  descend  again  until  we  arrive  at  the  village 
of  Faraklata,  through  which  passes  the  road  from 
Argostoli  to  Asso.  Farther  to  the  north,  and  at 
no  great  distance  from  Lixuri,  is  Deliklata,  a  vil- 


1  Strabo,  p.  4.56. 


XXII.] 


CEPIIALLENIA. 


61 


lage  of  500  tufeks,  and  said  to  be  the  most  rebel- 
lious and  disorderly  in  the  island.  From  Farak- 
lata  we  continue  to  descend  a  road  something  better 
than  before,  but  which  required  a  sure-footed  mule 
and  a  fine  moonlight  night  to  make  it  tolerably 
safe.  On  every  side  are  bare  rocks,  with  very  little 
cultivation  in  the  intervals.  At  length  we  enter  a 
narrow  rocky  torrent  bed,  which  emerges  at  an  hour 
below  Faraklata,  on  a  small  level  on  the  side  of  the 
Bay  of  Argostoli,  opposite  the  northern  end  of  the 
town  ;  thence  proceed  along  the  sea  side  to  a  ferry 
opposite  the  southern  end,  which  we  cross  at  9. 

The  only  place  of  amusement  either  at  Argos- 
toli or  Lixuri  is  a  Casino  at  each  of  those  places, 
where  the  people  meet,  drink  coffee,  and  play. 
There  is  little  society  on  account  of  the  family 
enmities.  The  houses  of  Argostoli  have  in  general 
only  one  story,  on  account  of  the  earthquakes,  to 
which  this  island  has  the  reputation  of  being  more 
subject  than  any  of  the  surrounding  countries ; 
the  lowest  part  of  the  wall  is  of  stone,  and  the  upper 
of  wood,  and  the  stone-work  contains  a  framing 
of  wood,  in  order  that  the  house  may  stand  even 
if  the  earthquake  should  throw  down  the  stones. 
The  town  is  very  irregular,  and  in  the  outskirts  are 
a  great  number  of  miserable  cottages.  The  fences 
of  the  surrounding  gardens  and  fields  are  chiefly 
composed  of  American  aloes. 

Sept.  24.— The  walls  of  the  Cranii  are  among  the 
best  extant  specimens  of  the  military  architecture 
of  the  Greeks,  and  a  curious  example  of  their 
attention  to  strength  of  position  in  preference  to 
other  conveniences,  for  nothing  can  be  more  rug- 


62 


CEPHALLENIA. 


[chap. 


ged  and  forbidding  than  the  greater  part  of  the 
site.  The  inclosure,  which  was  of  a  quadrilateral 
form,  and  little,  if  at  all,  less  than  three  miles  in 
circumference,  followed  the  crests  of  several  rocky 
summits,  surrounding  an  elevated  hollow  which 
falls  to  the  south-eastern  extremity  of  the  Gulf  of 
Argostoli.  This  extremity  served  for  an  harbour 
to  the  city,  and  may  perhaps  have  been  so  nar- 
rowed by  moles  from  either  shore  as  to  have  formed 
a  closed  port.  The  highest  of  the  mountains  just 
mentioned  is  that  which  rises  in  face  of  Argostoli 
to  the  east.  There  are  few  or  no  remains  of  the 
town  wall  along  the  crest  of  this  mountain,  which 
formed  the  north-western  face  of  the  city  ;  but 
from  its  inland  extremity  commences  the  north- 
eastern face,  through  the  whole  of  which  the  lower 
parts  of  the  walls  and  towers  are  extant,  and  in  the 
middle  the  principal  gate  of  the  city  in  a  similar 
state  of  preservation,  retired  within  the  line  of  the 
walls,  and  having  a  quadrangular  dromus  before 
it  like  that  of  Platcea,  about  fifteen  yards  square. 
The  south-eastern  and  south-western  fronts  of  the 
city  are  in  some  parts,  particularly  towards  the 
south,  equally  well  preserved ;  at  the  extremity 
of  the  latter  the  wall  descends  the  heights  abruptly, 
and  terminates  at  the  nead  of  the  bay  01  Argostoli, 
near  a  marshy  piece  of  ground,  and  some  copious 
springs  there  issuing  from  the  foot  of  the  rocks. 
This  south-western  height  had  a  double  inclosure 
at  the  summit,  but  which  can  hardly  be  called 
an  acropolis,  as  this  is  the  lowest  of  the  hills.  At 
the  eastern  angle  there  seems  also  to  have  been  an 
inclosure  or  citadel.     The  gate  in  the  middle  of 


XXII.] 


CEPIIALLENIA, 


63 


the  north-eastern  side  led  immediately  into  the  ele- 
vated hollow  already  mentioned,  which  is  grown 
with  olives,  and  is  watered  by  a  torrent  from  the 
eastern  summit,  which,  meeting  another  from  the 
northern,  flows  to  the  harbour.  The  walls  of  the 
north-eastern  front  are  a  complete  specimen  of  the 
second  or  polygonal  species  of  masonry.  A  founda- 
tion stone  in  one  of  the  towers  is  twelve  feet  long, 
eight  feet  high,  and  thick  in  proportion.  On  the 
south-eastern  and  south-western  faces  some  of  the 
masonry  is  more  regular.  On  the  outside  of  the 
north-eastern  face,  near  the  eastern  angle,  are  the 
remains  of  a  wall  built  at  a  right  angle  to  the  in- 
closure  of  the  city,  and  stretching  from  that  wall  to  a 
brook  at  the  foot  of  the  height,  thus  effectually  ob- 
structing the  passage  of  an  enemy  along  the  foot 
of  the  walls,  and  obliging  him  to  make  a  great 
circuit.  At  Crania,  as  in  other  Hellenic  fortifica- 
tions, the  beautiful  masonry  of  the  walls  was  only 
a  facing,  all  the  middle  of  the  work,  amounting  to 
a  third  of  the  thickness,  having  been  formed  of 
rough  stones  and  mortar.  Not  a  vestige  of  any 
foundations,  either  constructed  or  excavated,  is  to 
be  seen  among  the  rugged  rocks  within  the  inclosure, 
a  remark  which  I  have  had  occasion  to  apply  to  se- 
veral other  ancient  sites  of  great  extent,  and  of  the 
same  rocky  kind,  and  which  seems  to  show  that  the 
chief  intent  of  these  extensive  inclosures  was  to  se- 
cure the  inhabitants,  cattle,  and  property,  of  the 
whole  district  in  moments  of  danger,  and  that  they 
were  very  partially  occupied  in  times  of  tranquillity. 
The  mode  of  warfare  of  the  Greeks,  and  the  tenor 
of  their  history,  support  this  opinion. 


64 


CEPHALLENIA. 


[CHAP. 


Sept.  25. — Sail  to  Lixuri  in  company  with  the 
commandant  of  the  Russian  garrison  and  our  vice- 
consul,  Mr.  Victor  Karydhi.  Dine  with  the 
prytano,  and  visit  the  Paleo-kastro,  which  is  now 
nothing  but  a  small  height  rising  immediately 
from  the  side  of  the  bay,  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
to  the  north  of  the  town.  It  is  formed  of  the  same 
kind  of  white  soil  as  the  Castle-hill  of  Zakytho, 
and  is  cut  into  gullies  by  the  rain  in  the  same 
manner.  In  such  a  soil  it  is  not  to  be  expected 
that  we  should  find  many  remains  of  antiquit}^;  ac- 
cordingly there  is  nothing  left  but  a  receptacle  for 
a  single  body,  excavated  in  the  upper  part  of  a 
great  rock  on  the  summit  of  the  hill,  and  a  well  or 
cistern,  which  is  also  cut  out  of  a  vein  of  rock.  In 
the  fields,  however,  at  the  foot  of  this  height,  near 
the  sea,  man}?-  ancient  squared  blocks  are  scattered 
about,  and  there  is  a  wall  which,  although  built  of 
loose  stones  and  mortar,  appears  once  to  have  had 
a  Hellenic  facing.  An  old  man  whom  I  meet,  re- 
members to  have  seen  an  inscription  found  here, 
with  the  word  TlaXeiwv  on  it,  which  was  carried  to 
Venice1.  At  a  casino  several  large  wrought  quad- 
rangular masses  have  lately  been  dug  out  and  car- 
ried away  for  use :  and  half-way  between  this 
place  and  the  town  are  some  fragments  of  small 
Doric  columns  and  an  inscribed  cornice,  which 
were  found  in  excavating  the  foundations  of  a 
chapel.  A  little  nearer  the  town  there  is  a  cata- 
comb, and  close  by  it  three  receptacles,  like  the 


1  In  the  year  1758.     It  is  published  in  the  Monumenta  Pelo 
ponnesiaca  of  Paciaudi,  p.  94. 


XXII.] 


CEPIIALLENIA. 


<;. 


one  before-mentioned,  excavated  in  the  summit  of 
a  great  rock.  These  are  now  the  only  remains  of 
Pale  aboveground,  but  the  name  in  the  slightly- 
corrupted  form  of  Palio  still  remains  attached  to 
the  plain,  which  extends  about  ten  miles  in  cir- 
cumference around  Paleokastro,  and  the  whole 
Peninsula,  as  far  as  the  western  coast  and  Gulf  of 
Asso,  is  called  Paliki  \  which,  being  purely  Hellenic, 
is  sufficient  with  the  name  of  Palio,  and  the  ves- 
tiges of  antiquity  on  and  around  the  hill  of  Paleo- 
kastro, to  fix  the  latter  for  the  site  of  the  ancient 
Pale,  or  city  of  the  UaXug,  or  Palenses,  for  such  ap- 
pears to  have  been  the  local  form  of  the  name,  which 
varies  greatly  in  the  printed  authorities.  Paliki  is 
now  divided  into  two  districts  Anot  and  Katoi2.  The 
plain  of  Palio  has  a  white  argillaceous  soil,  similar 
to  that  of  Zakytho,  and  consists  chiefly  of  currant 
plantations  fenced  with  aloes ;  there  are  several 
wind-mills  in  it.  The  town  of  Lixuri  is  more  irre- 
gular than  that  of  Argostoli,  the  streets  dirtier,  the 
houses  of  the  rich  more  mean,  and  the  poorer 
cottages  more  numerous.  A  muddy  rivulet  crossed 
by  two  small  bridges,  traverses  the  middle  of  the 
town.  It  is  reckoned  more  populous  than  Argos- 
toli, and  the  situation  more  healthy,  which  may 
easily  be  imagined  as  it  is  well  ventilated,  and  has 
none  of  that  shallow  water  and  marshy  ground 
which  are  at  the  head  of  the  Bay  of  Argostoli : 
the  inhabitants  are  for  the  most  part  seamen. 

The  island  of  Kefalonia  is  divided  into  eighteen 
districts.     The  population  is  about  60,000.     The 


1  HaXiKti. 
VOL.    III. 


'Ai'Wi),    Karon'/. 


66 


CEPIIALLENIA. 


[CIIAI\ 


exports  in  the  order  of  quantity  are  currants,  wine, 
oil,  cheese,  barley,  caroubs,  oats,  oranges  and  le- 
mons, honey,  melons,  cibibo,  madder,  liquorice, 
squills,  and  aloes.  Among  the  productions  are  also 
maize  and  wheat,  but  not  more  than  sufficient  for 
the  consumption  of  two  or  three  months  ;  with  some 
cotton  and  flax,  used  in  the  manufacture  of  coarse 
stuffs,  and  a  small  quantity  of  coarse  blankets  and 
capots  made  from  the  wool  of  the  island.  The 
seafaring  population,  including  fishermen,  amounts 
to  near  3,000.  The  soil  is  rocky  in  the  moun- 
tainous districts,  and  stony  even  in  the  plains ; 
but  the  productions  are  generally  good  in  their 
kinds,  particularly  the  wine,  of  which  the  island 
would  be  capable  of  producing  a  great  variety  and 
quantity,  if  there  were  more  care  and  intelligence 
in  the  cultivation  and  manufacture  of  it.  Want 
of  water  is  the  great  defect  of  the  island.  There  is 
not  a  single  constantly  flowing  stream  :  the  sources 
are  neither  numerous  nor  plentiful,  and  many  of 
them  fail  entirely  in  dry  summers,  creating  some- 
times a  great  distress. 

The  ancient  writers  notice  only  four  cities  in 
Cephallenia1,  of  three  of  which  I  have  already  de- 
scribed the  sites  :  the  fourth,  Proni  or  Pronesus, 
is  shown  by  Polybius  to  have  been  opposite  to  the 
western  extremity  of  Peloponnesus,  and  small, 
but  strongly  situated2.  Its  remains  are  found  not 
far  above  the  shore  of  Limenia,  a  harbour  about 
three  miles  to  the  northward  of  Cape  Kapri.    But 


1  Thucycl.  1.  2,  c.  30;   Liv.  2  noXicrfidTiov     SvcriroXiopKi)- 

1.  38,  c.  28  ;  Strabo,  p.  455.  tov.— Polyb.  1.  5,  c.  3. 

12 


XXII.] 


CEPHALL13NIA. 


07 


besides  these  four  cities,  all  which  were  of  suffi- 
cient importance  to  coin  their  own  money,  it  ap- 
pears, from  several  Hellenic  names  still  existing, 
that  there  were  some  other  fortresses  or  subordinate 
towns  in  Cephallenia.  The  position  of  Asso,  on 
a  peninsula  commanding  two  harbours,  concurs 
with  the  evidence  of  a  piece  of  Hellenic  wall 
in  the  modern  castle,  to  show  that  here  stood 
a  fortress  named  Assus.  On  the  same  coast,  to 
the  southward,  at  the  north-western  extremity 
of  the  peninsula  of  Paliki,  the  harbour  of  Aterra 
indicates  an  ancient  site  by  its  name,  which 
differs  only  by  a  slight  dialectic  variation  from 
Atella,  a  known  name.  Farther  south,  on  the 
coast  of  the  same  peninsula,  Tafio,  where  many 
ancient  sepulchres  are  found,  is  the  site  apparently 
of  Taphus,  a  Cephallenian  town,  noticed  by  Ste- 
phanus.  Towards  the  opposite  side  of  the  island 
Rakli  and  Orisso,  or  Erisso,  have  every  appearance 
of  being  ancient  names.  Rakli,  which  lies  between 
the  north-eastern  side  of  Mount  'Elato  and  the 
maritime  ridge,  seems  to  indicate  that  there  was 
anciently  a  Heraclia  in  that  valley,  and  Erisso, 
that  the  long  narrow  peninsula  so  named  at  the 
northern  extremity  of  the  island,  contained  an- 
ciently a  town  of  Erissus.  The  port  of  Viskardho 
is  evidently  the  Panormus,  which  an  epigram  of 
Antipater  of  Thessalonica  describes  as  being  oppo- 
site to  Ithaca  ',  and  which  Artemidorus,  by  attri- 

1  <\>o~ifie  Kf^aX\//vwv  XifX£y6(TK07re,  Q~ira  Uayop/jLov 
Naiwi'  T(tr}^iir]Q  avrnrtpriv  \I0nfcr/c. 

Anthol.  Jacobs,  vol.  ii.  p.  99. 
F  V> 


GS 


CEPIIALLENIA. 


[CHAP.   XXII. 


buting  to  it  a  distance  of  twelve  stades  from  that 
island  *,  sliows  to  have  been  in  this  the  narrowest 
strait.  The  convenience  of  this  harbour,  at  the 
part  of  the  entrance  of  the  channels  of  Ithaca  and 
Leucate,  has  in  all  ages  rendered  it  valuable.  On 
a  former  journey  I  observed  there  some  remains 
of  Roman  ruins  near  the  shore,  and  there  would 
seem,  from  the  ancient  authorities  which  I  have 
cited,  to  have  been  a  temple  of  Apollo  on  the 
point  which  shelters  the  northern  side  of  the  port, 
corresponding  to  a  similar  temple  on  the  summit 
of  Leucate.  In  the  time  of  Strabo,  Cephallenia 
was  inhabited  by  the  ex-consul  Caius  Antonius 
Nepos,  uncle  of  Marcus  Antonius,  when  he  was 
exiled  from  Italy.  The  whole  island  obeyed  him 
as  if  it  had  been  his  private  property,  and  he  pro- 
jected the  building  of  a  new  city,  but  being  recalled 
from  banishment,  and  dying  soon  afterwards,  his 
intention  was  never  executed.  Pale,  Pronus,  and 
Crania  were  then  small,  and  Same  a  mere  ruin2. 


1  Artemidorus  ap.  Porphyr. 
Ant.  Nymph. 


2  Strabo,  p.  455. 


CHAPTER  XX111. 

CYTIIERA,   jEG^AN  ISLANDS. 

Arrival  at  Tzerigo — Kapsali — Cythera,  Phcenicus,  Scandeia — 
Milo — Khora — Kastro — Ruins  of  Melus — Paro,  ancient  city 
— Description  of  the  Island — Andiparo — Ancient  Quarries  of 
Parus — Kosto — Marmara — Naxia,  Naxus —  Island  of  Palati — 
Villages,  Population,  Produce — Dhiles—  Delus,  Hierum  of 
Apollo,  Mount  Cynthus,  Olympieium — Rheneia — Mykono, 
Myconus — Skyro,  Scyrus — Port  Achilleium — Skanghero — 
Scopelus,  Scialhus,  Halonesus,  Icus — Aistrati. 

Sept.  30. — We  anchor  this  evening  at  Kapsali,  in 
Cerigo,  after  having  encountered  oft*  the  Twnarian 
promontory  some  stormy  weather,  which  threatened 
to  send  us  to  the  coast  of  Africa.  It  was  in  con- 
sequence of  an  adverse  gale  in  the  same  place  and 
at  the  same  season  that  I  had  the  misfortune,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Hamilton  and  the  late  Lieut. 
Col.  Squire,  to  be  shipwrecked  at  Avlemona,  in 
this  island. 

Oct.  1. — Remain  at  the  port  in  my  tent,  and 
receive  our  vice-consul  Calucci,  to  whose  kindness 
on  that  occasion  we  were  extremely  indebted.  In 
the  evening  we  walk  up  to  the  town  together,  and 
attend  a  baptism  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Mormori,  the 
Russian  vice-consul,  the  PrytanoGeorge  Arvanitaki, 
of  Zante,  standing  godfather.   This  Prvtano  is  well 


70 


CYTHERA. 


[chap. 


spoken  of  by  the  Cerigotes  as  disinterested,  liberal 
and  impartial.  The  pay  of  Prytano  is  90  dollars  a 
month,  that  of  Legislator  80  dollars,  of  a  Senator 
60.  The  Prytano  keeps  a  table  for  aides-de-camp 
and  secretaries,  for  which  he  has  no  allowance. 
The  garrison  of  Cerigo  now  consists  only  of  two 
Russian  officers  with  one  company,  and  a  few 
Albanians,  chiefly  Suliotes. 

The  obscurity  of  the  history  of  Greece  during 
the  middle  ages,  renders  it  impossible  to  trace 
the  modern  appellation  of  this  island  to  its  origin. 
It  is  almost  the  only  instance  of  a  Sclavonic  name 
in  the  Greek  islands.  Tzerigo  was  perhaps  a  Ser- 
vian chieftain,  who  obtained  possession  of  Cy  titer  a 
when  the  2/cv0cu  2«:Xa/3ot,  or  barbarians  of  Scla- 
vonic race  settled  in  the  Peloponnesus  in  such 
numbers  that  a  name  of  Sclavonic  origin  has  ever 
since  remained  attached  to  the  peninsula  \  T&/01- 
yog,  in  Italian  Cerigo,  contains  about  50  villages 
and  7000  inhabitants  :  in  the  town  there  are 
scarcely  1000.  The  most  fruitful  parts  are  the 
plains  of  Mylopotamo  and  Livadhi  ;  the  latter, 
which  I  formerly  crossed  on  my  way  from  Avle- 
mona  to  the  town,  consists  of  vineyards  and  corn 
fields,  interspersed  with  olive  and  other  fruit 
trees,  as  well  as  with  villages,  single  houses,  and 
labourers'  huts.  The  town  of  Cerigo  stands  on 
a  narrow  ridge  500  yards  in  length,  terminating 
at  the  south-eastern  end  in  a  precipitous  rock, 
crowned  with  a  castle  which  is  accessible  only  on 


1   Morea,  from  More,  (sea,)   as  being  the  maritime  province 


XXIII.] 


CYTHERA. 


71 


the  side  towards  the  town,  by  a  steep  and  winding 
path,  but  is  commanded  by  a  conical  height  at  the 
opposite  end  of  the  ridge.  The  town  is  enfiladed 
by  a  battery  of  three  guns  in  the  castle,  which  was 
erected  or  repaired  by  the  French  when  they  took 
possession  of  the  Venetian  Islands. 

In  the  north-western  height,  which  is  composed 
of  a  bluish  calcareous  stone,  the  most  common 
rock  in  the  island,  are  some  hard  argillaceous 
veins,  noted  for  containing  numerous  bones  per- 
fectly resembling  the  natural  bone,  except  that 
the  place  of  the  marrow  is  filled  with  pellucid 
crystals.  The  people  of  Cerigo  long  believed, 
and  most  of  them  probably  still  believe,  that 
these  bones  are  human ;  but  anatomists  have 
pronounced  some  jaw  bones  and  teeth  which  have 
been  found  among  them,  to  have  belonged  to  a 
species  of  deer.  Another  kind  of  limestone  which 
is  brought  to  Cerigo  from  Candia,  for  the  purpose 
of  being  pounded  and  mixed  with  the  new  wine, 
contains  petrified  fish,  very  much  resembling  those 
of  Mount  Libanus. 

Heraclides  Ponticus  describes  the  people  of  Cy- 
thera  as  laborious,  and  lovers  of  money,  and  the 
island  as  productive,  particularly  in  honey  and 
wine  !.  The  character  of  the  people  is  the  neces- 
sary consequence  of  the  rocky  soil  on  which  they 
dwell.  Although  the  productions,  like  those  of 
some  others  of  the  dryest  islands,  as  Kefalonia  and 
Zia  are  good  in  their  kinds,  their  quantity,  with 
the  exception  of  honey  and  wine,  is  seldom  more 


(pepii  yap    ?'/    vfjtfOg   iroWu, 
KM  [ii\t  teat  ulyov    .    .    .  <f>i\up- 


■yvpoi    Si     Et(Tl    KCU    tylXoTTOVOt.— 

Heraclid.  Pout,  in  KvOtjplwv. 


11 


CYTHERA. 


[dlAP. 


than  sufficient  for  the  consumption  of  the  inhabi- 
tants.    There    is    nothing,    therefore,    to    attract 
commerce   to  Cerigo,    and  the   people  have  very 
little  of  that  carrying  trade  which  has  enriched 
some   much  more  barren  rocks.     As  in  Zakytho 
and  Kefalonia,  many  of  the  men  obtain  subsistence 
abroad  as  agricultural  labourers,  not  however  in 
general  like  the  natives  of  those  islands,  on  the 
neighbouring  continent,  but  in  Asia  Minor,  where 
they    cultivate    the    Turkish    lands,    and    gather 
madder  in  the  mountains.     By  these  means  they 
often    bring    back    a   few    purses  to  their   native 
island,  and  are  enabled  to  buy  some  land  here. 
Beef  is  scarcely  ever  eaten,  as  there  are  no  more 
oxen  in  the  island  than  are  required  for  the  plough. 
Pork  and  mutton,  hares  and  quails,  of  which  there 
is  a  great  quantity  in  the  autumn,  are  the  prin- 
cipal meats  ;  the  consumption  of  which  is  much 
economized  by   the    150   fast  days  of  the  Greek 
calendar.     The  island  is  very   subject    to    earth- 
quakes ;  several  occurred  last  July. 

The  situation  of  the  modern  town  of  Cerigo  so 
much  resembles  that  of  the  generality  of  ancient 
sites  in  the  islands  of  the  JEgcean,  and  the  harbour 
although  not  good  with  reference  to  ancient  navi- 
gation, was  so  important  by  its  position  on  the  line 
of  maritime  communication  between  the  eastern 
and  western  coasts  of  Greece,  that  one  cannot  but 
presume  that  the  modern  site  was  occupied  by 
some  ancient  town  or  fortress  ;  but  there  is  some 
difficulty  as  to  the  name.  We  learn  from  Thucy- 
dides  that  the  island  contained  three  cities:  namely, 
the  maritime  city  of  the  Cytherii,  the  upper  Cy 


XXIII.] 


CYTHEHA. 


73 


thera  which  was  near  it,  and  thirdly  Scandeia, 
which  had  a  harbour  *,  and  was  in  a  part  of  the 
island  distant  from  the  two  former  places. 

In  the  eighth  year  of  the  Peloponnesian  war,  the 
Athenians  undertook  an  expedition  against  this 
island  with  GO  triremes,  2000  hoplitae,  some  cavalry, 
a  body  of  Milesii,  and  a  few  others  of  the  Athenian 
allies,  the  whole  commanded  by  Nicias  and  two 
other  generals.  While  a  detachment  of  2000  Mi- 
lesii and  10  ships  captured  Scandeia,  the  remainder 
proceeded  to  the  shore  opposite  to  Cape  Malea  in 
Peloponnesus,  and  having  debarked,  inarched  to 
the  maritime  city  of  the  Cytherii 2,  who  met 
the  invaders,  but  having  been  defeated,  retired 
to  their  upper  city 3,  where  they  capitulated  to 
Nicias  on  the  sole  condition  that  their  lives  should 
be  spared.  The  Athenians  then  took  possession 
of  Scandeia,  left  a  garrison  in  the  city  Cythera, 
and  proceeded  against  Asine,  Helos  and  other  ma- 
ritime places  in  Laconia. 

At  Paleopoli,  about  three  miles  inland  from  the 
port  of  Avlemona,  are  the  ruined  walls  of  an  ancient 
town,  and  as  the  situation  is  not  far  from  the  Cape 
of  Cythera  opposite  to  the  promontory  of  Laconia, 
which  is  still  named  Malea,  it  seems  evidently 
to  have  been  the  upper  Cythera  intended  by  Thu- 
cydides,   in  which  case  it  cannot  but  follow  that 


1     ti)v     itrl     daXdatrrj    7r6Xiv  cnroflavTEQ  tjjq  vr}aov  tg  ra  7rpoc 

Swii'^eiay  KaXovfxivr\v MaXeav    rtrpa/x^tVo,     Lyjopovv 

to   IttI   Xi/jLtfi  Tru\iajj.a. — Thu-  £7rt  rtjy  Lttl  daXdtrtn]    ttuXiv  tGjv 

cyd.  1.  4,  c.  53.  Kvdqpiwv. — c.  54. 

3    ru    £e    <"i\Xm    <7Tpa.rtvfj.aTi  3  ig  tiju  oj'w  7r6Xiv. 


74 


CYTHERA. 


[chap. 


Avlemona  was  the  site  of  the  maritime  Cythera. 
From  Xenophon  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  this 
lower  town  was  also  called  Phcenicus,  for  in  de- 
scribing an  expedition  similar  to  that  of  Nicias, 
which  was  undertaken  by  Conon  and  Pharnabazus 
in  the  Corinthiac  war,  the  historian  relates  that 
when  the  fleet  anchored  at  Phcenicus,  the  Cytherii 
abandoned  their  city,  and  that  Conon,  having  sent 
them  over  to  Laconia,  strengthened  the  walls  of 
Cythera  and  left  an  Athenian  garrison  in  it1.  This 
happened  in  the  year  b.  c.  393,  in  the  spring  suc- 
ceeding the  naval  victory  of  Conon  at  Cnidus,  and 
the  same  year  in  which  the  Long  Walls  of  Athens 
were  rebuilt. 

The  name  Phcenicus  was  obviously  derived  from 
that  Phoenician  colony  which,  according  to  Hero- 
dotus, imported  into  Cythera  the  worship  of  the 
Syrian  Venus,  by  the  Greeks  surnamed  Urania, 
and  whose  temple  (described  by  Pausanias  as  the 
most  ancient  and  holy  of  all  those,  dedicated  in 
Greece  to  Aphrodite)  stood  in  the  city  of  the  Cy- 
therii 2.  The  whole  circuit  of  Cerigo  being  very 
deficient  in  harbours,  there  is  no  point  on  the  coast 
at  which  it  is  so  probable  that  the  Phoenicians 
should  have  landed,  as  in  the  sheltered  creek  of 
Avlemona3.      And    the   appearance  of  the  ruins 


1  Xenoph.  Hellcn.  1.  4,  c.  8. 

2  Herodot.  1. 1,  c.  105.  Pau- 
san.  Lacon.  c.  23.  The  statue 
still  remained  in  the  time  of  Pau- 
sanias, made  of  wood,  and  repre- 
senting the  goddess  as  armed. 


3  Avlemona  itself  may  he  an 
ancient  name :  avXr]/j.wy  derived 
from  abXog,  in  allusion  to  its 
long  narrow  form,  hordered  hy 
steep  rocks. 


XXII1-] 


CYTHERA. 


at  Paleopoli,  which  I  examined  on  my  former 
journey,  is  equally  in  agreement  with  the  remote 
antiquity  of  the  town,  which  may  be  inferred  from 
that  of  the  temple. 

Every  circumstance,  therefore,  in  the  transac- 
tions related  by  the  historians  favours  the  supposi- 
tion that  Paleopoli  was  the  site  of  upper  Cythera, 
and  Avlemona  that  of  Phoenicus  or  the  lower 
town ;  and  that  Scandeia  stood  at  the  modern  town 
of  Cerigo.  Pausanias,  however,  is  directly  op- 
posed to  this  conclusion;  for  he  describes  Scandeia 
as  the  ztt'ivsiov,  or  harbour  of  the  city  which 
contained  the  temple  of  Venus,  and  as  situated 
only  ten  stades  below  it,  which  leads  directly  to 
the  conclusion  that  Cythera  was  at  the  modern 
town ;  that  Scandeia  was  at  Kapsali,  and  that  it 
was  the  same  place  as  the  lower  Cythera — which 
cannot  be  reconciled  with  the  historians. 

The  island  to  the  south-east  of  Cerigo,  called 
Cerigotto  by  the  Italians,  is  named  Litis  by  the 
Greeks  of  Cerigo  and  the  Morea,  and  by  the  Sfak- 
hiotes  of  Crete  Seghilio,  a  corruption  or  dialectic 
variation  of  AlyiXia,  which,  as  we  learn  from  Pliny 
and  Stephanus ',  was  the  ancient  name  of  the 
island  ;  the  former  places  iEgilia  at  15  M.P.  from 
Cythera,  and  at  25  from  Phalasarna  in  Crete  :  Ly- 
cophron  alludes  to  it  under  the  name  of  iEgilus 2. 
There  are  about  40  families  in  Seghilio,  of  whom 


1  Plin.   H.  N.    1.   4,  c.   12.       AlylXov    r     aicpov. — Lycophr. 
Stephan.  in  Alyikia.  v.  108. 

2  Opifcuj    birsp     S/cav^tiav 


76 


MA  LEA. 


[chap. 


tour  are  from  Cerigo.  The  island  is  a  nominal 
dependence  of  Cerigo,  and  consequently  belongs 
to  the  Septinsular  state  ;  but  there  being  no  gar- 
rison, it  is  in  fact  in  the  hands  of  the  Sfakhiotes. 
It  produces  good  wheat,  of  which  a  portion,  in 
favourable  years,  is  sent  to  Crete  :  the  port  is 
bad,  and  open  to  the  north.  The  small  island 
named  Porri  by  the  Italians,  lying  to  the  north  of 
Cerigotto,  is  called  Prasonisi  by  the  Greeks. 

Oct.  3. — Sail  in  the  afternoon  from  Kapsali : 
anchor  at  night  at  Furnus,  and 

Oct.  4. — Visit  this  morning  the  cavern  of 
Mylopotamo,  two  miles  north  of  Furnus.  It  is 
winding  and  intricate,  with  many  branching 
passages,  columns  of  stalactites,  and  basins  of 
clear  water  formed  by  droppings  from  the  roof :  in 
most  parts  it  is  very  low,  and  there  is  no  large 
opening  or  chamber  in  any  part.  The  village  of 
Mylopotamo  is  about  a  mile  above  it,  and  is  so 
called  from  a  rivulet  which  rises  there  and  turns 
twelve  mills  :  in  the  present  season  the  water  is 
all  consumed  before  it  reaches  the  sea,  but  some- 
times it  forms  a  cascade  through  a  precipitous 
opening  in  the  rocks  near  the  cavern.  At  noon  we 
sail  from  Furnus,  and  pass  in  the  evening  through 
the  passage  between  Elafonisi  and  Cape  Mudhari 
of  Cerigo.  A  little  within  the  latter  is  Platania, 
on  the  site  probably  of  the  Platanistus  of  Pausa- 
nias. 

Oct.  5. — After  having  past  Cape  Malea,  or 
Malfa,  we  are  driven  back  by  a  N.E.  wind,  which 
is  the  usual  direction  here,   when   the  Maestrale 


XXIII.] 


MET/US. 


77 


blows  on  the  western  coast,  and  anchor  in  the 
bay  of  Vatika1,  from  whence  we  sail. 

Oct.  7. — And  having  again  passed  Malea  and 
Cape  Kamili : 

Oct.  8. — Find  ourselves  this  morning  a  little 
south  of  Ierakunia,  called  Falcon  era  by  the  Ita- 
lians. Arrowsmith  has  correctly  marked  the  situa- 
tion of  these  rocks  as  well  as  those  which  he  calls 
Ananes  and  Paximadhi,  near  the  southern  extre- 
mity of  Milo.  Those  names,  however,  are  un- 
known to  my  sailors,  who  call  them  Ktinia  and 
Prasonisi. 

Oct.  10.  —  Light  adverse  winds  or  calms,  ac- 
companied with  rain  having  continued  to  prevail, 
it  is  not  until  this  morning  that  we  enter  the  port  of 
Milo,  and  anchor  near  the  head  of  the  bay.  Land, 
and  visit  the  hot  springs  :  the  hottest  is  on  the  sea- 
beach,  a  mile  from  the  old  town.  The  ground  around 
them  is  impregnated  with  sulphur,  as  appears  by 
a  yellow  crust  on  many  of  the  stones.  In  the 
side  of  a  little  rocky  height  above  is  another  hot 
source  in  a  cavern,  and  a  vapour  issuing  from  the 
fissures  so  hot  that  the  water  appears  less  so  than 
it  really  is.  A  thick  crust  of  salt  is  formed  on  the 
rocks  around,  and  flakes  of  salt  float  on  the  sur- 
face. Turks  from  the  neighbouring  continent 
sometimes  come  here  to  take  a  course  of  bathina*. 
To  the  south-east  of  this  height  are  some  salt- 
pans, and  a  marshy  level,  in  which,  towards  the 
hills,  stands  the  khora,  or  town,  once  containing 
16,000  inhabitants,  but  now  not  more  than  200 

1  For  a  more  extended  see  Travels  in  the  Morea, 
journal    of  Oct.    4,    5,    6,    7,      vol.  i.  p.  .507. 


78 


MELUS. 


[chap. 


families.  There  are  25  Greek  and  2  Latin 
churches  still  remaining.  The  ruins  and  the 
naked  valley  surrounded  by  white  rocky  heights, 
and  with  scarcely  any  vegetation  except  a  few 
meagre  date-trees,  give  the  place  a  most  dismal 
appearance.  The  air  is  said  to  be  very  unhealthy. 
In  the  afternoon  I  proceed  to  the  village  called 
Kastro,  which  is  situated  on  a  peaked  rocky  height 
above  the  northern  side  of  the  entrance  of  the  bay, 
and  lodge  in  the  house  of  the  English  vice-consul, 
Mr.  Peter  Mikhelis,  who  with  many  of  his  relations, 
and  all  the  richer  Miliotes,  gain  their  livelihood 
as  pilots  for  the  JEgcean  sea.  At  the  highest 
point  of  the  village  they  have  a  look-out  room, 
where  some  of  them  are  always  on  the  watch  for 
ships  making  signals  for  pilots.  They  are  well 
supplied  with  English  telescopes,  and  have  good 
boats,  with  which  they  sometimes  meet  vessels  at 
a  distance  of  12  or  15  miles  from  the  island.  The 
rule  is,  that  whoever  first  discovers  a  ship  has  a 
prior  right  to  offer  himself  as  pilot. 

Milo  has  now  not  more  than  between  2  and 
3000  inhabitants,  who,  in  addition  to  the  produc- 
tions consumed  by  themselves,  raise  for  exporta- 
tion, in  tolerable  years,  2000  kila  politika  of 
wheat1,  and  12  or  14000  of  barley,  2  or  300  kan- 
tari  of  cotton,  and  1500  barrels  of  wine.  The  island 
would  derive  also  a  considerable  profit  from  its 
mines  of  alum  and  sulphur,  if  the  fear  of  the  Porte 
did  not  prevent  the  inhabitants  from  working  them. 
The  mines  are  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  island, 


1  The    tcolXov   twXitikov,    or 
kilo  of  Constantinople,  is  con- 


sidered to  contain  22  okes,  or 
00  English  pounds. 


XX1T1.] 


MELU9. 


79 


near  a  height  which  emits  smoke,  and  has  every 
appearance  of  having  been  a  volcano  \ 

The  oil  produced  in  the  island  is  seldom  suffi- 
cient, even  in  good  years,  for  its  consumption. 
They  depend  upon  their  neighbours  for  cheese, 
and  import  a  few  European  articles  of  household 
furniture.  The  men  are  all  dressed  in  the  white 
cotton  cloth  made  in  the  island,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  of  the  more  opulent,  who  wear  striped 
cottons  from  Turkey.  The  dress  of  the  women  is 
also  of  Miliote  cotton,  generally  with  a  red  edging 
or  fringe  of  flaxen  lace,  which  is  also  home-made. 
There  are  a  few  looms  in  the  island  for  the  mak- 
ing of  a  coarse  woollen  cloth.  They  have  few 
sheep,  and  oxen  only  for  tillage.  The  soil  is  not 
in  general  good,  the  cotton  pods  are  small,  and 
the  wheat  and  barley,  though  sometimes  returning 
10  to  1,  supply  only  a  dingy  disagreeable  bread. 

The  island  is  capable  of  producing  excellent 
wine,  as  some  specimens  prove,  both  sweet  and 
dry,  but  little  care  is  observed  in  the  making,  and 
water  is  generally  mixed  with  the  wine  before  it  is 
offered  for  sale.  The  island  suffers  often  from 
drought,  potherbs  are  very  scarce,  and  there  is  no 
fruit  of  any  kind.  At  the  present  season  grapes 
are  brought  for  sale  from  Sifno. 

Oct.  11. — Between  the  hill  of  Kastro  and  the 
northern  shore  of  the  harbour  are  the  ruins  of  the 
ancient  city  of  Melus,  which  seems  to  have  ex- 
tended quite  to  the  water  side,  as  there  are  re- 
mains of  walls  and  of  a  round  tower  on  the  beach. 


1  See  the  description  of  it  in  Olivier. 


80 


MELUS. 


[chap. 


On  the  highest  part,  which  is  immediately  over- 
looked by  the  village,  are  some  remains  of  poly- 
gonal walls,  and  others  of  regular  masonry  with 
round  towers.  The  western  wall  of  the  city  is 
traceable  all  the  way  down  the  hill  from  the  sum- 
mit to  the  sea  :  on  the  east  it  followed  the  ridge  of 
some  cliffs,  but  some  foundations  remain  only  in  a 
few  places. 

Within  the  inclosure,  on  the  slope  of  the  hill, 
are  many  other  pieces  of  ancient  wall,  faced  with 
regular  masonry,  but  filled  within  with  rubble  and 
mortar.  There  is,  particularly,  a  fine  angle  of  the 
most  regular  kind,  and  preserving  twelve  or  four- 
teen courses,  a  little  eastward  of  a  pointed  hill, 
near  the  middle  of  the  site,  on  the  summit  of 
which  stands  a  church  of  St.  Elias,  and  a  small 
monastery,  with  a  lodging  for  a  single  monk.  This 
building  occupies  probably  the  site  of  a  small 
temple,  as  near  it  lies  a  stone  which  formed  one  of 
the  angles  of  a  pediment,  including  part  of  a  Co- 
rinthian cornice  below  it.  The  stone  is  3  ft.  10  in. 
in  length,  the  same  in  thickness,  and  3  ft.  high  in 
the  highest  part.  In  a  field  immediately  below  this 
spot  are  other  fragments  of  the  same  edifice,  among 
which  is  a  capital  of  a  pilaster  of  the  Corinthian 
order,  2  ft.  9  in.  square  at  bottom.  Here  also  for- 
merly stood  an  altar,  with  ornaments  of  sculpture, 
which  has  since  been  transported  to  England. 
That  all  the  architectural  remains  belonged  to  one 
and  the  same  building  can  scarcely  be  doubted, 
as  they  are  all  of  Parian  marble,  with  blue  veins, 
and  the  dimensions  of  the  pediment  and  cornice 
correspond   exactly  to    those  of  the  pilaster  and 


XXIII. j 


MELUS. 


Si 


column.  The  building  seems,  therefore,  to  have 
been  a  temple  in  antis,  with  two  columns  in  the 
portico,  and  having  a  total  breadth  in  the  front 
of  from  15  to  18  feet.  On  the  upper  member  of 
the  cornice  is  the  beginning  of  an  inscription, 
showing  that  the  building  was  erected  by  one 
Sabinius,  son  of  Zopyrus1.  The  form  of  the  cha- 
racters concurs  with  the  Corinthian  order  in  indi- 
cating an  early  period  of  the  Roman  Empire.  At 
the  foot  of  the  same  height,  a  little  to  the  west- 
ward, is  a  quadrangular  foundation  of  regular 
masonry,  of  which,  in  one  part,  four  or  five  courses 
remain,  and  near  it  is  a  cistern  in  the  usual  form, 
lined  with  stucco.  On  several  parts  of  the  slopes 
are  remains  of  walls,  some  of  which  perhaps  were 
interior  inclosures  of  defence  ;  others  were  evi- 
dently terraces  to  support  buildings. 

On  the  height  immediately  to  the  eastward  of 
the  ancient  city  is  a  village  named  TouTrrjrrj,  from 
the  small  catacombs  with  which  the  hill  is  pierced 
in  every  part.  Some  of  these  are  of  very  irre- 
gular shapes,  with  narrow  passages  and  niches  on 
each  side.  They  were  generally  made  for  three, 
five,  or  seven  bodies.  Some  of  them  have  been 
converted  into  magazines  for  straw  and  corn,  and 
a  few  into  dwellings.  Others  having  passages  de- 
scending from  the  entrance,  have  been  converted  by 
the  inhabitants  into  cisterns,  which  are  filled  by  the 
rain,  or  by  hand,  in  the  winter,  and  supply  water  all 
the  summer,  each  family  keeping  its  cistern  locked. 


1  Vide  Inscription,  No.  116. 


VOL.  111. 


(i 


82 


MELUS. 


[chap 


Kastro  depends  also  for  water  upon  its  cisterns, 
which  are  of  modern  construction.  The  only  spring 
in  the  vicinity  is  to  the  westward  of  the  ancient 
city,  on  the  sea-side,  where  is  a  chapel  of  St. 
Nicolas.  The  water  of  this  source  is  excellent, 
which  is  a  great  rarity  in  Milo.  Eastward  of  Try- 
piti,  a  narrow  valley,  which  is  planted  with  olives, 
and  gardens,  and  slopes  to  the  sea,  has  several 
sepulchral  excavations  on  its  western  side,  most  of 
which  are  composed  of  two  chambers,  having  a 
niche  on  each  side  in  the  outer  chamber,  and  five 
niches  in  the  inner,  two  on  each  side  and  one  at 
the  end.  Of  one,  which  I  measured,  the  outer 
chamber  was  11  ft.  square  ;  and  the  inner,  16  ft. 
10  in.  by  12  ft.  1  in.  ;  7  ft.  3  in.  in  perpendicular 
height  in  the  centre,  and  6  ft.  3  in.  at  the  walls, 
the  roof  terminating  in  an  angle.  Another,  con- 
siderably larger,  is  open  in  front ;  and  another, 
very  long  and  narrow,  has  only  one  chamber,  in 
which  are  three  niches  on  each  side,  and  one  at 
the  end.  This  valley  of  the  dead  terminates  at 
the  sea,  at  the  eastern  angle  of  the  city,  where  are 
the  remains  of  buildings  in  the  water,  and  the 
ancient  round  tower  already  mentioned.  Here 
also  is  an  ancient  mole  in  the  water,  and  ruins  of 
a  modern  round  tower,  now  serving  for  a  boat- 
house.  From  thence,  eastward,  a  cliff  borders  the 
coast,  in  the  face  of  which  are  some  catacombs 
near  the  water's  edge,  but  they  are  inaccessible, 
except  by  sea  in  a  calm,  and  as  it  blows  a  gale 
to-day,  it  is  out  of  my  power  to  examine  them. 
The  labourers   in   the   valley  eastward  of  Try  pit  i 


XXIII. J 


MELIJS. 


83 


often  find  coins,  small  earthen  figures,   and  vases, 
sometimes  with  drawings  on  them  \ 

The  Voivoda  of  Milo  is  a  Sifniote,  named  Con- 
stantine  Bagho2,  who  bought  the  place  of  the 
Kapitan  Pasha ;  he  collects  for  his  own  benefit  the 
customs,  kharatj  and  dhekatia.  The  latter  is  a 
sixth  of  all  agricultural  productions,  besides  which 
the  island  pays  the  kharatj  for  the  ancient  popu- 
lation of  16000  inhabitants;  but  as  this  is  too 
glaring  an  injustice,  it  is  customary  for  the  Voi- 
voda to  make  a  present  every  year  to  the  island 
of  six  purses.  His  annual  payment  to  the  Kapitan 
Pasha  is  about  25  purses,  and  he  is  supposed  to 
gain  G  or  7,  which  he  might  greatly  increase  if  he 
were  such  an  extortioner  as  many  of  the  Greek 
farmers  of  the  revenue  are,  or  if  he  followed  the 
common  practice  of  exciting  and  profiting  by  dis- 
putes among  the  inhabitants  3, 


1  Since  my  visit  to  Milo,  a 
theatre  has  heen  discovered,  of 
the  existence  of  which  the  Kas- 
trites  at  that  time  were  uncon- 
scious, unless  for  some  inex- 
plicable reason  they  thought 
proper  to  conceal  their  know- 
ledge. But  the  indifference  of 
the  islanders  to  their  antiquities 
is  greater  even  than  that  of  the 
continentalGreeks ;  and  I  should 
perhaps  never  have  known  of 
the  ruins  of  Melus  at  all,  if  I 

Mount  St.  Elias,  S.  40|  W. 

with  Cape  Vani,  southern  entrance  of  the  harbour. .      70°  47' 
The   same  with  southern   Cape  of  Eremomilo, 

or  Andimilo 74      3 

G  '2  [The 


had  not  observed  some  indi- 
cations of  them  from  Kastri. 
From  similar  causes  they  were 
unknown  to  Tournefort  and 
Choiseul :  the  first  published 
account  of  them  was  by  Olivier, 
whose  work  I  had  not  seen. 

2  M7rayw. 

3  The  following  measure- 
ments from  the  summit  of 
Kastro  at  Milo  may  possibly 
be  of  use  to  geographers  ; 


84 


MELUS. 


[chap. 


Oct.  12. — In  beating-  out  of  the  harbour  agaicst 
a  west-south-west  wind,  remains  of  the  western 
extremity  of  the  walls  of  the  city  are  visible,  where 
they  terminate  on  the  water  side,  immediately  be- 
yond which  is  the  spring  of  good  water  before 
mentioned.  At  a  considerable  distance  farther 
westward  are  some  catacombs,  a  little  westward 
of  Turko-vuni,  which  forms  the  northern  cape  of 
the  harbour.  The  point  opposite  to  the  rocks 
named  Arkudhia  is  called  Kidhari,  not  Lakkidi, 
as  in  Arrowsmith's  chart.  A  light  S.  E.  breeze  in 
the  night  carries  us  round  the  north-western  end 
of  Sifno,  called  Sifanto  by  the  Italians,  and  in  the 
morning  we  are  between  that  island  and  Syra. 

Oct.  13. — The  town  of  Sifno  is  spread  over  a 
large  space,  or  rather  is  divided  into  several  vil- 
lages on  a  mountain,  above  which,  on  the  highest 
part  of  the  island,  appears  a  small  church,  con- 
spicuous at  a  distance.  The  town  of  Syra  stands 
on  a  peaked  height,  near  the  middle  of  the  island, 
and  has  a  harbour  below  it  on  the  eastern  coast. 
In  steering  for  Paro,  leaving  Dhespotiko  and  An- 
diparo  on  the  right,  Naxia  makes  its  appearance 
beyond  Paro,  which  differs  again  from  the  chart. 


The  same  with  northern  cape  of  the  same  island  87  55 
The  same   with  the  passage  between  the  Ar- 
kudhia rocks     123  55 

North  Cape  of  Andimilo  with  Cape  Kidhari,  which  is 

opposite  to  the  north-easternmost  of  the  Arkudhia . .  44  5 

The  same  with  the  western  Cape  of  Serfo   ....  64  46 

The  same  with  the  eastern  Cape  of  Serfo    ....  80  0 

The  same  with  the  N.E.  of  Sifno    97  44 

The  same  with  the  western  end  of  Kimolo ....  112  38 


XXIII.] 


PAULS. 


85 


The  approach  to  Parikia1,  the  chief  town  of  Paro, 
is  dangerous,  there  being  several  small  rocks  far 
out  at  sea,  and  one  in  particular  just  above  water. 
A  squall  of  wind  with  rain  drives  us  before  it  into 
the  harbour,  which  is  capable  only  of  receiving 
small  vessels  ;  ships  are  obliged  to  anchor  on  the 
outside  of  a  chain  of  rocks  which  border  the  coast 
from  Andiparo  to  the  northern  side  of  the  bay  of 
Parikia. 

Kyr  Mavrogheni,  in  whose  house  I  am  lodged 
at  Parikia,  is  nephew  of  a  prince  of  Wallachia, 
who  was  beheaded  by  a  Grand  Vezir  without 
orders  from  the  Porte,  for  which  his  own  head 
followed  the  prince's.  When  interpreter  of  the 
Kapitan  Pasha,  Prince  Mavrogheni  constructed 
an  aqueduct  to  supply  his  native  city  with  water. 
The  town,  although  not  large,  nor  affording  any 
great  appearance  of  comparative  opulence,  has  an 
agreeable  aspect,  as  it  consists  of  neat  small  houses 
with  terraced  roofs,  surrounded  by  gardens  of 
oranges  and  pomegranates,  mixed  with  vines  upon 
trellises.  Though  dry  and  well  ventilated,  without 
any  impediment  from  neighbouring  mountains,  it 
is  said  to  be  subject  to  intermittents  in  summer. 

On  a  rocky  height  on  the  sea-side,  in  the  middle 
of  the  town,  are  the  ruins  of  a  castle,  constructed 
chiefly  of  marbles  which  belonged  to  some  ancient 
buildings  once  standing  upon  the  same  spot.  Re- 
mains of  one  of  these  arc  still  in  situ  forming  a  part 
of  the  belfry  of  a  small  church.  Half  the  cell  of  a 
temple  remains,  built  of  small  quadrangular  blocks 


1    [lapoiKiu,  or  more  vulgarly  Qupidm. 


8G 


PARUS. 


[chap 


of  Parian  marble,  with  a  semicircular  niche  at  the 
extremity,  10  ft.  2  in.  in  diameter,  having  an 
elegant  Ionic  frize  surmounted  with  a  cornice  of 
eggs ;  the  body  of  the  cell  has  a  cornice  of  very 
large  eggs  and  anchors.  In  the  wall  of  the  tower 
close  by  some  pieces  are  inserted  of  a  small  Doric 
cornice  having  a  plain  metope  8-f-  inches  broad, 
as  well  as  other  fragments  of  a  Doric  edifice, 
particularly  many  rows  of  portions  of  shafts  placed 
in  the  wall  with  the  ends  outwards.  These  co- 
lumns were  2  feet  in  the  upper  diameter,  and 
unfluted  but  polygonal  at  the  lower  extremity. 
Here  also  are  many  portions  of  an  architrave,  one 
of  which  is  18  feet  8  inches  long,  and  3  feet  high, 
the  interval  between  the  guttse  1  foot  8  inches.  An- 
other piece  of  it  has  an  imperfect  inscription,  con- 
taining, together  with  that  of  the  archon,  the  name 
of  the  person  who  dedicated  the  building1.  Ancient 
fragments  and  sepulchral  monuments  are  numerous 
about  the  town.  On  several  of  the  latter  the  de- 
ceased is  represented,  stretched  on  a  couch  having 
very  high  legs  ;  underneath  the  couch  the  children 
are  seen,  and  below  all  is  the  name.  In  the  wall  of 
a  private  house  a  very  ancient  bas-relief  represents 
a  procession  of  females,  each  having  her  hand 
upon  the  head  of  the  preceding  one ;  on  another, 
in  a  still  more  archaic  style,  are  a  man  and  woman 
facing  each  other,  and  each  holding  a  torch.  In 
the  metropolitan  church  of  Parikia,  which  is  a 
large  building  surrounded  by  a  quadrangle  of 
cells,  are  many  fragments  of  ancient  architecture, 
and  among  them  two  sepulchral  stones,   and  two 

1  V.  Inscription  No.  117. 


XXIII.] 


PARUS. 


87 


Ionic  cornices.  One  of  these  has  a  double  row  of 
eggs  and  anchors.  Several  inscribed  marbles  are 
found  at  Parakia,  chiefly  in  the  castle  and  mo- 
nastery l. 

The  island  of  Paro  consists  of  a  single  round 
mountain,  sloping  evenly  to  a  maritime  plain 
which  surrounds  the  mountain  on  every  side. 
The  plain  is  well  cultivated  with  corn  and 
vines,  as  well  as  many  parts  of  the  mountain 
itself.  The  island  produces  no  oil,  and,  ex- 
cept in  a  few  dispersed  gardens,  there  are  no 
trees  of  any  kind ;  the  largest  garden,  which 
belongs  to  Mavrogheni,  is  on  the  shore  oppo- 
site to  Andiparo.  In  good  years  there  is  an 
exportation  of  ten  or  eleven  thousand  barrels 
of  wine,  twelve  or  fifteen  thousand  Constantino- 
politan  kila  of  barley,  and  five  to  seven  thou- 
sand of  wheat.  The  population  is  about  6000, 
of  whom  Andiparo  contains  150,  the  remainder 
reside  in  Parikia  and  six  villages  named  Aussa, 
Lefkes,  Kosto,  Marmara,  Tzilidho,  and  Dra- 
gota.  The  cattle  are  reckoned  to  be  14,000 
sheep  and  goats,  1500  oxen,  and  900  asses. 
The  annual  contribution  to  the  Voivoda  is  sixty 
purses,  of  which  1650  piastres  are  from  Andi- 
paro. The  island  possesses  two  excellent  ports, 
Aussa2,  at  the  north  end,  and  Dryo 3,  to  the 
south-east. 

Oct.  14. — A  four-oared  boat  lands  me  at  the 
northern  end  of  Andiparo,  near  the  kastro,  or 
castle,  which  is  nothing  more  than  a  quadrangle 


1  V.  Inscriptions,  Nos.  118, 
110,  120,  121. 


'Ayovacra. 
Tfjuyoc,  or  T(no£,  or  Ajjuog, 


88 


ANTIPARUS. 


[chap. 


of  houses  with  a  gate.  It  affords,  however,  some 
degree  of  security  against  a  surprise  by  pirates  or 
lawless  seamen,  who  have  ever  been  the  scourge 
of  the  Levant :  times  are  rather  improved  since 
Malta  has  been  English,  and  the  Maniates  have 
entered  into  a  treaty  with  the  Kapitan  Pasha  ;  but 
the  seamen  of  the  Ottoman  navy  are  still  very 
dangerous  visitors.  Andiparo  was  formerly  much 
frequented  by  the  Maltese  and  by  piratical  vessels, 
because  they  could  always  find  shelter  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  island  to  that  on  which  the 
enemy  appeared. 

From  the  kastro  to  the  grotto  is  an  hour  and  half 
on  ass-back.  The  route  crosses  a  small  valley 
which  separates  the  ridge  of  kastro  from  the  prin- 
cipal mountain  of  the  island,  and  which  is  grown 
with  vines.  This  is  the  only  produce  of  the  island  ; 
the  rest  of  its  cultivable  land  being  neglected, 
as  all  the  working  hands  except  thirty  are  em- 
ployed at  sea.  The  celebrated  cavern  is  on  the 
southern  side  of  the  mountain,  just  above  a  cliff 
which  borders  the  coast,  facing  Nio  and  Santorin. 
The  entrance  is  extremely  picturesque,  but  the 
descent  into  the  cavern  not  at  all  agreeable ;  for 
the  constant  humidity  renders  the  sloping  rocks, 
as  well  as  the  cord  by  which  the  patient  holds 
with  both  his  hands,  so  slippery,  that  with  all  the 
caution  possible,  it  is  necessary  for  him  to  trust  in 
great  measure  to  the  strength  and  dexterity  of  the 
conductors,  who  precede  and  are  ready  to  catch 
him  if  he  falls.  The  grot  below  presents  as  fine 
a  specimen  of  stalactitic  formation  as  can  be  ima- 
gined, but  is  not  admirable  either  for  its  form  or 


XXIII.] 


PARUS. 


89 


dimensions,  the  length  of  all  that  the  eye  can  take 
in  at  once,  being  about  150  feet,  the  breadth  100, 
the  height  50.  A  board  preserves  the  names  of 
some  of  the  visitors,  among  which  Lady  Craven's 
is  conspicuous,  with  those  of  a  multitude  of  French- 
men. The  memorial  which  De  Nointel  left  of  his 
celebration  of  mass  on  Christmas-day  1673,  is  not 
much  less  defaced  by  the  rapid  increase  of  the 
stalagmatic  surface  than  the  Hellenic  inscription, 
which  has  been  exposed  on  the  outside  of  the 
cave  for  two  thousand  years  longer  to  an  obli- 
terating action  of  a  different  kind.  The  latter  me- 
morial could  be  decyphered  without  the  assistance 
of  Tourneforts  cop}7,  which  he  made  more  than 
a  century  ago,  with  the  assistance  of  a  transcript 
in  the  possession  of  a  native1.  Having  returned 
to  the  village  and  dined  with  the  Proestos,  we 
row  back  to  Parikia. 

Oct.  15. — Departing  on  horseback  from  the 
north-eastern  end  of  Parikla  at  7.15,  I  gra- 
dually ascend  the  northern  slope  of  the  moun- 
tain, through  small  corn-fields  fenced  with  walls 
of  stone  and  surrounded  by  fig-trees,  at  8  leave 
some  ancient  quarries  half  a  mile  on  the  right  in  a 
ravine  of  the  mountain,  where  great  heaps  of  ^Ae- 
KiofxaTa,  or  chippings  of  stone,  are  lying  before  them, 


1  The  inscription  was  no- 
thing more  than  a  record  of  the 
names  of  persons  who  had 
visited  the  grotto  : — 'E7rt  Kpi- 
twi'0<;  o'lee  i)\6ov,  MivavBpog, 
^w^apjuoc)  Mere^pdrrir,  'Avti- 
TTdrpor,    '  L7T7ro/uf'cw>',  'Apiurtar, 


<bi\eaQ,  Topyoc,  Aioyirrjc,  <bt- 
XoKpd.T7]g,  'Otn'iatjdog.  Crito 
was  undoubtedly  Archon,  for 
that  such  was  the  title  of  the 
chief  magistrate,  appears  from 
the  fragment  (No.  117)  in  the 
castle  of  Parikia. 


90 


PARUS. 


[chap. 


and  continuing  to  ascend  from  thence  by  a  rugged 
path  over  rocks  of  white  marble,  arrive  at  8.25  at 
the  great  quarries  of  Mount  Marpessa\  which  are 
situated  a  little  below  a  convent  of  St.  Mina. 
There  are  several  excavations,  from  which  an 
immense  quantity  of  marble  seems  to  have  been 
extracted  at  different  times ;  the  largest,  which  is 
on  the  side  of  the  hill  below  the  convent,  is  about 
100  yards  long  and  25  feet  broad,  having  a  branch 
from  the  middle  to  the  right,  and  another  from  the 
end  to  the  left,  each  leading  into  a  chamber,  from 
which  almost  as  much  stone  has  been  taken  as 
from  the  great  gallery  itself.  Of  the  latter,  one 
side  has  been  excavated  so 
as  to  form  a  regular  curve, 
and  the  other  has  been  left 
rugged.  The  marks  of  the 
wedaes  with  which  the  an- 
cients  wrought  are  conspi- 
cuous everywhere. 

On  the  rise  of  the  opposite  hill,  but  very 
near  the  bottom,  is  another  much  smaller  quarry, 
where  on  one  side  is  the  sculptured  tablet 
on  the  face  of  the  rock  which  Tournefort  has 
described  ;  it  is  very  rudely  wrought,  though  of 
good  design,  and  has  suffered  much  from  time. 
The  tablet  is  semi-circular,  and  has  two  com- 
partments, of  which  the  upper,  or  curved,  is  only 
half  the  height  of  the  lower.  In  the  middle 
of  the  upper  is  a  large  human  head,  horned  and 


1  Ma(iirr)rraa  opor  llaoou,  t£  ov   oi  \lQot   efaipoPTat. — Stephan. 
ill  voce. 


XXIII.] 


PARUS. 


91 


bearded,  and  supported  upon  two  short  legs ;  on 
one  side  of  it  is  a  figure  with  the  horns  of  a  Pan 
and  the  belly  of  a  Silenus,  sitting  cross-legged  ;  on 
the  other  are  some  small  full-length  figures.  In 
the  lower  compartment  a  female  is  seated,  having 
her  hair  arranged  in  the  Egyptian  or  archaic 
Greek  style,  and  bearing  in  her  lap  a  smaller 
figure  very  indistinct1;  a  young  man  stands  before 
the  chair  turning  his  face  towards  the  goddess,  and 
holding  up  one  arm ;  behind  him  are  three  females 
in  procession,  facing  in  the  opposite  direction,  and 
draped  from  the  neck  to  the  feet.  Behind  the 
seated  deity  the  upper  parts  of  several  figures  are 
introduced,  particularly  an  old  bearded  head  ; 
some  children  also  appear,  but  this  part  is  mucli 
injured  2.  On  the  rock  to  the  right  of  the  tablet, 
immediately  below  the  three  females,  and  facing 
them,  are  several  figures  on  half  the  scale,  appar- 
ently worshippers.  Below  the  tablet  an  inscrip- 
tion, in  characters  of  the  best  times,  shows  that  it 
was  dedicated  to  the  Nymphs  by  Adamas,  a  man 
of  the  Odrysae  of  Thrace  3. 

The  worship  of  Pan  and  the   Nymphs  was  so 
general  in  the  caverns  of  Greece,  that  we  can  have 


1  In  Stuart,  vol.  iv.  pi.  5,  it 
is  represented  as  a  lion. 

2  Two  sculptures  in  relief, 
in  which  the  same  subject  is 
somewhat  differently  treated, 
but  both  evidently  belonging 
to  Nymphaea,  and  represent- 
ing the  worship  of  Bacchus, 
the  Earth,  and  Hours,  have 
been  engraved  in  the  Museum 


Worsleyanum,  and  in  Pa- 
ciaudi  Monum.  Peloponn.,  p. 
207.  They  were  both  found 
at  Athens.  Subjoined  to  the 
latter  is  the  inscription  ol  ir\v- 
rfjc  vv/xcpaiQ  tv^aixiroi  avidtatty 
cat  GeoTc  irdaiy,  followed  by 
the  names  of  the  bathers. 
3  V.  Inscription  No.  122. 


92 


PARUS. 


[chap. 


no  hesitation  in  recognizing  Pan  in  the  cross-legged 
figure  of  the  upper  compartment :  the  great  human 
head  with  horns  I  take  to  be  Bacchus  Cornigerus, 
and  the  figures  near  him  to  he  Silenus  and  his 
other  attendants.  The  seated  female  in  the  lower 
compartment  is  probably  Cybele,  or  the  Earth, 
with  her  various  attendants  behind  her,  and  those 
in  front  Atys  and  the  three  Horre.  It  is  not  im- 
possible that  this  sculpture  may  have  originated 
in  an  accident  alluded  to  by  Pliny,  who  says,  "  In 
Pariorum  (lapidicinis)  mirabile  proditur,  gleba 
lapidis  unius  cuneis  dividentium  soluta,  imaginem 
Sileni  extitisse."  The  outline  of  a  Silenus  having 
accidentally  appeared  in  the  progress  of  quarrying, 
Adamas  may  have  completed  the  work  as  a  dedi- 
cation to  the  Nymphs.  There  is  another  quarry 
near  this,  and  a  fourth  near  the  great  one.  Every- 
where the  round  grains  by  which  the  Parian  marble 
is  generally  known  is  observable,  and  in  some  places 
they  are  larger  than  I  have  ever  seen  them  in  an- 
cient monuments. 

From  the  quarries  we  begin,  at  9.40,  to  cross 
over  the  ridge  of  the  mountain,  and  leaving  the 
harbour  of  Aussa  in  sight  on  the  left,  descend  to 
Kosto,  and  at  10.20  pass  through  that  village.  The 
flies  are  in  these  islands  a  greater  torment  than  I 
have  ever  witnessed  on  the  continent  of  Greece. 
They  are  particularly  so  to  the  cattle  in  the  meri- 
dian hours,  and  annoy  them  so  much,  that  it  is 
impossible  to  ride  without  a  covering  over  the  nose 
of  the  horse,  ass,  or  mule.  Our  guide  having  forgot 
this  necessary  article,  I  am  obliged  to  complete  on 
foot  the  journey  to   Marmara,  where  we   arrive  at 


XXIII.] 


NAXUS. 


9:i 


1  1 .30.  There  is  a  considerable  plain  round  this 
place,  which  is  reckoned  unhealthy,  particularly  in 
the  present  season  :  the  disorder  is  a  severe  inter- 
mittent, which  is  probably,  as  well  here  as  at  Pa- 
rikia,  the  consequence  in  great  measure  of  un- 
wholesome diet  during  the  long  fast  of  August, 
and  the  total  want  of  vegetable  food,  until  the  vin- 
tage and  season  of  figs.  Nothing  is  to  be  procured 
but  mutton,  or  goat,  lean  and  ill-tasted  for  want  of 
pasture. 

Having  crossed  from  Marmara  to  Naxia  in  three 
hours  in  a  small  boat,  I  procure  a  lodging  in  the 
house  of  his  holiness  6  Uapova^iag,  as  the  metropo- 
litan bishop  of  Paro  and  Naxia  is  designated,  and 
to  which  is  added  the  title,  though  not  the  autho- 
rity, of  head  of  all  the  i^Egaean  sea.  The  metro- 
politan church  has  been  lately  rebuilt ;  in  digging 
the  foundations  of  a  small  house  adjoining  to  it, 
many  marbles  were  found,  and  fragments  of 
statues.  At  a  point  of  land  below  the  metropolis 
are  the  remains  of  a  massive  ancient  wall,  or  mole, 
corresponding  to  another  similar  projecting  from 
the  southern  side  of  the  little  island  of  Palati, 
which  is  separated  from  the  main  by  a  strait  of 
fifty  or  sixty  yards.  This  mole  may  have  served 
the  double  purpose  of  a  bridge  to  the  island,  and  to 
protect  the  strait  on  the  northern  side  of  it  against 
the  sea,  by  which  means  that  strait  may  have 
served  as  a  harbour  to  the  town,  although  now  shal- 
low, and  useless  for  such  a  purpose.  Palati  received 
this  modern  name  from  a  ruined  temple  which  stood 
in  the  middle  of  it.  The  western  portal,  or  door- 
case, still  stands  as  Tournefort  and  Choiseul  Gouf- 


94 


NAXUS. 


[chap. 


fier  have  drawn  it,  and  stands  in  spite  of  an  attempt 
which  was  made  (so  say  the  Naxiotes)  by  the  Scy- 
thian Alexis  Orloff  to  beat  it  down  with  cannon- 
shot.  The  foundations  of  the  temple  have  all  been 
removed  to  serve  for  building  materials,  and  it 
would  seem  from  the  excavation  which  remains, 
that  the  cella  was  about  eighty  feet  in  length.  The 
door-case,  and  a  small  part  of  the  pavement  on 
which  it  stands,  alone  remain.  The  mouldings  of 
the  door  seem  to  be  of  the  Ionic  order,  and  the  massy 
proportions  have  an  appearance  of  remote  antiquity. 
It  consists  only  of  three  stones  ;  the  uprights  are 
21  feet  6  inches  high,  and  in  thickness  4  feet  5 
inches  by  3  feet  5  inches ;  the  width  of  the  open- 
ing is  12  feet  1  inch.  The  rock  of  the  island  Palati 
is  grey  granite,  and  so  are  the  hills  around  the  town 
of  Naxia,  as  well  as  the  highest  summits  and  many 
other  parts  of  the  island,  but  there  were  likewise 
quarries  in  the  island  of  white  marble  with  a  very 
large  grain,  of  which  the  portal  in  Palati  is  a 
specimen. 

Naxia,  or  Axia,  as  it  is  more  vulgarly  called, 
contains  42  villages  besides  the  city  ;  16000  of  the 
natives  are  of  the  Greek  and  350  of  the  Latin 
church.  The  latter  live  in  the  castle,  and  are  almost 
all  under  French  protection.  They  have  a  convent 
of  Capuchins,  another  of  Lazarists,  which  formerly 
belonged  to  the  Jesuits,  and  a  Latin  archbishop, 
who  is  metropolitan  of  all  the  iEgaean  Sea.  The 
town  and  neighbouring  gardens  are  supplied  with 
water  from  wells. 

The  island  contains  several  fertile  valleys,  besides 
the  plain  near  the  town  ;  the  latter  yields  corn  : 

12 


XXIII.] 


NAXUS 


95 


another  which  is  separated  from  it  by  a  range  of 
rocky  heights,  and  lies  between  them  and  the  great 
central  range  of  hills,  is  covered  with  olives.  Thirty 
thousand  Constantinopolitan  kila  of  barley  are  ex- 
ported, and  a  considerable  quantity  of  wine,  oil, 
honey,  oranges,  lemons,  citrons,  and  emery,  of 
which  last  there  is  a  mine  in  Mount  Zia,  towards 
the  southern  end  of  the  island. 

At  the  northern  end,  near  a  cape  called  Apol- 
lona !,  in  an  ancient  quarry  near  the  sea,  is 
an  unfinished  colossal  bearded  statue,  which, 
though  the  modern  name  of  the  cape  would 
lead  one  to  suppose  it  to  have  been  intended  for 
an  Apollo,  was  more  probably  a  bearded  Bac- 
chus, such  as  he  is  represented  on  some  beautiful 
small  brass  coins,  of  which  great  numbers  have 
lately  been  found  at  the  town  near  the  sea  side. 
The  principal  mountain  is  called  Zia,  and  has  pro- 
bably borne  that  name  ever  since  the  island  was 
named  Dia.  Korono,  another  mountain,  recalls 
to  recollection  the  nymph  Coronis,  who  had  care 
of  the  education  of  Bacchus.  On  one  of  the 
heights  beyond  the  plain  are  some  ruins,  which 
some  of  the  Naxiotes  believe  to  be  the  ancient 
city  ;  but  the  mole,  the  temple,  and  other  re- 
mains, afford  ample  proof  that  the  ancient  capital 
of  the  island  stood  on  the  same  spot  as  the  modern 
town. 

Oct.  17.— Sail  at  10  a.m.  for  the  Dhiles  2,  with 
a  fresh  breeze  from  the  south-west,  which  carries 
us  over  in  three  hours.  On  entering  the  strait 
between  the   two   islands,   the   first  object  which 


1    vtov  ' AirnWwva. 


rrralc  A>'/\n<c« 


96 


DELUS. 


[chap. 


presents  itself  is  a  heap  of  squared  stones  on  the 
height  in  Great  Dhili,  or  Rheneia,  which  forms 
the  south-eastern  cape  of  that  island.  There  is 
no  appearance  of  sculpture.  We  pass  between 
the  great  Rematia,  or  Rematiari,  anciently  the 
island  of  Hecate,  and  proceed  to  anchor  between 
the  small  Rematiari  and  Delus,  the  shore  of  which 
is  strewed  with  broken  columns  and  epistylia  of 
marble,  showing  that  notwithstanding  the  spolia- 
tion of  Greek  masons  and  makers  of  Turkish  tomb- 
stones in  the  time  of  Tournefort  and  Stuart,  this 
rich  mine  of  antiquities  is  far  from  being  ex- 
hausted, and  probably  still  contains  many  rare 
productions  of  art,  as  well  as  inscriptions  valuable 
to  history  and  philology.  Having  landed,  I  visit 
in  succession  the  several  objects  described  by  Spon, 
Wheler,  and  Tournefort :  the  stoa  of  Philip,  the 
temple  of  Apollo,  the  oval  basin,  and  the  gymna- 
sium. Besides  these,  of  which  there  are  still  suffi- 
cient remains  to  leave  no  doubt  of  their  identity, 
the  Latoum  and  Heracleium,  which  are  the  only 
other  monuments  mentioned  by  the  ancients, 
would  probably  be  ascertained  by  a  diligent 
search.  The  inscription  on  the  altar  of  Mithra- 
dates  Euergetes,  half  of  which  had  disappeared 
between  the  time  of  Spon  and  that  of  Tournefort, 
is  exactly  as  the  latter  found  it  \  That  on  the 
altar  of  Nicomedes  I  cannot  find.     The  basis  of 


1  It  is  unnecessary  to  refer 
more  particularly  to  the  in- 
scriptions of  Delus,  as  M. 
Boeckh  has  given  a  collection 
of  all   the   known   inscriptions 


of  this  island,  illustrated  wit" 
his  usual  learning  and  ability. 
— V.  Corp.  Inscr.  Gr.  part. 
12. 


XXT 


II. 1 


DELUS. 


97 


the  colossal  Apollo  dedicated  by  the  Naxii,  still 
remains.  The  words  Na£ioi  'AvroAXam  in  front  of 
the  stone  are  in  perfect  preservation,  although 
the  form  of  the  N  and  I,  given  accurately  by 
Stuart,  indicate  considerable  antiquity.  The  much 
more  ancient  line  on  the  opposite  side,  which 
long  ago  exercised  the  learning  of  Dawes  and 
Bentley,  could  hardly  be  decyphered  without  the 
assistance  of  the  faithful  copy  in  Stuart.  The 
first  letter  has  always  been  uncertain.  The  words, 
written  in  ordinary  Hellenic  characters,  are  as 
follows  : 

.  O  AFYTO  AIGO  EMI  ANAPIA2  KAITO  Sd>EAA2, 

which  in  the   cursive  Greek,   supplying   the  first 
letter,  is 


)V    X'ld 


\  '  $    \ 


(ptXag, 


tov  avrov  Aiuov  tifii  avopiag  /ecu  to  a 

meaning  that  the  basis  and  statue  were  both  parts 
of  the  same  mass.  The  stone,  nevertheless,  has  a 
great  square  excavation  in  the  centre,  clearly 
showing  that  the  statue  which  stood  upon  it,  was 
a  separate  piece  of  stone.  A  passage  in  Plutarch's 
life  of  Nicias  may  perhaps  furnish  the  solution  of 
this  difficulty.  He  relates  that  Nicias,  having 
been  appointed  by  the  Athenians  to  conduct  the 
Theoria  to  Delus,  re-established  the  ancient  cere- 
monies which  had  fallen  into  neglect ;  that  he 
entered  the  island  in  procession  from  Rheneia  over 
a  bridge  the  materials  of  which  he  carried  with  him 
from  Athens ;  that  after  having  superintended  the 
sacrifices,  the  games,  and  a  feast,  he  made  an  en- 
dowment of  some  land  for  the  support  of  an  annual 

VOL.    III.  H 


98 


DELUS. 


[CHAP. 


sacrifice  and  supper,  and  finally,  that  he  set  up  a 
brazen  palm-tree  as  a  dedication  to  Apollo ] ;  which 
palm-tree,  adds  Plutarch,  was  afterwards  thrown 
down  by  the  wind,  and  in  falling  carried  with  it 
the  colossal  statue  which  had  been  dedicated  by 
the  Naxii.  It  is  not  improbable,  therefore,  that 
the  more  ancient  inscription  may  have  been  coeval 
with  the  monolithal  dedication,  and  the  latter  with 
a  restoration  of  the  statue  after  the  accident.  Of 
the  thighs  of  the  statue  as  designed  by  Tourne- 
fort,  some  fragments  only  remain  ;  but  a  part  of 
the  shoulders,  with  the  hair  hanging  over  them, 
as  Apollo  is  usually  represented,  is  still  conspicu- 
ous. The  statue  appears  to  have  stood  in  front  of 
the  temple,  facing  the  sea. 

Not  far  from  it  are  the  remains  of  a  portico  of 
which  the  columns  are  three  feet  in  diameter. 
These  are  of  Parian  marble.  The  stoa  of  Philip, 
and  the  colossus,  seem  to  be  of  Naxian.  Near 
the  former  portico  are  the  remains  of  pilasters,  of 
which  the  capitals  represent  bulls'  heads  in  high 
relief,  so  as  to  include  the  dewlap.  Behind  the 
northern  end  of  the  portico  of  Philip  are  Ionic 
columns  2  feet  1  inch  in  diameter. 

The  oval  basin,  which  is  about  100  yards  in 
length,  and  which  Spon,  Wheler,  Tournefort,  and 
Choiseul  all  took  for  a  naumachia,  appears  to   me 


1  Latona  was  said  to  have 
brought  forth  Apollo  and  Diana 
under  a  palm-tree  in  Delus  ; 
and  the  antiquity  of  the  my- 
thus  is  shown  by  the  Odyssey, 
where  Ulysses  compares  Nau- 


sicaa  to  the  palm-tree  of  De- 
lus (Od.  Z.  v.  162).  The 
Delii  of  the  time  of  Cicero  and 
Pliny  pretended  to  show  the 
identical  palm-tree  of  Latona. 


XXIII.] 


DELUS. 


99 


to  be  the  Limne  Trochoeides  of  Herodotus  and 
Theognis,  and  the  Trochoessa  of  Callimachus, 
which  contained  the  water  required  for  the  service 
of  the  upov,  or  sacred  inclosure  of  Apollo ', 
such  tanks  having  been  customary  and  neces- 
sary for  the  sacred  offices  in  places  distant  from 
rivers  or  springs.  In  Egypt  there  are  remains 
of  several,  but  none  of  them  are,  to  my  recollec- 
tion, circular,  like  that  which  Herodotus  states  to 
have  existed  at  Sais,  and  to  which  he  compares 
the  limne  of  Delus.  There  are  some  remains, 
however,  of  a  /cpr?7nc,  or  marginal  wall,  com- 
posed of  small  squared  stones,  in  which  particular 
this  basin  seems  exactly  to  have  resembled  that 
of  Sais.  That  the  Trochoessa  was  circular  or 
oval  is  sufficiently  indicated  by  the  name,  and 
still  more  clearly  perhaps  by  the  epithet  7r£/>»jy?jg, 
applied  to  it  by  Callimachus  in  the  Hymn  to 
Apollo 2.     Near  it  was  an  altar  made  of  the  horns 


1   lv  Sat  iv  rw  Ipu  ri/e   Adr]-  \iivr]  ev   kvkXu)   ku'l  fieyaOoc,  wc 

vnir]Q tjucn  etlo/JEE,   oai)  irsp  ?/  tv  A// Aw 

Xijivr]   te    kaTi   kyo\x.ivr]    XiOli')/  1/  Tpo-^oEi.Et)g    xaXeofAevr).      He- 

Kpr]Tr~ih  KiKoajx-qfxivri  ical  ipyaa-  rodot.  1.  2,  c.  170. 

4>o7/;>£  avai,  ore  ixiv  <te  6ea  teke  irorvia  Ar/rw 

iboiviKOt:  paciviJQ  yEpelv  Eipaxpa/iiyr], 
'Adat'ctroji'  KaXXirrrov  kir\  Tpo^OEihi'i  Xifxvrj. 

Theogn.  v.  5. 
Xf)u<ra)  <5e  Tpn-^oeacra  izavi]^iEpoQ  tppee  Xlfiyj], 

Callim.  Hymn  in  Del.  v.  201. 

2   KaXfj  iv  \)pTvyii)  Tvepii^yioQ  kyyvdi  Xiuyr/Q 
'  ApT£/jic  aypurjoovoa  tcapijara  ovvvEyEQ  alywv 
Kvvdidciov  (popteaicev,  6  ft  ettXeke  piofidv  'AiroXXwf. 

Callim.  Hymn  in  Apoll.  v.  59, 

ii  2 


100 


DELUS. 


CHAP. 


of  stags,  which  was  said  to  have  been  constructed 
by  Apollo  himself,  and  was  considered  so  ad- 
mirable and  sacred  that  a  temple  was  built  to  in- 
close it  ;  some  ruins  which  touch  one  side  of  the 
Trochoessa  may  perhaps  be  the  remains  of  this 
temple  ;  for  Callimachus  places  the  altar  near  the 
Trochoessa,  and  Plutarch,  who  saw  and  admired 
it,  describes  it  as  being  in  the  hierum  of  Apollo  l. 
The  theatre  stood  at  the  western  foot  of  Mount 
Cynthus,  facing  Rheneia,  and  not  far  from  the 
stoa  of  Philip.  Its  extremities  were  supported  by 
walls  of  white  marble  of  the  finest  masonry,  but  of 
a  singular  form,  having  had  two  projections  ad- 
jacent to  the  orchestra,  by  which  means  the  lower 
seats  were  in  this  part  prolonged  beyond  the  semi- 
circle, and  thus  afforded  additional  accommodation 
to  spectators  in  the  situation  most  desirable.  The 
diameter  including  only  the  projections  is  187  feet. 
The  marble  seats  have  all  been  carried  away,  but 
many  of  the  stones  which  formed  their  substruc- 
tion remain.  Immediately  below  the  theatre,  on 
the  shore,  are  the  ruins  of  a  stoa,  the  columns 
of  which  were  of  granite.  In  a  small  valley  which 
leads  to  the  summit  of  Mount  Cynthus,  leaving  the 
theatre  on  the  left,  many  ruins  of  ancient  houses 
are  observable,  and  above  them  in  a  level,  at  the 
foot  of  the  peak,  there  is  a  wall  of  white  marble, 
which  appears  to  have  been  the  cell  of  a  temple. 
Here  lies  an  altar,  which  is  inscribed  with  a 
dedication  to  Isis  by  one  of  her  priests,  Ctesippus, 


1   Plutarch,  de  solert.  Anim. 


XXIII.] 


DELIS. 


101 


son  of  Ctesippus  of  Chius  \  Like  many  others, 
remaining  both  in  this  island  and  in  Rheneia,  it 
is  adorned  with  bulls'  heads  and  festoons.  Ano- 
ther fragment  of  an  inscription  mentions  Sarapis, 
and  as  both  these  were  nearly  in  the  same  place 
where  Spon  and  Wheler  found  another  in  which 
Isis,  Anubis,  Harpocrates  and  the  Dioscuri  were 
all  named,  it  is  very  probable  that  the  remains 
of  white  marble  belonged  to  a  temple  of  Isis. 
Among  them  is  a  portion  of  a  large  shaft  pierced 
through  the  middle,  4  feet  5  inches  in  diameter, 
and  there  is  another  of  the  same  kind  5  feet  8  inches 
in  diameter,  half  way  up  the  peak  of  Cynthus.  The 
latter  lies  just  below  the  gate  represented  in  the 
drawing  of  Wheler.  This  structure,  which  bears 
an  appearance  of  remote  antiquity,  was  probably 
the  entrance  of  a  subterraneous  chamber,  perhaps 
the  treasury  of  Delus,  which  may  still  exist,  as 
the  passage  is  buried  in  ruins  to  within  a  few  feet 
of  the  roof,  and  is  quite  obstructed  at  the  end 
of  15  feet.  The  roof  is  formed  of  two  stones 
rudely  shaped,  and  resting  against  each  other  at 
an  angle  so  obtuse  that  the  rise  is  only  4  feet  2 
inches  above  a  breadth  of  16  feet  2  inches. 

From  this  ruin,  the  ascent  is  short  to  the  summit 
of  Mount  Cynthus,  which  is  a  mere  rock  of  coarse 
granite,  and  seems  anciently  to  have  been  inclosed 
by  a  wall.      There  are  many  architectural  frag- 


1  Kx//<Ti7T7roe  K.r?7<7t7T7rou  X7oc, 
fxtkuvq^opoQ.  The  Melancphori 
and  Therapeutse  are  mentioned 
as  priests  of  the  Egyptian  deities 


in  other  inscriptions  of  Delus. 
The  Melanephori,  it  is  to  he 
supposed,  were  dressed  in  hlack. 


102 


DELUS. 


[chap. 


merits  of  white  marble  on  it.  To  the  south  of  the 
mountain  is  a  small  plain,  which  seems  the  only 
cultivable  part  of  the  island.  A  brook  from  the 
mountain  flows  through  it,  and  joins  the  sea  at  the 
port  of  Furni :  being  the  only  running  stream  in 
the  island  (and  that  only  in  winter)  we  may  con- 
clude that  it  is  the  ancient  Inopus,  unless  we  are 
to  suppose,  with  Tournefort,  that  the  Inopus  was 
not  a  river  but  a  well  or  fountain  which  exists  near 
the  northern  extremity  of  the  island.  Callimachus, 
however,  as  well  as  Strabo,  refers  to  Inopus  as  a 
river,  and  we  may  pardon  the  poet's  exaggeration 
in  applying  to  it  the  epithet  of  deep  !,  when  the 
geographer  describes  Cynthus  as  a  high  mountain2. 
Ruins  of  private  houses  surround  Mount  Cynthus 
on  every  side.  On  the  heights  above  the  Tro- 
choessa,  which  form  the  north-western  promontory 
of  the  island,  are  many  other  similar  ruins  of  an- 
cient houses,  neatly  constructed  with  mortar,  and 
for  the  most  part  having  niches  in  the  walls.  On  the 
summit  of  the  same  hill,  near  the  remains  of  a  large 
house,  are  some  shafts  of  white  marble,  a  foot  and 
a  half  in  diameter,  half  polygonal  and  half  plain. 
As  this  quarter  was  entirely  separated  from  the 
town  on  Mount  Cynthus  by  the  valley  containing 
the  sacred  buildings,  there  is  great  probability 
that  it  was  the  New  Athenas  Hadrianaa,  which  was 
built   at  the   expence  of  the    Emperor   Hadrian, 


1  Xouctw  oe  wXi'inixvpt  fiadvQ  OpOQ  V\p7]\6v  o  Ki>v6o£  teal  rpu-^u. 
'Ii(07roc  iXixdtiQ.  —  Callimach.  Ilorojuoe  <5e  ciiappeT.  rrjv  vrjcov 
Hymn,  ad  Delum,  v.  262.  'lywirds   ov  /ue'yciG,   ku\   yap    }i 

2  'YTrepKurai   Se  rijs  noXtwc  vt]<JO£  fxiKpd. — Strabo,  p.  485. 


XXIII.] 


RHENEIA. 


103 


in  a  position  called  Olympieium1,  perhaps  from 
a  temple  of  Jupiter  Olympius,  to  which  the  shafts 
just  mentioned  may  have  belonged.  Each  of 
these  towns  had  its  small  theatre.  The  great 
theatre,  forming  part  of  the  Hierum,  was  reserved 
perhaps  for  the  periodical  festivals,  which  attracted 
visitors  from  every  part  of  Greece. 

Oct.  18. — On  the  shore  of  Mheneia,  on  a  small 
beach  immediately  opposite  to  the  great  Rema- 
tiari,  the  ground  is  covered  on  either  side,  for 
several  hundred  yards,  with  stelae,  sepulchres,  lids 
of  sori,  and  fragments  of  columns.  To  the  south, 
not  far  from  the  beach,  lies  a  piece  of  architrave, 
with  a  metope  of  10  inches  ;  among  the  remains, 
in  the  opposite  direction,  are  plain  shafts,  3  ft.  4  in. 
in  diameter.  On  the  summit  of  a  hill,  which  rises 
from  the  beach,  are  many  other  remains  of  ancient 
buildings,  and  among  them  a  Doric  capital,  with 
a  small  portion  of  a  shaft,  2  ft.  7  in.  in  diameter, 
formed  out  of  a  single  stone.  The  immense  num- 
ber of  sepulchres  in  this  island  is  accounted  for  by 
its  having  been  the  cemetery  of  Delus,  after  the 
purification  of  the  latter,  which  took  place  in  the 
sixth  year  of  the  Peloponnesian  war,  when  all  the 
ancient  coffins  and  bones  were  removed  to  Rheneia, 
and  it  was  thenceforth  forbidden,  as  in  the  Hierum 
of  Epidauria,  that  any  one  should  be  born  or  die 
in  the  island  of  Delus2.  Besides  the  sepulchral 
monuments,  Rheneia  contains  many  ruins  of  private 
houses,  similar  to  those  of  Delus.  The  town  ex- 
tended to  the  north-eastern  angle  of  the  bay,   in 


1  Phlegon  ap.  Stephan.  in  'OXv/j-iriewy. 


Thucyd.  1.  3,  c.  104. 


104 


RTIENEIA. 


[chap. 


which  direction  among  the  ruins  are  seen  a  pro- 
digious number  of  square  altars,  adorned  with  a 
few  mouldings,  sufficient  apparently  to  have  sup- 
plied each  house  or  family  in  the  island  with  one. 
Rhencia  has  some  good  pasture,  and  in  many  parts, 
especially  about  the  ancient  town,  is  capable  of  pro- 
ducing corn.    It  is  about  ten  miles  in  circumference, 
divided  in  two  by  a  narrow  isthmus  at  the  head  of  a 
great  bay,  on  the  north-western  side  of  the  ancient 
town.     On  the  promontory  which  forms  the  north- 
ernmost point  of  this  bay  stands  a  small  monas- 
tery and  church,  now  abandoned,  the  island  being 
inhabited  only  by  two   or  three  men,   who  tend 
some  oxen,  sheep,  and  goats  belonging  to  people 
of  Mykono,  of  which  island  both  the  Dhiles  are  a 
dependency.     In  the  smaller,  which,  according  to 
Tournefort  abounds  in  rabbits,  I  saw  no  quadruped 
but  a  hog,  and  I  believe  the  only  use  which  the 
Mykoniotes  make  of  the  island  of  Apollo  is  to  pas- 
ture some  of  their  cattle  and  sheep  in  the  spring, 
and  in  the  autumn  to  turn  in  their  swine  to  gather 
the    acorns,    or    other    productions    of   the    wild 
bushes. 

From  the  strait  of  Dhiles,  we  cross  over  to  the 
harbour  of  Mykono,  the  entrance  of  which  is  dis- 
tant about  five  miles  from  the  little  Dhili,  and 
beating  into  the  bay  or  gulf  (/cop^oc),  as  it  is  called, 
against  a  strong  south-easter,  anchor  under  the 
town  at  10  a.m.  This  part  of  the  bay  is  much 
exposed  to  the  west,  but  round  the  town  to  the 
southward  there  is  a  harbour  running  far  in  to 
the  east  and  south  east,  and  sheltered  from  the 
west  by  a  cape  and  island.     Here  ships  winter  in 


XXIII.  J 


MYCONUS. 


105 


perfect  safety.  The  island  of  Mjkono  '  is  for  the 
most  part  a  miserable  rock,  the  only  cultivated  or 
cultivable  ground  being  a  few  declivities  round  the 
town,  where  are  some  corn  fields  and  vineyards. 
The  rest  affords  pasture  for  a  few  flocks,  but  has 
no  habitation  except  a  monastery  to  the  eastward. 
Nevertheless,  the  town  is  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  prosperous  in  the  JEgoean  sea,  in  consequence 
of  its  maritime  commerce.  There  are  twenty-five 
ships  belonging  to  the  islanders,  and  a  great  num- 
ber of  boats.  The  population  is  reckoned  at  6000 
souls,  the  produce  at  500  kila  of  wheat,  which  is 
not  sufficient  for  a  month,  10,000  kila  of  barley, 
which  suffices  for  home  consumption,  5000  barrels 
of  wine  in  good  years,  of  which  about  1000  are 
exported,  400  kila  of  tyaoovkia,  or  kidney  beans, 
and  200  kila  of  figs.  Some  of  the  houses  and 
streets  are  better  than  in  most  of  the  islands,  but 
in  general  they  are  equally  mean  and  dirty,  and 
the  hogs  as  usual  have  undisturbed  possession  of 
them.  My  Corfiote  boatmen  hearing  rumours  of 
war  between  Turkey  and  Russia,  begin  to  murmur 
at  proceeding  any  further,  so  I  dismiss  them,  hire 
a  sakoleva  of  the  place,  and 

Oct.  19,  at  10  in  the  forenoon,  sail  from  My- 
kono  with  a  fresh  south-east  wind.  At  noon  we 
are  becalmed,  for  a  short  time,  under  the  northern 
extremity  of  Tino,  a  high  bare  mountain ;  from 
thence  cross  the  bay,  which  is  formed  by  Andhro 
and  Tino,  and  at  sunset  pass  the  town  of  Andhro, 
which   is   situated  near  the  sea,  and  is  crowned 


Mu/0OM'O£. 


10(3 


SCYRUS. 


[chap. 


with  a  castle  on  the  summit  of  a  peak,  about  one- 
third  of  the  length  of  the  island  from  the  northern 
cape.  From  hence  we  steer  for  Skyro,  and  at  day- 
break 

Oct.  20,  find  ourselves  near  the  southern  end  of 
that  island.  Pass  along  the  eastern  side,  leaving 
a  little  to  the  west  of  the  southern  cape  the  two 
islands  which  form  the  triple  entrance  of  Port 
Tpi/iiTTov^aic:,  a  corruption  of  Tre  Bocche  *.  Soon 
after  sunrise  the  wind  freshens,  and  as  we  pass 
along  the  coast,  which  is  lofty,  rocky,  and  pre- 
cipitous, it  increases  to  a  gale,  and  descends  from 
the  hills  in  such  squalls,  that  we  fail  in  fetching- 
Port  Akhili,  and  anchor  in  a  dangerous  situation 
to  the  eastward  of  the  town  of  St.  George,  which 
covers  the  northern  and  western  sides  of  a  high 
rocky  peak,  which  to  the  eastward  falls  steeply  to 
the  sea.  Having  landed  in  the  surf  with  some  dif- 
ficulty, I  walk  up  to  the  town,  and  send  from 
thence  a  pilot  to  conduct  the  boat  to  Puria,  an  an- 
chorage for  small  vessels,  five  miles  to  the  northward 
of  port  Akhili,  where  an  islet  shelters  a  low  point, 
terminating  a  plain  which  extends  southward  from 
thence  as  far  as  the  heights  of  the  town.     This 


1  This  harbour,  in  which  I 
afterwards  anchored  in  one  of 
His  Majesty's  ships,  is  situated 
at  the  foot  of  the  highest  moun- 
tain in  Skyro,  and  is  surround- 
ed by  desert  woody  hills.  The 
entrance  at  either  end  is  about 
one-third  of  a  mile  in  breadth. 
The  third  entrance  between  the 
two  islands   is   narrower.    All 


are  safe  and  dee*)  r  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  harbour  there  is  u 
depth  of  twenty  fathoms  ;  be- 
hind the  small  island,  seven 
fathoms.  There  is  no  source 
of  fresh  water,  useful  to  ship- 
ping, nearer  than  the  great  har- 
bour of  Kalamitza,  six  or  seven 
miles  to  the  northward. 


XXIII. J 


SCYRUS. 


107 


plain,  which  is  about  four  square  miles  in  extent,  is 
grown  with  corn,  vines,  and  figs,  and  is  refreshed 
by  a  small  perennial  stream,  watering  many  gar- 
dens, as  well  in  the  plain,  as  in  a  little  valley 
above  it,  where  the  oaks  and  planes,  the  walnut 
and  other  fruit  trees,  which  shade  the  banks  of  the 
stream,  give  this  little  district  an  appearance  very 
different  from  that  of  the  dry  and  naked  Cyclades. 
Akhili,  the  harbour  which  lies  south-east  of  St. 
George,  is  evidently  an  ancient  name,  properly 
'AyjiWuov,  and  a  memorial  of  Achilles. 

Skyro  is  divided  into  two  parts,  nearly  equal, 
by  an  isthmus,  which  lies  between  Port  Akhili  and 
the  great  harbour  called  by  the  Greeks  Kalamitza, 
and  by  the  Italians  Gran  Spiaggia.  All  the 
southern  portion  is  uncultivated,  and  consists  of 
high  mountains,  which  are  intersected  by  deep 
gullies,  and  are  rugged  and  bare,  except  towards 
the  summits,  where  they  are  clothed  with  oaks,  firs, 
and  beeches.  The  northern  part  of  the  island  is  not 
so  mountainous  :  and  all  the  hills  bear  corn,  vines, 
and  pilapi,  or  madder ;  besides  the  plain  adjacent 
to  the  khora  or  town,  there  are  two  other  fertile 
levels,  one  at  the  northern  extremity  of  the  island, 
and  another  at  Kalamitza.  The  wheat  of  Skyro 
is  equal  to  the  best  in  the  2Ega.an.  The  pro- 
ductions are  10,000  barrels  of  wine  when  the 
vintage  is  good,  of  which  three  fourths  are  ex- 
ported, 15,000  kila  of  corn,  of  which  2,000  are 
exported,  and  500  kantars  of  fasulia.  The  other 
exports  are  2,000  okes  of  wax,  8,000  okes  of  honey, 
600,000  oranges  and  lemons,  and  400  kantars  of 
madder,  which  is  cultivated  only  upon  very  steep 

12 


108 


SCYRUS. 


[cn 


\l> 


ground,  and  is  grown  from  the  seed,  which  is  sown 
in  February.  The  island  abounds  in  sources  of 
water,  and  affords  pasture  to  a  few  oxen,  and  to 
15,000  head  of  sheep  and  goats,  of  which  2,000 
are  annually  exported.  The  taxes  amount  to  20 
purses  a  year,  paid  by  500  families,  all  of  whom 
have  dwellings  in  St.  George,  the  only  other  vil- 
lage in  the  island  being  merely  an  occasional 
residence  of  those  who  take  care  of  the  cattle. 
There  are  three  kaiks  belonging  to  the  island,  and 
many  feluccas  are  built  for  sale  with  the  fir  wood 
of  the  mountains.  The  oaks  are  used  only  for  fuel, 
and  though  many  of  them  are  of  the  Velanidhi 
kind,  no  use  is  made  of  the  acorn. 

On  the  table  summit  of  the  rock  which  crowns 
the  town,  are  the  ruins  of  a  castle,  inclosing  many 
houses,  which  are  now  all  abandoned  except  the 
bishop's,  and  some  store  houses  where  the  rich  in- 
habitants place  their  valuable  effects  whenever 
they  are  in  danger  from  pirates  or  lawless  Turkish 
seamen.  The  castle  was  the  site  of  the  acropolis 
of  the  ancient  city  of  Scyrus,  justly  described  by 
Homer  as  the  lofty  Scyrus1.  Remains  of  Hellenic 
walls  are  traced  round  the  edge  of  the  precipices, 
particularly  at  the  northern  end  of  the  castle ; 
others  half  way  down  the  peak,  just  include  the 
town  in  that  part,  and  in  another  place  a  piece  of 
wall  occurs  among  the  modern  houses.  But  the 
greater  part  of  the  ancient  city  was  to  the  eastward, 
towards  the  sea.    In  this  direction  there  remains  a 


1  .  .  .      dlog  'A^iWevq 

Skv^ov  k\wy  alirtlay,  'ILyvfjoQ  TTToXieOpov. 

II.  I.  v.  664.. 


XXIII.] 


SCYRUS. 


109 


large  semicircular  bastion  almost  entire,  and  built 
of  horizontal  courses  of  masonry  which  diminish  in 
the  height  of  each  course  towards  the  top.  From 
thence  the  wall  is  traced  along  the  slope  above  the 
sea,  as  far  as  a  round  tower  which  is  still  standing 
to  half  its  height  :  about  fifty  yards  beyond  it  are 
the  remains  of  another,  and  from  each  of  them  a 
wall  is  traceable  down  the  slope  as  far  as  the  cliffs 
which  overhang  the  sea.  These  walls  were  be- 
tween three  and  four  hundred  yards  in  length,  and 
served,  like  the  long  walls  of  other  maritime  cities, 
to  protect  the  communication  between  the  city  and 
the  shore,  which  was  probably  sheltered  by  a  mole. 
Not  a  trace  of  it  however  now  exists,  which  is  not 
surprising  as  all  this  rocky  coast  is  much  exposed 
to  the  easterly  winds.  At  the  southernmost  round 
tower  the  city  terminated  in  that  direction,  as  ap- 
pears by  the  remains  of  the  town  walls  which  from 
thence  ascend  to  the  precipice  of  the  castle.  The 
circumference  was  barely  two  miles.  The  only 
other  objects  of  antiquity  are  a  sepulchral  stone 
in  one  of  the  churches,  and  a  cornice  of  dentils  in 
a  chapel  in  the  gardens.  Nor  can  I  hear  of  the 
existence  of  any  other  remains  in  the  island,  except 
those  of  a  large  arched  cistern  at  Kalamitza. 

The  houses  of  Skyro,  though  flat  roofed  like 
those  of  the  Cyclades,  are  in  other  respects  very 
differently  built,  being  generally  of  two  stories,  of 
which  the  lower  is  formed  of  stone  and  the  upper 
of  wood.  The  latter  has  projections  on  the  outside 
in  the  Turkish  fashion  ;  the  terraces  of  the  roofs 
are  covered  with  a  peculiar  kind  of  earth  found  on 


110 


SCYRUS. 


[chap. 


the  descent  towards  the  plain,  and  which  is  said  to 
possess  the  property  of  resisting  the  most  continued 
rain.  In  form  the  apartments  resemble  those  of 
Turkish  houses;  but  round  the  floor  are  arranged 
boxes  of  antique  shape,  covered  with  gilding  and 
other  ornamental  work,  and  the  walls  are  hung  as 
thickly  as  it  is  possible  to  cover  them  with  earthen 
jars  and  pots,  pewter  plates  and  dishes,  merely  for 
the  sake  of  decoration,  being  in  far  too  great  a 
number  to  be  of  any  use.  The  houses  of  the  richer 
natives  exceed  the  others  in  the  dimensions  of  their 
apartments,  and  in  the  quantity  of  their  vases  and 
plates,  but  not  in  the  quality,  which  is  all  German 
of  the  coarsest  kind.  In  one  angle  of  the  room 
there  is  generally  a  very  wide  chimney  rounding 
into  the  room,  and  below  it  a  hearth  a  few  inches 
above  the  level  of  the  floor.  This  kind  of  chimney 
is  also  peculiar  to  Skyro,  unless  it  may  be  found 
at  Lemno  or  Thaso,  the  only  larger  islands  of  the 
JEgcean  which  I  have  not  visited.  The  women, 
unlike  those  of  the  other  islands,  live  quite  retired 
in  the  houses,  and  hide  themselves  on  the  approach 
of  a  stranger. 

In  the  hope  of  being  able  to  sail  in  the  night, 
I  leave  St.  George  this  evening  and  descend  to 
Puria,  distant  three  or  four  miles,  but  the  wea- 
ther being  still  unfavourable,  take  up  my  abode 
in  a  little  church,  of  which  the  inner  part  is  an 
ancient  sepulchral  excavation,  in  the  side  of  a 
cubical  rock  ■  many  of  the  other  rocks  around  have 
been  quarried,  but  none  of  them  afford  any  appear- 
ance of  that  veined  or  spotted  kind  of  marble,  of 


XXIII.] 


SCYRUS. 


Ill 


which,  according  to  Strabo,  large  quantities  were 
sent  from  Scyrus  to  Rome.  The  island  was  famous 
also  for  its  breed  of  goats1. 

Oct.  21. — The  gale  not  abating,  I  am  detained 
in  the  catacomb  until  the  evening,  when  it  mode- 
rates ;  at  10.30  p.m.  we  sail,  and 

Oct.  22,  at  sunrise,  find  ourselves  near  Skan- 
ghero  2.  This  is  probably  an  ancient  name.  Of 
the  islands  which  lie  between  Skanghero  and  the 
Cape  of  Magnesia,  Scopelus  and  Sciathus  preserve 
their  names  unchanged  3.     Scopelus  I  take  to  be 


1  Strabo,  p.  437. 

2  ^Kuyyepoc.  Sometimes 
written  2mVr£oi/pa. 

3  liicoTreXog,  Sdados,  or  vul- 
garly 2/aa0o.  Skopelo  is  one 
of  the  most  flourishing  islands 
of  the  JEgcean,  for  which  it 
is  indebted  to  its  wines,  sent 
by  the  people  in  their  own 
ships  to  the  Black  Sea,  and 
many  parts  of  the  Levant ; 
oranges,  lemons,  and  some 
other  fruits  are  also  exported. 
The  town,  which  is  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  island,  con- 
tains about  1200  houses,  and 
has  a  striking  appearance  in 
sailing  through  the  channel  of 
Khilidhromia.  It  is  the  resi- 
dence of  the  bishop  of  Sciathus 
and  Scopelus.  On  the  western 
coast  are  the  village  of  Glossa 
and  the  harbour  of  Panormo. 
The  island  abounds  in  sources, 
which  encourage  the  growth  of 
fruit-  trees,   and  enable  the  in- 


habitants to  raise  a  sufficiency 
of  the  necessaries  of  life  for 
their  consumption,  with  the 
exception  of  bread  corn. 

Skiatho,  like  Skyro  has  a 
harbour  to  the  southward  shel- 
tered by  an  island.  The 
port  is  called  Oreokastro,  and 
seems  to  have  been  the  site 
of  an  ancient  town,  but  not 
of  the  homonymous  capital  of 
the  island,  which  was  situated 
at  the  village,  still  called  Ski- 
atho, on  a  rock  over  the  north- 
ern extremity  of  the  island, 
as  appears  from  the  following 
inscription  existing  there : 

Wyadrj  Tv^rj.  Tui>  fiiyiarov 
Kal  dewrciTOv  avroKparopa  Aov- 
kiov  2e7rr/yLUO»'  Stvrjpov  Heprl- 
vaxa  SeficHTTOv,  i)  fiovXi]  mi  6 
^rjfxoQ  SuiaO/wj',  eTrifxe\r](Ta- 
{.ievov  TImjtov  tov  'YaKivQov. 
"  AvQt)q  iip£,ei>  rrJQ  tTrwyv/xov 
apxVQ' 


112 


SCYRUS. 


[chap. 


the  same  island  as  Halonesus,  celebrated  by 
means  of  one  of  the  orations  of  Demosthenes,  for 
Strabo,  who  takes  no  notice  of  Scopelus,  shows 
Halonesus  to  have  been  one  of  the  principal  islands 
on  the  Magmesian  coast  \  and  names  it  together 
with  Sciathus  and  Peparethus,  the  same  two 
islands  which  Ptolemy  about  two  centuries  after- 
wards, and  still  later  Hierocles,  associate  with 
Scopelus  without  naming  Halonesus  2.  In  this  case 
Peparethus,  the  importance  of  which  may  be  ar- 
gued as  well  from  its  history 3  as  from  its  name 
Tripolis 4,  and  its  existing  coins,  was  probably 
Khilidhromia  5,  an  island  of  about  the  same  size 
as  Skopelo,  and  which,  although  now  little  inha- 
bited or  cultivated,  produces  wine,  which  finds  a 
good  market  at  Saloniki.  Peparethus  in  like 
manner  was  particularly  noted  for  its  wine  6.  Sa- 
rakino  is  probably  the  ancient  Icus,  which,  ac- 
cording to  Scymnus  of  Chius,  was  near  Pepare- 
thus, and  was  colonized  at  the  same  time  by  the 
Cnossii  of  Crete 7.  Livy  relates,  that  when  the 
fleet  of  Attalus  in  the  Macedonic  war  (b.  c.  200) 
made  a  tour  in  the  iEgaean,  chiefly  it  would  seem 
for  the  sake  of  plunder,  their  course  from  Gersestus 


1  Il?6:.zivTa.i  Fc  t&v  Mayv^- 
tu)v  vfjtroi  trv^vax  fiEV,  at  £'  kv 
ovofian  2icla.66c  re  KO.I  Il£7ra- 
prjOog  teat  "Ikoc,  'AXowtjitoq  re 
Kai  2/cupoe,  ofnorvfjiovQ  k^ovcrai 
TroXeig. — Strabo,  p.  436. 

2  Ptolem.  ].  3,  c.  13.— 
Hierocl.  Synecd.  p.  643. 
Wessel. 

3  Thucyd.  1.  3,  c.  89.— Liv. 


I.  28,  c.  5  ;  1.  31,  c.  28,— 
Diodor.  1.  15,  c.  95. — Strabo, 
p.  436. 

4  Dicoearch.  v.  ult. 

5  XiXidpufiia,  or  'llXtoSpo/iiu, 
or  AiSpofiia. 

6  Aristophan.  ap.  Athen.  1. 
1,  c.  23. — Heraclid.  Pont,  in 
Iit7rap. — Plin.  1.  14,  c.  7. 

7  Scyran.  v.  581. 


\  X 1 1 1 . 


IIIERA. 


13 


in  Eubcea  was  past  Skyrus  to  Icus,  where  they 
were  detained  by  the  north  wind  ;  they  then  sailed 
to  Sciathus,  and  from  thence  to  Mende  in  Pallene  \ 
Peiaghisi 2,  which  is  opposite  to  the  northern  end 
of  Khilidhromia,  may  perhaps  be  the  Polyasgus 
which  Mela  mentions  in  conjunction  with  Scia- 
thus and  Halonesus 3. 

Our  course  carries  us  not  far  to  the  westward  of 
Aistrati 4,  which  has  about  30  houses,  and  is  in- 
habited by  cultivators  and  a  few  sailors,  of  whom 
we  took  two  on  board  at  Skyro.  The  island  is 
low  and  has  no  port.  It  corresponds  to  the  Hiera 
or  Nea,  near  Lemnus,  in  which  Philoctetes  was 
said  to  have  been  bitten  by  the  serpent,  and  which 
received  its  name  from  the  circumstance,  that 
when  Chryse  had  been  swallowed  up  by  the  sea, 
this  island  was  reported  to  have  made  its  appear- 
ance soon  afterwards  in  a  different  situation5.  Pliny 
indeed  describes  Nea  as  being  between  Lemnus  and 
the  Hellespont6,  but  as  there  are  shoals  only  in  that 
situation,  they  would  rather  seem  to  be  the  remains 
of  Chryse. 


1  Liv.  1.  31,  c.  45. 

2  UeXayi'icn. 

3  Mela,  1.  2,  c.  7. 

4  'Ayiar purine,  which  Mcle- 
tius  seems  to  suppose  a  cor- 
ruption of  'Apxi(TT(Htrj]-yoc. 


5  Pausan.  Arcad.  c.  33. — 
Antigon.  Caryst.  c.  9. — Ste- 
phan.  and  Suid.  in  Neat. 

6  Plin.  H.  N.  1.  2,  c.  87. 


VOL.    Ill 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


MACEDONIA. 


Monasteries  near  the  southern  extremity  of  Athos — Arrival  at 
Xeropotami — Other  monasteries  on  the  southern  side  of  the  Pe- 
ninsula— Town  of  Karyes — Iviron — Filotheo — Mylopotamo 
— Lavra  —  Karakalo —  Stavronikita —  Pandokratora —  Vato- 
pedhi — Ancient  Inscriptions — Simenu  —  Khilandari  —  Pro v- 
laka  —  Isthmus  of  Acte  —  Sane —  Canal  of  Xerxes  —  Erisso, 
Acanthus — Ancient  cities  of  Acte,  Sithonia,  and  Pallene. 

Oct.  22,  continued. — We  now  stand  over  to  Mount 
Athos,  which  appears  very  near,  though  still  40 
miles  distant ;  the  wind  blowing  down  the  gulf 
of  Saloniki  will  but  just  allow  us  to  lay  our  course, 
and  it  is  not  until  sunset  we  are  abreast  of  Cape 
St.  George,  anciently  called  Nympheeum  \  from 
whence  Mount  Athos  rises  abruptly  to  the  very 
summit.  A  strong  current  setting  out  of  the  Singitic 
gulf  is  a  further  impediment.  The  first  monas- 
tery that  appears  is  Aghia  Anna,  surrounded  by 
many  small  houses,  and  situated  in  a  beautiful 
hollow  of  the  rocks  at  some  distance  above  the  sea, 

1   elm  AipptQ'  elra  Nw^0aioi'  "Adwara  aKpov  kcli  ttoXiq — to 

tv  Tuj  " Adwi'i  irpdc  ra>  SryyirtKw'  [itaov  tov  ooovq  —  Nw/Li^aioj'  a- 

t6  I'E  TTpctg  rw  SrpvfioviKip  'Aicpa-  Kpov. — Ptolem.  1.  3,  c.  13. 
flwc  ctKpoi''   oh'  jiera^v  o'Adwt'. 
— Strabon.  Epit.  1.  7,  p.  330. 


CHAT 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


115 


just  such  a  place  as  we  may  suppose  to  have  been  a 
NymphcBum.  St.  Anna  is  not  considered  one  of  the 
twenty  monasteries  of  Athos,  but  only  a  /uov«W 
and  an  aaKnT^iov,  that  is  to  say,  a  subordinate 
monastery  and  place  of  ascetic  retreat,  dependent 
upon  Lavra,  which  possesses  all  this  end  of  the 
peninsula.  The  houses  around  the  monastery  of 
St.  Anne,  called  cells  (keAXho),  are  inhabited  by 
ascetics  chiefly  employed  in  handicrafts.  St.  Anna 
was  greatly  augmented  by  a  patriarch  of  Constan- 
tinople, a  native  of  the  isle  of  Andhro,  who  im- 
proved the  roads  around  it,  and  built  many  cells, 
towers,  and  chapels,  as  well  here  as  at  Lavra, 
Iviron,  and  in  other  parts  of  the  'Aion  Oros  !,  or 
holy  mountain,  which  name  is  not  confined  to 
Mount  Athos,  but  comprehends  the  entire  penin- 
sula, anciently  called  Acte.  The  church  of  Ai 
Anna  is  noted  for  possessing  the  left  foot  of  the 
saint,  a  most  miraculous  and  odoriferous  relic2. 
We  afterwards  pass  in  succession  St.  Paul,  St. 
Dionysius,  and  St.  Gregory,  all  near  the  shore, 
and  all  situated  under  the  great  ridge  which  ad- 
vances from  the  peak  of  Athos  and  extends  to  the 
isthmus  of  the  Holy  Peninsula.  St.  Paul  is  a 
monastery  of  Servians  and  Bulgarians,  and  is  said 
to  take  its  name  from  the  founder,  who  was  an 
eunuch,  son  of  the  emperor  Maurice.  The  church 
was  constructed  at  the  expence  of  a  lord  of  Semen- 


1  to  "  Ay  iov  "Oooq. 

2  Xelxparoy  Travdavfiaaroi' 
Kal  evwieg.  YlpoaKvinjTapioy 
tov  '  Ay  iov  "Opovg.  Venetiis, 
1745.    p.    12.        The    original 


work  by  John  Comnenus  was 
published  in  1701,  and  was  re- 
printed by  Montfaucon  in  his 
Palaeographia. 


i  2 


11G 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap 


dra  in  Servia,  but  the  towers,  cells,  and  all  the 
more  modern  parts,  by  one  of  the  family  of  Vas- 
sarava,  Waiwode  of  Wallachia.  St.  Dion)<sius 
was  built  in  the  year  1380,  by  Alexius  Comnenus, 
king  of  Trapezus,  in  honour  of  a  saint  of  Korysso, 
near  Kastoria,  who  was  brother  of  the  bishop  of 
Trapezus,  and  became  a  hermit  in  this  place. 
The  Waiwodes  of  Wallachia  and  their  families 
have  greatly  contributed  to  the  buildings  of  this 
monastery,  which  is  rich  in  relics,  such  as  a  piece 
of  the  cross,  the  crania  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  and 
of  St.  Thomais,  the  lower  jaw  of  St.  Stephen,  and 
a  part  of  the  hand  of  St.  John  Chrysostom.  The 
monastery  of  St.  Gregory  was  named  after  the 
founder,  St.  Gregory  the  younger,  but  the  present 
building  was  erected  by  a  hospodar  of  Moldavia. 
Next  to  St.  Gregory,  at  a  distance  of  two  miles 
from  the  sea-coast,  is  Simopetra,  situated  on  a 
lofty  precipitous  rock  in  the  midst  of  the  forest. 
Its  name,  properly  tj  llptwoq  Tier  pa,  or  the  rock  of 
Simon,  is  derived  from  a  hermit  of  that  name  who 
founded  the  church,  but  the  present  building  was 
chiefly  the  work  of  John  Ungles,  king  of  Servia 
and  Romania,  who  retired  hither  from  his  kingdom 
and  became  a  monk.  This  monastery  possesses 
the  right  hand  of  St.  Mary  Magdalen,  entire,  and 
diffusing  in  abundance  an  agreeable  odour1. 

At  10  p.m.  we  arrive  at  Xeropotami,  the  only 
good  anchorage  on  the  southern  side  of  the  penin- 
sula, and  so  called  from  a  torrent  which  here  flows 


1   Tro\\y)v  KOi  TravTepirvov  tvwliav  tKirijJL-KOv. — Hpo<TKvrr)Tapiov, 
p.  80. 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


117 


from  Mount  Athos  into  the  sea.  A  little  above  it 
is  the  monastery  of  the  Forty  Saints  l,  more  com- 
monly known  as  that  of  Xiropotamu2,  or  the  dry 
river. 

Oct.  23. — This  building  was  founded  by  the 
Emperor  Romanus,  and  is  one  of  the  largest  on 
the  mountain.  It  is  an  irregular  quadrangle, 
flanked  by  towers  having  pointed  roofs  covered 
with  lead,  in  the  style  of  the  Heptapyrgium, 
or  Seven  Towers  of  Constantinople,  and  other 
works  of  that  time.  Within,  in  the  midst  of 
the  inclosed  court,  stands  the  church  ;  in  many 
parts  of  the  building  wooden  kiosks  project  from 
the  walls,  which  are  posterior  additions.  The 
monastery  was  once  abandoned  in  consequence  of 
the  attacks  of  pirates,  but  was  afterwards  restored 
and  enlarged  by  a  hospodar  of  Wallachia.  Like 
the  other  religious  establishments  of  the  peninsula, 
it  possesses  some  much  esteemed  relics,  such  as  a 
piece  of  the  cross,  and  various  fragments  of  the 
Forty  Martyrs,  to  whom  it  is  dedicated.  In  one 
part  of  the  interior  of  the  quadrangle  two  ancient 
sculptures  in  low  relief  are  inserted  in  the  wall, 
one  representing  a  woman  seated  in  an  antique 
chair,  with  a  table  before  her  and  a  mirror  behind 
the  chair ;  the  other  seems  to  have  been  part  of  a 
frize  representing  wrestlers,  but  being  high  in  the 
wall,  and  in  a  corner  difficult  of  access,  there  is 
some  difficulty  in  distinguishing  the  figures.  The 
walls  are  in  part  constructed  of  Roman  tiles,  and 
contain  many  small  fragments  of  antiquity  besides 


'wr   Aytwj'  Sapawct. 


"'   ^.rirtoKvra^xov. 


118 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap 


those  already  noticed.  At  the  harhour  I  observed 
an  ancient  altar  or  pedestal  on  the  beach,  and 
two  or  three  granite  columns  in  the  adjoining 
valley.  These  remains,  together  with  the  con- 
venience of  the  anchorage,  warrant  the  belief  that 
here  stood  one  of  the  ancient  cities  of  Acte.  The 
port  or  landing-place  is  known  by  the  name  of 
o  'Apjretvac,  or  the  Arsenal,  whence  it  may  be  in- 
ferred that  some  buildings  once  existed  there,  for 
purposes  of  naval  commerce  and  defence.  AH 
the  larger  monasteries  are  said  to  have  had  similar 
establishments  on  the  adjoining  shore,  where  small 
vessels  were  formerly  built ;  they  were  fortified 
with  walls  and  towers,  some  of  which  still  remain, 
but  at  present  the  peninsula  possesses  only  a  few 
fishing  boats,  or  such  as  serve  for  communication 
along  the  shore  in  fine  weather,  and  which  chiefly 
belong  to  the  monasteries  on  the  northern  coast. 

The  situation  of  the  Forty  Saints  is  extremely 
beautiful.  Hills  covered  with  a  thick  forest  of 
oak,  beech,  and  chestnut,  in  which  are  intervals 
cultivated  with  the  vine  and  olive,  surround  it 
towards  the  land,  while  in  front  it  commands  a 
noble  view  of  the  Singitic  Gulf,  bounded  by  the 
peninsula  of  Sithonia,  above  which  rises  Mount 
Olympus.  This  peninsula  is  now  called  Longos, 
from  its  being  principally  a  forest.  The  only  in- 
habited places  in  it  are  Sykia,  in  a  good  har- 
bour on  the  eastern  side  towards  the  southern  ex- 
tremity, another  small  village  or  two,  and  three 
' Ay lop'iTiKa  /ucto^io,  or  farms,  belonging  to  monas- 
teries of  Athos,  cultivated  by  the  Caloyers,  who  have 
a  church  and  dwellings  at  each  metokhi.     Longos 

12 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


119 


does  not  possess  such  good  timber  as  the  Aion  Oros, 
and  is  not  so  well  watered,  but  affords  excellent 
pasture  for  cattle  and  for  bees,  which  are  carried 
over  in  the  spring  from  the  Oros  to  swarm  and 
make  honey.  The  extreme  cape  seen  from  Xero- 
potami  is  named  Kartali,  it  is  situated  five  miles 
beyond  port  Sykia,  and  hides  another  cape  called 
Dhrepano  at  the  entrance  of  the  Gulf  of  Kas- 
sandhra  :  a  little  to  the  north  of  which  is  Kufo, 
a  land-locked  harbour,  and  then  the  ruins  of 
Toronc,  still  preserving  the  ancient  name.  Kufo 
also  is  ancient,  being  the  ordinary  Romaic  form  of 
Koxpov  (deaf),  which  gave  rise  to  the  Greek  pro- 
verb   KwcporepoQ    rov   Topwvaiov    Ainti'oc;,    the   harbour 

having  been  so  called,  according  to  Zenobius, 
because,  being  separated  from  the  outer  sea  by 
two  narrow  passages,  the  noise  of  the  waves  was 
not  heard  in  it1.  It  was  perhaps  the  same  men- 
tioned by  Thucydides  as  the  harbour  of  the  Colo- 
phonii2.  Capes  Kartali  and  Dhrepano  are  evi- 
dently the  ancient  Derrhis  and  Ampelus.  The 
latter  is  shown  to  be  the  nearer  to  Torone  by  He- 
rodotus, who  describes  it  as  the  Toronaean  pro- 
montory, and  as  opposite  to  Canastrseum  of  Pal- 
lene 3.     The  epitomizer  of  Strabo   might    indeed 


1  Strabo,  p.  330.  Mela, 
1.  2,  c.  3. — Zenob.  Prov.  Graec. 
cent.  4,  pr.  68. 

2  KarETrXevaev  ig  tup  KuXu- 
d>wvi(x)v  Xifuva,  rwv  Tupiovaiwv 
diriyovTCL  oh  ttoXv  rrjg  TruXewg. 
—  Thucyd.  1.  5,  c.  2.  Ought 
we  not  to  read  Kwrixiy  instead 
of  KoXo^wv'iojpI 


3  " A^nreXor,  tijv  Topu>va(r)v 
aicptjv. — Herod.  1.  7,  c.  122. 
Stephanus  in  "A/.nrtXug  has 
probably  only  followed  Hero- 
dotus in  his  remark,  etrri  kcu 
iiKpa  Toptovaiwv,  "AfxweXug  Xe- 
yo/j.ei'T]. 


120 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


induce  the  belief,  that  Derrhis  and  Ampelus  were 
the  same,  since  he  describes  Derrhis  as  a  promon- 
tory opposite  to  Canastrum  and  near  portCophus; 
but  Ptolemy  expressly  distinguishes  them,  though 
he  is  opposed  both  to  other  authorities  and  to  actual 
appearances  in  placing  Torone  between  the  two 
capes  l. 

Besides  the  monasteries  of  the  western  side  of 
the  peninsula  of  Aion  Oros  already  mentioned, 
there  are  five  others  to  the  northward  of  Xeropo- 
tami.  Their  names  and  order  are  Russiko,  Xenofu, 
Dhokiariu,  Kastamonitu,  and  Zografu2.  Russikon 
is  a  monastery  of  Russians,  situated  on  an  elevated 
well-watered  level  just  above  the  sea.  It  was  founded 
by  a  Knez  of  Servia  named  Lazarus,  who  retired 
here  and  became  a  monk.  Xenofu  is  near  the  sea, 
and  well  fortified  against  pirates.  Its  name  is  de- 
rived from  Saint  Xenophon  the  founder,  but  the 
chief  constructors  of  the  present  building  were 
several  Wallachians,  one  of  whom  was  a  hospodar 
of  the  family  of  Vassarava.  It  is  inhabited  by  Ser- 
vians and  Bulgarians.  Beyond  it  is  Dhokiariu, 
which  was  founded  by  a  Saint  Euthymius,  in 
the  reign  of  Nicephorus  Botoniates,  and  was  aug- 
mented by  successive  benefactors.  The  present 
church  was  entirely  built  by  a  hospodar  of  Wal- 
lachia  in  the  year  1578.  Kastamonitu  is  situated 
in  a  rocky  romantic  wilderness,  and  is  said  to  have 
derived  its  name,  properly  Konstamonitu,  from  its 
founder    Constantine    the    Great.       That    it    was 


1  Ptolem.  1.  3,  c.  13.  ptlov,    Kckttu^wi'Itov    or    Kwr- 

2  'Vovogikov  or  'Vohtwv,  St-       am /lot'tTOV,  i\nd  Zioypufov. 
i(')(pov  or  &eio<j>wrTor;,  ^n-^fia- 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


121 


renewed  and  augmented  by  Manuel  Palseologus 
is  better  authenticated.  Zografu  is  a  convent 
of  Servians  and  Bulgarians,  founded  in  the  reign 
of  the  emperor  Leo,  the  philosopher,  by  three 
brothers  of  'Akhridha,  of  the  family  of  the  em- 
peror Justinian,  who  became  monks  here.  It  is 
noted  for  two  wonderful  pictures  of  St.  George, 
one  of  which  conveyed  itself  without  human  means 
from  Palestine,  the  other  from  Arabia  :  the  former 
is  said  also  to  have  been  painted  by  Divine  will, 
and  not  by  the  hands  of  men1,  whence  the  mo- 
nastery was  called  Zwypa^ou,  or  that  of  the 
painter. 

Oct.  24. — From  Xeropotami  to  Kares,  or  Karyes2, 
a  beautiful  ride  of  an  hour  and  a  half  across  the 
ridge  of  the  peninsula,  leaving  the  'Athona,  as  the 
peak  of  Athos  is  called3,  five  miles  in  a  direct  line 
on  the  right:  the  ridge  branches  immediately  from 
the  foot  of  the  great  peak,  and  descends  steeply  to 
a  high  point  above  Iviron,  from  whence  the  fall  is 
more  gradual  to  the  line  of  our  road  to  Karyes, 
where  the  ridge  is  lower  than  on  either  side  of  that 
line.  The  great  peak  by  its  height,  its  abrupt- 
ness, and  conical  form,  crowns  the  landscape  in 
the  most  imposing  manner,  and  consisting  towards 
the  summit  of  a  white  rock  broken  with  precipices, 
offers  a  striking  contrast  to  the  rich  unbroken 
forests  of  the  lower  ridge.  We  pass  through  woods 
of  oak  and  chestnut,  in  the  thickest  parts  of  which 
are  openings  where  verdant  lawns  covered  with 
cattle,    or    slopes    cultivated    with    vines,  are  in- 


a^iiponotiiTO^. 


2   Kapalc,  Kupvaic. 


"AOoi 


122 


MACEDONIA. 


Ten  A  P. 


terspersed  with  /ceXAaa,  or  cottages,  inhabited  by 
monks  who  have  charge  of  the  vineyards,  or 
cattle.  In  the  highest  part  of  the  ridge  the  wood 
is  entirely  of  chestnut.  As  we  descend  the  north- 
ern or  eastern  slope,  the  town  of  Karyes  pre- 
sents itself,  covering  a  large  space  in  the  midst  of 
woody  declivities,  where  the  houses  are  dispersed 
among  gardens  and  vineyards.  Immediately 
around  the  town  the  most  common  tree  is  the 
XerTTOKapva,  or  hazel,  from  which  the  town  has  per- 
haps taken  its  name :  the  trees  are  cultivated  for 
the  sake  of  the  nuts ;  which,  with  planks  of  deal 
and  scantlings  of  oak  or  chestnut,  are  the  only 
productions  of  the  soil  exported  from  the  penin- 
sula. 

At  Karyes  resides  the  Turkish  governor  of  the 
Holy  Mountain  :  a  bostanji  of  Constantinople,  who 
is  supported,  together  with  a  guard  of  Albanians, 
at  the  expence  of  the  holy  community ;  but  with- 
out having  any  authority  except  for  the  general 
police  of  the  mountain,  and  for  its  protection 
against  thieves  and  pirates.  Towards  the  centre 
of  the  town  the  houses  are  more  closely  built,  and 
there  is  a  sort  of  bazar  containing  shops  of  grocery, 
with  those  of  a  few  artisans,  among  whom  black- 
smiths and  locksmiths  are  the  most  numerous.  Ou 
Saturdays  there  is  an  ayopa,  or  market,  to  which 
the  manufactures  of  the  mountain  are  brought  for 
sale.  Karyes  is  the  residence  also  of  the  Archons 
or  Epistatae'.  These  are  Caloyers  deputed  from 
the    twenty  monasteries  to  superintend   the   civil 


1   ol  " Apxpvrtg  r)  'EnifTTarat  tov  'Ayiov'Opouc- 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


123 


affairs  of  the  mountain,  to  take  cognizance  of  any 
matters  in  which  the  whole  community  is  inte- 
rested, to  assign  to  each  monastery  its  portion  of 
the  payments  to  the  Turks,  and  to  enforce  the 
collection  of  it.  The  revenue  and  internal  s;overn- 
ment  of  each  convent  is  its  own  concern.  The 
Epistatas  are  four  in  number,  and  are  changed 
every  year  ;  each  monastery  sending  one  deputy  in 
its  turn,  but  in  such  manner  that  one  of  the  four  is 
always  from  one  of  the  five  great  monasteries, 
Lavra,  Vatopedhi,  Iviron,  Khilandari,  and  Dhiony- 
siu.  Besides  these  principal  officers  the  community 
have  an  agent  at  Saloniki  and  another  at  Constan- 
tinople. Ecclesiastically  the  Oros  depends  imme- 
diately on  the  patriarch  of  Constantinople.  The 
archons  are  competent  to  punish  small  offences, 
and  to  determine  such  differences  between  the 
monasteries  as  are  not  sufficiently  important  to  be 
decided  at  Constantinople,  where,  however,  the 
monks  are  too  apt  to  carry  their  causes  and  to 
spend  money  in  litigation  for  the  benefit  only  of 
the  Turks.  In  the  time  of  the  Greek  Empire  the 
mountain  was  under  the  direction  of  a  great  eccle- 
siastic styled  o  n-pioTog  TovtAyiov''Opovg,  whence  the 
name  Protato  still  attached  to  the  church  at  Ka- 
ryes  where  he  resided.  This  church  is  supposed 
to  be  the  most  ancient  on  the  peninsula,  and  to 
have  been  built  by  Constantine  the  Great.  It  is 
celebrated  on  the  mountain  for  a  miraculous  pic- 
ture which  once  called  out !  to  the  officiating 
priest  to  read  his  liturgy  quicker,  in  order  that  he 


1   ifojvTjae. 


124 


MACEDONIA. 


CHAP. 


might  administer  the  communion  to  a  dying  monk. 
Near  Karyes  to  the  southward  is  Kutlumusi  \ 
situated  in  one  of  the  most  cultivable  parts  of  the 
peninsula,  amidst  gardens,  vineyards,  olive  planta- 
tions, and  corn-fields.  It  was  founded  by  the 
Emperor  Alexius  Comnenus,  but  partook  of  the 
fate  of  all  the  early  buildings  in  being  destroyed 
by  plunderers.  It  was  afterwards  renewed  and 
enlarged  by  several  successive  Waiwodes  of  Wal- 
lachia.  Kutlumusi  boasts  of  possessing  the  other 
foot  of  St.  Anne  among  its  relics.  Like  the 
other  monasteries  it  has  a  port,  which  is  below 
Karyes,  not  far  to  the  north-west  of  the  Arsanas 
of  Iviron. 

After  dining  at  Karyes,  I  proceed  in  two  hours 
to  Iviron,  situated  near  the  northern  shore  of  the 
peninsula,  in  a  small  bend  of  the  coast,  midway 
between  the  other  two  principal  monasteries  of 
this  shore,  Lavra  and  Vatopedhi.  The  road  de- 
scends the  hills  obliquely  by  a  rugged  path  through 
vineyards,  and  amidst  a  great  diversity  of  hilly 
ground  covered  with  wood.  Iviron,  or  the  monas- 
tery of  the  Georgians,  (rwv  'I/3/?pwv,)  was  so  called 
as  having  been  founded  by  four  pious  and  wealthy 
men  of  that  nation,  of  whom  three  were  brothers, 
and  the  fourth  was  Tornicius,  a  general  officer  of 
the  Emperor  Romanus,  who,  having  been  recalled 
from  his  retreat  by  the  widow  of  Romanus,  to  de- 
fend the  frontiers  of  the  empire  against  the  Per- 
sians, received  from  the  empress,  on  his  successful 
return  to   Constantinople,   the  means  of  building 


1    KvurXovfAovati. 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


125 


the  present  church,  which  is  the  largest  on  the 
peninsula  next  to  that  of  Lavra.  It  stands  in  the 
midst  of  an  irregular  quadrangle,  comprehending 
also  a  church  of  the  Panaghia  surnamed  Portai- 
tissa.  This  church  is  renowned  for  a  picture  which 
was  thrown  into  the  sea  in  the  reign  of  the  icono- 
clast Theophilus,  and  some  years  afterwards  made 
its  appearance  again  on  the  neighbouring  shore. 
Besides  several  valuable  Metokhia  in  the  adjacent 
parts  of  Macedonia,  it  has  a  large  dependent 
monastery  at  Moscow,  and  another  in  Wallachia, 
and  it  has  always  been  the  favourite  and  most  pro- 
tected monastery  of  the  Russians.  No  convent 
on  the  Oros  is  so  rich  in  relics.  There  are  300 
monks  belonging  to  the  house,  but  a  third  of  them 
are  either  absent  on  eleemosynary  missions,  or 
dwelling  on  the  metokhia  and  kellia  of  the  monas- 
tery. The  library,  which  is  kept  in  tolerable  order 
by  an  old  Didascalus,  consists  chiefly,  as  he  ob- 
serves, of  the  fathers,  or  books  appertaining  to  the 
church  service  1 ;  but  it  contains  also  several  Greek 
and  Latin  classics,  a  recent  gift  of  a  Mavromati  of 
Arta,  who  was  bishop  of  that  see,  and  whose 
nephew  I  met  there  last  year.  None  of  the  Latin 
books  have  been  touched,  because  nobody  can 
read  them  :  indeed,  the  whole  library  is  nearly 
useless,  such  is  the  extreme  ignorance  of  the 
monks.  The  house  has  the  reputation  of  being 
the  best  ordered  on  the  mountain.  Like  all  the 
monasteries,  or  at  least  the  larger,  Iviron  has 
an  hospital  for  the  sick,   presses  for  wine  and  oil, 


1   irarepiKa  Kal  eKK\r]<ria<TTiKa  ftiftXtn. 


126 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


and  among  the  monks  some  tailors  and  shoe- 
makers, who  make  all  the  clothes  of  the  inmates. 
It  is  often  the  residence  of  retired  Greeks.  The 
Patriarch  of  Constantinople,  who  was  deposed 
eight  years  ago,  and  who  has  lived  here  ever 
since,  has  just  been  recalled  to  the  capital,  on  the 
change  of  the  Turkish  ministry  to  resume  the 
patriarchal  throne. 

Oct.  25. — In  the  afternoon  I  proceed  to  the  con- 
vent of  Filotheu,  in  the  way  to  Lavra  :  the  road 
follows  the  slope  of  the  mountain  through  a  thick 
forest  of  chestnuts,  oaks,  and  elms,  mixed  with  a 
great  variety  of  shrubs,  particularly  the  arbutus, 
now  covered  with  ripe  fruit.  The  oaks  are  small, 
but  many  of  the  chestnuts  are  fine  trees  :  a  small 
portion  of  the  fruit  is  consumed  on  the  mountain, 
or  exported  in  the  boats  which  come  to  load  fire- 
wood ;  the  remainder  perishes  on  the  ground,  or 
is  washed  into  the  sea  by  the  torrents.  The  mo- 
nasteries levy  a  small  contribution  upon  the  wood- 
cutters. 

In  a  green  valley  near  the  sea,  between  Iviron 
and  Filotheu,  stand  the  ruined  monidhi,  or  subor- 
dinate monastery  '  of  Mylopotamo,  and  a  tower 
belonging  to  Lavra.  Filotheu 2,  though  one  of 
the  smaller  establishments  of  the  peninsula,  is 
among  the  most  ancient ;  it  was  founded  by  one 
Philotheus,  in  company  with  two  other  Greek 
saints  named  Arsenius  and  Dionysius,  the  last  of 
whom  was  founder  of  the  great  monastery  of 
St.    Dionysius    on    Mount     Olympus.       Filotheu 


1   fiot'ihor,  [.lorvCptoi . 


<bt\odiov. 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


127 


was  enlarged  by   a   prince  of  Kaket  in   Georgia 
in  1492. 

Oct.  26. — Being  detained  at  Filotheu  by  a  vio- 
lent gale  of  wind  from  the  north,  I  look  over  the 
books  of  the  monastery,  which  are  laid  aside  as 
useless  lumber  in  a  corner  above  the  church,  more 
for  amusement  than  with  the  hope  of  finding  any- 
thing valuable,  as  they  have  been  lately  examined 
by  much  more  competent  persons1.  Among  them 
are  a  few  fragments  of  MSS.  of  the  classics,  but 
the  far  greater  part  are  volumes  of  the  Fathers  of 
the  Church,  which  are  all  in  good  condition  on 
handsome  parchment.  In  the  afternoon  T  return 
on  foot  to  Iviron,  disappointed  to  find  that  the 
season  for  ascending  the  'Athona  is  considered  to 
be  past.  But  when  the  autumnal  tempests  have  be- 
gun in  this  the  stormiest  quarter  of  a  sea  in  all  parts 
fickle  and  subject  to  gales,  weeks  may  pass  away 
before  such  a  day  occurs  as  would  secure  a  perfect 
view   of  distant  objects   from  the  summit.     The 


1  See  the  interesting  narra- 
tive of  the  tour  of  Dr.  Hunt  and 
Mr.  Carlyle  in  Mount  Athos,  in 
the  Rev.  R.  Walpole's  collec- 
tion of  Memoirs,  p.  198.  The 
following  was  the  result  of 
Mr.  Carlyle's  examination  of 
the  libraries  of  Athos,  where 
he  inspected  near  13,000  MSS. 
He  found  one  copy  of  the 
Iliad  and  another  of  the 
Odyssey ;  a  few  of  the  edited 
plays  of  the  tragedians  ;  co- 
pies  of   Pindar   and    Hesiod ; 


the  orations  of  Demosthenes 
and  iEschines  ;  parts  of  Aris- 
totle, and  copies  of  Philo  and 
Josephus  :  several  MSS.  of  the 
New  Testament,  hut  none  so  old 
as  the  Alexandrian  MS.,  or  that 
of  Beza ;  two  copies  of  parts 
of  the  Septuagint  ;  and  several 
beautiful  MSS.  of  the  Greek 
fathers,  with  a  prodigious  quan- 
tity of  polemical  divinity  ; 
Lives  of  the  Saints  ;  and  trea- 
tises on  the  doctrines  or  offices 
of  the  Greek  Church. 


128 


MACEDONIA. 


I  CHAP. 


monks  are  in  the  habit  of  repeating  that  Constanti- 
nople may  be  seen  from  thence,  but  this  is  un- 
doubtedly a  vulgar  error ;  for  though  very  high 
land  might  in  a  peculiarly  favourable  state  of  the 
atmosphere  be  visible  at  the  distance  of  Constanti- 
nople, so  low  a  situation  as  that  of  the  capital  can- 
not possibly  be  above  the  horizon.  But  undoubt- 
edly with  a  clear  sky  the  angular  intervals  might 
be  measured  from  thence  between  many  of  the 
most  remarkable  points  of  Asia,  the  islands,  and 
Greece.  The  principal  Macedonian  and  Thracian 
summits,  Mount  Ida,  the  islands  Lemnus  and 
Scyrus,  the  Eubcean  mountains  Ocha,  Dirphe, 
and  Telethrium,  and  the  Thessalian  summits 
Othrys,  Pelion,  and  Ossa,  might  all  be  con- 
nected by  the  sextant,  and  possibly  the  Bithy- 
nian  with  the  Macedonian  Olympus. 

The  ordinary  route  from  Filotheu  to  Lavra  is 
by  land  to  Karakalo,  and  by  sea  from  the  port  of 
the  latter  to  the  Arsana  of  Lavra,  the  route  by  land 
being  a  rugged  path,  best  travelled  on  foot. 

The  monastery  Lavra1,  originally  the  retreat  of 
Athanasius,  a  hermit  of  Athos,  was  named  v  fxovrj  rwv 
Ht\avwv  perhaps  because  the  monks  were  clothed  in 
black,  until  it  was  enlarged  by  the  emperors  Nice- 
phorus  Phocas,  and  John  Tzimisces,  and  enriched 
by  the  munificence  of  many  subsequent  benefac- 
tors of  lower  rank.  It  is  an  irregular  quadran- 
gle, standing  in  a  situation  similar  to  that  of  St. 
Anna,  that  is  to  say,  exactly  at  the  foot  of  the 
peak   of  Athos,    above  a  neighbouring  cape,    the 


1  >/  Aavpa. 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


129 


ancient  Acrathos,  now  Kavo  Zmyrna.     At  a  small 
harbour  below  it  is  the  Arsanas,  and  a  tower  for 
its  protection.     The  monastery  generally  contains 
200  caloyers,    besides   whom   there  are   as  many 
more  travelling  to  collect  charity,   or  in  the  cells 
and   hermitages   of  the    mountain,    employed   in 
handicrafts,  or  in  taking  care  of  the  vineyards  and 
olive  plantations.     Besides  these  there  is  a  great 
number  of  Koa/niKol,   or  laymen.     The  objects  for 
which  Lavra  is  most  celebrated  among;  the  Greeks 
are  its  refectory  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  containing  24 
marble  tables,  a  great  vase  of  marble  and  bronze 
adorned  with  figures,  6  palms  high  and  17  in  cir- 
cumference, into  which  a  perpetual  stream  of  water 
is  conveyed  by  a  canal  ;  the  tomb  and  iron  staff  of 
the  founder  Athanasius,  with  which  he  drove  away 
the  demons  *,  and  many  holy  relics,  among  which 
are  the  crania  of  several   saints,   the  hand  of  St. 
Chrysostom,  and  the  foot  of  St.  Cerycus,  who  died 
a  martyr  at  three  years  of  age.     Midway  between 
Lavra  and  its  askiti  of  St.  Anna  is  another  named 
Kapsokaly via 2,  similarly  placed  at  the  foot  of  the 
peak  of  Athos  above  the  sea,  and  where  is  a  church 
with  numerous  ascetic  cells.    Kerasia,  St.  Antony, 
St.  Demetrius,  and  St.  Paul,  are  similar  depend- 
encies, but  not  so  large  ;  at  the  two  latter  are  the 
principal  vineyards  of  Lavra.     In  the  territory  of 
this  monastery,  which  comprehends  the  entire  peak 
of  Athos,  are  more  than  20  solitary  chapels,  one  of 
which  is  on  the  summit,  and  in  all  the  paths  about 


tciioKe  to.  catpdvia. 
VOL.    III. 


Kov^oka\u/3tn,  Kav<xova\u/3ta. 


K 


130 


MACEDONIA, 


[chap. 


the  mountain  there  are  seats  for  resting  \  The 
monastery  of  Karakalo  received  its  name  from  the 
founder,  Antonio  Caracalo,  a  Roman,  but  the 
principal  part  of  the  present  structure  was  built 
at  the  expence  of  a  hospodar  of  Moldavia. 

Oct.  27. — The  stormy  weather  still  continues. 
At  a  kelli  above  Iviron  I  find  some  monks  em- 
ployed in  building  a  boat  on  the  side  of  the  moun- 
tain, a  mile  from  the  sea,  and  learn  from  them 
that  boats  are  sometimes  built  in  much  higher 
situations,  as  they  find  it  easier  to  convey  the 
boat  to  the  sea  side  than  the  timber  for  build- 
ing it. 

Oct.  28. — From  Iviron  to  Vatopedhi  in  three 
hours  :  first  crossing  a  projection  of  the  mountain, 
on  which  to  the  right  stands  the  monastery  of  Sta- 
vronikita  2,  and  then  descending  to  Pandokratora 3, 
which  is  midway  to  Vatopedhi.  Stavronikita  was 
founded  by  a  Patriarch  of  Constantinople  named 
Jeremiah.  It  is  agreeably  situated  just  above  the 
shore,  in  the  midst  of  gardens  and  orange  groves, 
and  contains  a  celebrated  picture  of  St.  Nicolas  of 
Myra,  to  whom  the  church  is  dedicated.  This 
picture  is  called  the  Stridhas  4,  because  it  has  an 
oyster  upon  it,  which  is  supposed  to  prove  the  tale 
related  of  it,  namely,  that  it  was  thrown  into  the 
sea  in  the  time  of  the  iconoclast  contest 5,  and  long 
afterwards  found  its  way  again  to  the  shore.  Pan- 
dokratora wTas  built  in  the  13th  century  by  two 
brothers,  one  of  whom  was  Alexius,  the  general  of 


1    fioi'a^iKa    KaditTpara 

ThiV 

3  HavroKpciTopaQ. 

hovycMTTibv. 

4   2rpi£a£. 

2  2raj;poreo/7-nc. 

5  tiKovoua\la. 

XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


131 


Michael  Palseologus,  who  recovered  Constantinople 
from  the  Franks.  On  a  summit  to  the  left  is 
St.  Elias,  a  large  askitiri,  occupied  entirely  by 
Russians. 

From  Pandokratora  we  cross  another  ridge, 
passing  constantly  through  woods  to  Vatopedhi  \ 
This  monastery,  which,  with  its  lofty  walls  flanked 
by  towers  mounted  with  cannon,  looks  more  like  a 
fortress  than  a  religious  house,  is  beautifully  situated 
on  a  commanding  height,  separated  from  the  shore 
of  a  little  bay  by  slopes  covered  with  plantations 
of  olives  and  oranges.  The  bay  is  the  termination 
of  a  small  valley,  surrounded  by  steep  woody 
heights,  and  watered  by  a  torrent.  These  heights 
are  separated  by  the  vale  of  Karyes  from  the  hills 
which  lie  between  the  latter  and  Xeropotami,  so 
that  the  longitudinal  ridge  of  the  peninsula  here 
becomes  double.  Vatopedhi  is  larger  than  any  of 
the  monasteries  except  Lavra,  and  is  the  most 
ancient  of  all,  its  first  foundation  having  been  by 
Constantine  the  Great.  It  was  augmented  by 
Arcadius,  and  after  having  been  ruined  by  the 
Saracens  in  the  9th  century,  was  renewed  by  three 
citizens  of  Adrianople,  who  here  adopted  the  mo- 
nastic life.  Its  principal  benefactors  after  that 
time,  were  Manuel  Comnenus,  Andronicus  Palseo- 
logus,  and  John  Cantacuzenus,  the  last  of  whom, 
under  the  name  of  Ioasaph,  passed  a  great  part  of 
his  days  here  after  his  retirement  from  the  throne. 
No  monastery  has  larger  possessions  of  olive  plan- 
tations, vineyards,  and  foreign  metokhia,  the  best 


Baro7Tf^(or 
K  2 


132 


MACEDONIA, 


[chap. 


of  which  are  in  Moldavia,  and  none  is  better  pro- 
vided with  all  sorts  of  internal  conveniences.  The 
treasury  nevertheless  is  now  poor,  in  consequence 
of  a  cause  which  the  monastery  has  lately  gained 
against  Zografu,  concerning  the  property  of  a  me- 
tokhi,  and  in  which  they  prevailed,  not  so  much 
by  the  evidence  of  their  ancient  charters,  as  by  the 
expenditure  of  200  purses  at  Constantinople  ;  the 
Grand  Vezir,  before  whom  the  cause  was  heard, 
took  occasion  at  the  conclusion  to  give  the  parties 
a  good  lecture  on  their  folly.  The  ordinary  annual 
expences  of  the  house  are  200  purses,  including  all 
the  imposts  which  they  pay  to  the  Turks.  Three 
hundred  monks  are  attached  to  the  establishment, 
but  more  than  half  of  them  are  absent  in  the  Me- 
tokhia  or  in  eleemosynary  missions  ;  besides  these, 
are  a  great  number  of  cosmics,  both  in  the  house 
and  the  kellia.  The  affairs  of  the  monastery  are 
directed  by  twelve  -hyovptvoi,  among  whom  the  chief 
dignities  are  the  aKtvofyvXaKug  or  sacristan,  the  twl.- 
TpoTToq  or  inspector,  the  St/ccuoe,  who  has  the  care  of 
the  stores,  mules  and  lodgings,  and  the  •ypa^cn-i/coe 
or  secretary.  One  of  the  oldest  residents,  but  who 
has  no  direction  of  affairs,  is  the  Bishop  of  Mos- 
kopoli,  whose  fears  of  Aly  Pasha  drove  him  from 
that  place  12  or  15  years  ago. 

On  a  hill  adjoining  the  monastery  is  the  school 
of  Vatopedhi,  now  empty,  but  which  for  a  short 
time,  under  the  learned  Eugenius  Bulgari,  of  Corfu, 
attained  such  reputation,  that  he  had  more  scholars 
than  the  building  could  well  lodge,  although  it 
contains  170  cells  for  students.  But  notwithstanding 
the  advantages  which  the  healthy  situation,  beau- 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


133 


tiful  scenery,  and  seclusion,  seem  to  promise  in 
Mount  Athos,  as  a  place  of  education,  the  friends 
of  learning  among  the  Greeks  have  been  compelled 
to  apply  their  exertions  elsewhere.  The  ignorant 
are  generally  persecutors  of  knowledge  :  the  school 
was  viewed  with  jealous  eyes  by  all  the  vulgar 
herd  of  caloyers,  and  there  were  other  objections 
to  the  Holy  Peninsula  which,  combined  with  the 
former,  proved  at  last  the  ruin  of  the  school. 

The  monks  at  the  head  of  the  monasteries  of 
Mount  Athos  are  generally  those  who  have  brought 
some  money  to  the  treasury  ;  sometimes  those  who 
have  travelled  to  collect  charity,  and  who,  by  re- 
taining a  part  of  the  produce,  acquire  thereby  the 
means  of  influencing  the  Patriarch,  who  has 
always  some  weight  in  the  election  of  the  Igu- 
meni,  though  nominally  they  are  annually  elec- 
tive, wherever  the  monks  are  ISiopiOpoi,  as  they 
are  at  Vatopedhi,  and  in  the  greater  part  of  the 
monasteries  of  the  Oros.  When  so  denominated, 
they  contribute  something  to  the  treasury  on  en- 
tering the  society,  receive  a  cell  and  a  ration  of 
bread  and  wine,  but  provide  every  thing  else 
themselves.  The  Koivo/3ia/cot,  on  the  other  hand, 
are  headed  by  a  single  iiyov^evo^,  appointed  by 
the  Patriarch.  They  dress  and  live  uniformly, 
receive  raiment  as  well  as  food  from  the  house, 
and  are  in  every  thing  more  despotically  governed. 
Seven  only  of  the  twenty  monasteries  of  the  Oros 
are  Koivofiia,  namely,  Karakalo  and  Simenu,  on 
the  northern  coast,  and  on  the  southern,  Dhionysiu, 
Simopetra,  Russiko,  Xenofu,  and  Konstamonitu. 
The  monks  are  of  three  degrees  of  rank,  Swa/iot, 
in   a  state  of  probation,   oravptHpopoi,    bearing  the 


134 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


sign  of  the  cross,  and  to  juc'ya  <Tx^"a>  or  the  highest 
rank.  When  the  /ctXAeia,  or  detached  houses, 
are  in  small  clusters,  the  monks  and  laics  who 
inhabit  them  are  under  an  elder  of  the  parent 
monastery,  but  many  of  these  cells  are  solitary 
cottages  occupied  by  hermits1.  There  are  more 
than  300  scattered  kellia  on  the  mountain.  The 
KiXXtitorai  are  either  cultivators  of  vineyards,  gar- 
dens, or  corn-fields2,  of  which  latter  however  there 
are  very  few,  or  they  tend  the  bees3  and  cattle4 
of  the  peninsula.  Some  of  the  inmates  of  all  the 
monasteries  are  employed  in  spinning  wool  and 
making  articles  of  clothing,  generally  those  con- 
fined to  the  house  by  incapacity  for  out  door  employ- 
ment, but  the  manufactures  are  chiefly  carried  on 
in  the  retreats  called  aoTcrji-rjom,  more  vulgarly  aaici\- 
ratc,  or  (t/ct)t£c,  or  (T/c/jTia,  from  whence  the  bazar 
at  Karyes  is  supplied  with  articles  of  monastic 
dress,  caps  and  bonnets  of  almost  every  kind 
used  in  Greece,  beads,  crosses,  wooden  spoons,  and 
other  ordinary  implements  used  in  the  monas- 
teries. Some  of  the  ao-KrjTai,  or  ascetics,  par- 
ticularly at  St.  Anna,  are  book-binders,  paint- 
ers, and  framers  of  church  pictures 5,  and  there 
are  some  calligraphers 6,  the  last  remains  of  a 
profession  which  was  very  extensive  before  the 
invention  of  printing,  and  was  probably  a  great 
resource  to  the  monks  of  Athos.  The  askiti  is 
under  the  direction  of  a  monk  of  the  monastery 
on  which  it  depends,  and  who  is  entitled  Succuoc 


tprjfiirai. 
yijcnrovot. 
[itXioffovpyoi. 


fioaKOi. 

fiifiXiodircu,  £ioypa<l>ui. 

KaXXiypd<poi. 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


135 


The  principal  askites  besides  those  dependent  on 
Lavra,  are  the  new  skiti  of  St.  Paul1,  that  of 
Xenofu 2,  St.  Elias  of  Pandokratora 3,  St.  Deme- 
trius of  Vatopedhi 4,  Prodhromo,  or  the  skiti  of 
Kutlumusi5,  the  skiti  of  A.Triadha  near  Simopetra, 
and  a  monidhi  of  St.  Basil  on  the  shore  not  far  from 
Karyes. 

The  Oros  supplies  its  inhabitants  with  timber, 
firewood,  oil,  olives,  figs,  walnuts,  potherbs,  grapes, 
and  wine,  but  for  bread  corn  they  are  entirely  de- 
pendent upon  their  metokhia  beyond  the  isthmus  : 
of  which  the  Oros  possesses  no  less  than  fifty-five  in 
the  adjacent  parts  of  Macedonia,  or  in  the  island  of 
Thaso.  Fish  is  the  only  animal  food  permitted  on 
the  peninsula,  except  to  strangers  of  distinction,  who 
are  always  expected  to  contribute  something  to 
the  treasury.  The  ordinary  food  therefore  of  the 
Aghiorites6,  even  when  there  is  no  fast,  is  vegetables, 
salt-fish,  olives,  and  cheese.  Fresh  fish  they  make 
little  use  of:  their  timid  and  indolent  habits,  the 
deep  and  tempestuous  sea  that  surrounds  them, 
and  the  want  of  boats,  combining  to  deprive  them 
of  the  best  nourishment  their  rules  allow.  The 
mountain  is  forbidden  ground  to  all  animals  of  the 
female  sex.  Neither  cow,  nor  ewe,  nor  sow,  nor  hen, 
nor  she-cat,  is  to  be  seen ;  but  of  course  the  wild  ani- 
mals and  birds  defy  them ;  rats  and  mice  multiply 
and  devour  them,  and  they  are  obliged  to  confess 
their  obligations  to  the  queen  bee,  without  whose 


1  Nea  S(c>;rij  tov  'Ayiov  TLav-  4  "Aytoe  A?7/x//rptoe  tov   Ba- 

XOV.  TVTT6<i>io\>. 

2  S£i'V(j)i)Tr]Kt)  2/o/r?j.  °  VLpoBpofioQ  ?/  »/  KvrXovfJiov- 

3  Tlpo(j)iJT  'EX/uc  tov  Uupto-  auivi)  aKijrt]. 
Kparopog.  a  Ol  'Ayiopirat. 


136 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap 


assistance  they  would  be  deprived  of  one  of  their 
staple  productions.  All  the  buildings  swarm  with 
wild  pigeons  in  search  of  food,  fortunately  for  the 
carnivorous  traveller,  who  without  this  resource, 
and  that  afforded  by  a  few  cocks  which  are  kept 
either  for  his  sake  or  for  a  retired  prelate  in  case 
of  illness,  would  find  it  difficult  to  make  a  dinner. 
The  vulgar  believe,  or  affect  to  believe,  contrary 
to  the  evidence  of  their  senses,  that  nothing  femi- 
nine can  live1  upon  the  peninsula;  and  I  have 
heard  the  sailors  of  the  JEgcean  relate  stories  of 
women  who  have  been  punished  with  immediate 
death  for  having  had  the  audacity  to  land  upon  it. 
The  pastures  of  the  mountains  are  chiefly  peopled 
with  mules  and  young  bulls2,  which,  as  well  as 
some  oxen,  rams,  and  goats3,  are  bred  at  the  me- 
tokhia  beyond  the  isthmus,  and  brought  here  to 
grow  and  fatten.  A  sheep  or  goat  is  killed  occa- 
sionally at  Karyes  for  the  use  of  the  Aga,  and  his 
household,  but  even  he  cannot  have  any  female  in 
his  house. 

The  amount  of  the  contributions  to  the  Porte 
and  to  the  Pasha  of  Saloniki  is  about  150  purses, 
of  which  the  fixed  sums  are  7500  piastres  for  miri, 
9000  for  takhri,  22000  for  kharatj.  Last  year 
7000  were  paid  for  a  khatsherif  of  the  Sultan  to 
the  Pasha  of  Saloniki  restraining  him  from  any 
further  exactions. 

Most  of  the  monasteries,  if  not  all,  have  a  debt, 
for  which  they  pay  a  high  interest,  and  like  some 
larger  communities  find  this  part  of  their  yearly 


1    ByjXvKot'  irpuyfiu  civ  ifjino- 
()tT  va  (y'lfri). 


2  fivXcipia,  ravpoi  or  ravpia. 

3  fto'tSia,  Kpiupia,  rpoyoi. 


XXIV. ] 


MACEDONIA, 


137 


obligations    more    burthensome  than  their    direct 
taxes  and  current  expences. 

The  inhabitants  of  Mount  Athos  are  assembled 
of  course  from  all  parts  of  Turkey,  and  consist 
chiefly  of  men  in  the  decline  of  life,  who  retire 
hither  from  motives  of  piety,  or  more  commonly 
for  the  sake  of  securing  the  remainder  of  their 
days  from  the  dangers  of  Turkish  despotism.  Any 
man  who  brings  money  with  him  is  welcome  ;  if 
old,  he  is  not  received  without  it,  but  the  young 
and  laborious  are  admitted  free  of  expense,  and 
after  serving  for  some  years  as  cosmics  they  become 
caloyers.  As  these  persons  merely  seek  their 
living,  they  are  generally  of  the  lowest  classes. 
Not  a  few  of  every  period  of  life  are  fugitives  from 
the  effects  of  their  own  crimes,  or  from  Turkish 
vengeance,  whether  just  or  unjust.  Hence  it 
seldom  happens  at  present,  though  it  was  proba- 
bly otherwise  during  the  Byzantine  empire,  that 
more  than  a  few  of  the  monks  in  each  monastery 
know  any  thing  beyond  the  liturgy,  the  remainder 
being  at  the  utmost  just  able  to  read  the  church 
service.  Several  were  pointed  out  to  me,  who 
having  formerly  become  Musulmans  and  then  re- 
pented, have  fled  to  this  place  as  the  only  one 
where  they  can  return  to  the  church  and  save 
themselves  from  the  punishment  which  awaits  the 
Turkish  apostate.  Not  long  since  a  young  Jew  of 
Saloniki  came  to  the  Oros  to  embrace  Christianity 
and  the  monastic  life ;  but  as  soon  as  he  had  been 
well-clothed,  returned  to  Saloniki,  and  there  re- 
ceived new  favours  from  the  Jews  for  renouncing 
Christianity.    One  of  the  monks  of  Vatopedhi,  who 


138 


MACEDONIA. 


[CHAP. 


had  been  instrumental  to  his  first  conversion,  in- 
forms me  that  he  found  this  Jew  soon  after  at  Adri- 
anople  practising  as  a  physician.  A  young  Turk 
of  Constantinople,  who,  being  the  son  of  a  Janis- 
sary of  the  Patriarch,  had  been  brought  up  in  the 
constant  view  of  the  ceremonies  of  the  church,  and 
had  thus  become  thoroughly  acquainted  with  them, 
finding  himself  totally  destitute  on  his  father's 
death,  came  to  Vatopedhi  and  served  for  three 
years  as  an  tfoj/xcpog,  or  one  of  the  priests  who 
take  their  turns  to  say  the  daily  mass,  and  who 
have  frequent  opportunities  of  sharing  in  the  gifts 
of  pilgrims  or  others.  After  having  conformed 
himself  during  that  period  to  all  the  forms  of  con- 
fession as  well  as  to  the  usual  mortifications,  such 
as  an  occasional  retirement  to  a  hermitage  to  live 
on  bread  and  water,  he  became  tired  at  length  of 
such  a  life,  and  desirous  of  spending  some  of  the 
piastres  which  he  had  collected.  Presenting  him- 
self therefore  one  day  to  the  Igumenos,  he  asked 
his  commands  for  Constantinople,  stating  that  he 
had  now  finished  his  affairs  at  the  Oros,  and  that 
his  name  was  once  more  Ismail.  These  tricks  are 
the  more  ridiculous  at  Vatopedhi,  as  this  monas- 
tery is  noted  for  the  strictness  of  its  discipline.  It 
is  probably  a  consequence  of  their  diet  that  cuta- 
neous disorders  and  ruptures  are  very  common 
among  the  monks  in  general.  The  ordinary 
punishment  for  breaking  the  rules  of  fasting, 
or  other  venial  offences,  is  that  of  /ueravouuc, 
or  repentances,  which  are  generally  reckoned  by 
the  hundred.  The  peydXti  furdvoia,  or  great  repent- 
ance, is  to  make  the  sign  of  the  cross  followed  by 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


139 


a  prostration  of  the  body  to  the  ground.  The 
/ui/CjOTj,  or  little  metania,  is  a  cross  and  bend  with- 
out prostration.  The  price  of  an  ayovn-via,  or  vigil 
and  mass  for  the  benefit  of  the  purchaser's  soul,  is 
25  piastres,  of  the  irapp^a'ia,  50  piastres  :  by  means 
of  the  latter  sum  the  donor  is  mentioned  in  a  par- 
ticular prayer  on  certain  feast  days  as  long  as  the 
monastery  endures. 

Among  the  present  inmates  of  Vatopedhi  is  an 
old  Chiote,  who  has  been  long  in  the  Russian  ser- 
vice in  various  parts  of  Europe,  and  now  enjoys  a 
pension  as  a  retired  captain  :  he  had  intended  to 
pass  the  remainder  of  his  days  on  the  Oros,  but 
disgusted  with  the  companions  whom  he  finds 
here,  is  about  to  return  to  Teresopol,  where  he 
has  a  daughter  married  to  a  Russian  colonel.  He 
was  at  Kherson  when  Catherine,  anxious  for  the 
prosperity  of  her  newly-founded  city  of  Kherson, 
sent  thither  the  Corfiotes  Eugenius  Bulgari,  and 
Theotoki,  with  the  princess  Gkika,  all  persons  well 
qualified  to  improve  their  countrymen,  many  of 
whom  had  been  induced  to  settle  there  by  the  ad- 
vantages which  the  empress  held  out.  The  go- 
vernor, however,  was  a  Russian,  and  as  such, 
hated  the  Greeks.  To  a  new  colony,  at  such  a 
distance  from  the  capital,  this  was  fatal.  The 
poorer  settlers  perished  in  great  numbers  in  the 
winter  of  1780 ;  and  in  1784  the  plague  was  in- 
troduced into  Kherson,  by  which  the  Chiote  cap- 
tain lost  five  grown  children  in  four  days. 

Vatopedhi  having  greater  natural  advantages 
than  any  other  situation  on  the  northern  coast  of 
the  peninsula,  may  be  presumed  to  occupy  the  site 

12 


140 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


of  one  of  the  towns  of  Acte,  but  the  only  antiquities 
1  can  find  are  two  sepulchral  inscriptions  in  the 
church.  One  of  these  is  in  memory  of  one  Hero, 
daughter  of  Pancratides,  and  wife  of  Astycreon, 
son  of  Philip,  to  whose  name  that  of  Astycreon 
himself  was  afterwards  added1.  The  other  in- 
scription is  in  the  magazine  of  the  convent,  on  a 
large  sorus,  now  full  of  oil.  Germanus,  son  of 
Heracles,  being  still  alive,  constructed  the  tomb  for 
his  wife  Dionysia,  daughter  of  Dionysius,  and  for 
himself,  and  declared  that  if  any  other  person  should 
dare  to  open  it,  or  to  place  in  it  another  body,  he 
should  pay  a  fine  to  the  public  chest  of  2000  de- 
naria,  and  the  same  sum  to  the  city  :  dated  in  the 
year  351,  the  second  of  the  month  Panemus2. 

Nov.  2. — From  Vatopedhi  to  Khilandari3  in  two 
hours  and  three  quarters  :  the  road  very  stony  and 
winding,  and  traversing  a  succession  of  heights 
not  far  from  the  sea.  Half  an  hour  short  of  Khi- 
landari stands  Simenu,  properly  'Ecr^iy^ov,  situ- 


1  Vide  Inscription,  No    123, 

2  Tepfiavuc  'HpakXa  Aiovv- 
aiq.  Aiovvaiov  Trj  avfipto)  Kat 
lavro)  £5>V  el  $e  tiq  ToXjxijOti 
erepog     dvdl^ai     y     KaruBiadai 

ETEOOI',  GhHTf.l    VOOtTriUOV    T(0    TCl- 

fjieiu)  /3'  «ca«  rij  tcoXel  p' .  "Erouc 
'tvol,  firjvdg  Wavifjiov  fi'.  If  the 
epoch  here  referred  to  is  that  of 
the  battle  of  Actium,  the  date 
is  A.D.  321,  in  the  reign  of 
Constantine  and  Licinius. 

V.  Inscription  No.  124, where 
it  is  stated  that  the  following 
Latin    inscription   is  inscribed 


on  the  same  monument: — Diis 
Manibus.  Publio  Marroni, 
Publii  filio  Voltinii  Narcissi, 
aedili  Philipporum,annos  quad- 
raginta,  Marronia  Regermina 
patri  erigi  curavit.  But  I  sus- 
pect some  error  here  in  my 
notes,  and  am  unable  to  state 
positively  where  this  Latin 
memorial  was  found.  If  not 
at  Vatopedhi,  it  was  some- 
where on  my  route  from  Vato- 
pedhi to  Amphvpolls,  or  at  Ata- 
jihipolis  itself. 

3   XtXavrapt  or  StXiavrdpi. 


XXIV. J 


MACEDONIA. 


141 


ated  close  to  the  sea,  at  the  mouth  of  a  torrent  in 
a  little  narrow  valley,  from  which  compressed  posi- 
tion the  name  is  taken.  The  monastery  was 
founded  by  Theodosius  the  younger  and  his  sister 
Pulcheria.  About  a  mile  to  the  eastward  is  a 
secure  little  creek ;  and  on  the  hill  which  separates 
the  vale  of  Simeim  from  that  of  Khilandari  is  a 
tower  standing  on  the  eda;e  of  the  cliff  above  the  sea : 
some  part  of  its  wall  is  said  to  be  of  Hellenic  ma- 
sonry, though  I  saw  no  appearance  of  this  in  riding 
along  the  beach  below  it.  It  is  also  reported  that 
there  were  formerly  many  Hellenic  foundations  at 
the  Arsana.  of  Khilandari,  which  is  a  mile  below 
that  monastery,  and  in  particular  the  remains  of  a 
mole,  part  of  which  is  now  left.  So  many  of  the 
elder  monks  agree  in  this,  that  there  seems  little 
doubt  that  here  stood  one  of  the  ancient  cities  of 
Acte,  the  situation  being  moreover  one  of  the  most 
likely  from  its  natural  conveniences.  A  rock  at  a 
little  distance  from  the  coast  affords  some  shelter, 
but  the  anchorage  is  safe  only  in  fine  weather. 
Khilandari  is  delightfully  situated  in  a  vale  watered 
by  a  torrent,  and  surrounded  with  pine-clad  hills. 
There  is  a  good  garden  below  the  monastery,  and 
beyond,  as  far  as  the  sea,  the  torrent  is  shaded 
with  trees.  The  monks  are  almost  all  from  Servia 
and  Bulgaria,  and  the  Illyric  only  is  spoken  in  the 
convent  or  read  in  the  church,  though  many  of 
them  can  speak  and  read  Greek.  The  library 
consists  entirely  of  Illyric  books.  The  monastery 
was  founded  by  two  ascetics,  Symeon  of  Servia  and 
his  son  Sabbas,  but  the  present  church  was  built 
by  Stephen,  king  of  Servia,  son-in-law  of  the  em- 


142 


MACEDONIA. 


[CHAP. 


peror  Romanus.  Khilandari  is  the  tenth  and  last 
monastery  of  the  northern  shore  of  the  peninsula. 
Three  hours  walk  from  it,  towards  the  opposite  shore, 
is  Zografu  another  Servo-Bulgarian  monastery,  and 
the  tenth  and  last  of  the  southern  side  of  the  penin- 
sula. These  two  houses,  but  particularly  Khilan- 
dari, possess  larger  territories  than  any  of  the 
others,  but  the  land  is  barren  or  uncultivated,  and 
does  not  even  produce  the  useful  trees  which  clothe 
the  eastern  parts  of  the  ridge.  The  pastures  alone 
are  of  any  value. 

Nov.  3. — At  an  early  hour  this  morning  I  pro- 
ceed from  Khilandari  to  the  Isthmus  of  Acte,  over 
hills  intersected  by  narrow  valleys  ;  the  latter  are 
watered  by  torrents  flowing  from  the  heights  on 
our  left,  which  are  covered  with  pines  unmixed 
with  any  other  trees,  or  with  any  intervals  of  cul- 
tivation. The  route  follows  the  direction  of  the 
shore,  at  no  great  distance  from  it,  for  2h.45m., 
when  at  the  summit  of  the  ridge  which  terminates 
in  the  cape  forming  the  northern  extremity  of  the 
peninsula,  and  the  eastern  side  of  the  entrance  into 
the  Gulf  of  Erisso,  we  leave  the  highest  point  of  this 
ridge  on  the  left,  and  descend  to  a  sandy  beach 
which  borders  the  Gulf  of  Erisso  and  extends  north- 
ward as  far  as  the  foot  of  the  mountain  of  Nizvoro. 
Three  miles  to  the  right,  at  the  descent  and  just 
within  the  Cape,  is  the  port  of  Frango  Limiona, 
and  a  little  nearer  that  of  Platy,  where  many 
boats  are  now  at  anchor.  We  first  cross  the  ter- 
mination of  a  fertile  and  well  cultivated  valley, 
which  extends  two  or  three  miles  to  the  left  among 
the  hills  ;  and  in  the  middle  of  which  stands  a  me- 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


143 


tokhi  of  Bulgarians  belonging  to  the  monastery  of 
Khilandari  :  then,  after  passing  over  a  rocky  point 
clothed  with  wood,  enter  the  low  undulated  ground 
forming  the  Isthmus  which  connects  the  Peninsula 
of  Acte  with  the  great  peninsula  of  Chalcidice.  The 
first  metokhi  on  the  isthmus  is  that  of  Iviron  ;  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  beyond  which  is  the  Vatoped- 
hino.  These  farms  and  monidhia  stand  on  the  shore 
of  the  bay  of  Erisso,  the  former  to  the  eastward 
of  the  narrowest  part  of  the  isthmus,  the  latter 
a  few  hundred  yards  of  it  to  the  westward. 
The  modern  name  of  this  neck  of  land  is  Prov- 
laka,  evidently  the  Romaic  form  of  the  word 
■n-poavXaZ,  having  reference  to  the  canal  in  front 
of  the  Peninsula  of  Athos,  which  crossed  the 
isthmus  and  was  excavated  by  Xerxes.  The 
breadth  of  the  isthmus,  or  length  of  the  canal, 
appears  to  me  not  quite  so  much  as  the  Roman 
mile  and  a  half  which  Pliny  assigns  to  it 1.  It  is 
a  hollow  between  natural  banks,  which  are  well 
described  by  Herodotus  as  ko\wvo\  ov  ^yaXoi 2,  the 
highest  points  of  them  being  scarcely  100  feet 
above  the  sea.  The  lowest  part  of  the  hollow  is 
only  a  few  feet  higher  than  that  level.  About  the 
middle  of  the  isthmus,  where  the  bottom  is  highest, 


1  Plin.  H.  N.  1.  4,  c.  10  — 
In  a  plan  of  the  Isthmus  by 
MM.  Chanaleilles  and  Racord, 
published  in  the  second  vol.  of 
the  Travels  of  M.  de  Clioiseul 
Goufficr,  the  breadth  of  the 
Isthmus  on  the  line  of  the  canal 
is  1200  toises. 

2  'O  yap  " A0wc  iari  opoc  f-ttyti 


re  Kai  ovvofxaarov,  eq  ddXavauv 
K"arJ/KOJ',  oiKqfxivov  vnb  civQpw- 
Trcjy'  rfj  ce  reXevry.  eg  rrji'  ?'/7ret- 
por  to  opoc  XEpaovotiliQ  ri  kari 
Kfll  IctO/jloq  <1)Q  Ow^fka  oraciiu)}', 
irehiov  St  rovro  kcu  koXujvoi  ov 
fXE-ydXoL  Ik  QaXda(T7]Q  tT]q  'Akclv- 
diu)v  Eirt  OaXairacip  rijv  Iivt'iov 
Topojvtjg. — Herodot.  1.  7,  c.  22. 


144 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


are  some  traces  of  the  ancient  canal ;  where  the 
ground  is  lower,  it  is  indicated  only  by  hollows, 
now  filled  with  water  in  consequence  of  the  late 
rains.  At  the  northern  end  in  particular,  there  is 
a  large  pond,  divided  only  from  the  sea  by  a  narrow 
ridge  of  sand.  On  either  side  of  this  pond,  are 
seen  foundations  of  Hellenic  walls.  Those  to  the 
eastward  are  at  some  little  distance  from  the  poiid, 
but  on  the  opposite  side  they  are  close  to  the 
edge  of  it,  and  of  the  sea  beach,  and  are  traceable 
for  some  distance  parallel  to  the  beach  towards  the 
Vatopedhino  metokhi.  At  the  opposite  end  of  the 
isthmus,  or  that  which  borders  the  Sinyitic  Gulf, 
the  canal  passed  for  the  last  200  yards  along  the 
bed  of  a  rivulet,  which  originates  above  Erisso,  and 
discharges  itself  into  the  sea  between  two  small 
heights,  which  embrace  this  end  of  the  canal,  and 
behind  the  eastern  of  which,  above  that  bank  of  the 
canal,  are  two  other  similar  eminences.  The  middle 
of  the  three  has  a  flat  summit,  apparently  artificial, 
on  the  slope  of  which,  towards  the  canal,  are  foun- 
dations containing  several  large  squared  masses  of 
stone,  and  a  block  of  white  marble.  On  this  height 
stands  a  small  metokhi  of  Khilandari ;  the  third 
height  is  formed  entirely  of  a  mass  of  stones  and 
mortar,  the  remains  of  some  ancient  building.  All 
the  fields  around  are  covered  with  stones,  among 
which  is  here  and  there  a  large  squared  block. 
These  are  all  that  remains  above  ground  of  the 
ancient  Sane,  for  that  Sane  occupied  exactly  this 
situation  is  shown  by  Herodotus  and  Thucydides, 
both  of  whom  place  it  on  the  isthmus,  but  within 
Acte,  of  which  the  canal  of  Xerxes  was  the  limit, 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


145 


while  Thucydides  adds,  that  it  was  towards  the  sea 
of  Euboea  f. 

The  canal  seems  to  have  been  not  more  than  60 
feet  wide.  As  history  does  not  mention  that  it 
was  ever  kept  in  repair  after  the  time  of  Xerxes, 
the  waters  from  the  heights  around  have  naturally 
filled  it  in  part  with  soil  in  the  course  of  ages.  It 
might,  however,  without  much  labour,  be  renewed  : 
and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  would  be  useful 
to  the  navigation  of  the  JEgcean,  for  such  is  the  fear 
entertained  by  the  Greek  boatmen  of  the  strength 
and  uncertain  direction  of  the  currents  around 
Mount  Athos,  and  of  the  gales  and  high  seas  to 
which  the  vicinity  of  the  mountain  is  subject 
during  half  the  year,  and  which  are  rendered 
more  formidable  by  the  deficiency  of  harbours 
in  the  Gulf  of  Orfana,  that  I  could  not,  as  long- 
as  I  was  on  the  peninsula,  and  though  offering 
a  high  price,  prevail  upon  any  boat  to  carry  me 
from  the  eastern  side  of  the  peninsula  to  the 
western,  or  even  from  Xiropotami  to  Vatopedhi. 
Xerxes,  therefore,  was  perfectly  justified  in  cutting 
this  canal,  as  well  from  the  security  which  it  af- 
forded to  his  fleet,  as  from  the  facility  of  the  work, 
and  the  advantages  of  the  ground,  which  seems 
made  expressly   to   tempt  such    an   undertaking. 


1     IV     C£     T(p     ladfXW     TOVT'D    IQ  "  Adu)Q     aVTtjg     ODOg     V\pT]X6v      Tt- 

tov  reXevry  6" Adu)£,  2ui>r}  iroXig  Xevtq  eg   rb  Alya'tov  ireXayog. 

'EXXag  o'iKTjTai.  —  Herodot.  7,  IluXeig  Se  t'x£t'  2ai/jji'  /xeV,  *Aj/- 

c.  22.  Zpiwv  diroixiav,  7rap'  uvt))v  t))v 

.  .  .  .  n)j> 'A/cn/v  KaXovfievi]v'  ^iwpv^a,    tg    to    wpbg    JLvfimav 

tan   C£   a7ro    tov  (jaaiXiwg  £110-  TriXayog   TeTpnfifiipi]y,  —  Thu- 

puy/xaroc  e<tw  Trpov-)(pvoa  tcai  6  cyd.  1.  4,  c.  109. 

VOL.   III.  L 


146 


MACEDONIA. 


fcHAP. 


The  experience  of  the  losses  which  the  former  ex- 
pedition under  Mardonius  had  suffered  suggested 
the  idea.  The  circumnavigation  of  the  capes  Am- 
pelus  and  Canastraeum  was  much  less  dangerous, 
as  the  gulfs  offer  some  good  harbours,  and  it  was 
the  object  of  Xerxes  to  collect  forces  from  the  Greek 
cities  in  those  gulfs  as  he  passed.  If  there  be  any 
difficulty  arising  from  the  narrative  of  Herodotus,  it 
is  in  comprehending  how  the  operation  should  have 
required  so  long  a  time  as  three  years  l,  when  the 
king  of  Persia  had  such  multitudes  at  his  disposal, 
and  among  them  Egyptians  and  Babylonians,  who 
were  accustomed  to  the  making  of  canals. 

The  view  from  the  site  of  Sane  comprehends 
only  a  small  portion  of  the  southern  coast  of  Acte, 
a  cape  near  Zografu  hiding  all  the  more  distant 
part ;  the  island  of  Muliani,  which  is  only  a  mile 
or  two  distant,  impedes  also  the  prospect  of  all 
the  eastern  coast  of  Sithonia,  except  that  of  Port 
Vurvuri,  before  which  are  some  islands  seen  in  a  line 
with  the  northern  extremity  of  Muliani,  and  to  the 
right  of  which  appears  the  coast  at  the  head  of  the 
Singitic  Gulf.  At  Vurvuri  is  the  isthmus  of  the 
Sithonian  peninsula,  much  wider  than  those  of 
Acte  or  Pallene,  being  not  less  than  three  miles  in 
a  direct  line. 

The  road  from  Sane  to  Erisso  follows  up  the 
rivulet  from  where  it  joins  the  canal  of  Xerxes  to 
an  opening  in  a  range  of  hills  which,  crossing  from 
the  one  gulf  to  the  other,  thus  separates  the 
vale   of  Provlaka   from  the    plain  of  Erisso,   ter- 


Herodot.  1.  7,  c.  22. 


XXIV. J 


MACEDONIA. 


147 


minating  on  the  northern  coast  in  a  cape  which 
lies  half  way  between  Erisso  and  the  Vatoped- 
hino  metokhi,  and  shuts  out  all  view  of  the  one 
valley  from  the  other.  At  the  opening  in  the  ridge, 
stands  another  metokhi,  belonging  to  one  of  the 
convents  of  the  Holy  Mountain,  and  half  a  mile 
beyond  it,  on  a  height  adjoining  the  ridge,  is 
Erissos  or  Ierissos  *,  consisting  of  150  scattered 
houses,  inhabited  entirely  by  Greeks,  and  of  which 
those  nearest  to  the  sea  are  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  distant  from  it,  and  half  an  hour  from  the 
Vatopedhino  metokhi.  The  height  of  Erisso  is 
crowned  with  a  ruined  castle  of  the  middle  ages, 
and  on  the  shore  stands  a  windmill,  the  only  one 
I  have  seen  on  the  continent  of  Greece,  except  at 
Megara :  here  also  is  a  large  ancient  mole,  ad- 
vancing in  a  curve  into  the  sea,  and  though  in  ruins 
still  serving  to  shelter  the  boats  which  navigate  the 
Strymonic  Gulf.  As  Herodotus  denominates  the 
sea  at  the  northern  end  of  the  Canal  of  Xerxes  the 
Sea  of  the  Acanthii,  the  mole  seems  sufficient  evi- 
dence of  the  position  of  the  port  of  Acanthus,  and 
consequently,  that  Acanthus  occupied  exactly  the 
situation  of  the  modern  Erisso  ;  in  confirmation  of 
which  I  find  on  the  maritime  or  northern  side  of 
the  hill  upon  which  the  village  stands,  some  re- 
mains of  a  Hellenic  wall,  constructed  of  square 
blocks  of  grey  granite,  of  which  stone  there  is  an 
ancient  quarry  near  the  port  of  Platy.  There  are 
some  foundations  of  similar  construction  at  a 
greater  distance  from  the  sea,  particularly  near  a 


1     'EpilTfTOC,  'lepitJ(T(')C. 

L  2 


148 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


new  khan  in  the  lower  part  of  the  village ;  these 
seem  to  have  belonged  to  the  town  walls,  the  for- 
mer to  the  Acropolis.  It  can  hardly  be  doubted, 
therefore,  that  Ptolemy  and  the  Epitomizer  of 
Strabo  have  erroneously  placed  Acanthus  on  the 
Singitic  instead  of  the  Strymonic  Gulf,  in  which 
they  are  opposed  by  Herodotus,  who  is  extremely 
accurate  in  his  topography  of  the  Persian  invasion, 
and  with  whom  Scymnus  and  Mela  are  in  agree- 
ment. The  error  of  Strabo  and  Ptolemy  may 
perhaps  have  arisen  from  the  territory  of  Acan- 
thus having  stretched  for  a  considerable  distance 
along  the  shore  of  the  Singitic  as  well  as  the  Stry- 
monic Gulf,  from  the  former  of  which  Erisso  is  not 
two  miles  distant.  It  would  even  seem  from  Livy 
that  Acanthus  had  a  harbour  on  that  gulf;  for  in 
describing  the  course  of  the  fleet  of  Attalus  and 
the  Romans  in  the  Macedonic  war,  B.C.  200, 
when  after  their  failure  at  Cassandria  they  sailed 
to  Acanthus,  he  states  only  that  they  sailed  round 
the  promontory  of  Canastraeum  and  that  of  To- 
rone  !,  thereby  implying  that  they  did  not  double 
the  cape  of  Athos. 

Among  many  ancient  coins  which  I  have  pur- 
chased of  the  people  of  Erisso,  and  which  had  all 
been  found  on  the  spot  or  in  the  fields  cultivated 
by  the  villagers,  those  of  Acanthus  are  much  more 
numerous  than  any  others,  and  are  of  very  distant 
times,  some  in  silver  being  of  a  remote  antiquity, 
while  those  of  copper  are  generally  of  a  late  date. 
Next  in  number  to  the  coins  of  Acanthus  are  those 


1  Liv.  1.  31,  c.  45. 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


149 


of  Uranopolis,  or  the  city  of  the  Uranida?,  Ovpavl- 
Swv  tt6\e(i)s,  as  the  name  is  inscribed  upon  them, 
of  which  place  history  has  left  us  no  information, 
except  that  it  was  founded  by  Alexarchus,  brother 
of  Cassander,  king  of  Macedonia  !.  Possibly  it 
may  have  occupied  the  same  site  as  Sane,  as  Pliny, 
the  only  author  besides  Athena?us  who  names 
Uranopolis,  has  not  included  Sane  among  the 
towns  of  Athos  2. 

Herodotus,  Thucydides,  and  Strabo,  agree  in 
showing  that  the  peninsula  of  Acte  contained  five 
cities,  named  Dium,  Thyssus,  Cleonse,  Acroathos, 
or  the  city  of  the  Acrothoi,  and  Holophyxus  3 ;  to 
these  Scylax  adds  Charadrise4.  As  all  these  autho- 
rities agree  in  showing  the  city  of  the  Acrothoi  to 
have  been  near  the  extremity  of  the  peninsula, 
there  seems  no  situation  with  which  it  can  be  iden- 
tified but  that  of  Lavra,  where  alone  the  site  and  a 
small  harbour  offer  some  natural  conveniences. 
The  proximity  of  Lavra  to  the  adjacent  cape 
Zmyrna  is  a  further  proof,  for  Acroathos  was  a 
cape  as  well  as  a  town,  and  it  is  evident  that 
Zmyrna  and  St.  George  are  the  Acroathos  and 
Nymphaum  described  by  Strabo  as  being  the 
former  the  termination  of  the  Strymonic,  the  latter 
that  of  the  Singitic  Gulf.  Strabo,  indeed,  or  his 
Epitomizer,  as  well  as  Pliny  and  Mela,  seem  to 
have  supposed  that  Acroathos  stood  on  the  peak  of 


1  Athen.    1.    3,    c.    20,    et 
Heraclid.  Lemb.  ibid. 

2  Plin.  H.  N.  1.  4,  c.  10. 

3  Herodot.    1.    7,    c.    22.— 


Thucyd.   1.   4,  c.  109.     Stra- 
bon  Epit.  1.  7,  p.  331. 
4  Scylax  in  MaktcWta. 


150 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


Athos  ;  but  to  any  person  who  has  seen  the  moun- 
tain, that  supposition  cannot  but  appear  almost  as 
incredible  as  that  the  inhabitants  should  have  seen 
the  sun  three  hours  before  those  who  dwelt  on  the 
sea-shore  \  These  absurdities  are  the  more  glaring 
in  Strabo,  as  his  description  of  the  peak  is  correct 
and  forcible.  A  statue  of  Jupiter  Athous,  and 
some  altars,  were  probably  all  that  ever  occupied 
the  position  of  the  modern  chapel 2. 

Of  the  situation  of  the  other  four  cities  ofActe  we 
have  no  means  of  judging,  but  by  the  order  in  which 
they  are  named  by  the  four  authors  just  cited. 
But,  unfortunately,  they  do  not  all  agree  in  that 
order,  and  a  comparison  of  them,  as  often  hap- 
pens in  similar  cases,  leads  to  no  certain  result. 
Scylax,  whose  work,  being  a  periplus,  ought  to 
be  the  best  authority,  arranges  them  in  the  fol- 
lowing order,  coasting  from  Torone: — Dium, 
Thyssus,  Cleonse,  the  mountain  Athos,  Chara- 
drise,  Holophyxus,  and  then  Acanthus,  whence 
it  would  appear  that  Thyssus   and  Cleonae  were 


1  .  .  .  'Aicpadioovg'  owrij 
Se  7rpo£  rrj  Kopv(f>fj  rov" AOwvoq 
Keirai.  "Eoti  o'  6  "Adcov  bpoc 
yn.tJrottSte,     S'&Tfi-cv,     v*pr}\6- 

TCLTOV'   OX)   01  T1]V  KOpV(j>f)V  OIKOVV- 

ree  bpwm  rbv  i'/Xiou  (ii'art'X- 
Xovra  Trpb  wpiovrptioi'  rrjc  ev  rrj 
TrapaXicf.  dpaToXrjg.  —  Strabo, 
Epit.  1.  7,  p.  331. 

Oppidum  in  cacumine  fuit 
Acrothon. — Plin.  1.  4,  c.  10. 

In    summo     fuit     oppidum 


Acroathon.  —  Mela,     1.   2,    c. 
2. 

"Adioov     atiroQ    Zrjpog. — 
jEschyL  Agam.  v-  293. 

"Ad(t)OQ'      6     £7Tt     TOV  " A6w    TOV 

bpovg      IcpvfiivoQ     dvlpiixc,      O 
Zevq. — Hesych.  in"A0wo£. 

Capit  opinio  fidem,  quia  de 
aris,  quas  in  vertice  sustinct, 
non  abluitur  cinis,  sed  quo  re- 
linquituraggcre,manet. — Mela, 
1.  2,  c.  2. 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


151 


on  the  southern,  and  Charadriae  and  Holophyxus 
on  the  northern  coast.  Neither  of  the  two  histo- 
rians mention  Sane  among  the  cities  of  Acte, 
though  it  was  within  the  isthmus.  Herodotus 
places  next  to  it,  Dium,  then  Holophyxus, 
Acrothoum,  Thyssus  and  Cleonae  ;  while  Thucy- 
dides  thus  names  them !,  beginning  also  from 
Sane :  Thyssus,  Cleonae,  Acrothoi,  Holophyxus, 
Dium.  If  then  we  suppose  the  two  historians  to 
have  followed  opposite  directions  round  the  penin- 
sula, they  concur  both  with  one  another,  and  with 
Scylax,  in  favouring  the  opinion  that  Thyssus 
and  Cleonae  were  on  the  southern  coast,  and 
Holophyxus  on  the  northern,  but  they  differ  from 
him  as  to  Dium,  which  they  tend  to  place  on  the 
northern  coast. 

As  they  all  agree,  however,  in  showing  that  Dium 
was  the  nearest  town  to  the  isthmus,  in  which 
Strabo  concurs  by  thus  enumerating  the  towns  of 
Acte — Dium,  Cleonae,  Thyssus,  Holophyxus,  Acro- 
thoi, it  is  very  possible  that  Dium  was  neither  on 
the  northern  nor  southern  shore  of  the  peninsula, 
but  on  the  western,  or  in  the  gulf  of  Acanthus. 
In  this  case,  if  it  be  admitted  that  Vatopedhi 
and  the  Arsana  of  Khilandari  were  ancient  posi- 
tions, it  will  follow,  if  we  trust  to  the  order  of 
names  in  Scylax,  which  in  this  instance  is  not 
opposed  to  the  testimony  of  the  historians  or  of 
Strabo,  since  they  all  omit  Charadriae,  that  the 
latter    site    was     that    of  Holophyxus,    and    that 

1  It  occurs  in  relating  an  ex-      in  the  eighth  year  of  the  Pelo- 
pedition  of  Brasidas  into  Acte,      ponnesian  war. 
after  lie  had  taken  Amphipolis 

12 


152 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


Vatopedhi  is  the  position  of  Charadrice.  As  to 
Thyssus  and  Cleonae,  one  of  them  appears  to  have 
occupied  some  situation  near  Zografu,  or  Dho- 
khiari,  and  the  other  that  of  Xeropotami  ;  but  it 
is  impossible  to  come  to  any  more  precise  con- 
clusion, unless  we  consider  the  periplus  of  Scylax 
as  a  weightier  authority  than  the  others  ;  for  Hero- 
dotus and  Strabo  seem  to  place  Cleonae  in  the  more 
western  position,  while  Thucydidcs  accords  with 
Scylax  in  giving  that  situation  to  Thyssus.  In 
this  case  Xeropotami  occupies  the  site  of  Cleonae, 
and  Thyssus  stood  near  Dhokhiari  or  Zografu. 
The  discovery  of  an  inscription,  with  the  name  of 
any  of  these  towns,  would  tend  greatly  to  eluci- 
date this  question  of  the  ancient  sites  of  Acte. 

Pliny  has  so  mixed  up  the  names  of  the  cities  of 
this  part  of  Macedonia,  that  no  positive  inference 
can  be  drawn  from  him,  though  it  may  be  worthy 
of  remark,  that  he,  like  all  the  other  four  authors 
who  enumerate  the  towns,  names  Thyssus  and 
Cleonae  contiguously. 

From  Erisso  a  road,  which  soon  joins  that  from 
the  southern  end  of  the  Provlaka,  or  site  of  Sane, 
leads  along  the  extremities  of  the  Singitic  and  To- 
ronaic  Gulfs  to  Pinaka,  the  site  of  Potidcsa,  which 
was  afterwards  named  Cassandreia  \  The  isthmus 
on  which  this  city  stood  is  now  called  the  Gate  of 
Kassandhra2,  as  being  the  entrance  into  the  penin- 
sula of  Pcdlene,  the  whole  of  which  is  known  by 


lrrhucyd.  1.  1,  c.  56.  Strabo,       Monrovia.      Scymn.   v.    628. 
Epit.  1.  7,  p.  330.     Scylax,  in      Liv.  1.  44,  c.  11. 

3  f)  Ilopra  tt]q  Kacr<7avt/pac. 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


153 


the  name  of  Kassandhra.  The  road  from  Erisso  to 
the  Porta  passes  by  Aio  Nikola,  a  village  not  far  from 
the  north-western  extremity  of  the  Singitic  Gulf, 
thence  to  Ermylies,  or  Ormylia1,  situate  a  few 
miles  from  the  north-eastern  angle  of  the  Toronaic 
Gulf,  and  by  Molivo-pyrgo  to  Aio  Mamas,  both 
situated  on  the  same  shore,  the  latter  two  hours 
from  the  Porta. 

In  the  Singitic  Gulf,  according  to  Herodotus, 
the  maritime  towns  between  Sane  and  Cape  Am- 
pelus  were  Assa,  Pilorus,  Singus,  and  Sarta2,  and 
as  the  historian  was  describing  the  progress  of  the 
fleet  of  Xerxes,  we  can  hardly  doubt  that  their 
situations  were  in  that  order.  Sykia  is  probably  a 
corruption  of  Singus,  from  which  the  gulf  was 
named  Singitic.  Assa  perhaps  occupied  the  site 
of  some  ruins  called  Paleokastro,  which  are  at  the 
northern  extremity  of  the  Singitic  Gulf,  about 
midway  by  land  between  Erisso  and  Vurvuri,  and 
on  the  road  to  Porta  about  midway  between  Erisso 
and  Ormylia.  The  position  in  the  centre  of  a  fer- 
tile country  at  the  head  of  the  gulf  seems  to  cor- 
respond to  the  apparent  importance  of  Assa, 
as  deducible  from  Theopompus,  Aristotle  and 
Pliny  3 ;  if  we  suppose,  as  can  hardly  be  doubted, 


1  orotic  'Epfxv\iQ.ig,  ard  'Opfiv- 
Xw,  and  sometimes  'PiofxvXia. 
3  Herodot.  1.  7,  c.  122. 
3  Theopomp.  ap.  Stcphan.  in 

"  Aaoqpa. 

iv  Trj  XaXcicWj/  Trj  exl  rrjg 
QpaKriQ  kv  Trj  'AaavpvTiSi. — 
Aristot.  Hist.  Anim.  1.  3,  c.  12. 
Here  was  a  river  which  from  its 


coldness  was  called  the  xpv^pdc, 
and  which  had  the  reputation  of 
causing  the  sheep  which  drank 
of  it  to  produce  black  lambs. 

Oppidum  Cassera,  faucesque 
alterae  Isthmi,  Acanthus,  Sta- 
gira,  &c. — Plin.  1.  4,  c.  10. 

The  real  orthography  was 
probably    " Aoorjpa,   as    it  oc- 


154 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


that  the  Assa  of  Herodotus  is  the  same  place 
as  the  Assyra  of  Aristotle  and  the  Cassera  of 
Pliny ;  Pilorus,  on  this  supposition,  may  liave 
occupied  Port  Vurvuri,  or  one  of  the  harbours 
adjacent  to  it  on  the  north,  and  Kartali  may  be  a 
corruption  of  Sarta,  marking  the  site  of  that  city, 
which  probably,  like  many  others  of  the  Greek 
cities  of  Thrace,  declined  after  the  Macedonian 
conquest. 

In  the  gulf  of  Kassandhra,  anciently  known  as 
the  Sermylian,  or  Mecybernaean  \  as  well  as  the 
Toronaic,  the  towns  on  the  eastern  and  northern 
sides  were  situated  in  the  following  order,  ac- 
cording to  their  occurrence  in  Herodotus  :  Torone, 
Galepsus,  Sermyle,  Mecybcrna,  Olynthus.  Of 
the  situation  of  Sermyle  there  can  be  no  doubt, 
there  being  no  greater  difference  between  ScjouuAj/ 
and  the  modern  'OpuvAia,  or  'EppvX'uQ,  than  might 
even  have  existed  anciently  between  the  local  and 
the  general  form  of  the  word.  The  site  of  Olyn- 
thus at  Aio  Mamas  is  known  by  its  distance  of 
60  stadcs  from  Potidcea,  or  the  isthmus  of  Palle/ie2, 
as  well  as  by  some  vestiges  of  the  city  still  exist- 
ing, and  by  its  lagoon  or  marsh,  which  is  men- 
tioned in  history  as  having  been  the  place  where 
the  captured  defenders  of  Olynthus  were  put  to 
death  by  Artabazus  when  he  wintered  in  this  part 


curs  in  the  Lexicon  of  Ste- 
phanus,  who  sufficiently  iden- 
tifies it  with  the  Assyra  of 
Aristotle,  by  describing  it,  in 
common  with  that  author,  as  a 


city  of  the  (Thracian)  Chalci- 
denses. 

1  Plin.  H.  N.   1.  4,  c.  10.- 
Mela,  1.  2,  c.  3. 

2  Thucyd.  1.  1,  c.  03. 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


155 


of  Thrace,  after  having  escorted  the  defeated 
Xerxes  to  the  Hellespont1.  From  Athenaeus,  on 
the  authority  of  Hegesandrus,  we  learn  that  the 
name  of  the  marsh  was  Bolyca,  and  that  it  re- 
ceived two  rivers,  named  the  Ammites  and  Olyn- 
thiacus  2. 

The  ruins  of  Torone  preserving  their  ancient 
name,  and  the  positions  of  Olynthus  and  Sermyle 
being  obtained,  it  follows  from  the  order  of  names 
in  Herodotus,  that  Mecybema  was  at  Molivopyrgo 
where  some  remains  of  antiquity  are  said  to  be 
preserved ;  and  the  site  of  Galepsus  is  to  be  sought 
for  in  some  part  of  the  shore  about  25  miles  in 
length,  which  lies  between  Torone  and  the  port  of 
Sermyle.  Galepsus  I  take  to  have  been  the  same 
place  afterwards  called  Physcella 3,  a  distinction 
having  probably  been  required  because  there  was 
another  Galepsus  at  no  great  distance,  on  the  sea- 
coast,  eastward  of  the  Strymon. 

In  the  peninsula  of  Pallene  there  were  eight  towns 
in  the  time  of  the  Persian  invasion,  and  in  the 
following  order,  coasting  from  Olynthus  to  the 
Thermaic  gulf:  Potidsea,  Aphytis,  Neapolis,  i£ge, 
Therambo,  Scione,  Mende,  Sane.  Of  these  it 
appears  from  other  authors,  and  especially  from 
Strabo,  who  names  no  others,  that  the  principal 
besides   Potidaea  were   Aphytis,    Mende,    Scione, 


1  Herodot.  1.  8,  c.  127. 

2  Athen.  1.  8,  c.  3.  ?/  BoXvki) 
Xi/dPT]  is  nothing  more  than  the 
lake  of  Olynthus,  the  B  heinga 
common  Macedonian  prefix  : 
though    probably   both  names 


originate  in  a  word  having  refe- 
rence to  the  marsh,  and  having 
the  same  import  and  origin  as 
6o\6q. 

3  Plin.  II.  N.   1.  4,  c.  10.— 
Mela,  1.  2,  c.  3. 


156 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


and  Sane.  All  these,  except  Sane,  were  suf- 
ficiently opulent  to  coin  their  own  monev,  of 
which  specimens  are  still  extant.  Aphytis  is  de- 
termined by  the  modern  name  'Athyto,  attached 
lo  a  village  on  the  eastern  shore,  about  one  third 
of  the  distance  between  Porta  or  Cassandrcia  and 
Cape  Paiiiiri,  the  ancient  Canastraeum.  Theram- 
bus  appears  from  Stephanus  to  have  been  on  or 
very  near  a  promontory ',  to  which  circumstance 
of  position  Lycophron  seems  to  have  alluded  in 
mentioning  Therambus  in  a  passage  relating  to 
Phlegra2,  which  was  the  ancient  name  of  Pallene. 
Therambus  therefore  occupied  a  position  very  near 
Cape  Canastraeum.  The  south-western  cape  of 
Pallene,  by  Livy  called  Posidium3,  and  by  Thucy- 
dides  Posidonium  4,  probably  from  a  temple  of 
Neptune  which  stood  upon  it,  still  retains  the  former 
appellation5,  vulgarly  pronounced  Posidhi. 

Mende  appears,  from  the  following  circum- 
stances, to  have  been  situated  near  this  cape  on 
the  south-western  side.  When  Attalus  and  the 
Romans,  in  the  year  b.c  200,  sailed  from  Scia- 
thus  against  Cassandria,  they  first  touched  at 
Mende,  and  then  doubled  the  cape  before  they 
arrived  at  Cassandria.  Having  failed  here,  chiefly 
in  consequence  of  the  weather,  they  returned 
round  the  Cape  Canastrseum  and  that  of  Torone 
to   the   port  of  Acanthus  in   the   Singitic  gulf 6. 


1  Qpafx/joe  akpuTt'ipiov  Ma«- 
Sovlag. — Stephan.  in  voce. 

2  r^J  Tracra  <&\iypag  ala  Bov- 
Xw6f/<rerat,  Qpcifxfiuvaia  re  3ei- 
pdg. — Lycophr.  v.  1404. 


3  Liv.  1.  44,  c.  11. 

4  Thucyd.  1.  4,  c.  129. 
6  HoalEiov. 

8  Liv.  1.  31,  c.  45. 


XXIV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


157 


■ 

■ 


According  to  these  data  it  seems  evident,  that 
some  Hellenic  remains  which  have  been  observed 
on  the  shore,  near  Cape  Posidhi,  to  the  eastward, 
as  well  as  on  the  heights  above  it,  are  those 
of  Mende,  such  a  position  of  Mende  with  rela- 
tion to  Posidium  according;  moreover  with  the 
transactions  of  the  ninth  year  of  the  Peloponnesian 
war,  when  the  Athenians,  proceeding  from  Po- 
tidaea  against  Mende  and  Scione,  sailed  to  Posi- 
donium,  and  after  having  taken  Mende,  proceeded 
against  Scione,  of  which  the  territory  was  con- 
terminous with  that  of  Mende  \  The  order  of 
names  in  Herodotus,  therefore,  which  tends  to 
place  Scione  between  the  Capes  Paliuri  and  Po- 
sidhi, agrees  perfectly  with  the  narrative  of 
Thucydides  :  and  the  remains  of  Sane  should,  ac- 
cording to  Herodotus,  be  sought  for  between 
Cape  Posidhi  and  the  western  side  of  the  isthmus 
of  Porta.  Mela  accords  with  the  same  conclusion 
as  to  Scione,  inasmuch  as  he  states  it  to  have 
occupied  together  with  Mende  the  broadest  part 
of  the  peninsula,  but  he  is  opposed  to  it  in  regard 
to  the  position  of  Sane,  which  he  places  near  Ca- 
nastrseum  2. 


1  Thucyd.  ubi  sup. 


2  Mela,  1.  2,  c.  2,  3. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


MACEDONIA. 


Stratoni,  Stratoniceia — Nizvoro — Mines  of  lead  and  silver — 
Lybjadha — Kafkana —  Caprus — Stavros,  Stageirus — Gulf  of 
Posidium,  plain  Syleus,  lake  Bolbe,  Anion,  Arelhusa,  Bromis- 
cus — Argilus — Ferry  of  Strymon — Eton — Orfaini,  Phagres — 
Neokhori,  Amphipolis — Lake  Cercinitis — Inscription — Buttle 
of  Amphipolis — Capture  of  Amphipolis  by  Brasidas — Takhyno 
— Serres,  Sirrhce — Inhabitants  of  the  Strymonic  plain,  &c. 


Nov.  4. — From  Erisso  to  Nizvoro  :  distance,  three 
hours  and  three  quarters.  A  ride  of  forty  minutes 
brings  us  to  the  end  of  the  cultivated  lands  of 
Erisso,  which  bear  corn,  Kalambokki,  and  vines. 
The  low  undulations  of  ground  which  border  the 
isthmus  become  higher  as  we  advance,  and  at  length 
are  blended  with  a  woody  ridge  which,  branching 
from  the  mountain  of  Nizvoro,  has  a  direction 
parallel  to  the  shore  at  the  head  of  the  Singitic 
gulf.  Having  passed  some  low  hills  which  termi- 
nate in  a  projection  in  the  Bay  of  Acanthus,  we 
enter  a  small  valley,  and  from  thence  cross  over 
some  other  inconsiderable  heights  into  a  plain 
which  produces  maize,  and  is  bounded  to  the 
south-west  by  woody  hills.  Here  are  many 
fine  plane  trees.  At  the  end  of  this  valley,  one 
hour  and  fifty  minutes  from  Erisso,  we  cross  a 
rivulet  from  the  hill  on  our  left,  near  its  junction 


CHAP.    XXV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


159 


with  another  from  the  mountain  of  Nizvoro,  follow 
a  wide  torrent,  a  branch  of  the  latter,  and  ascend 
some  narrow  valleys,  which  conduct  at  length  by 
a  steep  path  to  Nizvoro.  This  town  stands  in  a  lofty 
situation  on  the  south-western  face  of  a  woody 
mountain,  the  extremity  of  a  ridge,  which  stretches 
westward  from  thence  across  the  Chalcidic  penin- 
sula. In  the  ascent  we  passed  in  several  places 
large  heaps  of  the  burnt  ore  of  the  silver  mines, 
which  have  given  to  the  surrounding  district 
the  name  of  Sidhero-kapsa,  and  we  looked  down 
to  the  right  on  an  inlet  which  branches  from  the 
northern  side  of  the  Acanthian  bay.  At  the  head 
of  this  bay,  on  a  small  level,  a  Hellenic  castle  is 
described  to  me  as  situated  on  a  height,  and  as 
enclosing  a  space  of  four  stremata;  below  it,  on 
the  sea-side,  there  are  said  to  be  many  Hellenic 
foundations  with  remains  of  an  ancient  port.  The 
place  is  called  Stratoni,  and  is  supposed  to  be 
the  ancient  Stageirus.  An  agoyates,  who  accom- 
panied the  horses  on  foot,  remarked  to  me  that  it 
was  i7  7roTpt'Sa  tov  ' ApiororiXovQ,  or  the  native  town 
of  Aristotle.  Yesterday,  in  like  manner,  a  monk 
of  the  Vatopedhino  metokhi  showed  some  know- 
ledge of  the  history  of  the  invasion  of  Xerxes,  and 
that  notwithstanding-  the  mass  of  ignorance  col- 
lected  in  the  monasteries  of  the  Oros,  some  recol- 
lections of  ancient  history  are  still  preserved  here. 
This  may  be  attributed  in  great  measure  to  the 
Chalcidice  and  its  three  smaller  peninsulas  being 
inhabited  by  Greeks  unmixed  either  with  the  Bul- 
garian or  Albanian  race,  and  having  very  few 
Turks  among  them.  Nevertheless  the  tradition  as  to 


160 


MACEDONIA. 


[CHAP. 


Stageirus  is  probably  erroneous,  for  Stageirus  was 
a  place  of  greater  importance  than  the  vestiges  at 
Stratoni  and  its  confined  valley  indicate,  and  the 
latter  name  so  nearly  resembles  Stratoniceia  that 
there  is  a  strong  presumption  of  the  identity.  It 
is  true  that  Ptolemy,  the  only  author  who  mentions 
Stratoniceia,  places  it  in  the  Singitic  gulf,  but  this 
may  be  a  consequence  of  his  having  improperly 
assigned  Acanthus  to  the  same  gulf1. 

Nizvoro  contains  three  or  four  hundred  houses, 
divided  into  two  nearly  equal  Makhaladhes,  situ- 
ated half  a  mile  apart,  the  one  inhabited  by  Greeks, 
at  the  head  of  whom  is  the  bishop  of  Erissos,  one  of 
the  suffragans  of  the  metropolitan  of  Thessalonica, 
and  styled  also  bishop  of  'Aghion  Oros  ;  the  other 
by  Turks,  and  the  residence  of  Rustem  Aga,  who, 
as  Madem  'Agasi,  has  the  direction  of  the  neigh- 
bouring silver  mines,  together  with  the  government 
of  twelve  eleftherokhoria  in  the  Chalcidic  penin- 
sula, which  from  this  union  of  the  Mukata  are 
named  the  Sidherokapsika,  or  Mademokhoria.  Not 
long  since  Rustem  was  nearly  expelled  from  his 
post  by  the  united  complaints  of  all  the  villages 
under  his  government,  but  having,  by  the  power- 
ful support  of  Ibrahim  Bey  of  Serres,  his  patron, 
overcome  all  difficulties,  as  well  at  Saloniki  as  at 
Constantinople,  he  revenged  himself  upon  the 
Greek  Proestos  of  Nizvoro,  who  was  instigator 
of  the  combination  against  him,  by  putting  him 
into  a  well,  and  keeping  him  there  till  he  had 
gradually  extorted  all  his  property,  when  he  cut 


1  Ptolem.  1.  3,  c.  13. 


XXV.  J 


MACEDONIA. 


161 


off'  his  head.  My  Janissary,  who  relates  this  anec- 
dote, considers  it  as  a  proof  of  Rustem  being  a 
doghru  adSm,  or  upright  man.  Rustem  pays  the 
Porte  120  purses  and  200  okes  of  silver  for  the 
mukata  of  the  villages  and  mines,  but  as  he  never 
makes  more  than  100  okes  from  the  mines,  he  is 
obliged  to  supply  the  difference  in  money.  This  he  is 
enabled  to  do  by  the  Greeks  of  the  Sidherokapsika, 
who  are  well  content  to  make  good  the  deficiency 
for  the  sake  of  the  advantages  they  derive  from  be- 
longing to  the  government  of  the  mines.  The 
owner  of  the  house  in  which  I  lodge  pays  300 
piastres  a  year  in  SoajjjuaTa  of  all  kinds.  Belon, 
who  visited  the  mines  of  Sidherokapsa  in  the 
middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  asserts  that  he 
found  five  or  six  hundred  furnaces  in  different 
parts  of  the  mountain,  that  besides  silver,  gold  was 
extracted  here  from  pyrites,  that  6000  workmen 
were  then  employed,  and  that  the  mines  some- 
times returned  to  the  Turkish  government  a  monthly 
profit  of  30,000  ducats  of  gold.  The  name  Sid- 
herokapsa, although  implying  a  smelting  of  iron,  is 
generally  applied  to  places  where  any  appearances 
of  metallurgy  remain  ;  it  is  not  probable  that  there 
ever  existed  any  iron  works  in  this  place. 

The  villages  attached  to  the  government  of  the 
Mines  are  chiefly  situated  in  the  highlands  of  the 
Chalcidic  peninsula  on  either  side  of  the  central 
ridge,  and  in  a  part  of  the  country  to  the  south-west 
of  Nizvoro,  towards  the  isthmus  of  Sithonia.  In 
this  direction,  four  hours  distant,  is  Reveniko,  con- 
taining 200  houses.  On  the  direct  road  to  Salo- 
niki,  which  is  eighteen   hours  distant,  are   Eleri- 

VOL.   III.  M 


162 


MACEDONIA. 


[  CHAP. 


gova,  four  hours  from  Nizvoro,  containing  400 
houses,  Galatista,  or  Galatzita,  of  500  houses,  eight 
hours  farther,  and  Vasilika  of  400,  midway  from 
the  latter  to  Saloniki.  Galatista  is  near  the  origin 
of  a  stream  which  separates  the  highlands  of  (  7ial- 
cidice  into  two  parallel  ridges,  and  joins  the  sea  in 
the  bay  of  Saloniki.  The  road  from  Galatista  fol- 
lows the  river  nearly  to  its  mouth.  Not  far  short  of 
Vasilika,  to  the  right  of  the  road,  is  the  monastery 
of  St.  Anastasia.  To  the  southward  of  Galatista, 
towards  Polighyro,  are  Vavdho,  of  300  houses, 
two  hours  distant,  and  beyond  it,  at  a  like  dis- 
tance, Rizitnikia.  To  the  northward  of  Galatista, 
in  the  mountains  towards  the  valley  of  Klisali  and 
Besikia,  are  Adhami,  Zakliveri,  and  Ravana,  the  last 
of  which  is  on  the  road  from  Saloniki  to  Pazarudhi. 

The  ridges  which  extend  westward  from  Nizvoro 
rise  to  a  central  peak  called  Solomon,  or  Kholo- 
mon  ',  possibly  an  ancient  name,  from  whence  the 
waters  flow  southward  to  the  gulfs  of  Aion  Oros 
and  Kassandhra,  westward  to  that  of  Saloniki,  and 
northward,  into  the  lake  of  Besikia.  There  are 
said  to  be  some  remains  of  an  ancient  town,  at  the 
foot  of  the  peak,  not  far  to  the  southward  of  Eleri- 
gova,  on  a  stream  which  flows  to  the  Gulf  of  Kas- 
sandhra. 

The  district  of  the  Mademokhoria  borders  to  the 
south-west  upon  that  of  Khassia,  or  the  Khasika, 
which  are  fifteen  Eleftherokhoria,  forming  a  con- 
federacy similar  to  that  of  the  mines,  and  having 
an    aristocratic2    administration    to    each   village, 


1  2o\oj.iwv,  XoXofxiuy.  its   Greek   meaning, — or    con- 

2  Aristocratic,    according  to      sisting  of  the  best  men  in  pro- 


XXV.] 


M  AC  i:  DON  I. \. 


163 


with  a  council  or  deputation  for  the  repartition  of 
the  taxes,  and  other  general  concerns,  which  as- 
sembles at  Polighyro,  the  residence  of  the  Turkish 
aga,  who  farms  the  revenue  from  the  Porte.     Po- 
lighyro contains  600  families,  and  stands  at  a  dis- 
tance of  three  hours  from  the  shore  of  the  Gulf  of 
Kassandhra,  at  the  foot  of  the  heights  of  Kholomon. 
The  Khasika  comprehend  all  the  r^too  fiowa  \  or 
cultivable  heights  and  undulated  country,   which 
fall  southward  from  those  mountains  to  the  Toro- 
naic  and    Thermaic  Gulfs.     The   northern  part  of 
the  district  bordering  on  the  latter  gulf  is  known 
by  the  name  of  Kalameria,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
productive  districts  in  Macedonia.     With  the  ex- 
ception of  some  Turkish  tjiftliks,  and  some  metok- 
hia  of  Aion  Oros,  the  land  of  the  Khasika  is  pos- 
sessed entirely  by  the  villages.      Besides  affording 
excellent  winter  pasture  for  cattle  and  sheep,   it 
produces  an  abundance  of  grain  of  superior  qua- 
lity ;  its  wool,  honey,  and  wax,  are  also  consider- 
able, and   silk-worms  are   raised  in  the  villages, 
particularly  in  the  two  principal  towns,  Polighyro 
and  Ermylies,  which  alone  contain  four  or  five  hun- 
dred silk-looms. 

Kassandhra,  or  the  peninsula  of  Pallene,  forms 
a  similar  union  of  villages,  under  a  Turkish  Voi- 
voda,  who  resides  at  Valta,  towards  the  centre 
of  the  peninsula.     The  villages  are  twelve  in  nura- 


perty  and  influence,  which 
are  the  general  qualifications 
of  the  'Arkhondes  in  the  Elef- 
therokhoria  of  Greece. 


1  A  common  Greek  expres- 
sion in  contradistinction  to 
aynia  fivvru. 


M    'I 


164 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


ber,  of  which  'Athyto,  Valta,  Furka,  Kalendria,  and 
Aghia  Paraskevi,  are  the  principal.  The  produce 
of  the  peninsula  is  similar  to  that  of  the  Khasika, 
which  adjoins  to  it,  besides  which  the  Pallenceans 
have  numerous  boats  and  small  vessels,  and  derive 
great  benefit  from  their  maritime  traffic. 

Nov.  5. — The  mines  now  wrought  are  about 
half  an  hour  from  Nizvoro,  between  two  hills,  in 
a  deep  ravine,  where  a  stream  of  water  serves  for 
the  operations  of  washing,  as  well  as  to  turn  a 
wheel  for  working  the  bellows  for  the  furnace. 
The  whole  is  conducted  in  the  rudest  and  most 
slovenly  manner.  The  richest  ore  is  pounded 
with  stones  upon  a  board  by  hand,  then  washed 
and  burnt  with  charcoal ;  the  inferior  ore  is  broken 
into  larger  pieces,  and  burnt  twice  without  wash- 
ing. The  lead,  when  extracted  from  the  furnace, 
is  carried  to  Kastro,  where  the  silver  is  separated, 
in  the  proportion  of  two  or  three  drams  to  an  oke 
of  400  drams.  When  the  present  shafts  are  ex- 
hausted, the  mines  will  probably  be  abandoned. 
From  the  mines  I  return,  by  a  circuitous  path,  to 
a  point  not  far  above  Nizvoro,  and  set  off  from 
thence  on  the  road  to  Stavros  at  4.30  (Turkish 
time). 

The  heaps  of  wrought  ore,  some  of  which  I 
passed  yesterday,  but  which  are  seen  in  much 
greater  quantity  on  the  side  of  the  mountain  below 
the  present  works,  show  how  very  extensively 
these  mines  have  once  been  wrought.  The  lofty 
mountains  which  lie  at  the  back  of  Nizvoro  are 
covered  with  forests,  consisting  on  the  southern 
side  chiefly  of  elms,  on  the  summit  of  chestnuts, 


xxv.j 


MACEDONIA. 


105 


and  to  the  north  of  oaks.  Some  of  the  elms  are 
very  fine  trees.  All  the  forenoon  we  travel  amidst 
the  clouds,  which,  as  the  wind  is  to  the  south-east, 
hang  low  upon  the  hills,  and  at  6.30  descend 
upon  the  southern  corner  of  the  plain  of  Lybjadha, 
around  which  all  the  sides  of  the  hills  are  covered 
with  great  heaps  of  scoriae,  similar  to  those  near 
the  Maden  of  Nizvoro,  but  much  larger  and  more 
numerous. 

The  plain,  which  is  a  dead  level  in  the  form  of 
an  equilateral  triangle,  surrounded  by  woody 
mountains,  is  covered  with  fields  of  kalambokki, 
and  intersected  with  torrents  shaded  by  large 
plane  trees.  The  scoriae  are  seen  in  the  greatest 
quantities  in  the  bed  of  one  of  these  torrents,  be- 
low the  corner  where  we  descended  ;  but  a  peasant 
who  has  the  care  of  a  magazine  for  the  maize, 
informs  me,  that  towards  the  summit  of  the  moun- 
tain there  are  heaps  of  the  same  substance  larger 
than  any  near  the  valley,  and  shafts  of  a  much 
greater  depth  and  size.  Some  of  these  may  be 
works,  perhaps,  of  the  ancient  Macedonians,  whence 
a  part  of  the  silver  money  was  derived,  the  prodi- 
gious quantity  of  which  is  proved  by  the  proportion 
of  it  still  existing.  I  am  not  aware,  however,  that 
any  ancient  author  has  noticed  mines  in  this  part 
of  the  country. 

On  inquiring  for  ancient  buildings,  the  keeper 
of  the  magazine  conducts  me  to  the  southern  angle 
of  the  bay,  where  I  find  the  remains  of  a  thin 
wall  constructed  of  small  stones  and  mortar,  built 
across  the  neck  of  a  promontory,  and  a  little  within 
the  same  point  towards  the  plain,  many  fragments 


166 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap 


of  ancient  pottery  on  the  side  of  the  hill,  with  a 
piece  of  Hellenic  wall  crossing  a  little  ravine  or 
water-course.  In  the  adjacent  angle  of  the  bay- 
is  a  place  called  the  Skala,  where  plank  and 
scantling  are  now  lying  ready  for  embarkation. 
The  bay  is  sheltered  by  an  island  in  the  middle, 
distant  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  shore,  and 
about  as  much  in  circumference.  It  is  called 
Kafkana  !,  a  word  derived  from  Kavuy,  like  Kafkhio 
and  Kapsa,  names  wrhich  we  generally  find  at- 
tached to  places  preserving  appearances  of  metal - 
lurgic  operations. 

The  bay,  plain,  paleokastro,  and  skala,  are  all 
known  by  the  name  of  Lybjadha,  which  the  natives 
derive  from  that  of  the  mother  of  Alexander,  and 
not  without  probability  ;  since  the  omission  of  the 
initial  o,  the  third  case,  and  the  conversion  of  Au/u- 
TriaSa  into  AvfiiTTliaSa,  are  all  in  the  ordinary  course 
of  Romaic  corruption.  A  situation  a  little  below 
the  serai  of  the  Aga  at  Kastro,  where  some  frag- 
ments of  columns  are  still  seen,  is  said  to  have 
been  the  site  of  Alexander's  mint.  Both  Turks 
and  Greeks,  and  even  the  poorest  peasants,  are 
full  of  the  history  of  Alexander,  though  it  is  some- 
times strangely  disfigured,  and  not  unfrequently 
Alexander  is  confounded  with  Skauderbeg. 

The  port  and  island  of  Lybtzadha  are  probably 
those  which  in  the  epitome  of  the  seventh  book  of 
Strabo  are  described  as  being  near  Stageirus,  and 
named  Caprus 2,  for  this  is  the  only  island  in  the 


KavKavdc.  'AkcLvQov  6  irtpiwXove  rfjg  Xep- 

Kal  iotiv  aVo   ttoXiwq  riji-      pov//<rou   (Actes   sc.)  ioc  Sra- 


XXV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


107 


Strymonic  Gulf,  except  Leftheridha,  and  the  lat- 
ter being  close  to  the  cape  now  called  Marmari, 
which  forms  the  northern  side  of  the  entrance  into 
the  bay  of  Acanthus,  is  too  far  from  Stageirus,  if 
that  place,  as  I  suspect  from  the  name,  stood  at 
the  modern  Stavros.  Leftheridha,  moreover,  being 
nothing  more  than  the  Romaic  form  of  Eleuthevis, 
seems  to  indicate  the  preservation  of  an  ancient 
name.  Within  that  cape  to  the  northward  there 
is  a  small  harbour. 

Leaving  the  skala  at  8.30  Turkish,  and  follow- 
ing the  beach,  I  arrive  at  9  at  the  point  which 
forms  the  northern  extremity  of  the  bay  and  plain, 
and  from  thence  follow  the  sea  shore  under  the 
mountains,  winding  to  the  left  as  we  enter  upon 
the  shore  of  the  bay  of  Rendina,  as  this  extremity 
of  the  Strymonic  gulf  is  called,  until  we  arrive  at 
10.50  on  the  beach  immediately  below  the  village 
of  Stavros,  and  about  a  mile  eastward  of  the  west- 
ern extremity  of  the  gulf,  where  now  lies  a  ship 
loading  wood.  An  ascent  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
brings  me  to  the  village  of  Stavros,  which  stands 
on  a  height  at  the  foot  of  woody  mountains,  similar 
to  those  enclosing  the  plain  of  Lybtzadha. 

Stavros  contains  about  50  houses,  inhabited  by 
cultivators  of  kalambokki  grounds  in  the  plain  at 
the  head  of  the  gulf,  or  by  pastors  of  the  fine 
cattle,  of  which  there  are  numerous  flocks  in  every 
part  of  the  Chalcldic  peninsula.     The  position  is 


ytipov  -rruXewQ  roii  'ApiaroTtkovQ  vvjxov  T<p  XifievC  elra  ai  tov 
OTcicia  TerpaKoaia'  iv  r)  \ifii)v  ^rpvfxuyoc  tKpoXai.  —  Strabo, 
bvofxa   Kairpoc  Kat  vr\alov  bjxw-       p.  331. 


168 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


very  much  that  of  a  Hellenic  town,  the  height 
being  detached  in  front  of  the  mountain,  flanked 
on  either  side  by  a  torrent,  and  falling  to  a  level 
which  is  itself  higher  than  the  plain  adjacent  to 
the  sea-shore.  There  are  even  some  appearances 
of  ancient  walls  of  a  very  rough  and  irregular 
species  on  the  eastern  side  above  the  torrent. 

These  remains,  the  position,  and  the  name 
Stavros,  which,  the  accent  in  ^Taynpog  being  on 
the  first  syllable,  is  a  natural  contraction  of  that 
name,  seem  decisive  of  Stavros  being  the  site  of 
Stageirus. 

Herodotus  in  describing  the  march  of  the  army 
of  Xerxes  from  the  mouth  of  the  Strymon  to 
Acanthus,  states,  that  after  passing  Argilus  and 
leaving  the  gulf  of  Posidium  on  the  left,  they 
traversed  the  plain  called  Syleus,  and  then  pass- 
ing Stageirus  arrived  at  Acanthus !,  all  which 
accords  perfectly  with  the  supposition  just  stated, 
the  plain  which  lies  between  it  and  the  sea  being 
sufficiently  wide  for  the  army  to  have  left  the 
city  on  the  right.  That  Stageirus  was  not  far 
from  Acanthus  is  rendered  probable  by  their 
having:  both  been  colonies  of  the  Andrii,  and  be- 
cause  when  Acanthus  surrendered  to  Brasidas  in 
the  eighth  year  of  the  Pcloponnesian  war,  Sta~ 


1  '£Iq  ce  diro  tov  ^iTpv/xovog 
eiropevETO  6  crrparoc,  ivdavTa 
Trpoe  j/X/'ou  Evfff-iiwv  iarl  alyi- 
aXog,  kv  tuj  olK7]/J,evr]v ApyiXov 
ttoXiv  'EWa'Ja  irapelffiie  avri] 
ce,  kcu  »/  KarvTrtpde  ravrr}^  ko- 
Xccrai     lUrjaXri))'     ivBevTev    St 


koXttov  tov  tTrl  HoaiSqiov  ii, 
dpiarepiii;  x^pog  i^tov,  i]ie  diet 
SvXeoq  tteciov  Ka.XEOjJ.Evov,  Sru- 
yeipov  iroXiv  'EXXacu  Trapajj.ei- 
fiofUEVog  icai  qitIketo  e.q" AkclvBov. 
— Herodot.  1.  7,  c.  115. 


XXV.] 


MACEDONIA, 


169 


geirus  immediately  followed  the  example '.  In 
the  fact  of  the  restoration  of  Stageirus  by  the 
influence  of  Aristotle 2,  we  have  a  proof  that  it 
had  fallen  to  decay  before  the  time  of  Alexan- 
der ;  at  the  same  time  that  the  few  vestiges  now 
remaining,  and  the  want  of  all  coins  of  Stagei- 
rus 3,  give  reason  to  believe  that  the  improve- 
ment was  not  permanent.  The  city  therefore  was 
probably  in  the  height  of  its  prosperity  about 
the  time  of  the  Persian  war,  and  with  the  other 
Greek  colonies  in  this  quarter,  declined  when 
western  Thrace  became  a  part  of  the  kingdom  of 
Macedonia. 

Nov.  6. — From  Stavros  to  Orfana,  distant  5  h. 
40  min.  without  the  baggage,  which  is  left  to  fol- 
low as  on  the  three  preceding  days.  Our  pace, 
notwithstanding,  is  not  more  than  a  man's  walk, 
as  the  agoyates,  from  whom  I  hire  the  horses, 
accompany  them  on  foot.  The  rain  begins  very 
soon  after  we  set  out,  and  continues  with  little 
intermission  all  the  day  ;  half  an  hour  beyond 
Stavros,  leaving  a  khan  in  the  plain,  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  on  the  left,  we  cross  a  wooden  bridge  over 
a  small  stream  which  issues  from  the  lake  of 
Besikia 4,    and   from   thence   passing   through   an 


1  Thucyd.  1.  4,  c.  88.  authority  of  a  fragment  in  the 

2  Plutarch,    in    Alexand. —      Geographi   Minores,    Vol.   iv. 
Diogen.   Laert.   1.    5,     §   4. —      Pliny    (1.   4,  c.    11.)   however 


Theophr.   Hist.  Plant,  c.  102 
— ^lian.  Var.  Hist.  1.  3,  c.  17 

3    Unless     those     inscribed      Maronea. 
'OpflayopfW  are  of  this  place,  *  M7rtatKia 

as    Eekhel    supposed    on    the 


favours   the  opinion   that  Or- 
thagoria  was  the  old  name  of 


170 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


opening  in  the  mountain,  which  remains  a  mile 
on  our  left,  falls  into  the  sea  at  the  same  distance 
to  the  right  of  the  bridge.  The  opening  being  in 
the  great  post  road  from  Saloniki  to  Constanti- 
nople, and  in  a  country  which  has  often  been 
infested  by  robbers,  there  is  a  guard-house  in  the 
pass,  occupied  by  a  few  soldiers,  commanded  by  a 
bolu-bashi,  who  examines  all  passengers,  and  ex- 
pects a  present  of  a  few  paras. 

Herodotus  calls  this  maritime  plain  Syleus.  and 
Thucydides  has  exactly  described  the  places  in 
relating  the  march  of  Brasidas  from  Arnae  in  the 
Chalcidice  to  Amphipolis.  Moving  from  Arnae, 
he  arrived  towards  the  evening  at  Aulon  and  Bro- 
miscus,  where  the  lake  Bolbe  discharged  itself  into 
the  sea,  and  after  supper  marched  forward  !.  As 
the  word  Aulon  sufficiently  indicates  the  pass, 
Bolbe  was  evidently  the  lake  of  Besikia  and  Bro- 
miscus,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river.  Arnae  I  sus- 
pect to  have  been  the  same  place  called  Calarna 
by  Stephanus,  the  existence  of  which  latter  place 
near  this  part  of  the  coast  is  shown  by  the  name 
Turris  Calarnaea,  which  Mela  mentions  as  between 
the  Strymon  and  the  harbour  Caprus 2. 

Arethusa,  noted  for  containing  the  sepulchre  of 
Euripides,  appears  to  have  stood  in  the  pass  of 
Aulon,  for  Arethusa  is  described  by  Ammianus  as  a 


1   6  BpaaiSae  cipac  e£  'Apvwv  i&rjmv  tg  OaXarraav. — Thueyd. 

rijg    Xa\Ki(}iKiJ£,    kivopivtro    Tf  1.  4,  c.  103. 
GTpaTf'     Kal    cKpiKo/xeyoc     nepl  2   Stcphan.     in    KdXapva. — 

SeiXrjv    enl    tuv    AvXuiva    kcu  Mela,  1.  2,  c.  3. 
Bpu>f.ii(TKov,  j)    v   BoXfirj  Xifxyrj 


XXV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


171 


valley  and  station  very  near  to  Bromiscus  \  By  a 
station  he  probably  meant  such  a  guard  as  now 
occupies  the  pass.  It  appears  from  the  Jerusalem 
Itinerary,  that  in  the  time  of  the  Greek  Empire 
there  was  a  mutatio,  or  place  for  changing  horses, 
at  the  tomb  of  Euripides,  which  was  on  the  road 
from  Amphipolis  to  Apollonia,  twenty  Roman 
miles  distant  from  the  former  and  eleven  from  the 
latter 2. 

The  plain  diminishes  as  we  advance,  and  at 
length  becomes  a  narrow  level  between  the  foot 
of  woody  mountains  and  the  northern  shore  of  the 
gulf,  partly  cultivated  with  maize  and  corn,  and 
partly  covered  with  groves  of  large  plane-trees. 
It  belongs,  as  well  as  the  plain  nearer  to  the 
Aulon  of  Arethusa,  to  Vrasta,  a  large  village  of  a 
mixed  population  of  Greeks  and  Turks,  which 
stands  on  the  mountain,  not  far  from  the  Aulon, 
but  not  in  sight  from  our  road.  This  mountain 
was  comprehended  in  the  ancient  Bisaltia,  which, 
according  to  Stephanus,  contained  a  city  of  the 
same  name.  Argilus,  another  city  of  the  Bisaltce, 
occupied  a  position  not  far  from  the  sea,  between 
Bromiscus  and  the  mouth  of  the  Strymon.  It 
seems  from  Herodotus  to  have  been  like  Stageirus, 
a  little  to  the  right  of  the  route  of  the  army  of 
Xerxes  in  marching  from  the  Strymon  to  Acan- 


1   Bromiscus,    cui     proxima      ii.  p.    226,  Jacobs. — Stephan. 


Arethusa  convallis  et  statio 
est  in  qua  visitur  Euripidis 
sepulchrum. — Ammian.  1.  27, 
c.  4. — Plutarch,  in  Lycurg. — 
Addaei  Epig.  in  Antholog.  vol. 


in  BopfxiaKoc,  whence  "Op/j,og 
seems  to  have  been  the  Ety- 
mon. 

2    Itin.     Hierosol.    p.    004. 

Wessel. 


172 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


thus,  and  may  therefore  be  sought  for  on  the 
mountain.  Its  territory  extended  as  far  as  the 
right  bank  of  the  Strymon  ;  for  Cerdylium,  the 
mountain  immediately  opposite  to  Amphipolis, 
was  in  the  territory  of  Argilus  '. 

At  the  end  of  two  hours  and  a  half  from  Stavros 
a  violent  fall  of  rain  detains  us  an  hour  in  a 
hut  near  the  sea,  after  which  we  follow  the  di- 
rection of  the  shore  at  no  great  distance  from  it. 
In  approaching  the  Strymon,  the  hills  are  much 
diminished  in  height ;  instead  of  being  covered 
with  wood  as  before  they  are  partly  cultivated, 
and  they  terminate  in  a  plain  which  towards  the 
mouth  of  the  river  is  sandy,  and  intersected  with 
marshes.  In  one  hour  and  forty  minutes  from  the 
hut,  we  arrive  at  the  Tjai-agsi,  or  the  river's 
mouth,  as  the  Turks  call  the  ferry  of  the  Strymon, 
though  it  is  situated  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the 
sea.     The  river  is  about  180  yards  in  breadth. 

A  store-house  for  the  grain  of  the  Strymonic 
plains,  which  is  exported  from  hence  in  large 
quantities  to  Constantinople,  stands  on  the  right 
bank,  together  with  a  hut  of  the  Gumrukji,  or 
publican,  who  farms  the  toll  of  the  ferry,  and  re- 
ceives four  paras  for  every  head  of  cattle  which 
passes.  There  being  several  caravans  collected, 
and  only  one  boat,  capable  of  carrying  about  six- 
teen men  or  beasts  at  a  time,  we  are  obliged  to 
wait  an  hour  before  we  can  cross.  Immediately 
beyond  the  ferry  are  some  extensive  ruins  of  thick 
walls,    constructed   of  small    stones    and    mortar, 


1  Thucyd.  1.  5,  c.  6. 


XXV. 


MACEDONIA. 


173 


among"  which  appear  many  squared  blocks  in  the 
Hellenic  style.  Though  the  walls  are  little  more 
than  heaps  of  ruins,  enough  remains  to  show  that 
there  was  a  large  quadrangular  inclosure,  with 
other  smaller  detached  buildings.  The  greater 
part  of  what  now  remains  is  evidently  of  the  time 
of  the  Byzantine  Empire.  By  the  native  Greeks 
the  ruins  are  most  erroneously  supposed  to  be 
those  of  Amphipolis  :  elsewhere  I  have  heard  them 
attributed  to  a  town  of  the  Lower  Empire  named 
Contessa ;  but  Ko/luti<toti,  which  the  Italians  have 
converted  into  Contessa,  and  from  which  they 
have  named  this  gulf,  was,  according  to  the  monks 
of  Aionoros,  a  town  or  fortress  of  the  Lower  Em- 
pire, at  the  western  extremity  of  that  peninsula. 
Among  the  Greeks,  the  gulf,  as  I  before  observed, 
generally  bears  the  name  of  Rendina,  which  was 
an  imperial-Greek  town  and  bishop's  see,  occupy- 
ing a  position  in  or  near  the  pass  of  Aretlmsa  \  The 
gulf  is  sometimes  known  also  as  that  of  Stavros  or 
of  Orfana.  The  ruins  at  the  ferry  of  the  Strymon, 
whatever  may  have  been  their  name  under  the 
Greek  Empire,  stand  nearly,  if  not  exactly,  on  the 
site  of  that  Eion  on  the  Strymon,  from  whence 
Xerxes  sailed  to  Asia  after  his  defeat  at  Salamis2 ; 
for  it  seems  evident  from  some  of  the  circumstances 
attending  the  battle  of  Amphipolis,  in  the  tenth  year 
of  the  Peloponnesian  war  3,  that  Eion  stood  on  this 
bank  of  the  river. 

Three  quarters  of  a  mile  beyond  the  ferry,  and 


1   Melet.    vol.    ii.    p.    4G4. 
Svo.      Venice.      1807. 


2  He.rodot.  1.  8,  c.  108. 

3  Thucyd.  1.  5,  c.  10. 


174 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap 


about  the  same  distance  from  the  sea,  the  hills 
which  border  the  plain  on  the  eastern  side,  termi- 
nate in  a  point  higher  than  the  part  of  the  ridge 
behind  it,  divided  into  terraces,  and  having  a  flat 
summit,  with  some  appearances  of  art,  but  I  search 
in  vain  for  any  unequivocal  remains  of  antiquity 
on  it.  Along  the  side  of  the  mountain,  of  which 
this  height  is  the  termination,  stand  several  Turkish 
villages,  forming  a  district  called  Orfana,  belong- 
ing to  the  Serres  kazasi.  The  Turks  of  Orfana 
are  descendants  of  those  Osmanlis  who  came  into 
this  country  with  the  predecessors  of  Mahomet  II. 
and  who,  like  those  of  Thessaly,  are  called  by  the 
Greeks  Kovidpidtg,  or  Iconians,  a  name  which  re- 
calls to  memory  the  most  ancient  capital  of  the 
Turkish  power  in  Asia  Minor.  They  occupy  a 
large  portion  of  the  cultivated  mountains  of  Mace- 
donia, and  some  parts  of  the  plains  distant  from 
the  large  towns.  Around  the  latter  the  lands  are 
generally  tjiftliks  belonging  to  Turkish  inhabitants 
of  the  towns,  which  are  farmed  by  Christians.  The 
Koniaridhes,  on  the  contrary,  cultivate  their  own 
lands,  and  seem  to  be  the  only  Turks  in  Europe 
who  do  not  consider  agricultural  labour  a  degrada- 
tion.  As  at  Orfana,  they  generally  occupy  dis- 
tricts of  small  villages,  each  of  which  lias  its  sepa- 
rate appellation  besides  that  of  the  district.  These 
people,  though  all  armed,  are  peaceably  disposed, 
attached  to  their  landed  property,  and  seldom 
seek  their  fortune  at  court  or  obey  the  summons 
of  the  Porte  for  foreign  wars.  Hence  it  is  rare  to 
hear  of  any  of  them  attaining  to  high  station, 
though  Mehmet  Ali,  the  present  Pasha  of  Egypt, 


XXV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


175 


who  belonged  to  an  agricultural  family  of  the 
neighbourhood  of  Kavala,  is  an  illustrious  excep- 
tion. His  uncle,  who  was  governor  of  that  town, 
having  fallen  a  victim  to  the  arts  of  his  enemies, 
Mehmet  All,  deprived  of  this  support,  was  induced 
to  seek  his  fortune  in  Egypt,  at  the  head  of  a 
small  number  of  followers.  The  Yuruks,  who  in 
Asia  live  a  wandering  life,  like  the  Kurds  and 
Turkomans,  as  their  name  implies1,  have  become 
more  sedentary  in  Macedonia  and  Thrace,  where 
they  have  villages,  and  have  become  cultivators. 
Those  in  the  Pashalik  of  Saloniki  have  a  chief 
called  the  Yuruk  Bey,  who  resides  in  that  city. 
Their  principal  abodes  are  in  the  districts  of 
Gumertzina,  Drama,  Nevrokopo,  Serres,  Strii- 
mitza,  Radhovitzi,  Tikfis,  Karadagh. 

From  the  height  above-mentioned,  which  lies 
to  the  left  of  the  direct  road,  I  proceed,  over  open 
downs  covered  with  corn-fields,  to  one  of  the  vil- 
lages of  Orfana,  situated  at  an  hour  and  a  half 
from  the  ferry,  in  a  hollow  between  two  heights 
watered  by  a  small  stream,  which  flows  directlv 
to  the  sea.  The  village  contains  fifty  or  sixty 
houses,  all  Turkish  except  those  of  five  or  six 
Greek  shopkeepers.  Although  not  the  largest  of 
the  makhalas  of  Orfana,  it  is  more  especially 
known  by  that  name  as  being  a  post  station  on  the 
great  road  from  Greece  to  Constantinople.     Above 


1  As  there  is   no  difference  nians  of  Europe,   they  are,   I 

in  language,  and  very  little  in  helieve,       often      confounded, 

manners  and  mode  of  life,  be-  though  the  names   sufficiently 

tween    the   Yuruks    and    Ico-  show  the  original  distinction. 

12 


176 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap 


it  rises  the  great  mountain,  which,  stretching  east- 
ward from  the  left  bank  of  the  Strymon,  at  the  pass 
of  Amphipolis,  bounds  all  the  eastern  portion  of  the 
great  IStrymonic  basin  on  the  south,  and  near  Pra- 
vista  meets  the  ridges  which  inclose  the  same 
basin  on  the  east.  The  mountain  is  now  known 
by  the  name  of  Pirnari,  and  is  evidently  the  same 
which  has  been  celebrated  by  poets  and  historians 
under  the  name  of  Pan&aeum  \ 

Nov.  7. —  Being  detained  this  day  by  the  wea- 
ther at  the  menzil  hane,  or  post  house  of  Orfana, 
I  discover  in  the  course  of  the  day  that  the  height 
which  overhangs  the  village  to  the  eastward  was 
the  site  of  an  ancient  city.  Only  a  few  small 
pieces  of  the  walls  remain  in  situ,  but  all  the 
space  now  ploughed  for  corn,  which  thej^  once 
enclosed,  is  strewn  with  fragments  of  ancient  pot- 
tery, and  the  remains  of  former  buildings,  among 
which  are  a  few  squared  blocks  of  stone.  Greek 
coins  are  very  often  found  here,  and  among  other 
small  productions  of  Hellenic  art,  oval  sling-bullets 
of  lead  2,  generally  inscribed  with  Greek  names  in 
characters  of  the  best  times,  or  with  some  emblem 
such  as  a  thunderbolt.    In  walking  over  the  ground 


1  See  iEschylus  Pers.  v.  491. 
Pindar  Pyth.  4,  v.  320.  He- 
rodot.  7,  c.  112,  113.  Thu- 
cyd.  1.  2,  c.  99.  Euripid. 
Rhes.  v.  922.  972.  Virgil. 
Georg.  c.  4,  v.  462. 

Inde  faces  et  saxa  volant,  spatioque  solutae 
Aeris  et  calido  liquefactae  pondere  glandes. 

Lucan.  1.  7,  v.  512. 


These  are  the  glandes 
which  Lucan  in  his  description 
of  the  battle  of  Pharsalia,  re- 
presents as  liquefied  in  their 
passage  through  the  air  : — 


XXV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


177 


I  found  several  of  these  bullets,  and  purchased 
others,  together  with  coins  from  the  people  of  the 
village.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  site 
is  that  of  Phagres,  a  place  of  some  import- 
ance1, situated  in  a  district  which  was  named 
Pieria,  because  it  was  inhabited  by  descendants 
of  emigrants  from  Pieria  near  Mount  Olympus, 
who  had  been  driven  from  thence  by  the  Mace- 
dones.  Hence  the  valley  included  between  Mount 
Pangaeum  and  the  sea,  in  which  Phagres  was 
situated,  was  still  called  in  the  time  of  Thucydides 
o  UupiKog  KoXirog,  or  the  Pieric  bay 2 ;  the  latter  word 
is  explained  by  the  nature  of  the  extensive  hollow 
which  reaches  from  Orfana.  to  Pravista,  and  is 
included  between  Pangceum  and  a  lower  maritime 
ridge  which  at  Pravista  forms  a  junction  with 
that  mountain  and  there  separates  the  head  of  the 
Pieric  valley  from  the  plain  of  Philippi.  The 
army  of  Xerxes  followed  this  valley  in  their  march 
into  Greece,  leaving,  as  Herodotus  observes,  Mount 
Pangaeum  on  the  right 3.     It  is  true  that  the  order 


1  Hecataeus  ap.  Stephan.  in 
*«ypj/c.— Herodot.  1.  7,  c.  112. 
— Thucyd.  1.  2,  c.  99 — Scylax 
in  QpaKt). — Strabo  (Epit.  1.  7,) 
p.  331. 

....  Ilitpac,  ol  vtrrepov, 
V7ro  to  Uayyawv  irepav  Hrpv- 
/lovog  yKrjoav  iba-yprjra  teal  (iX- 
Xa  ywpLa  ical  tVt  teal  vvv  Wie- 
piKOQ  koXttuq  tcaXe'irai  »/  V7r6  rw 
Uuyyaiu)  Trpuc  daXaaauv  yij. — 
Thucyd.  1.  2,  c.  99.  Xeno- 
phon  in  like  manner  employs 

VOL.  III. 


(vo\7roc  to  describe  a  branch  of 
the   plain    of  Mantineia :    rbv 

OTTiadEV  KoXlTOV  TT]Q     MciVTlVUCfJQ 

kvkXu)  vpr)  'iyovTa,  (Xenoph. 
Hell.  1.  6,  c.  5.)  and  the  word 
is  still  often  used  in  the  same 
sense. 

3  IiapafXEi\\iajX(.voQ  he  6  &ip- 
£,r)c  Tr/v  eiprjiJ.£yr)v  (regionem  Sa- 
trensium  sc.)  davrepa  tqvttwv 
Trapaf.itij3ero  rei^ea  to.  YiiipioV 
ruiv  kcu  erl^uyprjc  earlv  ovi'0/.ta, 
Kat  ertpa)  He oya/xo^'   rovrn  ^eu 


N 


178 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


in  which  the  historian  names  Phagres  and  Per- 
gamus,  as  the  two  chief  places  in  Pieria,  tends  to 
the  belief  that  Orfana  occupies  the  site  of  Perqa- 
mus  rather  than  that  of  Phagres ;  his  words  how- 
ever do  not  absolutely  require  that  Xerxes  should 
have  passed  the  two  places  in  the  order  in  which 
the  names  occur,  and  Orfana  is  the  only  situa- 
tion in  which  Phagres  can  be  placed,  so  as  to 
conciliate  the  testimony  of  Herodotus  and  Thucy- 
dides,  in  attributing  it  to  the  Pieric  valley,  with 
that  of  Scylax  and  Strabo,  who  show  that  it  was 
the  first  town  beyond  the  Strymon  l.  If  Phagres 
stood  at  Orfana,  Pergamus  was  most  probably  the 
modern  Pravista. 

The  march  of  Xerxes  serves  also  to  give  a 
negative  intimation  of  the  position  of  Galepsus 
and  iEsyme,  colonies  of  the  Thasii,  which  were 
taken  by  Brasidas  after  the  capture  of  Amphi- 
polis 2 ;  for  as  neither  of  these  places  is  mentioned 
as  having  been  in  the  line  of  march  of  the  Per- 
sians, we  may  infer  that  they  were  on  that  part 


£j)  nap'  uvto.  ra  ret^ea  rrfv  bcov 
ETrouero,  Ik  Ee^tfjc  \epbg  to  IJay- 
yaiov  ovpoc  airipyojv,  kbv  fiiya 
(fat  vi£'!7\c'v.--Herodot.  1.  7, 
c.  112. 

1  AirjKei  $e  r)  QpaKrj  euro 
HrpvfxoroQ  irorafiov  fJ-iyjpi  "la- 
TpOV  TTOTCtflOV  rov  kv  Ttj>  Ei>£«V^ 
T\.6vry.  Eifft  ce  kv  QpaKy  iru- 
Xug'FiXXjjviceg  aide'  'AfX^lnoXic, 
<$>a.yprig,  TaXtjxpdc.,  Ol(rvfxr\  teal 
dXXa  kfiTropia  'Layiov  (Sa/wv). 
Kara   rain-a    kar\   Qaaoq  vrjooe. 


'FiTrdveifit  t)£  trdXiv  6Qev 

k£,£T paiv 6 firjy.  NtdnoXig,  &c. — 
Scylax  in  Qpdicj}. 

The  Saii  were  the  same 
people  as  the  Sapaei. —  Strabo, 
p.  549. 

Etra  ai  rov  Srpvynoroe  ktcpo- 
Xai'  elra  <f?dypric,  TaXrjxpbg,  &c. 
—Strabo  (Epit.  1.  7,  p.  331.) 

2  Thucyd.  1.  4,  c.  107.— 
Galepsus  was  retaken  by  Cleon 
in  the  ensuing  year. — Thucyd. 
1.  5,  c.  6. 


XXV.  J 


MACEDONIA. 


179 


of  the  coast  where  the  line  diverged  from  the  sea 
and  followed  the  Pieric  valley.  The  point  where 
they  quitted  the  shore  must,  from  the  nature  of  the 
country,  have  been  at  or  near  Kavala ;  Galepsus 
and  JEsyme,  therefore,  were  probably  on  the  coast 
between  Kavala  and  Orfana,  and  one  of  them  at  the 
harbour  of  Nefter  which  is  situated  2  hours  to  the 
southward  of  Pravista,  just  within  the  cape  forming 
the  western  entrance  of  the  Gulf  of  Kavala,  where 
still  remain  the  ruins  of  a  Greek  city  now  known 
by  the  name  of  Paleopoli,  or  Nefteropoli,  or  Dhef- 
teropoli ;  the  other  in  that  case  was  at  some  point 
of  the  coast  between  Nefter  and  the  mouth  of  the 
Strymon.  The  former  would  rather  seem  to  have 
been  the  site  of  Galepsus  than  of  JEsyme,  because 
Livy  in  relating  that  Perseus,  when  flying  from 
the  Romans  after  his  defeat  at  Pydna,  sailed  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Strymon  to  Galepsus  on  the  first 
day,  and  on  the  second  to  Samothrace  ',  renders 
it  probable  that  Galepsus  was  towards  the  middle 
distance  between  the  Strymon  and  Samothrace, 
and  that  it  wras  one  of  the  most  remarkable  har- 
bours of  the  intervening  coast,  which  data  can 
only  be  reconciled  at  Nefteropoli.  Scylax,  it  must 
be  admitted,  gives  an  opposite  testimony  as  to  the 
relative  situation  of  iEsyme  and  Galepsus  ;  but 
when  the  assertions  of  the  geographers  are  at  va- 
riance with  the  circumstantial  evidence  of  history, 
the  latter  is  generally  to  be  preferred. 

Although  the  modern  route  from  Constantinople 
to  Orfana  and  Saloniki,  leading  by  Pravista  through 


Liv.  1.  44,  c.  45. 
N  2 


180 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap 


the  Pieric  valley,  along  the  southern  side  of  Mount 
Pang oeum,  exactly  in  the  line  of  that  of  Xerxes,  is 
the  most  direct,  it  does  not  coincide  with  the  Ro- 
man road,  or  Via  Egnatia,  which  passed  along  the 
opposite  base  of  that  mountain  through  Philippi 
and  Amphipolis,  probably  for  the  sake  of  compre- 
hending in  the  line  both  those  important  cities, 
the  former  of  which  was  a  Roman  colony.  Were 
it  not  certain  from  the  Itineraries  that  such  was 
the  direction  of  the  Roman  road,  there  might  be 
some  doubt  whether  Neapolis,  which  lay  on  that 
route  about  12  M.  P.  short  of  Philippi,  were  not 
at  Nefteropoli ;  but  as  there  would  have  been  in 
that  case  a  needless  detour  of  near  20  miles  by 
an  angle  to  the  north-east,  such  a  supposition 
cannot  be  entertained.  Neapolis,  therefore,  or 
Neopolis  according  to  its  coins,  occupied  the  site 
of  Kavala ;  and  Acontisma ]  which  was  8  or  9 
miles  eastward  of  Neapolis,  may  be  placed  near 
the  other  end  of  the  passes  of  the  Sapaei 2,  which 
were  formed  by  the  mountainous  coast  stretching 
eastward  from  Kavala. 

There  is  perhaps  another  ancient  city  which  some 
persons  may  be  inclined  to  place  at  Orfana  in  pre- 
ference to  Phagres,  namely,  Myrcinus  of  the  Edoni. 
But  to  this  it  may  be  objected  that  the  Edoni,  as 
far  back  as  the  Persian  war,  were  not  in  possession 
of  any  of  the  maritime  country,  and  that  if  Myr- 
cinus had  been  near  the  sea,  its  name  could  hardly 


1  Anton.  It.  p.  321,  Hierocl. 
p.  731  Wessel. — Ammian.  Mar- 
cel. 1.  27,  c.  4 ;  1.  36,  c.  7. 


2    Appian.   de   B.  C.    1.  4, 
c.  87.  105. 


XXV. 1 


MACEDONIA. 


181 


have  been  omitted  by  Herodotus  in  his  account  of 
the  march  of  Xerxes,  or  by  Scylax  in  his  Peri  plus 
of  this  coast.  Myrcinus  therefore  was  in  the  interior, 
to  the  northward  of  Mount  Pangwum,  where  the 
Edoni  then  possessed  all  the  country  as  far  as  Dra- 
bescus  included1,  and  probably  it  was  very  near 
the  site  of  Amphipolis,  which  before  the  Athenian 
colonization  was  only  a  subordinate  place  called 
the  Nine  Ways  in  the  district  of  Myrcinus,  then  the 
chief  Greek  city  in  this  part  of  Thrace2.  When 
Amphipolis  rose  to  eminence,  Myrcinus  naturally 
declined. 

Nov.  8. — This  morning,  at  2.40  Turkish,  we 
return  for  some  distance  on  the  road  to  Saloniki, 
then  leaving  it  to  the  left,  arrive  at  3.22  at  the 
point  mentioned  on  the  6th,  where  the  surface  of 
the  ground  has  an  artificial  appearance.  The 
intermediate  space  between  this  point  and  the  sea 
consists  chiefly  of  marshy  ground  and  salt  pans, 
near  which  latter  are  some  magazines  on  the  sea- 
beach.  Turning  again  to  the  right,  we  follow  the 
direct  route  to  the  bridge  of  the  Strymon  at  Neok- 
hori,  proceeding  along  the  foot  of  the  hills.  At 
3.45  Longuri  is  a  mile  and  a  half  on  the  right :  it 
is  the  largest  of  the  Koniaro-makhaladhes  as  the 
Greeks  call  the  detached  quarters  of  Orfana ; 
though  bearing,  like  Orfana,  a  Greek  name,  it  is 
inhabited  entirely  by  Turks,  dwelling  in  pyrghi  or 
towers.  From  hence  we  approach  the  strait  where 
the  Strymon  issues  from  between  the  hills  into  the 


1  Thucyd.  1.  1,  c.  100. 

2  Hcrodot.  1.  5,  c.  11,  23,  126.— Thucyd.  1.  4,  c.  102,  107. 


182 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


maritime  plain,  and  at  4  mount  the  heights  which 
advance  from  Mount  Pangceum  to  form  the  strait. 
At  4.15,  below  the  little  Turkish  village  of  Aly- 
bassa,  or,  as  the  Greeks  call  it,  Alibassiates,  the 
ground  is  covered  with  broken  pottery  and  frag- 
ments of  buildings,  which  mark  the  beginning  of 
the  site  of  Amphipolis.  On  the  road  side,  as  well 
as  in  an  adjacent  field,  are  several  sori  of  stone, 
but  without  any  inscriptions  now  visible  on  them, 
at  least  on  any  of  those  which  I  examined.  The 
ground  appears  to  be  full  of  sepulchres.  Here 
some  remains  of  the  walls  of  Amphipolis  are  visible 
on  the  crest  of  the  hill  to  the  left. 

Before  us,  at  the  same  time,  opens  a  fine  view 
of  the  Strymonic  lake  mentioned  by  Thucydides, 
and  by  Arrian  named  Cercinitis1,  together  with 
the  extensive  plains  of  Serres  and  Zikhna  extend- 
ing thirty  miles  from  west  to  east,  along  the  foot 
of  a  range  of  lofty  mountains.  To  the  southward 
this  great  valley  is  inclosed  by  the  parallel  ridge 
of  Pirnari,  or  Pangceum,  and  by  the  mountain  of 
'Orsova  and  Vrasta,  which  is  separated  only  from 
Pirnari  by  the  pass  of  Amphipolis,  and  of  which 
we  followed  the  southern  foot  from  the  site  of  Bro- 
miscus,  along  the  shore  of  the  Strymonic  gulf.  To 
the  westward  this  great  ridge  is  prolonged  nearly 
to  Saloniki,  but  at  one  third  of  the  distance  thither 
sends  forth  a  branch  of  equal  height  to  the  north- 
west, which  incloses  the  western  side  of  the  Stry- 
monic valley, —  so  that  these  extensive  plains  are  en- 
tirely surrounded  by  mountains,  with  the  exception 


1  Artian.  de  exp.  Alex.  1.  1,  c.-ll. 


XXV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


183 


of  three  openings,  one  for  the  entrance  of  the  Stry- 
mon  near  Demirissar,  another  for  its  exit  at  Amphi- 
polis, and  a  third  for  the  entrance  of  a  large  branch 
anciently  called  Angitas,  and  now 'Anghista,  which, 
after  crossing  the  plain  of  Dhrama,  the  ancient 
Drabescus,  and  receiving  contributions  from  around 
that  town  and  Philippi,  joins  the  Strymonic  lake 
six  or  eight  miles  to  the  north  of  Amphipolis.  The 
plain  of  Drabescus  is  concealed  from  Amphipolis  by 
the  meeting  of  the  lower  heights  of  Pangceum  with 
those  which  inclose  the  plain  to  the  north-east. 
Through  this  strait  the  'Anghista  makes  its  way  to 
the  lake,  and  thus  there  is  a  marked  separation 
between  the  Strymonic  plain  and  that  which  con- 
tains Drabescus  and  Philippi.  The  river  'Anghista 
has  its  origin  in  some  high  mountains  around 
Nevrokopo,  and  after  watering  the  valley  con- 
taining that  town,  is  said  to  have  a  subterraneous 
course  for  some  distance  before  it  enters  the  plain 
of  Dhrama.  From  the  sepulchres  on  the  ridge 
which  connects  the  hill  of  Amphipolis  with  Mount 
Pangceum  there  is  a  descent  of  eight  minutes  to 
Neokhorio,  in  Turkish  Yenikiuy,  a  small  village 
situated  on  the  side  of  the  hill  of  Amphipolis  above 
the  left  bank  of  the  river,  not  far  from  where  it 
issues  from  the  lake,  and  is  crossed  a  little  below 
that  point  by  a  wooden  bridge.  Above  the  bridge, 
where  the  lake  narrows  before  it  becomes  a  river, 
stand  two  towers  of  the  middle  ages,  on  the  oppo- 
site sides  of  the  water.  A  little  below  the  bridge, 
a  stream  of  some  magnitude  joins  the  Strymon 
from  the  westward. 

The  site  of  Amphipolis  is  now  called  Marmara, 


184 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


and  there  was  formerly  a  village  of  that  name1. 
Neokhori,  as  the  word  implies,  is  of  recent  con- 
struction. It  is  inhabited  by  forty  Greek  families, 
and  is  included  in  the  district  of  Zikhna,  a  town 
situated  between  Dhrama  and  Serres,  at  the  foot 
of  the  great  mountain  which  borders  the  Strymonic 
plains  to  the  northward.  Neokhori  seems  chiefly 
to  owe  its  existence  to  the  profitable  fishery  of  those 
Strymonian  eels2  which  were  celebrated  among  the 
ancients  for  their  size  and  fatness,  and  were  con- 
sidered not  inferior  to  the  eels  of  the  lake  Copais. 
They  are  caught  at  a  dam  which  crosses  the  stream 
half  a  mile  below  the  bridge  of  Neokhori,  and  which 
serves  as  well  for  this  purpose  as  for  a  mill-head. 
Were  it  not  for  this  artificial  impediment,  the  river, 
although  rapid,  would  be  navigable  to  Neokhori 
and  into  the  lake.  The  mill  belongs  to  the  con- 
vent of  Pandokratora  on  Mount  Athos,  but  the 
fishery,  since  it  has  become  valuable,  has  been 
claimed  by  the  Sultan,  and  is  now  farmed  by  Feta 
Bey  of  Zikhna,  whose  deputy  I  find  at  the  mill, 
counting  the  fish  as  they  are  caught.  Some  thou- 
sands of  eels  had  just  been  taken,  many  of  which 


1  It  appears  from  Cantacu-      a  place  of  some  importance. — 
zenus  thai  in  liis  time  the  name      1.  1,  c.  35. 
was  Map/j.i'ipiov,  and  that  it  was 

2   •  aperfjc  fiiya  Kapra  (pipovai 

KiOTrdlat  Kal  ^rpv/j-oyiat,  yLEyakai  te  yap  iioi 
Kat  to  iraypq  davfxatTTal. 

Archestratus  ap.  Athen.  1.  7,  c.  13. 

.    TTorafidg  (avofiacrfiirog 
^Tpv^wp  fiEylarac  ey^tXug  kekti}^.evoq. 

Antiphanes,  ibid. 


XXV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


185 


are  of  enormous  size.  Grey  mullet  and  other  mi- 
gratory sea-fish  are  sometimes  intercepted  here  in 
the  same  manner,  but  always  in  a  small  propor- 
tion to  the  eels.  Possibly  the  Strymonic  lake  is 
too  distant  from  the  sea  for  the  mullet.  The 
freshness  of  the  water  can  hardly  be  an  objection, 
as  many  of  the  lagoons  of  Greece  and  Asia  Minor 
most  productive  of  mullet  are  of  mixed  water;  and 
some,  as  that  of  Butkrotum,  are  quite  fresh.  The 
Bey  as  Mukatesi  levies  on  the  spot  20  paras  for 
each  zevgari,  or  pair,  of  large  eels;  and  the  people 
of  Neokhori  sell  them  either  fresh  or  salted  at  30, 
40,  or  50  paras  a  pair,  according  to  the  distance 
to  which  they  are  sent.  The  fishery  is  said  to 
produce  annually  about  40,000  brace  of  large 
eels,  besides  the  smaller  and  other  fish. 

The  late  rains  have  rendered  the  moment  fa- 
vourable for  fishing,  which  is  an  unfortunate  acci- 
dent for  me,  having  brought  hither  Feta  Bey's 
agent  to  superintend  the  fishing,  from  his  usual  re- 
sidence at  a  village  an  hour  distant,  of  which  he  is 
voivoda.  He  refuses  a  present  of  a  pair  of  pistols, 
gives  orders  to  prevent  my  visiting  the  summit  of 
the  hill,  and  issues  a  proclamation  forbidding  the 
people  to  sell  me  any  antiquities,  but  is  afterwards 
so  far  pacified,  though  still  refusing  any  present, 
as  to  retract  the  latter  part  of  the  order,  and  to 
send  a  messenger  to  the  Bey,  who  is  now  at  Zili- 
akhova,  a  village  to  the  eastward  of  Zikhna,  for 
permission  that  I  may  view  the  place.  My  firma.hn 
he  cannot  read. 

Nov.  9. — The  answer  of  the  Bey  of  Zikhna  is 
unfavourable  :  the  only  reason  of  which  appears 


186 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


to  be  the  persuasion  among  these  barbarians  that 
the  site  of  Amphipolis  contains  hidden  treasures. 
I  am  obliged,  therefore,  to  leave  this  interesting 
site  with  a  transient  view  of  it,  and  it  is  not  with- 
out difficulty  that  I  succeed  in  copying  an  inscrip- 
tion in  the  wall  of  a  fountain  in  the  village  ;  for 
inscriptions  are  supposed  by  Turks  to  inform  us 
where  to  dig  for  treasures  :  I  fortunately  observed 
it  yesterday  evening,  and  had  transcribed  it  as 
soon  as  there  was  light  enough,  this  morning,  just 
when  some  of  the  Myrmidons  of  the  Aga,  who 
had  probably  formed  some  suspicion  of  my  inten- 
tion, arrived  with  the  design  of  preventing  me. 
It  is  a  document  of  great  interest,  as  being  written 
in  the  Ionic  dialect,  and  as  containing  the  exact 
words  of  some  of  the  laws  of  Athens  as  cited  by 
the  Athenian  orators,  both  which  peculiarities  are 
referrible  to  the  fact  of  Amphipolis  having  been  an 
Attic  colony  \  The  letters  are  small,  but  beauti- 
fully engraved,  and  have  the  form  which  is  sup- 
posed to  indicate  a  date  earlier  than  that  of  Alex- 
ander.   The  record  is  that  of  a  decree  of  perpetual 


1  Mr.  Boeckh  (Inscr.  Gr. 
No.  2008)  is  of  opinion  that 
the  dialect  of  this  inscription 
is  not  the  old  Attic,  but  that 
which  was  used  in  Thasus, 
Abdera,  and  the  other  Ionic 
colonies  of  Thrace ;  and  al- 
though it  is  difficult  to  sepa- 
rate the  use  of  the  Attic  law 
terms  from  that  of  the  dialect, 
Mr.  Boeckh  is  perhaps  as 
usual  in  the  right.     The  sub- 


divisions of  the  dialects  were 
very  numerous.  The  Ionic  of 
Thrace,  of  Attica,  of  the  Ionic 
Islands  in  the  iEgsean  Sea,  and 
of  Asia,  probably  all  differed 
from  one  another,  as  extant  in- 
scriptions prove,  in  regard  to 
the  iEolic  of  Thessaly,  Bceotia, 
and  Mytilene,  and  the  Doric 
of  Corinth,  Syracuse,  and  Cy- 
rene. 


XXV.J 


MACEDONIA. 


187 


banishment  from  Amphipolis  and  its  territory, 
enacted  by  the  people  against  two  of  their  citizens, 
Philo  and  Stratocles,  and  their  children.  If  they 
were  ever  taken  they  were  to  suffer  death  as  ene- 
mies. Their  property  was  confiscated,  and  a  tenth 
of  it  was  to  be  applied  to  the  sacred  service  of 
Apollo  and  of  Strymon.  Their  names  were  to  be 
inscribed  by  the  Prostata?  upon  a  pillar  of  stone ; 
and  if  any  person  should  revoke  the  decree,  or  by 
any  art  or  contrivance  give  countenance  to  the 
banished  men,  that  man's  property  also  was  to  be 
forfeited  to  the  people,  and  he  was  to  be  banished 
from  Amphipolis  for  ever.  l 

The  following  is  the  Greek  text  in  ordinary 
Hellenic  : 

'  ESo£sv  r<«>  ?r)j«w  OiAwva  Kai  ^.TparoicXta  <f>tvyuv 
Afi<fniro\tv  Kai  ttjv  "vtjv  Tt]v  'A/dtynraiXiTwv  at«f>vyiav  Kai 
avrovg  /cat  tovq  iraicag  Kai  tjv  ttov  aAioKtovrai  iraoyziv 
avrovq  tjg  7ro\£/LiiovQ  Kai  vt]TTOivei  TtOvavai'  ra  Se  -^piif.iaT 
avTixiv   Sri/iooia  eivai,  to   ce   STTiceKaTOv   lepov   rov   AttoX- 


1  V.  Inscription,  No.  125. 

2  I  have  here  supplied  the 
third  line  of  the  inscription, 
NTII1THNTQNAM*,  from  M. 
Cousinery's  copy  ;  for  it  is  evi- 
dent from  that  copy  (see  V. 
dans  le  Macedoine,  tome  i. 
p.  128)  compared  with  that 
which  I  first  published  in  Mr. 
Walpole's  collection,  vol.  ii. 
that  I  neglected  to  copy  that 
line.  It  may  seem  presump- 
tuous after  this  admission  to 
oppose  my  readings  of  some  of 

12 


the  words  to  M.  Cousinery's, 
but  I  shall  state  them,  in  the 
hope  that  some  future  traveller 
will  determine  the  truth.  In 
line  7,  IIEAA2,  Cousinery ; 
IIAIAA2,  Leake.  In  line  11, 
22,  XPIIMATA  AYTON,  C. 
XPIIMATAYTfliN,  L.  ;  in  line 
13,  IEPON,  C,  IPON,  L.  ;  in 
line  17,  STHAHN,  C,  E2TH- 
AHN,  L.  ;  in  lines  19,  20, 
ANA^HOISEINKATAAEXH- 
TAI,  C,  ANA¥H*IZEIHKA- 
TAAEXETAI,  L. 


188 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


Xojvog  km  tov  ^rpvfxovog'  rovg  Sfc  Ylpoararag  avaypaxpai 
avrovg  tig  orrjAlv  \161vyv'  kav  St  rig  to  ip^cpiaua  ava- 
\pr)tyiCu  ?j  KaraSeytrai  rovrovg  rtyvrj  r\  jUfj^nvrj  r^riviovv, 
ra  vpjjuaT  aurov  Srj/xocria  torio,  Kai  avrog  ^tuytrw  A/n(j>i- 
ttoXiv  ati(pvyiav   . 

The  dialectic  peculiarities  on  the  marble  are, — 

^foyav  for  <j>tvyziv — rrjyyt^v  for  rr)v  yvv — 'Aprf>nro\i- 
rewv  for  Af.i<f>nro\tTUJV — ati(j)vyir}V  for  autyvyiav — avrog 
Kai  rog  for  avrovg  Kai  rovg — rtynrou  for  tav  trov  — avrog 
cue  iroXe/miOQ  for  avrovg  ojg  7ro\tfiiovq — ipov  for  itoov — 
Tog  St  for  rovg  St — avrog  eg  for  avrovg  tig — r/v  St  for 
cav  St — rovrog  for  toutouc — OTtwiouv  for  rjriviovv — 
avro  for  avrov — <ptoyer(v  afi^vyajv  for  <f>tvytrit)  ati^u- 
•yiav. 

In  the  first  Olynthiac  oration  of  Demosthenes, 
the  name  of  Stratocles  occurs  as  one  of  two  depu- 
ties who  were  sent  to  Athens  from  Amphipolis  to 
request  the  assistance  of  an  armament  to  save  the 
city  from  Philip,  who  took  it  in  the  same  year, 
after  having  beaten  down  the  walls  with  engines 
and  entered  the  place  through  the  breach,  but 
who  treated  the  captured  city  with  mildness,  and 
was  satisfied  with  banishing  those  who  had  been 


1  <f>vyi>v  hk  Kai  pi)  dt\i](xag 
Kplffiv  vwoaytly,  (bevytrb)  aetcjiv- 
yiav. — Plato  de  Leg. 

vqiroivil  rtBvavai.  —  De- 
mosth.  adv.  Aristoc. — Andocid. 
de  Myst. 

'Eai/  ?)£  l,ivoq  dcrrrj  fyvoihcrj 
Ttyvr}  r\  prj-^avtj  ijTiviovv,  ypa- 
<j>i(rdu)  npbg  rovg  QtapoQirag. — 
Dem.  adv.  Neaer. 


rpotro)  ?/  fxi]yitvri  iitwwvv. — 
Dem.  adv.  Mid. 

'EmSiicaToi'. — Harpoci'at.  in 
voce.  Plutarch  de  decern  Rhet. 
in  Antiph.  Xenoph.  Hellen. 
1.  1,  c.  7. 

7ro\epi6g  karat  riov  ' AQr)vaio>v 
Kai  vqwoiyl  redvuro'  Kai  ra 
\(n'ipara  avrov  dr}  poena  tarto  Kai 
rijg  dtou  ro  ETn^iKarov. — Ando- 
cid. de  Myst. 


XXV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


189 


opposed  to  him  \  It  is  probable  that  the  inscrip- 
tion refers  to  the  latter  action  of  the  conqueror, 
and  that  the  Stratocles  named  in  it  is  the  same 
who  harangued  the  Athenian  people  from  the 
bema  of  the  Pnyx,  and  was  evidently  one  of  the 
leaders  of  the  party  opposed  to  Philip.  It  is  no 
objection  to  this  supposition  that  the  name  of 
Philip  does  not  appear  in  the  edict,  since,  accord- 
ing to  the  usual  practice  of  Greek  diplomacy,  it 
was  the  act  of  the  people,  though  in  truth  they 
had  lost  their  liberty,  and  were  never  afterwards 
free  from  a  garrison  of  Macedonians  until  they  re- 
ceived one  of  Romans.  If  this  conjecture  be  well 
founded,  we  have  the  exact  date  of  this  inscrip- 
tion, namely,  358  B.  C. 

The  acquisition  of  Amphipolis  by  Philip  was 
one  of  the  most  important  steps  in  the  advance- 
ment of  Macedonian  power,  as  it  opened  to  him 
the  entrance  into  Western  Thrace,  and  when 
added  to  Datus,  which  commanded  the  pass  next 
in  importance  to  that  of  Amphipolis,  caused  the 
whole  of  that  country,  as  far  as  the  Nestus,  to  be 
ever  afterwards  annexed  to  the  crown  of  Macedo- 
nia. Not  the  least  important  consequence  of  these 
acquisitions  was  that  of  the  mines  of  Mount  Pan- 
gaeum  and  of  Crenides,  which  was  an  ancient  set- 
tlement of  the  Thasii,  in  the  district  of  Datus,  be- 
tween Neapolis  and  Drabescus.  Here  the  ambi- 
tious monarch  founded  a  new  city,  which  he  called 
Philippi,  and  soon  extracted  from  the  adjacent 
mountains  five  times  as  much  sold  and  silver  as 


1  tovq  fxiv  aWorpiuiQ  irpoc  ab-       ce   uXXoiq   tyi\avBpioiru)Q    npoar- 
rov  SiaKei/jirove  £(f>vyi'i(}£v(TE,Tolc      r/i't^^r/. — Diodor.  1.  16,  c.  8. 


190 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


the  mines  had  ever  yielded  to  the  Thasii  or  any 
other  people  who  had  preceded  him  in  working 
them.  Pangaeum  produced  gold  as  well  as  silver; 
but  the  principal  mines  of  gold  were  near  Crenides, 
in  a  hill  called,  according  to  Appian,  \6(pog  Aio- 
vvaov,  or  the  hill  of  Bacchus,  being  probably  no 
other  than  the  mountain  where  Herodotus  informs 
us  that  the  Satrae  possessed  an  oracle  of  Bacchus 
interpreted  by  the  Bessi,  and  enounced  by  a 
priestess,  who  uttered  responses  not  less  ambigu- 
ous than  those  of  Delphi.  These  Satrae  seem  to 
have  been  the  original  of  the  Satyrae,  as  attendants 
of  Bacchus  \ 

Amphipolis,  as  Thucydides  remarks,  occupied 
a  situation  conspicuous  both  from  the  sea  and  the 
interior  country2.  Being  situated  at  the  only  con- 
venient passage  across  the  maritime  ridge  of 
mountains  occurring  between  the  passes  of  Aulon 
and  Neapolis,  and  being  at  a  point  which  leads 
immediately  into  the  middle  of  one  of  the  richest 
and  most  extensive  plains  in  Greece,  it  was  na- 
turally the  centre  of  many  roads,  whence  origi- 
nated the  name  of  Nine  Ways,  which  the  place  bore 
when  possessed  by  the  Edoni  before  the  Athenian 
colonization.  The  site  is  not  less  strong  in  itself 
than  important  with  regard  to  the  surrounding 
country.  Above  the  bridge  the  lake  forms  a  bay 
at  the  northern  foot  of  the  hill  of  Amphipolis,  and 
below  the  bridge  the  river  makes  a  half  circle 
round  the  hill,  which,  being  very  precipitous  on 
that  side,   is  easily  accessible  only  on  the  side  of 


1  V.  Apollodor.    1.  3,    c.    5.       cote  r»/>'  ijireipov. 

2  Trepupavij  £f    duXaatruv    re       c.  102. 


■Thucyd.  1.  4, 


XXV.] 


MACEDONIA, 


191 


the  connecting  ridge  by  which  I  approached  from 
Orfana.  The  annexed  sketch  will  give  some  idea 
of  the  position.  It  appears  from  Thucydides  that 
originally  a  wall  across  the  ridge,  resting  at 
either  extremity  on  the  river,  was  the  only  fortifi- 
cation of  the  town,  and  that  on  the  summit  of  the 
hill  stood  a  temple  of  Minerva.  This  was  the 
state  of  Amphipolis  when  in  the  tenth  year  of  the 
Peloponnesian  war,  it  was  the  scene  of  that  cele- 
brated battle  which  was  fatal  to  the  commanders 
on  both  sides  \ 


01^  rncu/azi/i/S: 

Scale   of  Miles. 


1  Thucyd,  1.  5,  c.  6,  et  scq. 


192 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


Cleon  was  waiting  at  Eion  for  some  expected 
reinforcements  of  Macedonians  and  Odomanti, 
when  Brasidas  posted  himself  with  a  part  of  his 
forces  on  Cerdylium,  a  mountain  in  the  territory 
of  Argilus,  opposite  to  Amphipolis,  from  whence 
all  the  motions  of  Cleon  could  be  seen.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  army  of  Brasidas  was  in  Amphi- 
polis. His  whole  Greek  force  consisted  of  2000 
hoplitae  and  300  cavalry,  but  with  these  were 
joined  about  4000  Thracian  infantry  and  some 
cavalry.  Cleon  was  about  equal  in  numbers,  but 
he  had  greatly  the  advantage  in  choice  troops, 
having  3000  hoplitse,  with  500  cavalry.  As  soon 
as  Brasidas  perceived  that  Cleon  was  advancing 
towards  Amphipolis,  he  descended  from  Cerdylium 
and  entered  the  city  in  the  hope  of  seizing  some 
advantageous  moment  of  attack  before  his  adver- 
sary  should  be  reinforced.  Cleon  occupied  the 
heights  in  front  of  the  walls  of  Amphipolis,  across 
which  led  the  high  road  :  his  position  commanded 
a  view  of  the  Strymonic  lake,  and  in  one  part  was 
so  high  that  Brasidas  was  visible  to  the  Athenians 
as  he  sacrificed  at  the  temple  of  Minerva.  The 
return  of  Brasidas  into  the  city,  together  with  the 
sacrifice,  had  already  persuaded  Cleon  that  his 
adversary  was  preparing  for  battle,  when  he  re- 
ceived a  report  that  the  feet  of  men  and  horses 
were  visible  in  great  numbers  under  the  Thracian 
gate.  As  soon  as  he  had  convinced  himself  of 
this  fact  with  his  own  eyes,  he  resolved  upon  an 
immediate  retreat,  for  he  had  moved  from  Eion 
without  any  intention  of  engaging,  and  only  be- 


XXV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


193 


cause  his  men  murmured  at  his  inaction,  there 
being  moreover  at  that  time  no  appearance  of  a 
large  force  in  the  city. 

Having  ordered  his  troops  to  move  off  by  the 
left  towards  Eion,  and  soon  becoming  impatient 
at  their  tardiness  in  executing  the  movement,  he 
faced  also  the  right  of  the  army  in  the  same  direc- 
tion, by  which  he  exposed  their  right  or  uncovered 
side  to  the  enemy.  This  was  the  favourable  mo- 
ment for  Brasidas,  who  had  already  made  his  pre- 
parations. 

Leaving  instructions,  therefore,  with  Clearidas, 
the  second  in  command,  to  advance  from  the  Thra- 
cian  gate  against  the  nearest  part  of  the  enemy's 
line,  or  that  which  had  been  their  right,  as  soon 
as  his  own  intended  movement  should  throw  the 
centre  into  confusion,  he  instantly  issued  at  the 
first  gate  of  the  Long  Wall  at  the  head  of  150 
chosen  men,  ran  with  them  across  the  space  lying 
between  the  wall  and  the  high  road,  and  thus  fell 
upon  the  Athenians  as  they  were  marching  along 
the  road.  The  effect  of  this  bold  and  judicious 
plan  was  the  flight  of  the  enemy's  left,  which 
had  become  the  front  in  column,  towards  Eion,  as 
well  as  the  separation  of  his  forces,  and  finally  the 
defeat  of  his  right,  after  some  resistance  on  the 
highest  part  of  the  ridge.  Cleon,  flying  at  the 
first  attack  of  Clearidas,  was  overtaken  and  slain 
by  a  targeteer  of  Myrcinus,  about  the  same  time 
that  Brasidas,  successful  in  the  centre,  received  a 
mortal  wound,  unobserved  by  the  enemy,  just 
as  he  turned  from  the  defeated  centre  of  the 
Athenians   towards  their    right   wing.       He    was 

vol.  in.  o 


194 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


carried  into  Amphipolis,  and  survived  only  long 
enough  to  hear  of  the  completion  of  his  victory. 
Six  hundred  men  fell  on  the  side  of  the  Athenians, 
the  remainder  effected  their  retreat  over  the  moun- 
tain to  Eion.  No  more  than  seven  were  slain  on 
the  side  of  Brasidas. 

I  have  already  remarked  that  Cerdylium  was 
evidently  the  mountain  which  rises  from  the  right 
bank  of  the  Strymon,  immediately  opposite  to  the 
hill  of  Amphipolis ;  it  is  equally  evident  that  the 
position  of  Cleon  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
city,  on  the  height  which  connects  the  hill  of 
Amphipolis  with  Mount  Pangaeum,  exactly  on  the 
pass  of  the  Nine  Ways.  The  Thracian  gate  pro- 
bably opened  in  the  direction  of  the  modern  route 
to  Dhrama,  and  to  the  places  in  the  plain  eastward 
of  the  Strymonic  lake,  and  it  stood  consequently  on 
the  north-eastern  side  of  the  ancient  site,  just  at 
the  beginning  of  the  descent  towards  the  lake  ; 
in  fact,  this  point  is  exactly  opposite  to  a  rising 
ground  on  the  ridge  of  the  Nine  Ways  which  com- 
mands a  comprehensive  view  both  of  the  lake  and 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Strymon,  and  forms  part  of 
an  inferior  summit  in  advance  of  Mount  Pan- 
gcEum.  Here  it  is  probable  that  the  Athenians 
made  their  stand  after  the  flight  of  Cleon.  The 
gate  at  which  Brasidas  issued  having  been  oppo- 
site to  the  centre  of  the  retreating  Athenians,  and 
the  Thracian  gate  to  their  right,  which  had  become 
their  rear,  the  former  was  evidently  situated  to 
the  southward  of  the  latter,  and  led  probably  to 
Phagres  and  the  Pierian  valley. 

It  was  in  the  middle  of  the  winter  following  the 


XXV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


19") 


eighth  year  of  the  war,  that  Brasidas  had  made  him- 
self master  of  Amphipolis  \  After  having  persuaded 
the  people  of  Acanthus  and  Stageirus  to  desert  the 
Athenian  alliance,  he  marched  with  all  the  force  he 
could  collect  from  his  allies,  on  a  snowy  night, 
from  Bromiscus  to  Argilus,  from  whence,  under  the 
guidance  of  the  Argilii,  he  proceeded  before  the 
morning  to  the  bridge  of  the  Strymon,  which  he 
found  slightly  guarded,  and  by  taking  possession 
of  it  obtained  the  disposal  of  all  the  property  of 
the  Amphipolitans  which  was  not  within  the  city. 
This  circumstance,  together  with  the  divided  sen- 
timents of  the  people  of  various  origin  who  inha- 
bited the  city,  and  particularly  of  some  Argilii 
who  were  much  disinclined  to  the  Athenians, 
made  the  influential  persons  willing  to  capitulate  ; 
to  which  Brasidas  himself  was  sufficiently  dis- 
posed, as  he  was  aware  that  Thucydides,  who  com- 
manded an  Athenian  squadron  at  Thasus,  pos- 
sessed property  in  the  gold  mines  of  Pangasum, 
which  might  give  him  considerable  influence  over 
the  neighbouring  people,  and,  if  time  were  al- 
lowed, might  enable  him  to  excite  a  formidable 
opposition. 

The  capitulation  took  place  accordingly ;  and 
it  was  not  until  the  evening  of  the  same  day  on 
which  it  occurred  that  Thucydides  arrived  with 
his  squadron  at  Eion 2.  Though  he  thus  saved 
that  place  from  being  taken,  and  deserved  no  rea- 
sonable blame  for  the  loss  of  Amphipolis,  he  in- 


1  Thucyd.  1.  4,  c.  102. 


2  Thucyd.  1.  4,  c.  10G. 


90 


MACEDONIA. 


CHAT. 


curred  the  displeasure  of  the  Athenian  people  to 
such  a  degree  that  he  was  banished  from  Athens 
for  twenty  years  '  :  a  fortunate  event  for  literature, 
as  by  forcing  him  to  exchange  the  public  service 
for  a  residence  on  his  estate  at  Scaptesyle,  in 
Mount  Pangaeum  2,  it  afforded  him  ample  leisure 
for  composing  that  /cr^ua  eg  an,  or  everlasting 
legacy,  which,  as  long  as  the  Greek  language 
exists,  will  be  the  delight  of  all  readers,  and  a 
model  of  genuine  history. 

In  the  time  of  Brasidas  the  bridge  of  the  Stry- 
mon  was  probably  in  the  same  situation  as  at 
present,  the  same  causes  tending  in  all  ages  to 
render  that  position  the  most  convenient,  with 
regard  to  the  external  communications  of  those 
dwelling  on  the  hill  of  Amphipolis ;  besides  which, 
it  was  exactly  opposite  to  the  center  of  the  an- 
cient city.  Thucydides  remarks  that  in  the  time 
of  the  expedition  of  Brasidas,  the  bridge  was  at  a 
small  distance  from  the  city,  and  that  there  were 
not  then,  as  when  he  wrote  his  history,  walls 
extending  from  the  city  to  the  river  3.  By 
this  and  two  other  references  which  he  makes  to 
the  fortifications  of  Amphipolis,  he  indicates  very 
intelligibly  the  changes  which  were  made  in  the 
defences  of  the  place,  and  the  manner  in  which  at 


1  Thucyd.  1.  5.  c.  26. 

2  2k-a7rn$  vXr)  (foss-wood). 
— Marcellin.  in  vita  Thucyd. 
Plutarch  de  Exilio. 

3  Kariarricrav  rov  arparov 
7Tp6aru)   em  ttjv  ytcpvpav  rov  tto- 


TClflOV'      UTTl^et     OS     TO     TToXltTfJia. 

irXicv  rfjc  Siafidcxeiog'  cat  ov 
Kadtiro  rei^r],  wcnrep  vvi>,  <j>v- 
Xclkt)  Si  rig  (ipa-^tia  Kadeiam)- 
kei. — Thucyd.  I.  4,  c.  103. 


xxv.] 


MACEDONIA. 


197 


length  it  was  fortified.  Agnon,  the  founder  of 
the  Athenian  colony,  seems  to  have  been  satisfied 
with  building  a  wall  across  the  isthmus  of  the 
peninsula  terminating  at  either  end  in  the  river ', 
and  to  have  left  the  western  half-circuit  of  the  hill 
to  the  natural  protection  of  its  precipices.  The 
only  addition  that  appears  to  have  been  made  to 
this  fortification  during  the  fifteen  years  which 
elapsed  between  the  foundation  and  the  battle  was 
a  (TTavoio/na,  or  pallisading  with  gates  behind  the 
Long  Wall,  on  the  most  accessible  parts  of  the  hill, 
for  Thucydides  relates  that  Brasiclas  issued  through 
a  gate  in  a  pallisading,  and  then  through  the  first 
2,'ate  in  the  Lon«-  Wall 2.  When  the  Athenians  re- 
covered  Amphipolis,  they  very  naturally  set  about 
fortifying  it  more  technically.  The  Long  Wall  seems, 
from  the  words  totz  ovtoq,  employed  by  Thucydides, 
to  have  been  neglected  or  destroyed ;  the  summit 
of  the  height  was  entirely  enclosed  with  walls, 
of  which  remains  still  exist ;  and  all  the  northern 
face  of  the  hill,  where  stands  the  modern  village, 
was  probably  included  within  a  wall  which  ter- 
minated at  the  lake,  and  comprehended  within 
it  the  bridge  of  the  Strymon.  The  road  leading 
from  the  sea  coast  into  the  plains  lying  eastward 
of  the  lake  would  thus  pass  under  the  eastern 
walls  of  the  city,  and  that  into  the  western  plains 
through   the  fortifications  and  across  the   bridge. 


anoXafiiov  Tei^EL  ^aKnw  Ik  erravpiofia  TrvXag,   teal  rag  irpio- 

Trorafxov  eg  irorafxoi'. — Thucyd.  rug    rov    [xaKpov     rei\ovg    tote 

I.  4.  c.  102.  bvTog  £s£,\0w»'. — Thucyd.   I.  o, 

KOLl    V  fJlEV    (w'circi    Tar    tTTl  TO  c.   10. 


198 


MACEDONIA. 


[CHAP. 


Amphipolis  was  probably  in  this  state  when  Philip 
besieged  and  took  it. 

The  only  remains  of  antiquity  in  Neokhori  be- 
sides the  inscription  at  the  fountain,  are  many 
scattered  blocks  of  ancient  workmanship,  and 
some  mnemata,  of  which  one  is  adorned  with 
figures  in  low  relief,  and  two  others  have  names 
only  upon  them  :  there  is  also  a  plain  Doric 
triglyph  between  metopes,  which  is  said  to  have 
been  brought  from  the  Bezestein,  a  place  so  called 
on  the  summit  of  the  hill,  and  where  are  some  frag- 
ments similar  to  those  in  the  village.  If  the 
triglyph  belonged  to  the  temple  of  Minerva,  it 
was  probably  of  small  dimensions. 

In  the  afternoon  of  November  9,  I  proceed  in 
3  hours  and  20  minutes  to  Takhynos  l,  the  rain 
falling  continually.  At  6.10,  Turkish  time,  we 
cross  the  bridge  of  the  Strymoji,  which  is  300 
yards  long  ;  then  leaving  the  lake  at  some  distance 
on  the  right,  pass  over  downs  which  are  connected 
with  the  mountains  on  the  left,  pass  at  7.20 
through  a  large  Greek  village  called  Kutzos 2 ; 
at  8.25  leave  Palutro  3  a  quarter  of  a  mile  on  the 
right,  and  half  an  hour  before  arriving  at  Takhyno 
turn  out  of  the  direct  road  to  the  right.  Takhyno, 
which  is  in  the  district  of  Series,  stands  on  the 
edge  of  the  lake,  opposite  to  the  last  falls  of  the 
northern  range  of  mountains,  upon  the  lower  de- 
clivity of  which  is  situated  the  town  of  Zikhna  : 
there  are  several  boats  upon  the  lake  engaged  in 
fishing  for  carp,  tench,  and  eels.     A  mile  or  two 


1  Ta^vj'oc. 


Kovr£oi-. 


TlaXoirpof. 


XXV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


199 


higher  up  it  terminates  in  marshy  ground,  through 
which  the  river  flows  to  join  it ;  Thucydides  has  ac- 
curately described  this  lake  by  the  words  to  XijuvwSec 
tov  Srpujuovoe  l,  as  being  in  fact  nothing  more  than 
an  enlargement  of  the  river,  varying  in  size  ac- 
cording to  the  season  of  the  year,  but  never 
reduced  to  that  of  the  river  only,  according  to 
its  dimensions  above  and  below  the  lake.  Besides 
the  Str priori,  the  Angitas  contributes  to  the  inun- 
dation as  well  as  some  other  smaller  streams  from 
the  mountains  on  either  side.  I  find  a  civil  old 
Aga  at  Takhyno,  the  reverse  of  him  of  Neokhori, 
though  both  are  Albanians,  but  they  take  their 
tone  from  their  chiefs ;  so  much  do  the  traveller's 
success  and  comforts  in  every  part  of  Turkey 
depend  upon  the  individual  character  of  the  chief- 
tains whom  he  encounters,  and  upon  accidental 
circumstances.  I  should  have  found  no  difficulty 
at  Amphipolis,  if  I  had  proceeded  thither  from 
Serres  with  a  letter  from  Ibrahim  Bey,  whose 
authority  is  not  disputed  either  in  Zikhna  or 
Dhrama,  and  serves  to  keep  in  some  order  the 
savage  chieftains  around  him,  who  lose  no  oppor- 
tunity of  exercising  the  crudest  oppression  on 
their  Christian  fellow  subjects.  The  kaza  of  Zikhna, 
which  is  here  separated  by  the  lake  from  that 
of  Serres,  contains  70  or  80  villages ;  the  largest 
are  Ziliakhova,  already  mentioned,  and  Lukovikia 
on  the  side  of  Mount  Pirnari,  above  Alibassates. 

Nov.   10. — From  Takhyno  to  Serres.     Setting- 
out  at  2.40  Turkish,  we  coast  the  marshy  ground 


1  Thucyd.  1.  5,  c.  7. 


200 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


at  the  head  of  the  lake,  then  follow  the  right  bank 
of  the  Strymon  along  the  center  of  the  plain,  for 
2\  hours,  until  having  arrived  nearly  abreast  of 
Serres  we  turn  eastward  towards  the  town,  cross 
the  river  at  5.55,  over  a  new  w^ooden  bridge  a 
mile  below  a  large  tjiftlik  of  Ismail  Bey,  called 
the  Adda  tjiftlik,  where  he  has  lately  built  a 
Serai,  and  at  7  enter  the  gate  of  Serres.  Our 
pace,  though  with  Menzil  horses,  has  been  slow, 
on  account  of  the  muddy  state  of  the  roads  after 
the  late  rains.  The  Ramazan  begins  this  even- 
ing, and  is  introduced,  as  usual,  with  firing  of 
musquets  at  sunset,  followed  by  an  illumination 
of  all  the  minarets. 

Nov.  11. — Serres  stands  in  the  widest  part  of 
the  great  Sti^ymonic  plain,  on  the  last  slope  of  the 
range  of  mountains  which  bounds  it  to  the  north- 
east. At  a  distance  the  town  has  a  very  imposing 
appearance  ;  its  whitened  walls,  flanked  by  towers 
at  distant  intervals,  being  not  less  than  three  miles 
in  circumference  ;  but  they  enclose,  besides  the 
town,  a  large  space  occupied  by  gardens,  and  even 
by  meadows,  in  which  cattle  are  now  grazing  ; 
and  the  walls  themselves  are  nothing  better  than 
a  thin  fabric  of  unburnt  bricks.  The  houses  are 
of  the  ordinary  Turkish  construction,  that  is  to 
sa}',  the  lower  part  of  the  walls  is  of  masonry, 
and  the  upper  of  wood  :  the  streets,  as  usual,  are 
crooked  and  ill-paved ,  but  they  have  the  advantage 
of  being  watered  by  streams  originating  in  the  ad- 
jacent mountain,  and  serving  to  maintain  in  con- 
stant verdure  the  gardens  which  are  attached  to 
almost  every  house.     The  population  is  estimated 


XXV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


201 


at  15,000  Turks,  5000  Greeks  and  Bulgarians, 
and  a  few  families  of  Jews. 

The  surrounding  plain  is  very  fertile,  and  besides 
yielding  abundant  harvests  of  cotton,  wheat,  barley 
and  maize,  contains  extensive  pastures  now  peopled 
with  oxen,  horses  and  sheep.  No  part  of  the  land 
is  neglected,  and  the  district,  in  its  general  ap- 
pearance, is  not  inferior  to  any  part  of  Europe  ; 
though  probably  neither  the  agricultural  economy 
nor  the  condition  of  the  people,  would  bear  a  close 
inspection.  To  the  north-westward,  the  plain  ex- 
tends about  4  hours  to  Demirissar  (iron  castle), 
which  occupies  a  position  similar  to  that  of  Serres, 
but  nearer  to  the  left  bank  of  the  Strymon,  just 
where  it  issues  from  the  mountains.  A  little  above 
the  ravines  of  Demirissar  the  Strymon  receives  its 
principal  tributary,  from  Strumitza  to  the  right, 
and  a  smaller  contribution  on  the  opposite  bank 
from  Meleniko,  a  large  Greek  town,  6  hours  from 
Demirissar  to  the  north.  The  sources  of  the  river 
are  in  the  highest  ridges  of  Rhodope  around  Dup- 
nitza  and  Ghiustendil.  To  the  Greeks  and  Bul- 
garians the  river  is  known  by  the  name  of  Struma, 
to  the  Turks  by  the  very  common  appellation  of 
Karasu,  or  Black  River. 

The  lower  Strymonic  valley,  which  extends  from 
Demirissar  to  'Anghista  and  the  site  of  Amphipolis, 
is  the  greatest  of  the  Macedonian  plains,  next  to 
that  which  borders  the  head  of  the  lliermaic  Gulf, 
and  if  we  add  to  it  the  levels  watered  by  the  tribu- 
taries of  the  Strymon,  anciently  constituting  the 
Angitas,  the  entire  extent  is  not  inferior  in  magni- 
tude and  fertility  to  those  plains  of  Lower  Macedonia. 


202 


MACEDONIA. 


("chap. 


A  large  portion  of  that  part  which  is  in  the  district 
of  Serres,  is  the  private  property  of  Ismail  Bey  and 
his  family,  one  of  the  richest  and  most  powerful 
subjects  of  the  Sultan,  if  he  can  be  called  a  subject 
who  is  absolute  here,  and  obeys  only  such  of  the 
orders  of  the  Porte  as  he  thinks  fit,  always,  however, 
with  a  great  show  of  submission.  Besides  his 
landed  property  he  is  engaged  in  commerce,  and 
derives  great  profits  from  his  farm  of  the  imperial 
revenues.  He  has  been  rapidly  increasing  in 
power  during  the  last  ten  years,  and  his  authority 
now  extends  northward  to  the  borders  of  Sofia  and 
Felibe  \  to  the  westward  to  Istib  inclusive,  and  to 
the  eastward  as  far  as  Gumurdjina  inclusive.  His 
troops  are  now  fighting  with  Emin  Aga  of  Has- 
kiuy  beyond  Gumurdjina,  whom  he  will  probably 
soon  reduce.  To  the  southward  and  westward  the 
summits  of  the  mountains  which  border  the  plain, 
separate  his  dominions  from  the  district  of  Saloniki. 
His  forces  do  not  amount  to  more  than  2000  in 
constant  pay,  who  are  chiefly  Albanians,  but  upon 
occasion  he  might  easily  raise  10,000.  When  he 
builds  a  new  palace,  or  repairs  a  road,  or  builds  a 
bridge,  the  villages  furnish  the  materials  and 
labour,  so  that  his  household  and  troops  are  his 
principal  expences.  Deficient  in  the  extraordinary 
talents  of  Aly  Pasha,  he  is  said  to  be  free  from  his 
cruelty,  perfidy,  and  insatiable  rapacity.  Though 
he  never  conceals  his  contempt  of  Christians,  and 
treats  them  with  the  usual  harshness  of  the  most 
haughty    Mussulman,    he    is    spoken    of    by   the 


1   Tpta'cUr^a  or  ^iXnnroTroXuj 


xxv.] 


MACEDONIA. 


203 


Christians  themselves  as  a  just,  attentive  governor, 
and  whose  extortions  are  comparatively  moderate. 
Hence  his  territory  presents  a  more  prosperous 
appearance  than  any  part  of  Aly  Pasha's.  The 
culture  of  cotton  being  very  advantageous  to  him, 
he  is  anxious  to  encourage  its  exportation,  in  which 
he  is  himself  engaged,  and  hence  the  Greek  mer- 
chants of  Serres,  who  carry  on  an  extensive  trade 
with  Vienna,  enjoy  sufficient  protection,  though 
personally  they  are  often  ignominiously  treated 
by  him. 

As  to  the  rayahs  in  general,  it  is  sufficient  to 
mention  one  of  the  labours  and  exactions  imposed 
upon  them,  to  show  their  condition  even  under  a 
governor  who  has  the  reputation  of  being  indulgent. 
Every  village  is  bound  to  deliver  the  Bey's  tithe  of 
the  cotton  in  a  state  fit  for  immediate  exportation, 
that  is  to  say,  cleared  of  the  seeds  and  husks, 
instead  of  supplying  it  as  it  comes  from  the  field  ; 
and  even  to  make  good  the  loss  of  weight  caused  by 
the  abstraction  of  the  seeds,  by  the  addition  of  an 
equal  weight  of  cleared  cotton.  The  Turks  justify 
this  oppression,  by  alleging  that  it  is  customary  in 
all  cotton  districts  ;  the  only  kind  of  answer  they 
ever  deign  to  give,  when  they  are  the  strongest. 

The  Bey  has  four  sons,  of  whom  the  eldest, 
Yussuf,  carries  on  all  the  active  business  of  the 
government  \  while  his  father  enjoys  a  rather  in- 
dolent retirement  at  the  Adda  tjiftiik.     The  Greek 


1  This  is  the  same  Yussuf 
Pasha  who  distinguished  him- 
self in  the  Greek  insurrection 
as   Governor   of  'Epakto,   and 


afterwards  surrendered  Varna, 
in  the  year  1828,  to  the  Rus- 
sians. 


204 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


community  is  governed  with  very  little  interference 
from  the  Bey,  by  the  Greek  metropolitan  bishop, 
and  the  archons,  of  whom  the  chief  is  a  Greek 
merchant,  Matako  Dhimitriu,  whose  brother  is 
established  at  Saloniki.  Another  merchant,  named 
Sponty,  who  acts  as  consul  for  several  nations,  is 
of  a  French  family  long  settled  in  Candia,  and  here 
I  again  meet  a  Dr.  P.  of  Ioannina,  who  after  having 
served  for  some  time  as  surgeon  in  the  French 
army  of  Italy  under  Bonaparte,  narrowly  escaped 
being  put  to  death  by  Aly  at  Prevyza  on  his  return  : 
he  attended  Vely  Pasha  in  the  siege  of  Suli,  and 
was  eye-witness  to  the  heroism  of  the  woman 
Kha'idho,  and  eight  Suliotes,  who  came  disguised 
into  the  middle  of  the  Albanian  camp  in  the  night, 
and  when  discovered  the  next  morning,  retreated 
with  such  bravery  and  conduct  as  to  kill  or  wound 
20  Albanians  in  the  retreat,  without  receiving  a 
hurt. 

The  bishop  is  denominated  o  Sepjowv,  and  the 
modern  name  Serres  is  the  Romaic  third  case  of 
the  same  word1  ;  but  though  Serrae  was  already 
the  form  about  the  fifth  century,  as  appears  from 
Hierocles,  Sirrha  or  Sirrhai  was  the  more  ancient 
orthography,  and  that  which  obtained  at  least  until 
the  division  of  the  empire,  as  we  learn  from  an 
inscription  now  placed  at  the  door  of  the  metro- 
politan church,  where  it  is  said  to  have  been 
found.  It  is  a  memorial  in  honour  of  one  Tiberius 
Claudius  Diogenes,  of  the  Roman  tribe  Quirina. 
The  forms  of  some  of  the  letters,  and  the  siglae  by 


trraiQ  Zappait;. 


XXV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


205 


which  they  are  combined,  are  not  unfrequent  in 
Macedonian  inscriptions  of  the  Roman  empire1. 

The  only  other  vestige  I  can  find  of  the  ancient 
Sirrhse  is  on  the  highest  ground  within  the  modern 
walls,  where  is  a  piece  of  Hellenic  wall  faced  with 
large  quadrangular  blocks,  but  composed  within  of 
small  stones  and  mortar,  forming  a  mass  of  ex- 
treme solidity.  It  now  serves  for  the  substruction 
of  the  Bash  Kule,  or  principal  tower  of  the  mo- 
dern inclosure,  half  the  height  of  which  is  of  an 
intermediate  date,  between  the  Hellenic  and  the 
recent  Turkish.  Similar  ruined  walls  of  that 
middle  period  are  to  be  seen  in  many  parts  of  the 
north-eastern  quarter  of  the  city.  They  resemble 
in  construction,  and  are  supposed  to  be  of  the 
same  origin,  as  two  ruined  fortresses  which  de- 
fended the  two  passes  leading  to  the  valley  of 
Nevrokopo  from  Serres  and  from  Drama,  and 
which  are  attributed  to  the  Servian  kings,  whose 


1  Ot  viol  apx.upia  ical  ayw- 
voOt.rrjv  rov  koivov  Mawcofwi', 
dpyiEpia  $e  Kai  dywvoOerrji'  kci\ 
rijg  'AfJ.(f>nro\eiTU>v  ttoXewc;,  Tpw- 
tov  he  dyu)roBiTr]i'  rijg  Sippcdiov 
ttoXewq,  oIq  ek  tiov  ihiwv  yvfiva- 
(xiap^oy,  Tt.  KXavSiov,  Aioyi- 
vovq  v'ibv,  Kvp/va,  AioyeVjj, 
dpErije  evekev,  lirifX(.\i]QivTOQ 
KaaardvSpov  rov  Y^aaaav^pov . 
— Vide  Inscription,  No.  126. 

Since  my  visit  to  Serres, 
another  inscription  has  been 
found  near  the  metropolitan 
church,  in  honour  of  the  son  of 
the  above-mentioned  Diogenes. 


The  following  is  the  copy  of  it, 
from  the  fac-simile  of  M.  Cou- 
sinery. 

'H  ttoXiq  rov  dp\iepea  Kat 
dyioi'odirrjv  rwv  ^tj3acrwy,  Tt- 
[ispiov  KXavdiov  <$>Xaoviav6i> 
Avert'uaxoJ',  viovTiflrjpiov  KXaw- 
dlov  Aioyevovg,  dp^iepewg  rov 
koivov  MaK^ocwc,  tov  ev  ndaiv 
evepyirrjv,     evvolag    evekev    ttjq 

tig  EUVTtJV    KoX  TtJQ  dlTjVEKOVQ  (pi- 

XoSotyag,  Sih  ETTifiEXrjTUJv  Awa- 

KOVplSoV     TOV     TioaElhlTTTTOV,    ITe- 

\o7toq  Etdi^wpov,  JLlaiZwpov  Ov- 
aXEpiavov. 


206 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


dominions  comprehended  Serres.  Two  hours  to 
the  north  eastward  of  the  city,  on  the  mountain 
behind  it,  stands  the  large  monastery  of  St.  Prodro- 
raus,  which  is  known  to  have  been  founded  by 
Stephen  king  of  Servia,  and  his  brother-in-law 
John  Palaeologus,  in  the  middle  of  the  fourteenth 
century. 

The  hill  of  the  Bash-kule  is  protected,  towards 
the  mountains,  by  a  torrent  flowing  in  a  broad 
bed,  and  winding  so  as  to  encircle  one-third  of  the 
town.  The  elevated  situation  of  this  quarter,  the 
Hellenic  and  Servian  remains,  and  the  position  of 
the  metropolitan  church  in  the  midst  of  it,  show 
that  it  was  the  site  of  Sirrhae  both  in  ancient  and 
middle  ages.  It  is  now  the  Varusi,  or  part  inhabited 
by  the  Christians  and  Jews,  the  Turks  dwelling 
in  the  lower  or  exterior  part ;  towards  the  western 
extremity  of  the  latter  quarter  stands  the  palace  of 
Ismail  Bey,  which,  though  extensive  and  splendid, 
is  not  above  one-third  of  the  size  of  Aly  Pasha's. 
From  the  remains  of  the  Servian  walls,  it  seems 
evident  that  the  city  never  covered  so  much  ground 
as  it  does  at  present,  and  seldom  or  ever  perhaps  was 
so  populous,  having  for  many  years  been  the  centre 
of  a  considerable  overland  commerce,  which, 
though  it  has  been  subject  to  some  interruptions 
from  the  wrars  of  the  Porte  with  Pasvant  Oglu 
and  with  the  Servians,  has  been  benefited  by  the 
great  European  contest,  in  consequence  of  the 
injury  which  the  commerce  of  Saloniki  and  of 
many  other  maritime  emporia  has  suffered  from 
that  cause.  Serres  is  not  only  the  market  at 
which    the    people    of   the    surrounding   country 


XXV.] 


MACEDONIA. 


207 


exchange  their  agricultural  produce  for  manufac- 
tures both  foreign  and  domestic,  but  that  to  which 
the  natives  of  a  great  part  of  European  Turkey 
resort  to  obtain  raw  cotton,  for  internal  consump- 
tion, as  well  as  for  the  manufacture  of  yarn,  which 
they  sell  in  Hungary  and  Poland.  In  favourable 
years,  the  Frank  and  Greek  merchants  settled  here 
send  not  less  than  30  or  40,000  bales  of  cotton 
to  Germany  by  the  caravans,  and  in  return  supply 
the  Turks  with  cloths,  stuffs,  and  other  European 
manufactures,  but  cloth  and  raw  cotton  are  the 
basis  of  the  trade. 

The  principal  roads  leading  from  Serres,  besides 
that  of  Orfana,  by  which  I  came,  are,  1.  To 
Kavala,  by  Zikhna  and  Dhrama.  2.  To  Nevro- 
kopo, directly  across  the  great  range  of  the  moun- 
tains, which  extend  northward  from  Serres  to 
Meleniko  and  Nevrokopo,  and  eastward  towards 
Dhrama  ;  the  circuitous  route  to  Nevrokopo,  how- 
ever, is  often  preferred,  especially  in  the  winter, 
passing  through  Zikhna,  and  falling  into  the  route 
from  Dhrama  to  Nevrokopo.  3.  The  northern 
road.  This  leads  to  Demirissar  along  the  foot 
of  the  mountain  of  Serres,  and  near  Demirissar 
enters  the  derveni,  through  which  that  river 
issues  from  the  mountains.  Beyond  the  pass, 
the  road  branches  to  Meleniko  to  the  right,  and 
to  Strumitza  to  the  left.  4.  To  Doghiran  ;  this 
road  crosses  the  mountain  which  rises  from  the 
western  side  of  the  plain  of  Serres,  by  a  pass 
which  is  seen  from  the  city,  bearing  by  compass 
N.  63  W.  5,  6.  There  are  two  routes  to  Saloniki, 
the  more  direct  crossing  the  range  of  mountains 

12 


208 


MACEDONIA. 


[CHAP.   XXV. 


on  the  south-western  side  of  the  plain,  by  a  village 
called  Lakhana,  and  from  thence  descending  into 
the  vale  of  Langaza.  The  other,  more  easterly, 
traverses  a  continuation  of  the  same  range  of 
mountains,  and  joins  the  great  route  from  Con- 
stantinople at  Klisali,  to  the  eastward  of  Lan- 
gaza. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


MACEDONIA. 

Ancient  Geography  of  the  Slrymonic  Plain  and  surrounding 
Mountains — Battle  of  Philippi — Nigrita — Sokho — Klisali — 
Lakes — Langaza — Khaivat — Saioniki — Antiquities,  Popula- 
tion, &c. 

Although  Stephanus  distinguishes  the  Siris  which 
gave  name  to  the  Siro-pseones,  from  Sirrha,  they 
were  assuredly  one  and  the  same  place,  for  that 
the  Siro-pseones  inhabited  the  banks  of  the  Stry- 
mon  is  clear  from  Herodotus1,  and  that  they  did 
not  dwell  above  the  derveni  of  Demirissar  may 
also  be  inferred  from  the  historian,  when  he  states, 
that  Xerxes  left  a  part  of  his  sick  at  Siris  in  his 
retreat  to  the  Hellespont2  ;  for  it  is  not  conceivable 
that  a  place  could  have  been  chosen  for  that  pur- 
pose, so  far  and  inconveniently  removed  from  the 
direct  route  of  the  army,  as  any  position  above 
the  Straits  of  Demirissar  would  have  been.  The 
same  inference  may  be  drawn  from  Livy,  who 
relates  that  P.  iEmilius  Paullus,  after  his  victory 
at  Pydna,  received  at  Sirse  a  deputation  from  Per- 
seus who  had  retired  to  Samothrace3.     As  Sirae  is 


'  Herodot.  1.  5,  c.  13,  15,  98.  2  L.  8,  c.  115. 

3  Liv.  1.  45,  c.  4. 
VOL.  III.  P 


210 


MACEDONIA 


[chap. 


here  described  by  Livy  as  a  city  of  the  Odoman- 
tice,  it  seems  evident  that  the  Odomanti  bordered 
on  the  Siro-Pseones,  and  that  in  the  reign  of 
Perseus  they  were  in  possession  of  this  city  \ 
The  Odomanti,  therefore,  probably  occupied  the 
great  mountain  which  extends  along  the  north- 
eastern side  of  the  lower  Strymonic  plain  from 
about  Meleniko  and  Demirissar  nearly  to  Pangceum, 
their  vicinity  to  which  latter  mountain  is  rendered 
probable  by  their  having  been  one  of  the  three 
tribes  who  worked  its  mines,  the  two  others  hav- 
ing been  the  Pieres  and  Satrse  2,  the  former  of 
whom  dwelt  on  the  southern  side  of  the  moun- 
tain, the  latter  to  the  eastward  of  it.  It  was 
very  natural  that  Megabyzus  should  have  subdued 
the  Siropseones,  who  possessed  the  most  fertile  and 
exposed  part  of  the  Strymonic  plain,  while  the 
Odomanti,  who  were  secure  in  a  higher  situation, 
and  still  more  the  Agrianes,  who  dwelt  at  the  sources 
of  the  Strymon,  were  able  to  avoid  or  resist  him, 
as  well  as  the  Doberes,  and  the  other  Paeones  of 
Mount  Pangseum,  and  the  amphibious  inhabitants 
of  the  lake  Prasias  3. 

From  the  same  authority  we  may  be  justified  in 
concluding,  that  the  lake  Prasias  was  the  same 
afterwards  called  Circinitis,  or  the  Strymonic  lake, 
though  it  be  contrary  to  the  opinion  of  D'Anville, 
who  identified  the  Prasias  with  the  Bolbe,  now  the 


1  Ptolemy  (1.  3,  c.  13.)  places 
Scotussa,  which  was  at  no  great 
distance  from  Serres  to  the 
southward,  in  the  Odomantice. 


2  Herodot.  1.  7,  c.  112. 

3  L.  5,  c.  16. 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


•211 


lake  of  Besikia,  chiefly  perhaps  because  Herodotus 
describes  the  lake  Prasias  as  confining  on  certain 
mines,  which  afterwards  produced  to  Alexander  I. 
a  talent  a  day l,  and  which  were  separated  only  from 
Macedonia  by  Mount  Dysorum ;  whence  D'Anville, 
who  must  have  known  from  the  travels  of  Belon 
of  the  existence  of  the  mines  of  Sidherokapsa, 
may  have  supposed  those  to  have  been  the  mines 
in  question,  and  consequently  that  the  neighbouring 
lake  was  the  Bolbe.  But  on  comparing  Herodotus 
with  Arrian,  it  is  impossible  to  accede  to  this  opinion. 
The  former  relates  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  lake 
Prasias  procured  the  piles  and  planks  with  which 
they  constructed  their  dwellings  in  the  lake,  from 
Mount  Orbelus,  whence  it  may  be  presumed  that  the 
lake  was  contiguous  to  Orbelus,  and  Arrian  clearly 
shews  Orbelus  to  have  been  the  great  mountain 
which,  beginning  at  the  Strymonic  plain  and  lake, 
extends  towards  the  sources  of  the  Strymon,  where 
it  unites  with  the  summit  called  Scomius,  in  which 
the  river  had  its  origin  2,  for  in  describing  the  ex- 
pedition of  Alexander  the  Great  against  the  Triballi, 
Arrian  remarks  that  Alexander  in  marching  from 
Amphipolis  to  the  Nestus,  had  Philippi  and  Mount 
Orbelus  on  his  left3.  Indeed,  a  comparison  alone 
of  the  passage  of  Herodotus,  in  which  he  mentions 
the  extent  of  the  conquests  of  Megabyzus  with  that 


1  Consistently  with  this  re- 
mark  of  Herodotus,  we  find  that 
the  tetradrachms  of  Alexander 
I.  are  some  of  the  earliest  coins, 
of  that  size,  in  the  Macedonian 
series. 


2    Thucyd.   1.   2,    c.    96.  — 
Aristot.  Meteor.  1.  1,  c.  13. 

:!  Arrian.  De  Exp.  Alex.  1 
1,  c.  1. 


p  2 


'212 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


in  which  he  describes  the  march  of  Xerxes  through 
Pieria  and  Paeonia,  seems  to  leave  no  doubt  as  to 
the  Prasias  ;  for  in  the  latter  he  states  that  the 
Doberes  and  Paeoplae  inhabited  the  country  north- 
ward of  Mount  Pangaeum  !,  these  being  precisely 
the  tribes  whom  he  had  before  associated  with  the 
inhabitants  of  the  lake  Prasias.  In  reference  to 
the  former  passage  it  may  incidentally  be  remarked, 
that  as  the  people  who  were  able  to  resist  Mega- 
byzus  were  the  mountaineers  and  the  dwellers  on 
the  lake,  the  Paeoplae  like  the  Siropaeones,  probably 
occupied  some  portion  of  the  plain  which  was  not 
exactly  on  the  banks  of  the  lake.  The  Doberes 
seem  to  have  shared  Mount  Pangaeum  with  the 
Paeonians  and  Pieres,  and  dwelt  probably  on  the 
northern  side  of  it,  where  in  the  time  of  the  Roman 
Empire  there  was  a  mutatio,  or  place  for  changing 
horses,  called  Domeros,  between  Amphipolis  and 
Philippi,  13  M.P.  from  the  former,  and  19  M.P. 
from  the  latter2.  As  to  Mount  Dysorum,  if  we  sup- 
pose Herodotus  to  have  referred  not  so  much  to  the 
Macedonia  of  the  reign  of  Amyntas,  when  Mega- 
byzus  invaded  Paeonia,  as  to  the  extent  of  the 
kingdom  in  the  time  of  his  grandson  Perdiccas, 
which  was  that  of  the  historian  himself,  when 
Mygdonia,  Bisaltia,  Anthem  us  and  Crestonia  had 
been  added  to  the  kingdom 3 :  it  then  becomes 
credible,  that  Alexander  the  First  wrought  some 
mines  in  the  Bisaltic  mountain  which  is  separated 
only  from  Mount  Pangaeum  by  the  pass  of  Am- 
phipolis,  and  that  the  further  continuation  of  that 

1  Herodot.  1.  7,  c.  113.         2  Itin.  Hierosol.  p.  604.  Wess. 
3  Thucyd.  1.  2,  c.  99. 


XXVI. j 


MACEDONIA. 


213 


mountain  towards  the  modern  Sokho,  may  have 
been  the  ancient  Dysorum.  That  the  Bisaltse, 
before  they  were  annexed  to  the  kingdom  of  Ma- 
cedonia, possessed  silver  mines,  may  be  strongly 
presumed  from  the  tetradrachm  with  the  legend 
B12AATIK0N  '. 


1  V.  Hunter,  Tab.  13.  IV. 
To  the  same  cause  may  be  at- 
tributed the  existence  of  the 
coins  of  Ossa,  an  otherwise  ob- 
scure town  of  Bisaltia(Ptolemy, 
1.  3,  c  13.)  at  a  time  when  the 
royal  coinage  was  very  insig- 
nificant. When  the  kings  had 
made  themselves  masters  of  Bi- 
saltia  and  the  other  argenti- 
ferous districts,  the  silver  coin- 
age still  bore  a  great  resem- 
blance to  the  autonomous 
money,  though  it  was  naturally 
inscribed  only  with  the  name 
of  the  monarch.  At  the  time 
when  the  Bisaltic  coins  were 
struck,  the  mines  of  Pangaeum 
were  chiefly  in  the  hands  of  the 
Thasii,  who  had  also  silver 
mines  of  their  own,  and  hence 
the  beauty  and  abundance  of 
the  early  money  of  Thasus. 
The  other  people  who,  accord- 
ing to  Herodotus,  worked  the 
mines  of  Pangasum,  were  the 
Pieres  and  Odomanti,  but  par- 
ticularly the  Satrae,  who  bor- 
dered on  the  mountain.  None 
of  their  money  has  reached 
us,  but  to  the  Pangaean  silver 
mines  we  may  trace  a  large 
coin  of  Gcta,  king  of  the  Edoni, 


lately  published  by  Mr.  Mil- 
lingen,  the  characters  on  which 
perfectly  agree  with  the  time 
when  the  Edoni  possessed 
Drabescus  and  the  Nine  Ways, 
and  had  therefore  the  power  of 
working  some  of  the  mines.  It 
is  to  some  unknown  places  or 
people  in  the  same  argentiferous 
districts,  that  we  may  attribute  a 
class  of  coins  inscribed  0PPH2- 
KION  or  iiPIISKmN,  and  TE- 
TAION  not  AETAIflN,  as  has 
been  supposed  by  a  mistake  of 
the  ancient  form  of  the  Gamma 
for  a  A,  which  would  refer  these 
coins  to  Lete  of  Mygdonia. 
The  resemblance  of  the  more 
ancient  coins  of  the  Orcscii  to 
those  of  Geta,  king  of  the 
Edoni  is  very  remarkable. 
The  smaller  and  more  modern, 
inscribed  iiPHSKTltiN,  have 
the  same  type  as  those  of  the 
TETAION,  namely,  a  satyr 
carrying  off  a  nymph.  They 
seem  therefore  all  to  belong 
to  Edonis  or  its  vicinity ; 
the  Satyrs  were  the  Satra; 
and  refer  to  the  worship  of 
Bacchus  in  ths  mountains  Pan- 
gaeum and  Orbelus.  (Hcrodot. 
1.  7,  c  111,  v.  970.— Eurip.  in 


•214 


MACEDONIA. 


[CHAP. 


Being  here  so  near  the  interesting  scene  of  cne 
of  the  most  importnt  amilitary  occurrences  in  his- 
tory, where  two  hundred  thousand  Roman  infantry 
and  thirty-three  thousand  cavalry  were  encamped, 
and  twice  in  the  course  of  a  few  days  engaged  in 
general  combat !,  I  cannot  avoid  making  a  few 
remarks  on  the  topography  of  that  event,  more 
with  a  view  to  the  convenience  of  future  travellers 
than  with  the  hope  of  throwing  much  light  upon 
the  historians,  as  I  have  never  visited  Philippi 
myself.  But  the  general  features  of  the  country 
are  not  unknown  to  me,  and  the  site  of  Philippi  is 
perfectly  ascertained  by  considerable  remains  of 
antiquity  in  the  situation  indicated  by  the  Itinera- 
ries, and  which  are  known  by  the  Greeks  to  be 
those  of  Philippi  ;  by  the  Turks  the  place  is  called 
Felibedjik2. 


Rhes.  et  Hecub.  v.  1267.— 
Pomp.  Mela,  1.  2,  c.  2,)  concern- 
ing which  Apollodorus  (1.  3,  c. 
5.)  has  left  us  some  traditions, 
showing  the  connexion  between 
the  kings  of  the  Edoni  and  the 
fables  of  Bacchus  and  the  Sa- 
tyrs. The  Orescii  probably  in- 
habited the  mountains  above 
Drabescus,  in  which  was  the 
oracle  of  Bacchus,  one  of  whose 
epithets  was  opiaKioq. --(Anthol. 
vol.  iii.  p.  217,  Jac.)  It  is 
remarkable,  with  a  general  re- 
ference to  the  silver  coins  of  Ma- 
cedonia and  Thrace,  how  large 
a  portion  of  them  belonged  to 
places  in  the  vicinity  of  silver 
mines.      To    those   just   men- 


tioned, may  be  added  the  coins 
of  Acanthus,  Neapolis,  Tra- 
gilus,  Ossa,  Bisaltia,  Philippi, 
and  those  inscribed  Maw^cwv 
irpu)Tr)Q,  which  were  struck  at 
Amphipolis  after  the  Roman 
conquest.  In  like  manner, 
we  trace  the  gold  coins  of 
Philip  to  his  extensive  ela- 
boration of  the  mines  of  Cre- 
nides. 

1  Appian  de  B.  C.  1.  4,  c. 
101,  et  seq.  Dion.  Cass.  1.  47, 
c.  1,  et  seq.  Plutarch,  in 
Brut. 

2  Filippopoli,  which  takes 
its  name  from  the  same  king 
of  Macedonia  as  Philippi,  is 
named   Felibe    by   the   Turks, 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


•215 


When  the  army  of  Cassius  and  Brutus  was 
advancing  from  Asia  along  maritime  Thrace,  and 
their  fleet  had  occupied  several  positions  on  that 
coast,  Norbanus,  who  was  in  possession  of  the  two 
principal  passes,  called  the  Stena  of  the  Corpili 
and  the  Stena  of  the  Sapan,  thought  it  prudent  to 
abandon  the  former  for  the  better  defence  of  the 
latter.  The  Corpili  occupied  the  country  near 
iEnus l,  whence  it  is  evident  their  passes  were 
those  of  the  mountains  terminating  in  the  promon- 
tory Serrium 2,  and  lying  between  the  valley  of  the 
Hebrus  and  the  maritime  plains,  in  which  the 
chief  city  was  Abdera.  Into  the  latter  plains  Cas- 
sius and  Brutus  led  their  army  after  having  tra- 
versed iEnus,  Doriscus,  and  the  abandoned  Stena 
of  the  Corpili ;  but  they  found  themselves  at  a 
loss  to  proceed  farther,  because  the  Sapaean  passes 
which  separated  the  plains  of  Abdera  and  of  the 
river  Nestus  from  those  of  Philippi  and  the  Strymon 
were  still  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  In  this 
emergency,  by  the  advice  of  the  Thracian  prince 
lihescuporis,  a  road  was  made,  not  without  great 
labour,  through  some  woody  mountains  which  are 
interposed  between  the  maritime  plains  and  the 
valley  of  the  Harpessus,  a  branch  of  the  Hebrus  : 
a  three  days'  march  then  conducted  the  Cassian 
army  to  the  Harpessus,  from  whence  there  was 
only  a  single  days  march  to  Philippi. 


Felibedjik    therefore    is    little 
Philippopoli. 

1    Stephan.     in     KopKiXol. 
Solin.  c.  10. 


2  Herodot.  1.  7,c.  59.    Ap- 
pian.  de  B.  C.  1.  4.  c.  101,  102. 


216 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


The  Harpessus  can  be  no  other  than  the  branch 
of  the  Maritza,  or  Hebras,  which  flows  through 
the  valley  of  Arda.  If  then  we  suppose  the  camp 
of  Cassius  to  have  been  near  the  modern  Gumerd- 
jina,  which  is  about  the  centre  of  the  maritime 
plains  lying  between  the  passes  of  the  Corpili  and 
those  of  the  Sapmi,  it  would  seem  that  the  road 
to  the  Harpessus  followed  for  a  considerable  dis- 
tance the  valley  of  the  Kurutjai,  which  from 
Herodotus  seems  to  have  been  anciently  called 
Travus  x.  From  the  valley  of  the  Harpessus  to 
Philippi,  the  route  of  Cassius  was  nearly  in  the 
modern  track  from  Adrianople  to  Serres,  which 
from  the  sources  of  the  Arda  crosses  the  valley  of 
the  Nestus  and  enters  the  plain  of  Philippi  at 
Dhrama.  When  Philippi  was  the  chief  city  in 
the  plain,  the  road  led  probably  more  directly 
upon  that  point. 

Appian  thus  describes  Philippi  and  the  position 
on  which  Cassius  and  Brutus  encamped.  The 
city,  he  says,  was  called  Datus  before  the  time  of 
Philip,  and  still  earlier  Crenides,  from  numerous 
sources  around  the  site,  which  formed  a  river  and 
a  marsh.  It  was  situated  on  a  steep  hill,  bordered 
to  the  northward  by  the  forests  through  which  the 
Cassian  army  approached, — to  the  south,  by  a 
marsh,  beyond  which  was  the  sea, — to  the  east  by 
the  passes  of  the  Sapaei  and  Corpili,  and  to  the 
west  by  the  great  plains  of  Myrcinus.  Dra- 
bescus,  and  the  Strymon,  which  were  350  stades 
in  length.     Not  far  from  the  hill  of  Philippi  was 


1  Tpavotj. — Herodot.  1.  7,  c.  109. 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


217 


that  of  Bacchus,  which  contained  the  gold  mines 
called  Asyla,  and  eighteen  stades  from  the  town 
were  two  other  heights  eight  stades  asunder,  on 
the  northern  of  which  Brutus  placed  his  camp, 
and  on  the  southern  Cassius  :  that  of  Brutus  was 
protected  on  the  right  by  rocky  hills,  and  the  left 
of  the  camp  of  Cassius  by  a  marsh.  The  river 
Gangas,  or  Gangites,  flowed  along  the  front,  and 
the  sea  was  in  the  rear.  The  camps  of  the  two 
leaders,  although  separate,  were  inclosed  within  a 
common  entrenchment,  and  midway  between  them 
was  the  pass  which  led  like  a  gate  from  Europe 
into  Asia  l.  The  triremes  were  at  Neapolis,  seventy 
stades  distant,  and  the  magazines  of  provisions  in 
the  island  of  Thasus  distant  100  stades. 

Dio  adds,  that  Philippi  stood  near  Pangaeum 
and  Symbolum,  and  that  Symbolum,  which  was 
between  Philippi  and  Neapolis,  was  so  called 
because  it  connected  Pangaeum  with  another 
mountain  which  stretched  inland  2,  by  which 
description  Symbolum  is  very  clearly  identified 
with  the  ridge  which  stretches  from  Pravista  to 
Kavala,  separating  the  bay  of  Kavala  from  the 
plain    of  Philippi.     The    Pylae,    therefore,   could 


1  TO    Zt    [AE(TOV    TWV    XotytJV,   TO. 

oktw  crradta,  diodog  7]v  eg  t))v 
'Aaiav  re  Kal  Evpw7rr7j/  ko.6- 
tnrep  TrvXai. — Appian  de  B.  C. 
1.  4,  c.  106. 

2  &<rrv  tovto  (sc.  Philippi) 
wapd  Tt  T<j>  Ylayyaiy  Kal  rw 
"Sv  fi  ftoXat  ivfirai*  HvftfioXov  yap 
to  -^iopior  6)Ofxa(ovoi,  Kad'  o  to 


OpOQ  EKelvO    tTEptf)     TLVl    ££    fXECTO' 

yeiav  avareirovTi  crvfifyaXXei, 
Kal  'i(TTL  fiera^v  Nf'ae  TroXetJe 
Kal  <i>iXi7nr(!Jv'  »/  pev  yap  irpog 
QaXaaar]  Kal  dvTiiripag  Qaaov 
i)v'  >/  he  ei'Tog  twv  opwv  eirl  rw 
Trehio)  Tvt-KoXujTai,  —  Dion.  Cass. 
1.  47,  c  35. 


218 


MACEDONIA. 


[chip. 


have  been  no  other  than  the  pass  over  that  moun- 
tain behind  Kavala,  which  being  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Sapcsan  straits,  extending  eastward 
from  thence  about  twenty  miles  along  the  abrupt 
maritime  termination  of  the  mountain  as  far  as  the 
valley  of  the  Nestus,  was  in  this  sense  a  gate  in  the 
great  route  of  communication  between  Europe  and 
Asia.  Norbanus,  on  hearing  of  the  movemen*  of 
the  enemy  upon  Philippi,  first  evacuated  that  post, 
and  soon  afterwards  Symbolum,  from  whence  he 
retired  to  Amphipolis.  By  the  possession  of  Sym- 
bolum the  Cassians  secured  a  ready  communica- 
tion with  the  sea,  and  at  the  same  time  obtained 
security  for  their  foraging  decursions  in  the 
plains  l. 

Antony,  having  arrived  at  Amphipolis,  pro- 
ceeded immediately  to  encamp  in  the  plain  at  a 
distance  of  only  eight  stades  from  the  enemy  2, 
where  he  fortified  his  camp  with  entrenchments 
and  redoubts,  and  excavated  wells  which  in  that 
marshy  plain  produced  an  abundance  of  water. 
His  own  position  was  on  the  right,  opposite  to  that 
of  Cassius.  Octavianus  Caesar  was  opposed  to 
Brutus  on  the  left.  On  each  side  there  were  nine- 
teen legions  :  those  of  Antony  were  more  com- 
plete ;  but  in  cavalry  he  was  inferior  by  7000. 
His  design  was  to  intercept  the  enemy's  commu- 
nication with  Neapolis  and  Thasus,   by  a  move- 


1  tci   E-!riTi)hta   ravrt]   re    St  2  This    remark    of    Appian 

eXciTToroc:  U  rfjQ  6a\aaar]q  tV//-  hardly  agrees  with  that  of  Dio, 

yovTo,  kcll  Ik   tov  ntliov  Kara-  that    the    hostile    camps    were 

Biovrts  iXafiflavov. — c.  36.  very  distant  from  one  another. 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


219 


ment  in  the  rear  of  Cassius  ;  and  in  order  to  facili- 
tate this  enterprise,  he  consumed  ten  days  in  con- 
structing a  causeway  across  the  marsh  which 
separated  him  from  the  camp  of  Cassius.  He 
proceeded  with  such  caution,  that  the  work  was 
considerably  advanced  towards  completion  when 
it  was  first  perceived  by  Cassius,  who  could  then 
only  erect  countervallations  to  impede  the  enemy's 
progress  when  he  should  have  crossed  the  marsh. 
An  attempt  upon  these  works  of  Cassius  by  An- 
tony brought  on  a  general  action,  in  which  the 
troops  of  Brutus  defeated  those  of  Caesar  opposed 
to  them,  and  entered  his  camp,  while  Antony 
forced  the  works  of  Cassius  near  the  marsh,  routed 
his  legions,  and  took  possession  of  his  camp. 
Cassius  retired  to  the  heights  of  Philippi !,  to 
obtain  a  view  of  the  combat,  and  there  put  an  end 
to  his  life.  The  loss  of  the  Cassians  was  8000, 
that  of  Caesar  and  Antony  twice  as  many. 

Antony  was  now  distressed  for  provisions  and 
apprehensive  of  being  left  totally  destitute  in  con- 
sequence of  the  superiority  of  his  adversaries  at 
sea,  which  had  been  increased  by  the  loss  of  a 
Caesarian  convoy  in  the  Ionian  sea  under  Domi- 
tius  Calvinus.  He  therefore  led  forth  his  army 
every  day,  with  the  hope  of  bringing  on  a  second 
and  more  decisive  battle ;  but  Brutus  being  too 
cautious  to  afford  him  this  advantage,  he  pursued 
his  original  object  of  intercepting  his  adversary's 
supplies,  and  with  this  view  occupied  with  four 


1  iq    ruv    *l>i\iTnrioi>   \6fov. — Appian,    c.    113.      Plutarch,    in 
Brut. 

12 


220 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap 


legions  a  height  which  had  been  a  part  of  the 
position  of  Cassius,  but  which  Brutus  had  aban- 
doned. From  thence  he  advanced  ten  more  le- 
gions five  stades  towards  the  sea,  and  four  stades 
farther  two  others.  Brutus  opposed  him  by  simi- 
lar movements,  as  well  as  by  constructing  re- 
doubts, and  it  was  not  until  after  repeated  insults, 
both  by  words  and  by  throwing  writings  into  the 
camp  of  Brutus,  that  the  legions  of  the  latter 
losing  all  patience,  obliged  their  commander,  very 
much  against  his  inclination,  to  meet  the  enemy 
in  the  plain.  It  was  the  ninth  hour  of  the  day 
when  the  meeting  took  place  ;  the  shock  was  ter- 
rible l,  and  the  conflict  obstinate  ;  but  at  length 
the  Caesarians,  who  were  superior  in  numbers, 
who  knew  that  they  were  in  imminent  danger  of 
starvation,  and  who  were  conscious  that  they  had 
gained  an  advantage  in  inducing  the  enemy  to 
give  up  his  advantage  of  position,  turned  him  to 
flight,  and  seizing  the  gate  of  the  camp,  as  they 
had  been  directed  in  the  previous  harangues  of 
Octavianus  and  Antony,  prevented  the  enemy 
from  returning  to  the  heights,  and  thus  obliged 
the  fugitives  to  gain  the  sea  by  other  routes,  or  to 
betake  themselves  to  the  mountains  by  the  valley 
of  the  river  Zygactes. 

It  seldom  happens  that  the  detailed  narrative  of 
an  ancient  author  is  found  in  every  respect  to 
correspond  to  the  actual  topography ;  this  may 
in  some  cases  arise  from  those  physical  changes 
which  are  in  constant  operation,  but  is  more  gene- 


1   t(puBo£  i)\>  aofiapd  rt  Kai  uVqj'j/e. — c.  128. 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


221 


rally  to  be  attributed  to  the  author's  personal  want 
of  knowledge  of  the  scene  of  action,  and  his  mis- 
apprehension of  the  information  of  others.  Future 
travellers  may  perhaps  be  able  to  explain  the 
causes  of  the  discrepancy  which  occurs  in  the  pre- 
sent instance,  on  comparing  the  history  with  the 
scene  of  action,  and  to  which  I  shall  presently  ad- 
vert. If,  however,  the  opinion  be  admitted,  that  the 
pass  leading  over  the  mountain  from  the  plain  of 
Philippi  to  Kavala  was  the  Pylce,  which  separated 
the  camp  of  Brutus  from  that  of  Cassius,  the 
topography  will  be  found  in  perfect  agreement 
with  the  narrative.  The  camp  of  Brutus,  in  that 
case,  extended  to  the  right  of  the  entrance  of  the 
pass  towards  Philippi,  that  of  Cassius  to  the  left 
of  it  towards  Pravista.  The  river  Gangas,  which 
rises  at  and  around  Philippi  flows  nearly  parallel 
to  the  position  in  front ;  and  northward  of  Pravista 
there  is  a  lake  or  inundation  corresponding  to 
that  which  lay  between  the  camps  of  Cassius  and 
Antony  in  the  first  position.  Here  alone,  in  the 
season  when  the  battle  was  fought1,  a  marsh  is 
likely  to  have  existed,  such  as  Appian  describes. 

The  movement  of  Antony,  which  had  been  his 
design  from  the  beginning,  had  the  advantage  of 
being  on  that  flank  of  the  enemy  which  was 
nearest  his  own  post  of  Amphipolis,  and  it  became 
more  easy  of  execution  when  he  had  obtained 
possession  of  the  heights  near  Pravista,  after  the 
death  of  Cassius.  As  in  endeavouring  to  effect 
this  object,   a  part  of  his  legions  had  advanced 


1  The  autumn  of  42,  b.  c. 


222 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


nine  stades  nearer  to  the  sea,  his  position  seems 
then  to  have  been  about  Pravista,  from  thence  ex- 
tending towards  Kavala  ;  a  great  part  if  not  all  the 
forces  of  Brutus  were  at  the  same  time  upon  the 
heights,  but  when  he  was  induced  by  the  impor- 
tunity of  his  followers  to  risk  a  general  action, 
both  parties  descended  again  into  the  plain. 

The  difficulty   is,   that  Appian   in  stating  that 
the  camps  of  Brutus  and  Cassius  were  distant  18 
stades  from  Philippi,  and  70  from  Neapolis,  shews 
that  the  position  was  much  nearer  to  Philippi  than 
to  Kavala,   which  does  not  accord  with  the  pass 
over  the    mountain   of  Kavala.      It  would  seem, 
therefore,   either  that  the  numbers  expressing  the 
distances  have  been  reversed  in  the  text  of  Appian, 
for  in  that  case  they  would  represent  the  two  in- 
tervals with  sufficient  correctness,  or  that  there  was 
a  movement,  which  Appian  has  omitted  to  notice, 
from  the  first  encampment  of  Brutus  and  Cassius 
into  the  position  which  they  occupied  previously 
to  the  first  battle.     The  latter  supposition  is  coun- 
tenanced by  Dio,  who  states  that  by  the  acquisition 
of  Symbolum  the  Cassian  army  were  better  en- 
abled to  protect  its  foraging  parties  in  the  plain, 
and  that  they  obtained  thereby  a  safe  communi- 
cation with  Neapolis,  whence  it  would  seem  that 
they  had  not  possessed  those  advantages  when  they 
were  nearer  to  Philippi.     In  fact  the  pass  of  Ka- 
vala could  alone  have  secured  to  them  a  passage 
to  the  sea  free  from  hostile  interruption  ;   and  it 
seems  evident,   that  wherever  Brutus  and  Cassius 
may  have  encamped  on  their  first  arrival  at  Phi- 
lippi,   their  position   immediately   before  the  first 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA, 


•223 


battle  extended  from  that  pass  as  a  centre,  and 
occupied  all  the  heights  from  near  Philippi  as  far 
as  Pravista.  We  are  the  more  justified  in  suspect- 
ing some  inaccuracy  in  Appian,  as  he  evidently 
had  not  a  correct  knowledge  of  the  country ;  he 
supposed  the  marshes  in  the  plain  of  Philippi  to 
have  extended,  if  not  to  the  sea,  at  least  to  no 
great  distance  from  it  ' ;  and  he  seems,  therefore, 
not  to  have  been  aware  that  the  plain  is  entirely 
separated  from  the  sea  by  a  range  of  hills,  and  in 
no  part  approaches  the  coast  within  several  miles. 
In  another  error  his  text  only  may,  perhaps,  be  to 
blame  ;  he  represents  the  distance  between  the 
camp  of  Antony  and  Amphipolis  to  have  been  350 
stades,  whereas  that  was  the  entire  length  of  the 
lower  Strymonic  plain,  as  indeed  he  had  before 
correctly  stated.  Dio  also,  although  generally 
well  informed,  makes  on  this  occasion  an  observa- 
tion which  is  at  least  inaccurate.  He  says,  that 
while  Norbanus  and  Saxa  were  intent  on  occu- 
pying the  shortest  route  over  the  Sapaean  moun- 
tains, their  opponents  took  the  circuit  by  Crenides, 
and  so  arrived  at  Philippi,  as  if  Crenides  and 
Philippi  were  not  one  and  the  same  place,  as  we 
are  assured  by  Appian,  and  several  other  autho- 
rities 2. 

It  is  not  so  easy,  however,  to  admit  with  Ap- 
pian, that  it  was  the  same  place  also  as  Datus. 
The  "good  things"  which  made  Datus  the  subject 

1  wpdc  ri]  nioiinfipiq.  (rwv  in  Kprjvideg  et  ^IXnnroi. — 
<&t\tTnru)v)  ekog  earl  rat  da-  Strabo  (Epit.  1.  7),  p.  331. — 
Xaoaa  fitr  avro. — c.  105.  Diodor.  1.  16,  c.  3. 

2  Artemidorus,  ap.  Stephan. 


224 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


of  a  proverb  !  could  not  have  been  complete  if  it 
had  not  been  a  sea-port,  as  Strabo  intimates  Datus 
to  have  been 2 ;  whence  I  am  inclined  to  believe 
that  Datus  was  the  same  place  as  Neapolis.  Scy- 
lax  indeed  distinguishes  them,  but  as  he  adds  that 
Datus  was  an  Athenian  colony,  which  could  not 
have  been  true  of  the  original  Datus,  a  place 
much  more  ancient  than  the  earliest  settle- 
ments of  the  Athenians  in  Thrace,  his  text  per- 
haps is  corrupt  in  this  place,  as  in  so  many 
others,  and  his  real  meaning  may  have  been, 
that  Neapolis  was  a  colony  which  the  Athenians 
had  established  at  Datus.  Zenobius  and  Eusta- 
thius  both  assert  that  Datus  was  a  colony  of 
Thasus  3,  which  is  highly  probable,  as  the  Thasii 
had  several  colonies  on  the  coast  opposite  to 
their  island,  whereas  there  is  every  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  the  Athenians  had  no  footing  in  Thrace 
until  after  the  reduction  of  Thasus,  which  did  not 
occur  till  the  year  b.  c.  463,  nor  any  permanent 
establishment  until  the  foundation  of  Amphipolis 
by  Agnon,  26  years  afterwards,  their  previous 
attempts  having  been  unsuccessful 4.  If  Neapolis 
was  a  colony  of  Athens,  as  its  coins  render  cre- 
dible, it  was  probably  of  a  still  later  date.  It 
may  be    thought,    perhaps,  that  JEsyme,  having 


1  Strabo  (Epit.  1.  7),  p.  331. 
Harpocrat.  in  voce. — Zenob. 
Prov.  Graec.  Cent.  in.  71. 

2  dpiarrfv  iyei  -^pav  kclI 
ivKapirov  Kal  vavntiyta  ical  XPV" 
aov  fxtTaXka,  d<f  ov  Kal  irnpoi- 
fita  Au'roc  dyad&v. 


3  Zenob.  ubi  sup. — Eustatb. 
in  Dionys.  Perieg.  v.  517- 

4  Herodot.  1.  9,  c.  75.— 
Thucyd.  1. 1,  c.  100. 1.  4.  c.  102. 
— Diodor.  1.  11,  c.  70;  1.  1  2,  c. 
32.  08.— Pausan.  Attic,  c.  29. 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


225 


been  one  of  the  Thasian  colonies,  and  of  such 
antiquity  as  to  be  mentioned  by  Homer !,  is 
more  likely  than  Datus  to  have  occupied  the  po- 
sition in  which  the  colony  of  Neapolis  was  after- 
wards settled,  but  JEsyme  still  existed  under  that 
name  in  the  eighth  year  of  the  Peloponnesian 
war,  when,  together  with  Galepsus,  it  surrendered 
to  Brasidas2.  It  was  afterwards  called  Emathia, 
as  we  learn  from  Stephanus,  and  Livy  mentions  it 
under  that  name,  as  having,  with  Amphipolis  and 
other  towns  of  the  Thracian  coast,  shut  its  gates 
against  the  Romans  under  the  consul  Hostilius 
in  the  Persic  war,  b.  c.  170 3. 

As  Gangas,  or  Gangites,  or  (according  to  the 
text  of  Herodotus)  Angitas,  was  the  name  attached 
to  the  river  which  rises  at  Philippi,  it  follows  that 
the  branch  from  Nevrokopo  was  the  Zygactes, 
which  agrees  perfectly  with  the  circumstance  re- 
lated by  Appian,  that  many  of  the  defeated  fol- 
lowers of  Brutus  retreated  to  the  mountains  by  the 
valley  of  the  Zygactes.  It  was  in  fact  the  only 
route  towards  the  interior  open  to  them.  Although 
this  stream  is  much  longer  if  not  larger  than  the 
Angitas,  Herodotus  shows  that  the  united  river 
took  its  name  from  the  branch  of  Philippi. 

Nov.  12. — Recrossing  in  an  hour  from  Serres 
the  bridge  of  the  Karasti,  we  arrive  in  2  hours  more 
at  Nigrita  ;  the  road  throughout  traverses  a  rich 
plain,  covered  with  corn  or  cotton  fields,  and  en- 
livened by  numerous  cattle,  farms,  and  small  vil- 
lages.    Tobacco  is  not  grown  in  this  part  of  the 

3  Liv.  1.  43,  c.  7. 


4  II.  9.  v.  304. 
2  Thucyd.  1.  4,  c.  107. 
VOL.  III. 


Q 


226 


MACEDONIA. 


TCHAP. 


Strymonic  plain,  but  Dhrama  produces  a  consi- 
derable quantity  of  it.  Nigrita  is  a  large  Greek 
village,  situated  immediately  opposite  to  Serres  to 
the  S.W.  on  the  downs  which  form  the  last  slope 
of  the  parallel  range  of  mountains.  It  is  divided 
only  by  a  space  of  a  few  hundred  yards  from 
another  village  of  the  same  description,  named 
Serpa  or  Tjerpa.  A  mile  farther  westward,  is  a 
third  collection  of  houses,  inhabited  chiefly  by 
Turks,  and  named  Tjerpista l.  An  hour  and  a 
half  to  the  eastward  of  Nigrita,  and  similarly  si- 
tuated at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  stands  Zervo- 
khori,  a  small  village  where  the  peasants  find,  in 
ploughing  the  ground,  great  numbers  of  ancient 
coins.  Those  found  near  Nigrita  are  almost  equally 
numerous,  and  it  seems  evident  that  both  these 
places  were  ancient  sites.  Of  those  which  are 
brought  to  me  by  the  people  of  Nigrita  for  sale,  the 
greater  number  by  far,  like  those  I  procured  at 
Serres,  are  Macedonian,  and  of  all  dates,  from 
Philip,  father  of  Alexander,  to  a  late  period  of  the 
Greek  Empire.  Those  earlier  than  Philip  are 
extremely  rare. 

It  is  remarkable,  that  the  termination  of  the  word 
Tjerpista,  like  that  of  Pravista  and  'Anghista,  re- 
sembles one  of  those  which  the  ancient  Macedonians 
particularly  affected  2.  Zervokhori  I  take  to  be  the 
site  of  Heracleia  Sintica,  for  the  following  reasons : 
1.  Heracleia  was  near  the  Strymon,  having  been 
distinguished  from  other  towns  of  the  same  name, 


1  T£efj7ri<7ra.  mination  <tkoq  was  another  tvwoq 

3  Stephan.  in  Aloi>. — theter-      of  Macedonia  and  Thrace. 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


227 


as  Heracleia  of  the  Strymon  \  2.  The  Sintice 
was  to  the  right  of  the  Strymon,  for  Livy  informs 
us  that  when  Macedonia  was  divided  into  four 
provinces  at  the  Roman  conquest,  Sintice  was  asso- 
ciated with  Bisaltia  in  the  first  Macedonia,  of  which 
the  capital  was  Amphipolis,  while  all  the  remain- 
ing parts  of  the  country  between  the  Strymon  and 
Axius,  were  attributed  to  the  second  Macedonia, 
of  which  the  capital  was  Thessalonica2.  3.  The 
position  of  Zervokhori  agrees  with  that  which  the 
Tabular  Itinerary  ascribes  to  Heracleia  relatively 
to  Philippi,  as  indicated  on  two  different  Roman 
roads  from  the  one  city  to  the  other  ;  one  measuring 
55  M.P.  the  other  52  M.P.  and  both  sufficiently 
corresponding  to  the  37  G.M.  of  direct  distance  be- 
tween the  site  of  Philippi  and  Zervokhori.  There 
can  be  little  doubt  that  one  of  these  roads  passed 
round  the  northern,  the  other  round  the  southern 
side  of  the  lake.  On  the  former,  the  names  and 
distances  are  Philippi,  12  M.P.  Drabescus,  8  M.P. 
Strymon,  13  M.P.  Sarxa,  18  M.P.  Scotussa,  4 
M.P.  Heracleia, — total,  55  M.P.  ;  where  Strymon 
corresponds  exactly  to  the  crossing  of  the  river  of 
Nevrokopo,  which  D'Anville,  influenced  perhaps 
by  this  authority,  although  directly  opposed  to  that 
of  Herodotus,  supposed  to  be  the  real  Strymon. 
Sarxa  answers  equally  well  to  Zikhna  3,  and  Sco- 
tussa to  the  place  where  the  Strymon  was  crossed 
just  above  the  lake.     The  southern  road  was  as 


1  'Hpa'/cXfta  Zrpvpovog.  Hie- 
rocl.  p.  639.  Wess. 

3  Liv.  1.  45,  c.  29.— Diodor. 
Fragm.  27. 


3  The  true  ancient  name 
perhaps  more  nearly  resembled 
Zikhna. 


Q  2 


228 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


follows  :  Philippi,  10  M.P.  Triulo,  17  M.P.  Graero, 
8  M.P.  Euporia,  17  M.P.  Heracleia,—  total,  52 
M.P.  Here  the  distance  of  Euporia  from  Heracleia 
combined  with  the  name,  seems  to  indicate  that  it 
stood  at  a  ferry  across  the  lake,  perhaps  at  the  spot 
where  the  lake  first  begins  to  narrow,  3  or  4  miles 
to  the  north-westward  of  Amphipolis,  but  more 
probably  on  the  western  side  of  the  lake,  because 
Euporia  is  named  by  Ptolemy  among  the  towns  of 
Bisaltia,  together  with  Ossa  and  Argilus,  whence 
it  may  be  farther  conjectured  that  the  river  which 
I  before  noticed  as  joining  the  Strymon  a  little 
below  the  bridge  of  Neokhorio  or  Amphipolis,  is 
the  ancient  Bisaltes  \ 

In  reference  to  the  place,  which  the  Itinerary  in- 
dicates by  the  evidently  corrupted  name  Triulo, 
it  is  a  remark  of  M.  Cousinery,  who  resided  many 
years  as  French  consul  at  Saloniki,  that  coins  with 
the  inscription  TPAIAION  are  not  unfrequently 
found  near  Amphipolis 2,  whence  the  conjecture 
may  be  admitted,  that  Triulo  is  a  corruption 
of  Trselio.  The  real  name,  however,  I  suspect 
to  have  been  Tragilus,  for  Stephanus  shows  that 
there  was  a  Macedonian  town  named  TpayiXog, 
which  is  doubtless  the  true  reading  of  the  BoaytAoc 
or  A/jayiAot;,  found  in  Hierocles  among  the  towns 
of  the  first  or  consular  Macedonia,  and  situated 
apparently  not  far  from  Parthicopolis  and  Heracleia 
of  the  Strymon.  In  the  local  form  of  the  name, 
the  T  may  have  been  omitted,  so  that  the  TPAI- 


Stephan.  in  BtaaXria. 

Ap.  Eckhel  Doct.  Num.  Vet.  vol.  2.  p.  81. 


XXVL.] 


MACEDONIA. 


229 


AION  of  the  coin  may  represent  the  Hellenic  Tpa- 
yi\L<v.  The  Triulo  of  the  Table  would  then  only 
require  to  be  corrected  into  Trailo.  Tragilus,  in 
this  case,  stood  on  the  foot  of  Mount  Pangceum, 
opposite  to  Philippi.  The  real  name  of  the  place 
8  M.P.  eastward  of  Euporia,  which  in  the  Table 
is  written  Graero,  I  take  to  have  been  Gazorus, 
which  we  learn  from  Stephanus  to  have  been  a 
Macedonian  town,  and  from  Ptolemy  that  it  was 
in  the  land  of  the  Edoni  \  Gazorus,  therefore, 
probably  stood  between  Tragilus  and  Euporia,  to- 
wards the  north  western  end  of  Mount  Pangceum. 
Berga  being  placed  by  Ptolemy  on  the  borders  of  the 
Edoni,  as  well  as  near  the  Odomanti,  who,  in  his 
time,  occupied  Sirrhae  and  Scotussa,  seems  to  have 
been  near  the  shore  of  the  Strymonic  lake,  perhaps 
near  the  modern  Takhyno.  Scymnus  describes  it 
as  lying  inland  from  the  mouth  of  the  Strymon 2. 
If  Zervokhori  be  the  site  of  Heracleia  Sintica,  it  is 
probable  that  a  considerable  district  to  the  north- 
ward of  that  place  and  to  the  right  of  the  Strymon 
was  also  included  in  the  Sintice,  and  consequently 
that  Nigrita  was  either  Tristolus  or  Parthicopolis, 
for  these  are  the  only  two  towns,  besides  Heracleia, 
which  Ptolemy  ascribes  to  the  Sintice. 

Nov.  13. — At  6.25  Turkish,  we  begin  to  ascend 
the  mountain,  which  rises  from  Nigrita,  through 
a  region  of  corn  land,  at  the  end  of  an  hour 
enter    a    forest,    here   chiefly   consisting   of  small 


1  Stephan.  in  voc.. — Ptolcm. 
1.  3,  c.  13. 

2  Berga  was  the  native  place 
of  Antiphanes,    a   writer   who 


dealt  so  much  in  the  marvellous 
as  to  give  rise  to  the  verh 
fiepyaifav.  —  Straho,  p.  47, 
100,  104.— Stephan.  in  Btpyr/. 


230 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


oaks,  which  covers  all  this  range  of  hills,  and 
at  9.35  reach  Sokho  ',  called  by  the  Turks 
Sukha,  a  large  village  inhabited  chiefly  by 
Greeks,  and  standing  in  an  elevated  situation  on 
the  southern  side  of  the  mountain,  under  one  of 
the  summits.  It  commands  an  extensive  prospect 
over  the  valley  included  between  the  mountains 
on  which  Sokho  stands,  and  the  parallel  range 
which  stretches  from  Mount  Khortiatzi  2,  above 
Saloniki  to  the  mountain  of  Nizvoro.  Above  the 
middle  of  the  latter  ridge  appears  the  peaked  summit 
named  Solomon,  which  falls  to  the  Singitic  and 
Toronaic  gulfs,  and  by  its  prolongation  forms  the 
peninsula  of  Sithonia,  which  separates  those  two 
gulfs.  Three  lakes  are  seen  from  Sokho,  that  of 
Langaza,  towards  Mount  Khortiatzi,  that  of  Be- 
sikia  in  the  same  great  valley,  to  the  eastward,  and 
nearly  at  the  same  distance  as  the  last  lake,  in  a 
south-easterly  direction  from  Sokho  that  of  Ma- 
vrovo.  The  last,  which  is  situated  in  a  valley  sur- 
rounded by  mountains,  is  considerably  the  smallest 
of  the  three  lakes,  and  is  said  to  be  dry  in  summer. 
Some  scattered  fragments  of  Hellenic  times  on  the 
heights  around  Sokho,  mark  it  for  the  site  of  one 
of  the  towns  of  the  Bisaltce,  possibly  Ossa,  for  the 
example  of  the  Tkessaiian  Ossa  warrants  the  belief 
that  the  word  had  some  reference  to  loftiness  of 
situation,  and  the  coins  of  the  Macedonian  Ossa 
show  that  this  town  was  of  some  importance.  There 
is  said,    however,  to  be   another  ancient  site   at 


1  2w^0£. 

2  XopTidr£i,    usually    pro- 
nounced Khortiatj,  a  word  de- 


rived probably  from  the  Helle- 
nic yoprdfa,  herbis  pasco. 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


231 


Lakhana,  on  the  northern  road  from  Serres  to 
Saloniki,  which  being  similarly  situated  on  the 
crest  of  the  same  ridge  of  mountains,  may  have 
some  claim  to  be  considered  the  site  of  Ossa. 

I  lodge  at  Sokho,  in  the  house  of  the  Greek 
proestos  Khariso,  who  prefixes  to  his  name  the 
Turkish  title  Hadji  because  he  has  been  at 
Jerusalem.  The  side  of  the  mountain  sloping 
from  the  village  is  covered  with  vineyards,  below 
which  there  is  a  fertile  undulated  country  falling 
to  the  plain  of  Besikia,  into  which  we  descend. 

Nov.  14. — this  morning,  through  a  pleasant 
country  composed  of  corn-fields  interspersed  among 
groves,  copses,  single  trees,  and  numerous  ham- 
lets inhabited  entirely  by  Turks,  many  of  whom 
we  meet  on  their  road  to  the  market  at  Sokho 
with  their  wool  and  corn.  Klisali,  where  we 
arrive  in  three  hours  and  a  half  from  Sokho,  is 
a  miserable  Turkish  village  on  the  last  slope  of 
the  mountain,  where  it  terminates  in  a  plain 
lying  between  the  lakes  of  Besikia  and  of  Aio 
Vasili,  or  Langaza.  The  town  of  Besikia  stands 
on  the  northern  side  of  the  eastern  lake,  opposite 
to  Pazarudhi.  It  is  perhaps  the  site  of  the  town 
Bolbe  \  The  plain,  with  its  two  lakes,  is  in- 
cluded, as  I  before  stated,  between  the  ridge  of 
Sokho  and  that  of  Khortiatzi,  and  is  closed  at 
the  eastern  end  by  the  meeting  of  the  two  ranges, 
which  are  there  separated  only  by  the  pass  of  Aulon, 
or  Arethusa.  A  stream  flows  out  of  the  lake  of 
Besikia,  through  the  pass  of  Arethusa  to  the  Stry- 


Ste^han.  in  Bo\/3>;. 


232 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


manic  Gulf.  As  the  ancient  authors  indicate  only 
one  lake  in  this  situation  named  Bolbe,  it  is  likely 
that  they  were  distinguished  as  the  upper  and 
lower  Bolbe.  Both  now  abound  in  a  variety  of 
fish,  among-  which,  as  in  general  in  the  waters  of 
Greece  having  a  current,  is  the  Aaj3pa£,  or  perch, 
now  called  \apfipaKi ;  the  gastronomic  poet  often 
cited  by  Athenseus,  particularly  admired  the  perch 
of  this  lake  as  well  as  those  of  Ambracia  and 
Calydon  \ 

Klisali  being  a  post  station  on  the  main  route 
to  Constantinople,  we  here  change  our  horses 
supplied  by  the  menzil  of  Serres,  and  at  7.50, 
Turkish  time,  pursue  the  foot  of  the  hills,  leav- 
ing on  the  right  several  small  Turkish  vil- 
lages. At  8.30  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  lake 
of  Aio  Vasili  is  one  mile  and  a  half  on  the  left, 
and  near  it  a  Turkish  village  named  Doanji  Oglu. 
The  woody  sides  of  the  mountain  of  Khortiatzi 
rise  steeply  from  the  opposite  shore  of  the  lake, 
and  beyond  the  western  end  of  the  lake  assume  a 
south-westerly  direction  At  9.10  we  are  opposite 
to  the  summit.  Having  descended  into  marshy 
ground,  towards  the  north-western  extremity  of 
the  lake,  we  arrive  opposite  to  the  end  of  it  at 
10.5,  and  then  enter  a  vale  containing  many  dis- 
persed hamlets  and  tjiftliks,  known  collectively  by 
the  name  of  Langaza.  The  Turks  who  inhabit 
them  have  the  reputation  of  being  savage  and  in- 


1   Trtorepoi  3*  ertpoi  ttoWoI  KaXvSwi'i  re  kXeivtJ, 
A/ifipuKiq.  t  iv\  irXvvroyopo),  BoXftrj  r'  ei'l  A/^o'j/. 

Archestratus  ap.  Athen.  1.  7,  c.  17. 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


233 


hospitable.  At  10.30  the  hot  baths  of  Langaza 
are  half  a  mile  on  the  right  of  the  road.  Here 
are  two  old  buildings,  in  the  Turkish  style, 
one  of  which  is  in  ruins,  the  other  still  in  use. 
It  consists  of  two  apartments  covered  with  domes, 
of  which  the  outer  is  used  for  dressing,  and  the 
inner  is  the  bath,  where  the  hot  source  is  re- 
ceived into  a  large  marble  basin  surrounded  with 
seats,  and  overflows  into  the  outer  apartment. 
The  water  is  almost  tasteless,  and  of  a  very  mode- 
rate degree  of  heat :  close  by,  there  is  another  hot 
source  rising  amidst  a  great  quantity  of  black 
mud,  into  which  patients  plunge  up  to  their  necks 
for  the  cure  of  rheumatism  and  other  chronic  com- 
plaints, and  afterwards  wash  in  the  neighbouring 
water-bath.  Close  to  the  baths  there  is  a  fine 
source  of  cold  water.  A  mile  beyond  the  baths, 
and  two  or  three  hundred  yards  on  the  right  of 
the  road,  rises  an  artificial  height  with  a  flat  top, 
and  covered  with  fragments  of  pottery.  There  is 
another  hill  of  the  same  description  at  the  foot  of 
the  northern  range,  opposite  to  Demiglara,  beyond 
which  village  the  plain  of  Langaza  terminates  in  a 
peaked  rocky  summit  called  Strezi,  on  either  side 
of  which  there  is  a  passage  over  some  lofty  downs 
into  the  great  plain  of  Thessalonica.  Half  an  hour 
from  the  baths  we  leave  on  the  right  Balzina, 
and  then  a  mile  farther  from  our  road  Demi- 
glara, both  considerable  villages,  inhabited  by 
Christians.  Around  these  places  the  valley 
widens.  We  now  enter  a  boghaz,  or  narrow 
glen,  leading  from  the  valley  of  Langaza  into 
the  plain  of  Saloniki.     At  the  entrance  some  re- 


234 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


mains  of  a  wall  constructed  of  mortar  and  small 
stones,  are  seen  on  the  slope  of  either  hill  ;  the 
pass,  however,  of  which  these  works  formed  the 
defence,  although  remarkable,  is  not  very  im- 
portant, as  the  passage  over  the  hills  on  either 
side  is  easy,  particularly  to  the  north.  Towards 
the  middle  of  the  pass,  on  a  small  rock  by  the 
side  of  the  paved  road,  the  word  OAI1AI  is  en- 
graved in  large  letters  on  the  rock.  Olpse  may 
perhaps  have  been  the  name  of  the  pass,  derived 
from  eXirlq,  JEolick  o\7rtc,  in  allusion  to  the  ex- 
pectation which  the  traveller  feels  of  being  quickly 
gratified  by  a  view  of  the  maritime  plain  and  sea, 
and  by  the  speedy  termination  of  his  journey. 

At  the  issue  of  the  glen  stand  Khaivat  on  the 
right  and  Laina  on  the  left.  The  latter  is  very 
small,  but  Khaivat  contains  a  large  church  and 
300  cottages,  inhabited  by  Bulgarian  Christians, 
a  people  which  occupies,  with  the  exception  of 
two  or  three  large  Greek  villages,  all  the  great 
maritime  plain  of  Lower  Macedonia.  Few  of 
the  women  in  the  Bulgarian  villages  can  speak 
Greek.  The  houses  of  Khaivat,  like  those  of 
the  Bulgarians  in  general,  are  neat  and  com- 
fortable, with  plastered  walls  and  floors,  covered 
with  a  yellow  wash  which  borders  also  the  outside 
of  the  door.  Our  baggage,  which  I  quitted  to 
visit  the  baths,  arrives  at  Khaivat  at  11.40. 

Nov.  15. — The  late  ^eifiiovag  (so  the  Greeks  call 
a   day  or  two   of  stormy   weather *)   has  covered 


1    xtifjLwv    is     used    in    the      Od.  S.  v.  522.   as  well  as  by 
sense  of  a  storm  by    Homer,      later  authors. 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


235 


the  mountains  to  the  north  and  west  with  snow, 
and  this  morning  a  strong  gale  from  that  direc- 
tion brings  frost  with  it.  At  a  well  and  large 
plane  tree,  a  little  below  the  village,  lies  a  marble 
inscribed  with  characters  of  a  good  time,  but  con- 
taining only  names  \  In  half  an  hour  we  descend 
into  the  plain  of  Saloniki,  and  winding  to  the  left 
along  the  foot  of  the  range  of  Khortiatzi,  enter  at 
the  end  of  another  hour  the  Turkish  cemetery 
which  surrounds  the  city,  and  which  contains 
many  fragments  of  columns  and  sori  dispersed 
among  the  tomb-stones.  The  city  walls  towards 
their  foundations,  are  in  part  composed  of  ancient 
marbles,  and  there  is  every  appearance  of  their 
having  followed  the  ancient  line.  At  the  end  of 
an  hour  and  three  quarters  from  Khaivat,  we  enter 
the  Vardar-kapesi,  or  gate  of  the  Vardhari.  In  a 
tree  before  it  hangs  the  body  of  a  robber.  Just 
within  the  gate  the  street  is  crossed  by  an  ancient 
arch  about  14  feet  wide,  supported  by  pilasters, 
which  are  buried  apparently  to  half  their  original 
height.  Below  the  capital  of  each  pilaster,  on  the 
western  side,  a  Roman  togatus  is  represented  in 
relief,  standing  before  a  horse.  The  frize  above 
the  arch  is  decorated  with  the  caput  bovis  united 
by  festoons.  The  whole  construction  consists  of 
large  masses  of  stone,   but  the  monument  could 


1  V.  Inscription,  No.  127. 
At  Saloniki  I  saw  a  sepulchral 
monument  said  to  have  been 
brought  from  Khaivat,  which 
represents  in  relief  a  woman 
seated,   and  three  young  men 


standing  before  her  with  their 
right  anns  in  their  cloaks.  Be- 
low are  the  words,  AIovtl  ko1 
N«K07roXi  Tolg  rtKvoiQ  Srparo- 
vetKtj  Kal  NtiKoXaog  avnp. — 
V.  Inscription,  No.  129. 


236 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


never  have  been  very  magnificent,  and  appears 
hardly  worthy  of  the  time  of  Antony  and  Octavius, 
to  which  it  is  attributed  by  Beaujour,  who  sup- 
poses it  to  have  been  a  triumphal  memorial  of  the 
victory  of  Philippi.  Nor  does  an  inscription  below 
the  arch  which  contains  the  names  of  the  eight 
archons  in  whose  magistracy  the  monument  was 
erected  seem  to  favour  his  opinion,  as  the  names 
are  chiefly  Roman,  which  they  would  hardly  have 
been  at  so  early  a  period.  They  are  styled 
Politarchse,  as  when  St.  Paul  visited  Thessalonica  ', 
93  years  after  the  battle  of  Philippi.  Two  of 
these  magistrates  were  the  gymnasiarch  and  the 
tamias 2. 

Nov.  17. — In  the  evening  (being  the  proper  time 
during  the  Ramazan)  I  visit  Musa  (Moses)  Pasha. 
This  is  the  same  gentleman  whom  I  saw  in  exile 
at  'Epakto,  cooking  his  pilaf  with  oil  for  want  of 


1  iavpov  tov  Tdcrova  rat  ti- 
yae  d^e\(f>ovg  tVi  rove  7roXeiTdp- 

Xa£f 'Era'paijai'   <5e  tov 

oyXov  Kill  tovq  7ro\£trap^ac. — 
Act.  Apost.  c.  17,  v.  6.  8. 

2  Ho\iiTapypvvTwv  2<t»(Tt7ra- 
rpov  tov  liXeoTrdrpae  raj  Aov- 
Kiov  Hovtiov  ^Lekovv^ov  vlov, 
AvXov  'Aov'iov  2a/3«'»ou,  Arjfir]- 
rpiov  tov  <f>avarov,  Arj/jirjTplov 
tov  NeikottoXeoc,  Zw(t'Aou)  TOV 
llapfXEvliovoe  tov  rat  MerloKov, 
ratov  'AytXXjj'/ou  Uoteitov, 
rafxiov  ttjq  ttoXeioq  Tavpov  tov 
'A/xpat;  tov  raj  'PrjyXov,  yvfi- 
viKTiapxpvvTOC  Tavpov  tov  Tav- 
pov tov  rat  'PijyXov. 


The  name  of  Cleopatra,  the 
mother  of  Sosipatrus,  may  per- 
haps have  preceded  that  of  his 
Roman  father,  because  she  was 
a  descendant  of  the  royal  family 
of  Macedonia,  and  Nicopolis 
and  Ammia  may  for  the  same 
reason  have  been  named  instead 
of  the  fathers  of  Demetrius  and 
Taurus.  Taurus,  the  son  of 
Ammia,  and  Taurus,  the  son 
of  Taurus,  had  probably  been 
adopted  by  Regulus,  and  Zoilus 
by  Meniscus. 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


237 


butter,  and  stealing  our  consul's  wood.  Since 
that  time  he  has  been  in  Egypt,  whither  he  was 
sent  to  supersede  Mehmet  Aly,  who  was  ordered  by 
the  Porte,  on  the  plea  of  his  being  a  Macedonian, 
to  exchange  the  government  of  Egypt  for  that  of 
Saloniki.  Mehmet  Aly,  however,  was  not  to  be  dis- 
placed so  easily.  Musa  Pasha  had  chiefly  founded 
his  hopes  of  success  on  the  dehlis  in  Mehmet's 
guard,  the  chiefs  of  whom  were  his  friends  and 
formerly  in  his  service,  and  attributes  his  failure 
to  the  Kapitan  Pasha,  whom  he  accuses  of  having 
been  bribed  by  Mehmet  Aly  to  delay  a  march  to 
Cairo,  which  had  been  concerted  with  Elfi  and 
four  other  Mamluk  beys,  until  it  was  rendered 
impracticable  by  the  rising  of  the  Nile.  Musa's 
troops  had  a  skirmish  with  Mehmet  Aly's,  but 
without  any  advantage  on  either  side.  The  Porte, 
convinced  that  their  project  had  failed,  ordered 
Musa  to  assume  the  government  of  Saloniki,  and 
the  Kapitan  Pasha  to  return  to  Constantinople 
with  his  fleet.  Musa  came  with  the  fleet  as  far 
as  Cos.  He  affirms  that  Mehmet's  forces  amount 
only  to  4000  Albanians  and  5000  others,  that  he 
is  detested  for  his  oppressions,  and  for  having 
ruined  commerce,  and  that  no  Red  Sea  goods  can 
pass  the  desert,  as  the  merchants  are  afraid  of 
being  plundered  by  the  Pasha  at  Cairo. 

On  the  event  of  the  battle  of  Austerlitz,  the 
Turkish  government  assumed  a  certain  degree  of  in- 
solence, and  supported  by  the  French,  immediately 
set  about  attempting  two  objects  upon  which  they 
had  long  fixed  their  wishes,  though  until  that 
moment  without  much  prospect  of  attaining  them  : 


238 


MACEDONIA. 


ICHAP. 


1.  The  extending  of  the  Nizami-djedid,  its  imposts 
and  military  discipline  over  Rumili ;  2.  The  with- 
drawing from  all  rayahs  the  protections  of  the 
European  courts,  and  particularly  the  Russian 
flags  from  the  Greek  ships.  To  effect  the  former 
of  these  objects  a  very  large  force  was  raised  in 
Asia,  and  sent  into  Rumili,  and  for  the  latter  a 
firmahn  had  already  been  issued  last  March.  The 
Janissaries  of  Constantinople,  however,  and  par- 
ticularly all  the  Turks  of  the  country  extending 
from  Adrianople  to  the  capital,  having  united 
against  the  Nizami,  the  Asiatics  were  entirely 
defeated  and  dispersed  before  they  got  beyond 
Selivria,  where  the  remainder  were  surrounded 
and  in  danger  of  being  cut  off,  while  their  adver- 
saries threatened  to  march  to  Constantinople  and 
depose  the  Sultan  as  a  ghiaour.  The  project  of 
the  Sultan  was  immediately  renounced  and  the 
Turkish  ministry  changed. 

Salonica,  as  the  Italians  and  English  name  this 
city,  is  by  the  Turks  called  Selanik,  by  the  Greeks 
laXoviicr),  and  by  all  the  educated  among  them 
9e(Tffa\ovi/cTj.  Being  situated  in  great  part  upon 
the  declivity  of  a  hill  rising  from  the  extremity  of 
that  noble  basin  at  the  head  of  the  Thermaic  gulf, 
which  is  included  within  the  Capes  Vardar  and 
Karaburnu,  and  being  surrounded  by  lofty  whit- 
ened walls,  of  which  the  whole  extent,  as  well  as 
that  of  the  city  itself,  is  displayed  to  view  from 
the  sea,  it  presents  a  most  imposing  appearance 
in  approaching  on  that  side.  The  form  of  the  city 
approaches  to  a  half  circle,  of  which  the  diameter 
is  described  by  a  lofty  wall,  flanked  with  towers, 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


239 


extending  a  mile  in  length  along  the  sea  shore, 
and  defended  by  three  great  towers,  one  at  each 
extremity,  the  third  overlooking  the  skala  or  land- 
ing place,  where  stands  a  small  suburb,  between 
the  tower  and  the  sea  shore.  Since  the  invention 
of  gunpowder,  batteries  on  a  level  with  the  water 
have  been  added  to  the  maritime  defences  in  the 
most  important  points,  and  a  fortress,  or  fortified 
inclosure,  has  been  constructed  at  the  western 
angle  of  the  city. 

The  eastern  and  western  walls  follow  the 
edges  of  the  height,  where  it  falls  on  either  side 
towards  a  small  valley  watered  by  a  rivulet, 
and  terminate  above  in  the  walls  of  the  citadel, 
which  has  a  double  inclosure  towards  the  town 
flanked  with  square  towers.  The  heads  of  the 
valleys  on  the  east  and  west  are  separated  only  by 
a  ridge  connecting  the  citadel  with  the  falls  of 
Mount  Khortiatzi,  which  command  it  at  a  short 
range.  The  citadel,  like  that  of  Constantinople,  is 
called  'E7rTa7™pyiov,  which  the  Turks  have  trans- 
lated into  Yeddi  Kulelar,  the  Seven  Towers ;  for 
doubtless  at  both  places  the  name  is  older  than 
the  Turkish  conquest.  Saloniki  bears  the  usual 
characteristics  of  a  Turkish  town  ;  no  attention  is 
paid  to  cleanliness  or  convenience  in  the  streets, 
the  exterior  of  the  houses  is  designed  to  conceal 
all  indications  of  wealth,  nor  can  any  correct 
opinion  be  formed  of  the  population  from  the 
central  part  of  the  town,  or  a  visit  to  the  bazar, 
where  crowds  are  collected  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  day,  while  the  rest  of  the  city  is  a 
solitude.     The   houses  in  the  lower   part  of  the 

12 


240 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap 


town  are  shut  out  from  all  external  view  by  the 
narrow  streets  and  the  high  town  walls,  but 
in  rising  higher,  a  noble  prospect  opens  of  the 
grand  outlines  of  Olympus,  Ossa,  and  Pelium, 
seen  above  the  promontory  of  Karaburnu,  to- 
gether with  a  part  of  the  Chalcidic  peninsula  to 
the  southward,  and  to  the  westward  the  immense 
level  which  extends  for  50  miles  to  Verria  and 
Vodhena. 

All  the  principal  mosques  were  formerly  Greek 
churches,  and  two  of  them  were  Pagan  temples, 
which  had  been  converted  into  churches.  The 
most  remarkable  is  that  which  is  still  known  to  the 
Greeks  by  the  name  of  ira\ta  M»jt/oo7toXic,  or  more 
vulgarly  Eski  Metropoli l,  an  appellation  employed 
also  by  the  Turks.  Hence  it  seems  to  have  been, 
in  the  time  of  the  Byzantine  Empire,  the  cathedral 
church  of  the  metropolitan  bishop.  It  is  a  rotunda 
built  of  Roman  bricks,  with  two  doors,  one  to  the 
south,  the  other  to  the  west.  The  thickness  of  the 
walls  below  is  18  feet,  their  height  about  50  feet,  the 
diameter  within,  80  feet :  above  these  walls  was  a 
superstructure  of  slighter  dimensions,  the  greater 
part  of  which,  as  well  as  the  dome  which  crowns  it, 
may  perhaps  have  been  added  when  the  building 
was  converted  to  the  service  of  Christianity.  It  is 
lighted  by  windows  in  the  middle  height  of  the  build- 
ing, which  in  all  is  about  80  feet.  Possibly  these 
windows  also  are  a  Christian  repair,  the  ancient 


1  The  Greeks  of  Macedonia 
are  much  accustomed  to  mix  the 
two  languages.    Thus  they  call 


the  river  Injekara-su  Intzema- 
vro,  and  the  Karasmak  Mavros- 
maki. 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


241 


temple  having  perhaps  been  lighted  from  the  dome. 
The  inside  of  the  dome  is  adorned  with  the  repre- 
sentation of  buildings  and  saints,  in  mosaic,  in- 
terspersed with  inscriptions  which,  as  usual  in 
Greek  churches,  explained  the  subjects,  but  are 
now  too  much  injured  to  be  decypherable,  though 
the  Turks  have  not  destroyed  any  of  these  orna- 
ments, nor  even  a  figure  of  the  Almighty  which 
occupied  a  niche  opposite  to  the  door  where  once 
stood  the  Pagan  idol.  In  one  place  they  have 
supplied  a  fallen  mosaic  with  a  painting  in  imita- 
tion of  it. 

Eski  Djuma,  or  Old  Friday,  is  the  name  of 
another  mosque,  the  masonry  and  form  of  a  great 
part  of  which  shows  that  it  was  once  a  building  of 
the  same  age  as  the  Eski  Mitropoli,  or  perhaps 
still  older,  but  such  have  been  the  repairs  and  al- 
terations which  it  has  undergone  in  its  conversion 
first  into  a  church  and  then  a  mosque,  that  the 
ancient  plan  cannot  easily  be  traced.  It  is  supposed 
by  the  learned  to  have  been  a  temple  of  Venus. 
Ai  Sofia  is  a  mosque,  so  called  by  the  Turks,  and 
which  like  the  celebrated  temple  at  Constantinople, 
was  formerly  a  church  dedicated  to  the  Divine 
Wisdom.  The  Greeks  assert  it  to  have  been  built 
by  the  architect  of  St.  Sophia,  of  Constantinople  : 
its  form  at  least  is  similar,  being  that  of  a  Greek 
cross  with  an  octastyle  portico  before  the  door,  and 
a  dome  in  the  centre,  which  is  lined  with  mosaic, 
representing  various  objects  much  defaced;  among 
these  I  can  distinguish  saints  and  palm  trees.  The 
Turks,  contrary  to  their  usual  custom  of  destroying, 
or  at  least  of  hiding  with  a  coat  of  plaster,   the 

VOL.   III.  R 


242 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


figures  in  the  Greek  churches  which  they  have  con- 
verted into  mosques,  have  allowed  all  the  figures  of 
St.  Sophia  to  remain,  with  the  exception  of  a  piece 
in  the  centre,  which  they  have  replaced  by  an  Ara- 
bic inscription,  having  been  justly  shocked,  perhaps, 
by  a  huge  human  face,  looking  down,  as  I  have 
frequently  seen  in  Greek  churches,  and  which  is 
generally  inscribed   with   the  word  HavTOKparup. 
St.  Demetrius  is  a  long  church  with  a  triple  aisle, 
supported  by  a  double  order  of  columns  of  several 
kinds  of  variegated  marble,  and  very  much  resem- 
bling an  old  Latin  church,  such  as  are  seen  in  Italy, 
Sicily  and  the  Holy  Land.     It  may  possibly  have 
been  built  by  the  Latins  when  in  possession  of  Thes- 
salonica  in  the  13th  century.     Within  this  temple 
a  sepulchral  marble  is  inserted  in  the  wall,  which 
very  much  resembles  many  similar  monuments  in 
Christendom,  being  in  that  common  form  which  re- 
presents the  end  of  a  sorus  crowned  with  a  pediment. 
It  is  ornamented  with  flowers  well  executed,  within 
which  is  an  inscription  in  twenty-two  Greek  Iambic 
verses,   in  honour  of  one  Luke  Spanduni,  who  is 
described  as  a  scion  of  Byzantium  and  the  Hellenes, 
and  who  died  in  the  year  6989,   or  A.D.   1481, 
whence  it  would  seem  that  the  Turks  did  not  de- 
prive the  Greeks  of  their  church  of  St.  Demetrius 
immediately  after  the  conquest.     As  the  verses  on 
this  monument  are  rather  creditable  to  the  learning 
of  that  time,    and  have  been  published  only  by 
Paul  Lucas,  who,   among  other  inaccuracies,  has 
omitted  two  lines,  I  subjoin  a  copy  of  them  l.    The 

1   Av^ifjxa  cei^Oflr  tov  tuiv  'EAA?/vwj'  yivovg 

T<5  TTCpiOl'Ti   TOV  TMV  CtptTUtt'   KVkXoV, 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


243 


modern  poet,  to  make  his  Hellenic  attempt  the 
more  complete,  has  imitated  the  ancient  character, 
and  avoided  any  division  of  the  words.  The  word 
ola  shows  that  it  is  a  woman  who  grieves  for  the 
loss  of  Spanduni. 

Among  the  ecclesiastical  antiquities,  in  which 
Saloniki  exceeds  any  place  in  Greece,  as  the 
churches  just  mentioned  show,  are  two  of  the  most 
ancient  pulpits  in  existence;  they  are  single  blocks 
of  variegated  marble,  with  small  steps  cut  in  them. 
One  of  these  |3?V«aTa,  as  they  are  still  called  by  the 
Greeks,  is  in  the  mosque  of  Eski  Mitropoli  :  the 
other  is  lying  in  the  yard  of  a  church  of  St.  Minas, 
which  is  still  appropriated  to  the  Greek  worship. 

Kal  rf/y  warpicia  dTrofitfiXrjKwg,  o'i/uoi, 
Trjg  fiapfiapiKrjg  ov  fiETtayeg  KrjXlfiog' 
Twv  yap  naTpiKwv  dpeTwv  i^rffi/JLevog, 
Xpvaug  uxrirep  Tig  >/  ciorijp  kwotyopog, 
"EXajui^er  Xa/JTrpwg  tw  twv  dperwv  KaXXei, 
2iW(f>po(TVvr)v  yap  Kal  dvSptiav  doKi'iarag, 
Ti'iv  re  (j>p6i'T)ariv  Kal  tt}v  laovofxiav 
'£lg  fid&pov  tdov  dptTwv  twv  evdiwv, 
"AyaXfxa  delov  ro'tg  -rcaaiv  dvtZtiyfti)Q, 
QiXywv  II  Tvavraq  rrj  twv  Xoywv  aeipijvt, 
Kat  ttJ  yXafvpa  tov  KaXXovg  a'yXcua, 
Kal  Tolg  yevvaiotg  twv  'ipyuv  KaTaTrXi'iTTwy, 
'Ev  rjj  dk/jiTJ,  (f>ev,  twv  \ityioTwv  IXiriSwv, 
O'ix*}  pol  to  <pwg  Kal  KXtog  Trjg  £wfjg  fiov, 
To  koivov  kXLoq,  ?'/  GEipa  tov  ■yjpvaov  ytvovg, 
TI  rrjg  (jivaewg  Xafnrpd  <ptXoTtfiia. 
At  at  7-iye  zfJ-VG  Kal  Koivrjg  SvoTvyiag, 
Ola  vTreuTrjv  iirl  aol,  <f>ev  tov  wdOovg, 
$IXt]  KtfaXfj,  eXmg,  £w>),  <pwg,  Tepxpig, 
Tov  Bv^avTtov  Kal  twv  'EXXt]vwv  op7rr)£,. 
'EKoifxt'iO)]    o   $oi>\og  tov    Qeov    AovKag    o   %TravT0vvr)g    tv  itu, 
Tft'\")7rflaJ  iv  flfjvl  Tavovaplov  a'1. 

vol.  in.  n  2  -t— 


244 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


Among  the  remains  of  Pagan  times,  may  be  men- 
tioned some  small  portions  of  the  walls,  which 
there  is  every  reason  to  believe,  follow  the  line 
and  foundations  of  the  inclosurc  of  Cassander, 
and  which  being  in  their  general  structure  much 
higher  and  more  solid  than  such  as  the  Ottomans 
build,  seem  to  consist  for  the  most  part  of  suc- 
cessive repairs  of  the  Macedonian  work,  before 
the  Turkish  conquest.  Therme  we  can  hardly 
suppose  to  have  been  so  large  as  Thessalonica, 
and  as  it  could  not  have  left  the  citadel  unoccu- 
pied, probably  did  not  extend  as  far  as  the  sea. 
That  the  main  street,  and  two  principal  gates, 
and  consequently  the  whole  inclosure,  of  the  Ro- 
man Thessalonica,  corresponded  with  those  of  the 
modern  town,  we  have  an  infallible  proof,  in  two 
ancient  arches  which  still  cross  that  street ;  one 
already  mentioned  near  the  Vardar  gate,  the  other 
not  far  from  the  corresponding  gate  at  the  eastern 
end  of  the  same  street.  The  latter,  which  had  two 
smaller  lateral  arches  annexed  to  it,  now  destroyed, 
consists  of  two  piers  14  feet  square,  faced  with 
stone,  which  were  covered  on  all  sides  with  a  dou- 
ble range  of  figures  in  low  relief,  representing  the 
sieges,  battles,  and  triumphs  of  a  Roman  Emperor. 
A  great  part  of  the  piers  are  concealed  by  shops  of 
the  bazar,  which  cover  all  the  lower  parts  of  the 
figures  on  one  side,  and  the  whole  of  them  on  the 
other.  Entering  a  bakehouse  in  the  latter  situation, 
I  found  the  sculpture  still  more  defaced  than  in 
other  parts,  but  in  none  is  it  in  good  preservation, 
and  the  whole  appears  to  have  been  of  a  very 
declining  period  of  art.     The  arch  which  rests  upon 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


245 


the  piers  is  still  more  deprived  of  its  facing,  and  is 
now  a  mere  mass  of  Roman  tile  and  mortar. 

Zosimus  seems  to  give  some  support  to  the  tra- 
dition which  attributes  this  monument  to  Constan- 
tine,  by  his  remarking,  that  when  Constantine  had 
subdued  the  Sarmatians,  he  went  to  Thessalonica, 
and  there  constructed  a  port1.  But  the  execution 
of  the  sculpture  is  perhaps  better  suited  to  the  age 
of  Theodosius,  whose  victories  over  the  Goths 
were  a  common  subject  on  the  monuments  of  his 
age. 

To  the  westward  of  this  arch,  near  the  main 
street,  are  the  ruins  of  a  portico  with  a  double 
order  of  architecture,  consisting  of  four  Corinthian 
columns,  not  of  the  best  design  or  execution,  and 
the  shafts  of  which  are  now  half  buried  in  the 
ground.  On  their  architrave  stands  an  upper 
order,  consisting  of  four  plain  pilasters,  on  the  op- 
posite faces  of  which  are  Caryatides,  eight  in  all  : 
the  figures  are  of  the  human  size,  or  near  it,  and 
each  of  them  represents  a  different  subject.  On 
one  of  the  pilasters  the  two  opposite  figures  are 
Leda  and  Ganymede  ;  the  former  embraces  the 
swan,  whose  head  reposes  upon  her  breast  :  Gany- 
mede is  held  by  the  eagle,  whose  wings  are  spread 
over  his  back,  and  whose  talons  rest  on  his  hips, 
while  the  head  of  the  eagle  reaches  over  the  left 
shoulder  of  the  youth,  looking  in  his  face.  This  is 
a  very  good  piece  of  sculpture,  and  not  much  in- 
jured by  time.  The  other  figures  seem  inferior 
in  merit  as  they  are  in  preservation  ;  nor  can  the 
subjects  be  easily  understood.     The  next  to  Gany- 


1  Zosim.  1.  2,  c.  22. 


246 


MACEDONIA. 


[CHAP. 


mede,  on  the  same  side,  is  a  man  with  a  Phrygian 
bonnet,  at  whose  feet  is  a  bull's  head  ;  the  third 
and  fourth  are  females  in  light  drapery,  the  latter 
with  wings.  On  the  opposite  side,  or  that  of  the 
Leda,  the  figures  are  so  much  ruined  that  I  cannot 
distinguish  the  subjects1.  This  monument  is  in 
the  house  of  a  Jew,  and  is  known  in  the  Spanish 
dialect  of  the  Jews  by  the  name  of  Incantada,  "  the 
Enchanted,"  on  the  supposition  that  the  figures  are 
human  beings  petrified  by  the  effect  of  magic.  Its 
central  position,  and  the  nature  of  the  construc- 
tion, support  the  idea  that  it  was  connected  with 
the  ancient  agora.  The  space  which  lies  between 
the  sea  and  that  part  of  the  main  street  where  the 
Incantada  and  arch  of  Constantine  are  situated,  is 
said  to  have  been  occupied  by  the  hippodrome, 
noted  for  having  been  the  scene  of  a  promiscuous 
massacre  of  the  assembled  people  of  Thessalonica 
by  order  of  Theodosius 2. 

In  many  parts  of  the  town,  particularly  at  the 
fountains,  sepulchral  stones  and  inscribed  sori  are 
to  be  found.  Wherever  figures  occur  upon  the 
latter,  their  heads  have,  as  usual,  been  destroyed 
by  the  Turks,  nor  is  it  easy  to  find  an  inscription 
that  is  perfect.  The  most  interesting  that  I  have 
observed  are,  1.  A  simple  mnema,  valuable  only 


1  In  the  time  of  Stuart  they 
appear  to  have  been  in  better 
preservation;  for  he  has  given 
drawings  of  all  the  figures,  ac- 
cording to  which  the  three  re- 
maining on  the  same  side  as 
the  Leda  were  a  Flora,  or  Bac- 
chante, a  Bacchus  with  a  pan- 


ther at  his  feet,  and  a  Bac- 
chante playing  on  a  flute  and 
seen  in  profile.  On  the  archi- 
trave of  the  columns  he  distin- 
guished the  words  yeysvrifxivoy 
biro. 

2  See  Gibbon,  c.  27. 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA, 


247 


for  its  having  a  double  date,  by  which  it  appears 
that  the  year  302  in  one  epoch  corresponded  to 
186  in  the  other:  as  the  difference  116  is  the 
exact  interval  between  the  destruction  of  Corinth 
and  the  battle  of  Actium,  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  these  were  the  two  events  from  which  the 
dates  were  taken.  2.  An  epitaph  in  verse,  want- 
ing one  or  two  lines  at  the  beginning,  where  the 
name  of  a  woman  occurred,  whose  husband  Eutro- 
pus  constructed  the  tomb  for  her  and  himself.  In 
two  prose  lines  in  smaller  characters,  which  fol- 
low the  verses,  he  declares  that  whoever  shall 
place  -any  other  corpse  in  the  tomb,  except  those 
of  his  children,  shall  pay  a  fine  to  the  public  chest 
of  10,200  denaria.  3.  Another  inscription  con- 
tains the  names  of  those  who  contended  for  the 
prize  in  a  certain  funereal  contest,  in  which  there 
were  trials  in  the  pancratium  and  in  wrestling 
by  boys,  by  young  men,  and  by  adults.  It  is  to 
be  supposed  that  the  prior  name  of  each  pair 
was  the  victor !. 


l. 

1   M.  'lovXwc   'Fjpfiije  'iovXia       \ia  'JLpfXioyij   rij   Ovyarpl  frooiv 
Teprlq,  yvvaticl  tavrov,  kul  'Iou-       iiroiu,  etovq  <nrjj  tov  rat  j3t. 

2. 


Tovru  yap  iv  £wo7criv  ETrwvvfiov  'eoke  yvvaiKi 
EtV£K£V  r'iQ  dpf.rrjc  /cat  auxfrpoavvriQ  fxa\'  apiarrir. 
Tevije  <5e  tuvZe  rdfov  ()>i\ioq  irocric  \LvrpoiroQ  avrrj, 
Q\t  at/rw  fieruinadev  oVwc  t^oi  d/nravEcrdai 
2v)-  <}>i\ir)  sui'wc  dXo^y,  KEKXwa^ivov  avry 
Ttpii  iaieiov  ftu'iTUV  dXvroti;  bird  yi'ifxaai  fjLtipuJi'. 


248 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


The  population  of  Saloniki  is  reckoned  at 
80,000,  but  probably  does  not  exceed  65,000,  of 
whom  35,000  are  Turks,  15,000  Greeks,  and 
13,000  Jews,  the  remainder  Franks  and  Gypsies. 


'  Eav    ci  Tig   erepov  ToX^iijay  iEpurdry drjvdpia 

Karadiadcu  fxera  to   tpe    Kara-  Mupia    £ter^«'Xta. — V.  Inscrip- 
Tedfjyat  xwP'£  T^v  ftKvtav    .      .  tion,  No.  138. 
Swtrti  TU> 


f]?ov(f>^)  Kal      . 
KaXdvdiov  'OKTioftplojy 
aywi'  IrctTiXiadr}   E7riTa(piog  de- 
fiaTiK^OQ  r.  Oiii- 

ftiov  Atizicov  A^iXXtog'  juetci 
dvatag  Tavpov  Kal  fitra  dvv^lag 
.  .  j3,  £7rt  (3u>fiovg  /3,  VTTO 
lepoanXiriKTqy  Hievrjpov  'lipaKog 
Ka<r:ravc)pEa  ....  Kal 
iepoK7ipvKa  K.  K.aiid\wv  KaX- 
Xhttov. 


Ot  dytaviadfiEvot.  Ha'tSeg 
7raXai(TTal,  Ev^ocuVwv  Kal  i\ov- 
Kiog'AKparoc,  Kal  Zwatfiog,  Mv- 
pioy  Kal  HitHriag.  IlaTOfc  iray- 
KpaTiaaTal,  MapKog  Kal  Ma'£i- 
fxog,  "SiVfj(popog  Kal  AiaSovfAEVog. 
'Ay£i'tlu)yTrdXr),<i>av(7TogKalA(t>- 
pog.  'Ayeveiot  TrayKpariaaTal, 
OvdXrjg  Kal  ^EKovvcog.  'Ai>- 
Spuiv  7ra'Xjj,  Hpurag  Kal  'JLpfirjr. 
'AvSptHv  TravKpar'tri,  NeiKi']<popog 
Kal  "HXtog. — V.  Inscription, 
No.  137. 


The   following  was   communicated   to  me  by  a  Greek  gen- 
tleman. 


AovKiog  2iTpaT0j'EiKr)  Tij  fitfTpl  Kal  KXeoiraTpa  ttj  vLvvn  o  tTOvg. 


I  was  unable  to  obtain  per- 
mission to  enter  the  citadel. 
It  appears  from  Beaujour,  and 
other  travellers,  that  there  are 
some  columns  of  verd  antique, 
and  an  arch  erected  by  the  city 


in  honour  of  Antoninus  Pius, 
his  wife  Faustina,  styled  2e- 
fiatr-}),  and  his  adopted  sons, 
Marcus  Aurelius  and  Lucius 
Commodus,  the  former  of  whom 
is  entituled  Caesar. 


XXVI.  j 


MACEDONIA. 


249 


All  the  Turks  of  Macedonia  who  hear  arms  are 
Spahis,  Yuruks,  or  Janissaries.  The  Spahis  are 
the  cavalry  found  by  the  holders  of  the  zaims  and 
timaria,  when  called  upon  by  the  government. 
The  Yuruks  cultivate  their  own  lands  chiefly  in 
the  mountainous  districts.  The  Janissaries  are  the 
garrisons  of  the  fortified  places,  among  whom  are 
generally  enrolled  the  greater  part  of  the  heads  of 
families  engaged  in  trade  or  manufactures,  or 
who  have  landed  property  in  the  neighbouring 
plain.  A  thousand  pounds  sterling  a  year  in 
land  is  considered  a  large  estate.  Hadji  Mus- 
tafa, the  Bash  Tjaus  of  the  Janissaries,  has 
seven  tjiftliks  worth  20,000  piastres  a  year  (or 
1200Z.),  though  he  lives  at  the  rate  of  not  more 
than  eight  or  ten  thousand.  Under  a  government 
which  makes  every  one  feel  danger  in  displaying 
his  wealth,  and  renders  property  and  life  insecure 
even  to  its  most  favoured  subjects,  the  extremes  of 
parsimony  and  extravagance  are  naturally  to  be 
found.  Turks  as  well  as  Jews  often  carry  the  for- 
mer to  excess,  and  the  latter  is  by  no  means  un- 
common among  the  young  Osmanlis.  An  under- 
cmploye  in  the  Mekheme  is  pointed  out  to  me, 
who  in  a  few  years  dissipated  2000  purses  and 
seven  tjiftliks.  These  Turkish  landed  proprietors, 
however,  are  the  persons  of  the  greatest  stability 
in  Turkey ;  and  the  Frank  merchants  who  bargain 
for  their  corn,  cotton,  and  tobacco,  can,  without 
much  risk,  make  advances  upon  their  crops. 

The  Jews  of  Saloniki  are  descended  from  the 
largest  of  those  colonies,  which  settled  in  Greece 
at  the  time  of  their  expulsion  from  Spain  at  the 


250 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


end  of  the  fifteenth  century  ;  but  a  considerable 
portion  of  them  have  become  Musulmans  since 
that  time,  though  without  being  altogether  ac- 
knowledged by  the  Osmaniis,  and  forming  a  sepa- 
rate class  under  the  denomination  of  Mamins. 
Inheriting  the  Jewish  spirit  of  parsimony  and  in- 
dustry, they  are  generally  rich,  and  among  them 
are  some  of  the  wealthiest  Turks  at  Saloniki. 
Hassan  Adjik,  one  of  the  ministry  at  Constantino- 
ple, and  his  brother,  who  is  Gumrukji,  or  collector 
of  the  customs  at  Saloniki,  are  Mamins.  They 
are  naturally  objects  of  extreme  dislike  to  the 
idle,  poor,  and  profligate  Janissaries  of  the  lower 
class.  They  go  to  mosque  regularly,  and  conform 
to  the  Mahometan  religion  in  externals,  but  are 
reproached  by  the  other  Turks  with  having  secret 
meetings  and  ceremonies,  with  other  peculiarities 
of  which  the  best  attested  is  their  knowledge  of 
the  Spanish  language.  They  are  said  to  be  di- 
vided into  three  tribes,  two  of  whom  will  not  inter- 
marry with  the  third,  nor  will  the  latter  give  their 
daughters  in  marriage  to  the  Osmaniis. 

The  7roXiT£ta,  or  Greek  community,  is  presided  over 
by  the  metropolitan  bishop,  who  with  the  archons 
arranges  all  civil  disputes  in  which  Turks  are  not 
concerned,  unless  when  the  Christians  think  fit  to 
resort  to  the  Mekheme. 

By  a  strange  distortion  of  ancient  geography, 
Thessalonica  and  Berrhcea  are  ecclesiastically 
£7rap^mi,     or    provinces    of   Thessaly '  ;     thus    the 


1  This  false  chorography  is      and  wc  find  it  in  the  twelfth, 
as  old  as  the  ninth  century;      in  Anna  Comnena  (1. 14,  c.  10.) 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


251 


bishop  of  Thessalonica  is  styled  vtteotijuoc  kcu  tfrip- 
%oq  iraom  QtrraXiag ;  he  claims  the  privilege  of 
the  epithet  iravayiwraroc  in  his  own  province,  but 
elsewhere  is  intitled  only,  like  other  metropolitans, 
to  the  Traviepu>Ta.TOQ.  The  bishoprics  of  his  pro- 
vince are  Kitro,  Kampania,  Platamona  together 
with  Lykostomo,  Servia,  Petra,  Ardhameri,  of 
which  the  residence  is  Galatista,  and  Ierisso  which 
includes  the  Aion  Oros. 

There  are  some  opulent  Greek  merchants  at 
Salon iki,  most  of  whom  are  indebted  for  the  un- 
disturbed possession  and  increase  of  their  wealth 
to  the  protection  which  they  have  enjoyed  as 
dragomans  or  barataires  of  the  European  mis- 
sions. Now  that  these  protections  are  about  to  be 
abolished,  their  situation  will  be  much  more  pre- 
carious. 

There  are  three  sorts  of  kharatj  paid  by  the 
rayahs ;  the  first,  called  edina,  is  of  3  piastres,  to 
which  boys  under  14  are  subject,  but  which  is 
generally  exacted  from  all  under  11  ;  the  second, 
the  efsat,  of  6  piastres,  is  paid  by  artisans,  servants, 
and  all  the  poor,  even  beggars ;  the  third,  alia, 
taken  from  all  the  classes  above  the  last,  amounts 
at  Salonica  to  12  piastres  a  head.  Mr.  N — ,  the 
principal  Greek  merchant,  who  is  procurator  for 
Mount  Athos,  informs  me  that  he  pays  only  3600 
kharatj es  for  the  whole  population  of  the  peninsula, 
though  there  are  4000  monks  alone,  besides  laics. 


who  with  all  her  learning  seems      founds  Philippi  with  Philippo- 
to   have   known   but   little    of     polis,  1.  5,  c.  3. 
ancient  geography,  for  she  con- 


252 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


It  is  almost  the  only  place  where  the  kharatj  is  un- 
derrated. Those  who  farm  it  having  generally  the 
means  of  making  good  their  claims  for  an  increase 
in  the  rayah  population,  it  most  frequently  hap- 
pens that  individuals  pay  more  than  the  regulated 
sum,  and  scarcely  ever  the  reverse.  Sometimes 
they  are  called  upon  for  the  double  or  triple. 
The  Turks  are  probably  aware  that  Mount  Athos  is 
rated  below  its  numbers,  but  being  the  abode  of  per- 
sons devoted  to  religion,  it  is  intitled  to  favour  by  the 
Turkish  usages,  for  custom  is  a  powerful  argument 
among  them,  though  seldom  employed,  as  in  the 
instance  just  mentioned,  for  the  benefit  of  any  but 
themselves.  A  Pasha,  of  Saloniki  having;  received 
orders  to  join  the  Grand  Vezir's  army,  was  waited 
upon  by  a  merchant  acting  as  English  consul, 
to  whom  he  was  indebted  about  30/.  My  friend, 
said  he,  where  am  I  to  find  a  para  ?  I  have  not 
money  to  pay  the  bread  1  have  been  eating  here  ; 
the  Porte  indeed  has  sent  me  500  purses,  but  it 
will  not  discharge  one  fourth  of  my  debts.  At 
least,  says  the  consul,  you  will  give  me  an  ac- 
knowledgment in  writing.  Adet  deil :  it  is  not 
the  custom  ;  was  the  only  reply.  It  is  the  custom 
to  admit  Christians  to  see  the  mosques  of  Saloniki, 
which  have  been  once  churches,  probably  because 
the  imam  gets  a  fee  by  it. 

The  menials  of  a  Turkish  family  at  Saloniki, 
such  as  the  kahuedji,  tutunji,  akhdji  ',  receive 
about  10  piastres  (12  shillings  sterling)  a  month. 
A  yazji,    or  scribe,   30  piastres.      Greek  women 


1  Coffee-man,  smoke-man.  cook. 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


253 


servants  in  the  Frank  families  have  about  50 
piastres  a  year,  with  some  articles  of  clothing-  ; 
in  all  cases  with  board.  The  finest  bread  is  now 
15  paras  the  oke  of  2 jibs.,  and  mutton  18  or  20 
paras  an  oke  ;  beef  only  8  or  10,  as  it  is  consumed 
only  by  Jews  and  Franks.  The  ordinary  price  of 
silk  is  50  piastres  the  oke ;  and  almost  every  family 
raises  silkworms.  Ordinary  cotton  and  woollen 
stuffs  for  the  clothing  of  the  common  people  are 
also  woven  in  the  private  houses  as  well  as  in  the 
surrounding  villages.  A  considerable  quantity  of 
cotton  towels  are  made  here,  sometimes  with  a 
border  of  gold  threads,  for  the  vtyi/uov,  or  washing 
of  the  upper  classes  before  and  after  meals,  which 
in  every  part  of  Greece  is  practised  as  in  the  time  of 
Homer1.  Silken  gauze  for  shirts  and  mosquito  cur- 
tains, are  another  fabric  of  the  city,  but  the  chief 
manufacture  is  the  tanning  and  dyeing  of  leather, 
which  is  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  Janissaries. 
The  commerce  of  Saloniki  has  very  much  declined 
during  the  war,  and  even  since  Beaujour  described 
it  in  1797.  Tobacco  sent  from  hence  in  imperial 
ships  is  now  the  only  considerable  export.  No  Eng- 
lish ship  has  loaded  here  for  12  years.  The  beys 
have  their  magazines  full  of  corn,  which  by  a  fir- 
mahn  of  the  Porte,  issued  last  year  and  renewed  this 
year,  they  are  forbidden  from  sending  to  Christen- 


1   Xipuifta  &  afx<pi7ro\()Q  Trpo^oa)  kiri\tve  (pepovaa 
KaXjj  ■^pvtrtirf  vTrtp  dpyvpeoio  Xi^rjrog 
Wif/affOat.  Od.  A.  v.  13G. 

But  we  must  now  read  copper  and    tin  instead  of  gold  and 
silver,  even  in  the  case  of  Pashas. 


254 


MACEDONIA. 


Fen  A  P. 


dom.  Meantime  the  Porte  demands  a  certain  pro- 
portion from  all  the  most  productive  corn  countries 
of  the  empire,  Macedonia  among  the  rest,  at  a  low- 
price,  on  the  pretence  of  fitting  out  fleets  and 
armies.  The  consequence  has  been,  that  last  year, 
when  the  price  of  corn  at  Athens  was  very  high,  it 
was  sold  by  the  government  at  Constantinople  to 
foreigners,  at  a  much  lower  price  than  they  might 
have  received  for  it  in  Greece,  including  the  ex- 
pence  of  sending  it  there.  Three  or  four  hundred 
thousand  Stambul  kila  of  wheat  might  be  procured 
here  in  a  month,  and  cattle  in  any  number  that 
could  be  required.  The  Beys  of  Saloniki  suffer 
more  than  the  more  distant  landlords,  because  the 
smuggling  of  corn  can  be  more  easily  carried  on 
from  any  other  part  of  the  coast.  In  general  the 
orders  of  the  Porte  against  the  exportation  of  corn 
are  converted  into  a  source  of  profit  to  the  local 
governor ;  but  in  a  fortified  place,  under  the  eyes 
of  a  Pasha,  and  in  time  of  war,  more  attention  to 
the  imperial  orders  is  necessary. 

In  reading  descriptions  of  China  one  is  struck 
by  the  similarity  of  the  customs  of  that  country 
with  those  of  Turkey,  arising  from  the  same  Tartar 
origin.  Their  dress  and  architecture,  their  custom 
of  interchanging  presents,  their  habit  of  smoking, 
and  the  amusements  at  their  festivals,  are  almost 
identical.  Public  employments  are  generally  venal, 
in  spite  of  the  Sovereign.  The  quantity  of  escort 
when  a  man  goes  out,  is  the  measure  of  his  gran- 
deur. It  is  unpolite  to  speak  of  any  but  agreeable 
subjects  at  visits,  and  even  to  use  certain  words  con- 
veying hateful  ideas.     The  Emperor  gives  only  two 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


255 


audiences  to  ambassadors,  one  at  coming,  the  other 
at  departing.  When  a  great  man  passes  through 
the  streets,  his  approach  is  indicated  by  a  small 
drum.  A  drum  marks  the  watches  of  the  night. 
Provincial  governors  are  changed  very  frequently. 

Tjay,  of  which  word  tea  is  the  softened  English 
form,  preserves  its  original  sound  from  Japan  to 
the  Adriatic.  From  the  Lettres  'Edifiantes,  we 
learn  that  the  Mongol  Tartars  distinguish  black 
tea  by  the  name  Kara  Tjay,  like  the  Turks.  The 
latter,  however,  now  make  very  little  use  of  tea, 
except  medicinally,  nor  is  any  brought  to  them 
overland  as  formerly,  their  supply  being  entirely, 
as  well  as  that  of  the  greater  part  of  their  coffee, 
from  Europe.  In  Barbary  the  custom  of  drinking 
tea,  particularly  green  tea,  still  prevails. 

There  are  many  words  in  Turkish,  which  having 
been  borrowed  from  the  Greek,  seem  to  show  that 
the  Turks  had  not  in  their  own  country  the  objects 
expressed  by  them  ;  for  example,  lelck  stork,  liman 
port,  keremid  tile.  The  borrowing  of  titles  is  more 
easily  accounted  for,  as  Effendi  from  avdevrrfq. 
Effendem  in  Turkish,  and  aufovr^uou  or  more  vul- 
garly a<ptvTi^iov  in  Greek,  is  the  common  mode  of 
addressing  a  gentleman  among  both  people. 

The  Turks  have  a  certain  manly  politeness, 
which  is  the  most  powerful  of  all  modes  of  deceit, 
and  which  seldom  fails  in  giving  strangers  an  er- 
roneous impression  of  their  real  character.  It 
covers  a  rooted  aversion  to  all  European  nations, 
as  well  as  to  the  individuals  who  have  the  mis- 
fortune to  have  any  dealings  with  these  plausible 
barbarians.     Though  in  the  most  splendid  sera  of 

12 


256 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


their  history  their  feelings  may  have  been  those  of 
contempt,  founded  upon  ignorance,  fanaticism  and 
the  pride  of  conquest,  it  has  been  changed  by  their 
weakness  and  their  dread  of  the  Christians  of 
Europe,  into  a  mixture  of  fear  and  hatred.  Thus 
there  are  two  things  which  the  European  who  has 
any  political  dealings  with  the  Turk,  should  never 
lose  sight  of:  1,  that  he  hates  us  :  2,  that  he  fears 
us.  By  the  latter  only  can  we  counteract  the  ef- 
fects of  the  former,  added  as  it  is,  to  the  most  pro- 
found dissimulation,  a  keen  sense  of  self-interest, 
and  an  obstinate  perseverance  in  defending  it. 
The  Turks  have  so  long  experienced  the  advantages 
of  conduct  founded  on  this  basis,  and  that  of  the 
mutual  jealousy  of  the  several  European  powers, 
that  we  may  rely  upon  their  adhering  to  it,  as  long- 
as  they  have  a  foot  of  land  on  the  continent  of 
Europe.  To  say  that  the  Turks  have  more  honour 
and  honesty  than  their  Christian  subjects,  is  a  poor 
commendation  :  they  have  not  the  same  necessity 
for  the  practice  of  fraud  and  falsehood.  What 
other  arms  against  their  tyrants,  are  left  to  the  un- 
fortunate rayahs  ! 

It  is  not  in  the  materials,  but  in  the  machinery 
of  war,  that  the  Turks  are  defective,  and  have 
hence  become  contemptible  as  a  military  power : 
they  possess  great  numbers  of  armed  men,  strong, 
courageous,  and  enduring,  and  who,  if  properly 
managed,  might  oppose  the  most  formidable  re- 
sistance to  the  march  of  a  numerous  regular  army 
through  Turkey,  where  supplies  are  so  scanty. 
Their  very  irregularity  would  in  some  respects 
render  them  more  destructive  to  the  formal  tactics 


XXVI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


257 


of  an  European  power.  But  this  powerful  engine 
is  rendered  inefficient  by  the  impotence  of  the 
government :  repeated  firmahns,  which  have  lately- 
arrived  at  Saloniki  for  the  movement  of  the  Mace- 
donian troops  to  the  northward,  have  produced 
only  the  march  of  a  few  Janissaries  from  this  city. 
All  the  Yuruks  and  Janissaries  of  the  subordinate 
towns  have  pleaded  the  insufficiency  of  their  force 
for  their  own  defence,  and  yet  Macedonia  is  consi- 
dered one  of  the  most  military  provinces  in  the 
empire.  The  Albanians  justly  hold  both  Janissa- 
ries and  Yuruks  cheap  in  comparison  of  them- 
selves ;  but  they  have  a  considerable  respect  for 
the  Turkish  cavalry. 


VOL.   in 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

MACEDONIA. 

Departure  from  Saloniki — Tekeli — Bridge  of  the  Vardhari  or 
Ax'ms — Alaklisi,  or  Apostolus — Telia — Yenidje,  or  Iannitza 
—  Paleokastro  —  River  of  Moglena  —  Vodhena,  Edessa  — 
Vladova — Ancient  Inscriptions  at  Vodhena — Via  Egnatia — 
Niausta,  Citium — Verria,  Berrhcea — Kastania — Mount  Bcr- 
mium — Khadova— Plain  of  Budja — Djuma — Eordcea — Suli- 
naria — Kozani. 

Nov.  26. — From  Saloniki  to  Alaklisi  in  five  hours 
and  fifty  minutes,  with  menzil  horses  and  bag- 
gage, and  deducting  halts.  The  road  lies  all  the 
way  through  the  plain.  At  an  hour  and  a  half 
from  the  city  a  rivulet  named  Galliko  crosses  the 
road  and  flows  directly  to  the  gulf;  half  an  hour 
beyond  it  is  Tekeli,  a  small  village,  where  the 
horses  are  changed  ;  and  an  hour  and  a  half  far- 
ther a  bridge  over  the  river  Axius,  now  called  Vard- 
hari ',  by  which  name  it  was  known  before  the 
twelfth  century,  as  appears  from  Anna  Com- 
nena 2.  To  the  right,  between  Tekeli  and  the 
bridge,  two  pointed  tumuli  are  very  conspicuous 
objects  ;  one  in  particular  is  of  uncommon  magni- 
tude. The  bridge  of  the  Vardhari  is  about  1800 
feet  long,  and  crosses  an  island  lying  in  the  middle 


1   Bapcdpiov. 


2  Anna  Comnena,  1.  1,  p.  18.     Paris. 


CHAP.    XXVII.]  MACEDONIA. 


259 


of  the  river,  which  occupies  about  a  third  of  the 
whole  breadth  between  the  banks.  The  stream  is 
now  rapid,  deep,  and  swollen  with  rain,  though 
not  so  high  as  it  usually  is  in  winter.  Below  the 
bridge,  about  midway  to  the  mouth,  the  river 
leaves  Kulakia,  a  large  Greek  village,  at  no  great 
distance  on  the  left,  and  widens  so  much  before  it 
meets  the  sea,  as  to  be  near  two  miles  in  breadth. 
Kulakia,  which  is  in  the  road  from  Saloniki  to 
Katerina  as  well  as  to  Verria,  is  the  residence  of 
the  bishop  t^-  Ka^wavlag,  one  of  the  subordinates 
of  the  metropolitan  despot  of  Thessalonica.  The 
bishop  of  Campania  formerly  resided  at  Kapso- 
khori,  another  Greek  village,  situated  between  the 
Karasmak,  or  Mavpovepi,  and  the  Injekara,  or 
Bkttp'itZu,  in  a  well -wooded  part  of  the  plains, 
around  which  are  some  other  Greek  villages. 
All  the  rest  of  the  population  of  these  great  plains 
of  Lower  Macedonia  consists  of  Bulgarian  culti- 
vators of  the  Turkish  tjiftliks  which  are  dispersed 
over  it. 

One  hour  and  ten  minutes  beyond  the  bridge,  a 
small  flat-topped  height  is  on  the  left  of  the  road, 
on  the  summit  of  which  are  some  ancient  founda- 
tions, and  around  it  a  Turkish  burying  ground,  in 
which  are  many  fluted  and  plain  shafts,  and  other 
fragments  of  architecture,  together  with  a  pedestal 
bearing  an  imperfect  inscription.  This  place  is 
about  a  mile  distant  from  the  south-eastern  ex- 
tremity of  a  high  mountain,  which  stretches  from 
the  right  bank  of  the  Vardhari  in  the  direction  of 
Vodhena.  The  valley  of  that  river  is  seen  to  our 
right  branching  to  a  considerable  distance  among 

s  2 


•2G0 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


the  mountains.  Midway  between  the  artificial 
height  and  Alaklisi,  which  is  I  hour  and  10 
minutes  beyond  it,  a  tumulus  rises  close  to  the 
road  on  the  right,  then  five  more,  nearly  in 
a  line,  the  last  of  which  is  at  a  musquet  shot 
from  Alaklisi.  These  tumuli  stand  on  the  last 
slope  of  the  mountain,  where  a  mile  on  the  left 
begins  an  immense  marsh,  which  extends  as  far  as 
can  be  seen  southward  towards  the  sea,  and  west- 
ward towards  the  Olympene  range  of  mountains 
which  border  the  plains  on  the  west.  The  tumulus 
nearest  to  Alaklisi  is  a  great  heap  of  earth  based 
upon  the  rock,  which  all  around  is  covered  only 
with  a  thin  layer  of  mould.  An  opening  cut  in  the 
rock,  covered  above  with  a  semicircular  arched 
roof  of  masonry,  and  having  a  small  chamber  on 
either  side  of  it,  leads  on  a  descent  33  feet  long,  to 
two  chambers,  which  are  excavated  in  the  rock, 
under  the  centre  of  the 
tumulus,  and  are  now 
nearly  filled  with  the 
earth  washed  into  them 
through  the  entrance. 
Of  these,  the  first  cham- 
ber is  56  feet  long  and 
10.9  broad,  the  inner 
13*  by  11*. 

The  plain  between  Saloniki  and  Alaklisi  is  by 
no  means  so  well  cultivated  or  peopled  as  that  of 
Serres,  on  the  road  we  met  only  some  small  cara- 
vans of  camels  ;  but  it  feeds  a  great  number  of 
herds  and  flocks,  and  abounds  in  hares,  plovers, 
and  woodcocks.     On  the  lake  there  are  myriads  of 


i_n    n_r 


■y 


n 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


26 


the  duck  tribe  in  the  winter  ;  and  partridges  of  the 
red-legged  species  on  the  slopes  of  the  hills.  The 
English  breed  has  been  introduced  by  some  of  the 
merchants  of  Salonlki,  but  has  not  propagated  far 
from  the  neighbourhood  of  the  city.  Alaklisi, 
meaning  in  Turkish  Godchurch,  is  by  the  Greeks 
named  gtovq  ' 'Atto(tt6\ovq,  and  by  the  Bulgarians 
Postol.  It  contains  40  or  50  poor  cottages,  and 
belongs  to  Selim  Bey,  of  Saloniki,  who  maintains 
here  an  Albanian  Subashi,  with  a  small  guard. 
The  village  is  not  in  the  direct  road  to  Yenidje, 
but  half  a  mile  to  the  right  of  it. 

Nov.  27. — On  the  descent  from  Alaklisi  into  the 
main  route,  the  fields  are  covered  with  fragments 
of  former  buildings,  and  of  ancient  pottery,  such 
as  are  generally  observable  on  the  sites  of  Hellenic 
cities.  The  foundations  of  a  wall  of  the  construc- 
tion of  those  times  is  seen  at  right  angles  to  the 
road,  and  terminating  apparently  at  the  marsh,  the 
edge  of  which  is  parallel  to  the  road  at  the  distance 
of  half  a  mile.  A  little  beyond  these  foundations, 
following  the  road  towards  Yenidje,  occurs  a  foun- 
tain, below  which,  on  the  edge  of  the  marsh,  is  a 
small  village,  named  Neokhori  or  Yenikiuy,  where 
a  low  mound  of  considerable  extent,  and  apparently 
artificial,  seems  to  have  been  intended  as  a  defence 
against  the  encroachment  of  the  marsh.  At  20 
minutes  from  Alaklisi,  and  10  beyond  the  first 
fountain,  is  another  much  more  copious  source, 
which  is  received  into  a  square  reservoir  of  ma- 
sonry, and  flows  out  of  it  in  a  stream  to  the  marsh. 
This  source  is  called  by  the  Bulgarians  Pel,  and 
by  the  Greeks  UtXXri.      As  the   ancient  cities  of 


262 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


Greece  often  derived  their  names  from  a  river  or 
fountain,  the  same  may  have  occurred  in  the  in- 
stance of  the  celebrated  capital  of  Philip  and  his 
successors,  which  the  description  of  Livy;  compared 
with  the  tumuli  and  other  ancient  remains,  clearly 
show  to  have  stood  in  this  situation.  It  would 
seem  as  if  the  name  of  Pella  had  survived  even  the 
ruins  of  the  city,  and  had  reverted  to  the  fountain 
to  which  it  was  originally  attached.  The  word 
was  appropriate  to  a  fountain,  whether  derived  from 
the  same  etymon  as  7reXX»j  mulctrum,  or  from  in\6q 
black,  an  epithet  which  has  been  very  generally 
applied  by  the  Greeks  to  a  source  of  water,  from 
the  jueXav  v$(op  of  Homer  to  the  mavromati  of  the 
present  day.  Below  the  fountain  are  some  remains 
of  buildings,  said  to  have  been  baths,  and  still  called 
to.  Aovrpa.  The  baths  of  Pella  are  alluded  to  by  a 
comic  poet  cited  by  Athenaeus  !.  There  is  nothing 
remarkable  in  the  taste  of  the  water,  but  it  has  a 
slight  degree  of  warmth,  which  perhaps  might  not 
be  perceptible  in  summer.  The  reservoir  stands 
upon  the  foundations  of  a  Hellenic  wall,  above  which, 
in  a  corn-field,  is  a  large  piece  of  masonry,  con- 
structed with  mortar  :  all  the  cultivated  land  around 
is  covered  with  pottery  and  stones,  and  hereabout 
the  coins  which  the  labourers  of  Aiakiisi  collect  in 
great  abundance,  are  chiefly  found. 

Eight  minutes  beyond  the  baths  begins  a  second 
line  of  tumuli,  of  which  there  are  three  parallel  to 
the  road,  at  a  short  distance  to  the  right  of  it.  The 
westernmost,  or  last  towards  Yenidje,  is  the  largest 


1  Macho  ap.  Athen.  1.  8,  c,  9. 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


263 


of  all,  and  has  either  been  excavated,  or  has  fallen 
in  by  natural  decay,  for  it  now  exhibits  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  double  summit,  with  a  hollow  in  the 
middle.  It  might  naturally  be  supposed,  that 
some  of  these  tumuli  were  royal  sepulchres, 
especially  the  last  mentioned,  as  well  as  that  nearest 
to  Alaklisi,  which  contains  chambers  in  the  rock  ; 
but  as  we  are  informed  upon  good  authority  that 
iEgse  continued  to  be  the  burial  place  of  the  royal 
family,  even  after  the  seat  of  government  was  trans- 
ferred to  Pella,  that  the  body  of  Alexander  was 
destined  to  be  sent  to  the  same  place,  had  not  Pto- 
lemy caused  it  to  be  carried  to  Egypt  \  and  that 
Philip  Aridaeus,  his  wife  Eurydice,  and  her  mo- 
ther Cynna,  were  buried  at  iEgae  by  Cassander  2  ; 
it  is  more  probable  that  the  tumuli  of  Pella  are  the 
tombs  of  some  of  the  noble  families  of  Macedonia. 
That  which  I  examined  near  Alaklisi  might  have 
been  the  receptacle  of  a  family  during  a  long  suc- 
cession of  ages,  and  from  the  arched  entrance  it 
seems  to  have  been  used  for  this  purpose,  as  late 
as  the  Roman  Empire. 

Although  so  little  remains  of  Pella,  a  tolerable 
idea  may  be  formed  of  its  extent  and  general  plan 
by  means  of  the  description  of  Livy,  compared  with 
the  existing  traces.  The  interval  between  the 
westernmost  of  the  eastern  tumuli  and  the  eastern- 
most of  the  western  was  probably  something  more 
than  the  maximum  of  the  diameter  of  the  city,  as 
we  cannot  but  suppose  these  monuments  to  have 


1  Pausan.  Attic,  c.  6. 

2  Diodor.  1.  19,  c.  52. 


Diyllus  ap.  Athen.  1.  4,  c.  14. 


264 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


stood  on  the  outside  of  the  walls.  Its  circum- 
ference, therefore,  was  about  three  miles.  The 
two  sources  were  probably  about  the  centre  of  the 
site,  and  the  modern  road  may  possibly  be  in  the 
exact  line  of  a  main  street  which  traversed  it  from 
east  to  west.  The  temple  of  Minerva  Alcidemus 
is  the  only  public  building  mentioned  in  his- 
tory !,  but  of  its  exact  situation  we  must  remain 
in  ignorance,  unless  some  excavation  or  accidental 
discovery  should  hereafter  reveal  it.  Of  the  con- 
struction of  the  city  towards  the  lake,  the  historian 
has  left  us  the  following  description,  derived  un- 
doubtedly from  Polybius  :  "  Pella  stands  upon  a 
height  sloping  to  the  southwest,  and  is  bounded  by 
marshes,  which  are  impassable  both  in  winter  and 
summer,  and  are  caused  by  the  overflowing  of  a  lake. 
The  citadel  rises  like  an  island  from  the  part  of 
the  marsh  nearest  to  the  city,  being  built  upon  an 
immense  embankment  which  defies  all  injury  from 
the  waters  ;  though  appearing  at  a  distance  to  be 
united  to  the  wall  of  the  city,  it  is  in  reality  sepa- 
rated from  it  by  a  wet  ditch,  over  which  there  is  a 
bridge,  so  that  no  access  whatever  is  afforded  to  an 
enemy,  nor  can  any  prisoner  whom  the  king  may 
confine  in  the  castle  escape  but  by  the  easily- 
guarded  bridge.  In  this  fortress  was  the  royal 
treasure2." 


1  Liv.  I.  42,  c.  51. 

2  The  word  arx  is  wanting 
in  our  copies  of  Livy,  but  seems 
absolutely  necessary,  both  to 
the   sense    and   the    grammar. 


The  passage  is  as  follows : — 
"  Sita  est  in  tumulo,  vergente 
in  occidentem  hybemum  ;  cin- 
gunt  paludes  inexsuperabilis 
altitudinis    sestate    et    hyemc 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


265 


The  mound  near  Neokhori  marks  perhaps  the 
line  where  the  wall  was  separated  by  the  wet 
ditch  from  the  citadel,  but  no  vestiges  of  the 
island  are  to  be  perceived,  which  is  not  surprising 
as  the  citadel  of  Pella  has  now  for  not  less  pro- 
bably than  fifteen  centuries  been  abandoned  to 
the  incroachments  of  the  lake  and  the  effects  of  the 
seasons.  Beaujour  asserts  that  he  saw  the  re- 
mains of  a  port,  and  of  a  nicely-levelled  canal 
communicating  from  the  port  to  the  sea  l.  I  am 
informed,  that  in  summer  when  the  marsh  recedes 
from  its  present  limits,  some  remains  of  a  canal 
may  be  traced  from  the  heights  above  Alaklisi, 
but  as  to  the  port,  I  can  neither  perceive  the  least 
traces  of  it,  nor  can  I  discover  where  M.  Beaujour 
found  any  mention  of  it  in  ancient  history.  No- 
thing seems  to  have  been  wanted  for  a  water 
communication  between  the  city  and  the  sea  but 
to  clear  a  passage  through  the  marshes,  which  in 
all  the  deeper  parts  are  capable  of  receiving  ves- 
sels of  a  considerable  draught  of  water.  Scylax 
seems  to  have  been  sensible  of  this  fact,  for  he 
merely  states  that  there  was  a  navigation  from  the 


quas  restagnantes  faciunt  la- 
cus.  In  ipsa  palude,  qua 
proxima  urbi  est,  (arx)  velut 
insula  eminet,  aggeri  operis  in- 
ge  ntis  imposita  :  qui  et  murum 
sustineat  et  humore  circumfusa? 
paiudis  nihil  laedatur.  Muro 
urbis  conjuncta  procul  videtur : 
divisa  est  intermurali  amni  et 
eadem  ponte  juncta :  ut  nee 
obpugnante  externo  aditum  ab 


ulla  parte  habeat,  nee  si  quern 
ibi  rex  includat,  ullum  nisi  per 
facillimae  custodiae  pontem  ef- 
fugium.  Et  gaza  regia  in  eo 
loco  erat". — Liv.  1.  44,  c.  46. 
1  On  voit  encore  le  pour- 
tour  de  son  magnifique  port  et 
les  vestiges  du  canal  qui  joig- 
noit  ce  port  a.  la  mer  par  le 
niveau  le  mieux  entendu.  — 
Beaujour,  tome  i.  p.  87,  note. 


266 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


sea  by  the  Lydias  to  the  royal  residence  of  Mace- 
donia1, which  was  120  stades  in  length  exclusive 
of  the  Lydias2.  The  lake  was  named  Borborus, 
as  appears  from  an  epigram,  in  which  Aristotle 
was  reproached  for  preferring  a  residence  near  the 
Borborus  to  that  of  the  Academy 3. 

From  the  baths  of  Pella  to  Yenidje  is  a  ride 
of  50  minutes.  Two  miles  to  the  right  of  the 
last  tumulus  of  Pella  is  the  village  of  Alatjaush- 
luk,  standing  on  the  slope  of  the  mountain. 
Iannitza,  or  Ghianitza4,  more  commonly  known 
to  the  inhabitants,  being  chiefly  Turks,  by  the 
corrupted  Turkish  form  of  Yenidje,  appears  to 
have  declined  considerably  of  late  years,  as  the 
number  of  houses  is  now  by  no  means  propor- 
tioned to  the  eight  minarets  which  the  town  still 
exhibits.  There  are  however  several  good  Turkish 
dwellings,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  town  that  of 
Abdurrahman  Bey,  an  Osmanli  of  an  ancient  fa- 
mily,  and  possessor  of  a  large  proportion  of  the 


1  Scylax  in  MaKeSovla.  The 
text  is  corrupted,  and  the  com- 
mentators differ  as  to  whether 
the  emendation  should  he  Ht'AXa 
wvXiq  or  TroXig  Alyai.     There 


can  he  little  doubt  that  it  was 
the  former,  as  there  could  not 
have  been  any  navigation    to 
within  many  miles  of  iEgas. 
2  Strabo,  (Epit.  1.  7,)  p.  330. 


3  'Of  £ia  T))i>  ctKparrj  yaarpoQ  (pvcnv  elXero  vaiziv 
'Ayr  ^KaSrjfxetac  Hopfiopov  iv  irpo^oaiq. 
Theocrit.  Chius  ap.  Plutarch  de  Exil.  et  Euseb. 

According  to  Archestratus  it      mis,  of  great  size,  and  particu- 
produced  a  fish  called  the  Chro-      larly  fat  in  summer. 

Toy  xpofxiv  iv  IleXXj/  Xi'i^rj  fxiyav'  kari  ()e  Triwv 
*Av  QipoQ  y.  Archest,  ap.  Athen.  1.  7,  c.  24. 

1  TayyiT^a,  TtaviT^a. 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


267 


neighbouring  lands,  which  produce  grain,  cotton, 
and  tobacco.  The  last  of  these,  which  occupies 
most  of  the  land  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
Yenidje,  is  renowned  in  every  part  of  Turkey  for 
its  aromatic  tutun,  which,  together  with  coffee,  sup- 
plies the  Turks  with  a  stimulant  at  least  as  agree- 
able as  the  meagre  ill-made  wines  of  modern 
Greece.  The  leaves  have  been  lately  gathered, 
strung  together,  and  hung  up  to  dry,  which  opera- 
tions are  chiefly  performed  by  the  women  :  every 
wall  in  the  town  is  now  festooned  with  tobacco 
leaves,  but  particularly  the  open  galleries  which 
surround  all  the  houses,  and  into  which  the 
inner  chambers  open.  As  the  apartments  in 
general  have  hearths  only,  without  chimneys, 
the  smoke  of  the  wood  which  is  burnt  upon 
them  circulates  amidst  the  tobacco  leaves,  and 
gives  the  tobacco  a  peculiar  flavour,  which  Italians 
object  to,  but  Turks  admire.  The  herb  of  Yenidje 
is  of  the  species  called  garden  tobacco,  and  has  a 
small  yellowish  leaf.  The  territory  yields  in  good 
years  2000  bales  of  80  okes.  The  late  harvest  of 
corn  has  been  abundant,  and  the  Bey  has  his 
granaries  overflowing  for  want  of  a  market. 

Yenidje  is  commonly  known  among  the  Turks 
in  distant  parts  of  the  country  by  the  name  of 
Vardar  Yenidje,  to  distinguish  it  from  the  Karasu 
Yenidje,  still  more  renowned  for  its  tobacco,  and 
which  is  situated  about  as  far  from  the  Nestus  or 
Karasu  eastward,  as  the  Vardar  Yenidje  is  to  the 
westward    of   the   Axius1.      The   lofty   and   con- 

1  So  poor  is  the  Turkish  nomenclature,  that  black  and 
language    in    its   geographical      white  mountains,   and    black, 


268 


MACEDONIA, 


[chap. 


spicuous  mountain  which  rises  behind  Pella  and 
Yenidje,  is  named  by  the  Bulgarians  Paik,  and  bv 
the  Greeks  the  mountain  of  Iannitza.  The  ancient 
name  I  know  not  where  to  look  for.  On  the 
southern  side  it  is  for  the  most  part  bare  and 
rocky,  but  on  the  summit  and  northern  face  it 
contains  forests  chiefly  of  chestnut  trees.  Beyond 
it  is  the  district  named  by  the  Christians  Moglena, 
and  by  the  Turks  Karadjovasi,  into  which  there  is 
a  direct  road  across  the  mountain  from  Yenidje, 
but  the  more  frequented  route  makes  a  circuit  of 
the  western  end  of  the  mountain. 

Nov.  29. — Many  remains  of  Hellenic  antiquity, 
such  as  squared  blocks  of  stone  and  fragments  of 
architecture,  are  to  be  seen  in  the  streets  and 
burying-grounds  of  Yenidje,  which  has  been 
built  and  repaired  with  the  spoils  of  Pella.  In 
quitting  the  town  this  morning  for  Vodhena  I 
diverge  to  the  right  of  the  direct  road,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  visiting  Balakastra,  as  the  Turks  call 
Paleokastro,  a  tjiftlik  of  Abdurrahman  Bey,  which 
he  recommended  to  my  notice  as  a  place  contain- 
ing antiquities,  and  arrive  there  in  forty  minutes. 
Just  above  the  tjiftlik  a  copious  source  issues  from 
the  foot  of  the  mountain,  turns  several  mills,  and 


white,  blue,  and  yellow  rivers 
are  found  in  all  parts  of  the 
empire.  Though  the  Slrymon 
and  Nestus  are  so  near  to  each 
other,  they  are  both  called 
Karasu,  or  Black  Water,  and 
the  Erigon,  or  great  western 
branch  of  the  Axius,  has  no 
other  name  than  that  of  Kutjuk 


or  little  Karasu.  In  Bulgarian 
it  bears  the  synonym  Tjerna, 
but  among  that  people  the 
epithet  (little)  is  not  necessary 
to  distinguish  it,  as  the  two 
other  Karasus  preserve  among 
the  Christians  their  ancient 
names  slightly  corrupted. 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


269 


waters  some  gardens  belonging  to  the  farm  which  is 
on  its  right  bank.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream 
are  many  ancient  wrought  blocks  in  and  around 
a  ruined  chapel ;  others  are  observable  in  different 
parts  of  the  tjiftlik,  as  well  as  at  the  mills  near  the 
source ;  so  that  there  can  be  little  doubt  that 
Paleokastro  was  an  ancient  site.  The  position  is 
very  agreeable,  being  well  furnished  with  wood 
and  water,  and  commanding  a  prospect  over  an 
extensive  level  bounded  by  the  mountain  of  Ian- 
nitza,  the  lake  of  Pella,  and  the  heights  near  Vod- 
hena.  This  plain  is  much  better  cultivated  than 
any  part  of  that  towards  Saloniki,  being  now 
almost  a  continued  field  of  nascent  corn,  without 
a  single  fence. 

Leaving  Paleokastro  exactly  at  noon,  we  follow 
a  carriage-road  through  the  plain,  and  pass  several 
small  Turkish  villages  with  burying-grounds,  in 
which  the  tombstones  are  for  the  most  part  ancient 
wrought  blocks  or  fragments  of  architecture.  Many 
of  these  have  probably  been  brought  from  Paleo- 
kastro, or  even  from  Pella,  for  the  Turks  often  re- 
sort to  a  considerable  distance  for  the  stones,  which 
they  convert  into  sepulchral  monuments.  At  1.40 
we  cross  a  large  river  by  a  bridge  which  derives  its 
name  of  Koluden  Kiupresi  from  a  small  village  a 
little  below  it  on  the  left  bank.  The  river  flows  from 
the  valley  of  Karadjovasi,  or  Moglena,  which  is 
separated  from  the  plain  by  a  range  of  small  hills, 
admitting  only  a  narrow  vale  for  the  passage  of  the 
river,  and  connecting  the  mountain  of  Iannitza 
with  the  great  range  which  is  a  continuation  of 
Olympus.     A   lofty   summit  to   the   northward  of 


270 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


Vodhena,  called  Nitje,  bounds  Karadjovasi  on  the 
west,  and  is  the  highest  point  of  the  range  except 
Olympus  itself. 

Moglena  is  a  Greek  bishopric,  under  the  name 
of  Moglena  and  Moleskha  \  The  former  name, 
as  well  as  Vodhena,  is  older  than  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury, as  we  learn  from  Anna  Comnena.  They  are 
both  to  be  traced  to  the  language  of  the  Sclavonic 
tribes,  who  occupied  the  Macedonian  plains  about 
the  ninth  century,  and  drove  the  Greeks  into  the 
Chalcidic  peninsula,  or  into  the  low  grounds  near 
the  sea,  where  the  marshes  and  rivers  which  inter- 
sect them  offered  means  of  resistance.  To  these 
two  parts  of  Lower  Macedonia  the  Greeks  are 
now  chiefly  confined,  and  there  the  names  of  places 
are  of  Greek  form  and  derivation.  The  Turks  of 
Karadjovasi  are  supposed,  for  the  most  part,  to  be 
Bulgarian  apostates  from  Christianity. 

A  high  snowy  mountain  makes  its  appearance 
to  the  northward  of  Mount  Paik,  which  is  said  to 
be  not  far  from  Istib  and  the  plains  of  the  Upper 
Axius.  The  river  of  Moglena  is  called  Karadja 
by  the  Turks,  Meglesnitj  by  the  Bulgarians,  and 
by  the  Greeks  Moglenitiko.  The  ancient  name  is 
not  certain,  possibly  it  was  Lydias,  or  Ludias,  for 
it  is  the  largest  of  the  rivers  which  fall  into  the 
lake  of  Pella,  and  its  course  before  it  enters  the 
lake  is  in  the  same  direction  in  which  the  Karas- 
mak,  or  Mavroneri,  which  we  know  to  have  been 
the  Lydias,  pursues  its  course  to  the  sea,  after 
emerging  from  the  lower  end  of  the  lake. 


1   MoyXerwv  Kal  Mo\e(t\(ov 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


271 


At  2.10  we  arrive  at  the  extremity  of  the 
plain,  which  is  not  less  than  fifty  miles  long,  in  a 
direct  line  from  its  opposite  end  near  Saloniki. 
Turning  a  point  of  the  heights  which  branch 
from  Mount  Nitje,  and  bound  the  valley  of  Vod- 
hena on  the  north,  we  enter  that  valley,  which  is 
about  a  mile  broad,  and  is  included  on  the  southern 
side  by  the  lowest  falls  of  Mount  Turla,  a  summit 
of  the  Olympene  range,  which  rises  above  Niausta. 
Nitje  is  a  link  in  the  same  chain,  and  is  separated 
from  it  only  by  the  pass  of  Vladova  behind  Vod- 
hena. The  valley  of  Vodhena,  at  the  end  of  four 
miles,  is  closed  by  precipices  over  which  the  river 
falls  in  one  principal  and  several  smaller  cascades. 
On  the  edge  of  the  cliffs  stands  the  town  of  Vod- 
hena. Ascending  the  valley  we  soon  reach  the 
left  bank  of  the  river  formed  by  the  reunion  of 
the  torrents  which  fall  over  the  cliffs ;  it  is  a 
small,  but  deep  and  rapid  stream,  confined  by 
high  banks.  At  3.15  we  cross  it  by  a  bridge,  and 
immediately  afterwards  a  smaller  branch  by  another 
bridge,  then  enter  the  vineyards  and  mulberry 
grounds  which  extend  to  the  foot  of  the  precipices  of 
Vodhena ;  pass  soon  afterwards  some  foundations  of 
Hellenic  walls  on  the  road  side,  and  at  3.40  arrive 
at  the  cliffs.  Leaving  these  to  the  right,  we  mount 
the  heights  by  a  circuitous  stony  road,  which  in 
one  place  is  cut  through  the  rock,  and  enter  the 
town  through  a  wall  of  sun-baked  bricks. 

Vodhena,  in  the  grandeur  of  its  situation,  in  the 
magnificence  of  the  surrounding  objects,  and  the 
extent  of  the  rich  prospect  which  it  commands,  is 
not  inferior  to  any  situation  in  Greece.   As  Horace 

12 


272 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


said  of  Tibur  and  the  precipitous  Anio ',  neither 
Sparta  nor  Larissa,  although  both  combining  sub- 
limity and  beauty  of  scenery  in  the  highest  de- 
gree, appear  to  me  so  striking  as  the  rocks,  cas- 
cades, and  smiling  valleys  of   Vodhena,  encased 
in   lofty  mountains    which    expand    into    an    im- 
mense semicircle,   and  embrace  the   great  plains 
at  the  head  of  the   Tkermaic  Gulf.     There   can- 
not be  a  doubt  that  this  is  the  site  of  iEore,    or 
Edessa,  the  ancient  capital  of  Macedonia,  to  which 
it  was  well  adapted  by  its  lofty,  salubrious,  and 
strong  position,  at  the  entrance  of  a  pass  which 
was  the  most  important  in  the  kingdom,  as  lead- 
ing from  the  maritime  provinces  into  Upper  Mace- 
donia, and  by  another  branch  of  the  same  pass 
into  Lyncestis  and  Pelagonia.     Such   a  situation 
would  have  been  ill  exchanged  for  the  marshes  of 
Pella,  had  not  the  increasing  power  and  civiliza- 
tion of  the  Macedonians  rendered  maritime  com- 
munication of  more   importance    to  their  capital 
than    strength    of  position,    while    in    the    winter 
Pella  had  the  recommendation  of  a  much  milder 
climate. 

Vodhena,  so  called  from  the  Bulgarian  Voda 
with  a  Greek  termination,  in  allusion  to  its  plen- 
tiful waters,  is  a  metropolitan  bishopric,  compre- 
hending about  one  hundred  villages  of  Bulgarian 
Christians,   who   in  general    are  ignorant  of  the 


Me  nee  tarn  patiens  Lacedaemon 
Nee  tarn  Larissa?  percussit  campus  opimae 

Quam  domus  Albuneae  resonantis 
Et  praeceps  Anio  et  Tiburni  lucus  et  uda 

Mobilibus  pomaria  rivis. — Horat.  1.  1,  carra.  7. 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


273 


Greek  language.  The  bishopric  is  still  known  by 
the  name  of  Edessa  as  well  as  Vodhena ' ;  ecclesi- 
astically it  is  considered  subordinate,  together  with 
several  other  metropolitan  and  episcopal  sees  2,  to 
the  archbishop  of  Achris,  or  Bulgaria,  who  re- 
ceived this  authority  from  the  emperor  Justinian, 
when  he  founded  at  Achris  the  town  which  he 
named  Justiniana  Prima.  Hence  the  archbishop  of 
'Akhridha  is  still  in  the  Greek  church  ayro/ct^aXoc, 
and  independent  of  the  three  patriarchs ;  though 
the  Turkish  government  not  acknowledging  his 
independence  of  the  Patriarch  of  Constantinople, 
and  the  duties  and  influence  of  the  hierarchy  being 
almost  entirely  local,  his  authority  is  little  more 
than  nominal. 

Numerous  ruins  of  churches  on  the  skirts  of 
Vodhena  show  its  former  importance  under  the 
Greek  Empire.  At  present  it  contains  1500 
Turkish  and  500  Greek  houses,  but  many  of  the 
Turkish  houses  are  let  to  Greeks.  The  bazar  is 
extensive  and  well-furnished.  There  are  five  or 
six  mosques,  and  a  high  tower  containing  a  clock, 
but  the  most  striking  building,  more  however 
from  situation  than  magnitude  or  structure,  is 
the  bishop's  palace  adjoining  the  metropolitan 
church.  Standing  on  the  edge  of  a  projecting 
rock  in  the  middle  of  the  cliffs,   it  commands  a 


1  'EcitVajje  v  TZoSevtSv. 

2  The  other  metropolitans 
are:  1.  Kastoria ;  2.  Pelago- 
nia,  now  Bitolia,  in  union  with 
Prillapo  ;  3.  Korytza  and  Se- 
lasforo;  4.  Vclagrada,  or  Berat, 

VOL.    III. 


and  Kanina  ;  5.  Tiberiopolis, 
now  Striimnitza ;  6.  Grevena. 
The  bishoprics  are  :  1.  Sisani 
and  Siatista  ;  2.  Moglena  and 
Moleskha  ;  3.  Prespa  and  De- 
bra  ;  4.  Kora  and  Mokra. 


274 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


prospect  of  the  plains  as  far  as  the  Bay  of  Salo- 
nika and  Mount  Khortiatzi,  and  itself  furnishes  a 
most  picturesque  object,  especially  when  viewed 
in  profile,  crowning  the  cliffs  which  overhang  a 
beautiful  concave  slope  terminating  in  the  valley 
which  consists  of  gardens,  vineyards,  and  orchards. 
The  chief  produce  of  Vodhcna  is  silk  and  fruit  ; 
the  yearly  amount  of  the  former  varies  from  2000 
to  4000  okes,  wTith  a  price  equally  variable,  being 
sometimes  15  and  sometimes  40  piastres  the  oke  : 
this  year  it  is  17.  Every  market  day,  which  in 
Greece  is  commonly  on  a  Sunday,  is  attended  by 
men  from  Sarighioli,  'Ostrovo,  Filiirina,  and  other 
surrounding  districts,  for  the  sale  of  their  agricul- 
tural productions,  or  to  furnish  themselves  with 
manufactures  from  the  bazar,  or  with  the  fruit 
grown  in  the  gardens  of  Vodhena,  consisting  of 
jujubes1,  apricots,  apples,  plums,  and  grapes:  the 
latter  are  raised  in  large  quantities,  and  are  chiefly 
used  for  making  a  sweetmeat  common  in  Turkey, 
by  boiling  the  juice  of  the  fruit  into  a  thick  hard 
syrup,  which  is  mixed  with  almonds  and  walnuts. 
Nov.  30. — At  a  distance  of  50  minutes  above 
the  town  there  is  an  upper  cascade,  where  the 
river  falls  over  the  rocks  in  a  single  body.  The  road 
thither  leads  through  gardens  watered  by  nume- 
rous derivations  from  the  main  stream,  and  affords 
many  beautiful  views  of  the  town  seen  through  the 
trees,  with  the  great  mountain  of  Niausta  in  the 
background.  At  a  superb  grove  of  plane-trees  a 
fair  is  held  on  the  15th  of  August.     Beyond  the 


1    (l%V(j)OC. 


XXVII. 


MACEDONIA. 


275 


gardens  the  plain  narrows,  and  is  occupied  by 
meadows  and  vineyards  on  the  bank  of  the  river 
as  far  as  the  cascade,  which  is  not  large  but  ex- 
tremely picturesque,  falling  into  the  meadow  over 
a  rocky  steep  covered  with  bushes.  The  perpen- 
dicular fall  is  not  more  than  50  feet,  but  above  it 
there  is  a  rapid  descent  at  an  angle  of  about  45°, 
more  than  equal  in  perpendicular  height  to  the 
former.  Above  the  cataract  stands  the  little  vil- 
lage of  Vladova,  so  named  from  the  fall,  at  the 
entrance  of  a  green  valley  which  terminates  at  the 
end  of  two  miles  in  a  small  lake,  from  which  the 
river  issues.  The  vale  is  about  half  a  mile  in 
width,  and  is  bordered  by  the  woody  summits  of 
two  parallel  ridges  which  meet  at  a  pass  at  the 
further  end  of  the  lake  :  through  the  opening  ap- 
pears the  great  snowy  peak  northward  of  Kastoria 
called  Vitzi.  The  valley  leads,  at  the  end  of  two 
hours  more,  to  the  town  and  lake  of  'Ostrovo,  near 
which  the  road  branches  to  the  left  into  Sarighioli, 
and  to  the  right  by  a  precipitous  ascent  over  the 
ridges  which  unite  Mount  Vitzi  with  the  summits 
on  the  northern  side  of  the  pass  of  Vladova  and 
with  Mount  Nitje.  The  latter  route  leads  into  the 
plains  and  valleys  watered  by  the  tributaries  of  the 
Erigon,  or  great  western  branch  of  the  Axius,  called 
Tjerna  by  the  Bulgarians,  and  by  the  Turks  the 
Little  Karasu.  The  pass  of  Vladova  being  the  open- 
ing made  by  nature  for  the  passage  of  the  river  of 
Vodhena,  which  rises  in  Sarighioli  and  Mount  Vitzi, 
is  the  easiest  of  all  the  communications  which  lead 
across  the  Olympene  range  from  Lower  into  Upper 
Macedonia.    The  two  others  most  remarkable  are 

t  2 


270 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


those  behind  Niausta  and  Verria,  both  which 
descend  into  the  plain  of  Sarighioli,  but  are 
rendered  less  important  than  the  pass  of  Vod- 
hena, as  well  by  their  difficulty  and  steepness 
as  by  their  conducting  into  a  part  of  the  coun- 
try more  distant  from  the  passes  which  lead  into 
the  basin  of  the  Erigon.  Having-  crossed  the 
river  near  Vladova,  I  return  to  Vodhena  along  the 
right  bank,  and  in  descending  the  hill  of  the  cas- 
cade pass  through  a  deep  passage  which  has  been 
cut  through  the  rocks  for  a  road,  and  is  probably 
a  work  of  the  ancient  Macedonians.  The  rivulets 
diverted  from  the  main  stream  for  the  sake  of 
watering  the  gardens  behind  the  town,  are  con- 
ducted through  every  street,  and  even  through 
many  of  the  houses,  until  approaching  the  cliffs 
they  reunite,  and  fall  over  the  precipices  in  four 
principal  cascades,  which,  after  watering  the  gar- 
dens below  the  cliffs,  they  again  constitute  the 
single  stream  which  flows  through  the  lower  valley 
to  the  Moglenitiko.  The  largest  fall  of  water  over 
the  cliffs  is  towards  the  northern  end  of  the  hill, 
where  it  forms  the  main  river  which  we  first 
crossed  in  arriving ;  this  branch  receives  a  tributary 
from  Mount  Nitje  before  it  unites  with  the  streams 
from  the  other  cascades. 

Notwithstanding  the  importance  of  the  ancient  city 
which  stood  at  Vodhena,  the  Hellenic  remains  are 
few ;  the  advantageous  position  has  doubtless  been 
always  occupied  by  a  considerable  town,  and  new 
constructions  have  been  continually  operating  the 
destruction  of  the  more  ancient.  The  only  vestige 
I   can  discover  of  the  Hellenic  fortifications  is  a 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


277 


piece  of  wall  which  supports  one  of  the  modern 
houses  on  the  edge  of  the  cliff;  but  there  are 
many  scattered  remains  in  the  town,  and  among 
them  some  inscriptions  of  the  time  of  the  Roman 
empire.  A  stele,  surmounted  by  a  pediment, 
which  has  been  placed  over  the  gate  of  the 
Bishop's  palace,  preserves  a  catalogue  of  young- 
men  who  had  passed  through  their  ephebia  under 
an  ephebarch  named  Lysimachus,  son  of  Abydi- 
anus.  It  is  curious  for  two  particulars  :  1.  Some 
of  the  ephebi  are  distinguished  by  the  mother's 
name   without  any   mention   of  the   father's,    as, 

AA^avSpoc  Kai  EiouAioc  ol  MapKiac,  ''EcxTTfpoc  St/ufArje, 

EiovAiocKaAAtCTTTjc*  I  have  already  given  an  example 
of  this  Macedonian  custom  from  the  Vardar  gate 
of  Saloniki.  2.  The  inscription  has  the  date  328, 
which,  calculated  from  the  capture  of  Corinth,  is 
the  year  a.d.  182,  in  the  reign  of  Commodus,  but 
from  the  battle  of  Actium,  is  a.  d.  298,  in  the 
reign  of  Diocletian1.  The  latter  epoch  is  to  be 
preferred,  not  so  much  from  the  style  of  the  mo- 
nument as  from  the  certainty  afforded  by  a  coin 
of  the  emperor  Philip  bearing  the  date  275,  and 
which  was  struck  probably  at  Berrhcea,  that  the 
latter  epoch  was  then  employed  in  Macedonia. 

In  the  metropolitan  church  are  two  fragments, 
which  appear  to  have  belonged  to  one  and  the  same 
inscription.  The  epsilon  and  sigma  are  of  a  sin- 
gular form  ^  £j,   but  of  which  there  are  other 


1  V.  Inscription,  No.  138. 
The  neighbouring  Pella  seems 
to  have  been  indented  to  Dio- 
cletian's passion  for  building, 
and  for  a  short   time  to  have 


changed  its  name  to  Diocle- 
tianopolis. — Cf.  Anton.  It.  pp. 
319.  330.  Hierosol.  It.  p.  600. 
Hierocl.  p.  638.  Wess. 

2  V.  Inscription,  No.  139. 


278 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


examples  in  Macedonia.  A  third  inscription 
might  be  ascribed  to  a  late  period  of  the  Roman 
empire,  from  the  angular  form  of  the  omicron  and 
theta,  thus,  /S  A  ;  but  this  also  may  have  been 
a  Macedonian  peculiarity,  for  the  composition 
shows  no  decline  of  taste  among  the  Edessaei,  being 
an  elegant  epitaph  in  three  elegiac  couplets  in  me- 
mory of  one  Graphicus,  whose  wife  survived  him  \ 
The  poet  in  saying  that  "  God  had  placed  the 
divine  soul  of  Graphicus  in  the  plain  of  the 
blessed,"  may  be  thought,  perhaps,  to  have  written 
in  Christian  times,  but  the  words  are  not  incon- 
sistent with  the  Platonic  doctrines.  The  epitaph 
is  inscribed  on  a  sarcophagus  standing  at  a  foun- 
tain (now  dry)  which  is  called  by  the  Turks  the 
fountain  of  the  Mirror,  because  one  of  the  lacu- 
naria  of  a  Corinthian  ceiling  has  been  placed  over 
it,  with  the  stone  set  on  its  edge  over  the  pipe. 
The  sculpture  thus  placed  the  Turks  have  likened 
to  a  mirror. 

Aly  Pasha  was  not  slow  in  discovering  the 
advantages  of  the  position  of  Vodhena,  and  having 
introduced  himself  into  it  ten  years  ago  as  Der- 
vent  Aga,  he  has  now  the  power  of  descending  at 
pleasure  into  the  plains  of  Lower  Macedonia,  or 
the  means  of  defending  this  approach  to  his  do- 
minions from  the  side  of  Constantinople.  The 
Ayan  who  now  governs  is  a  native,  but  is  entirely 

1  "H£e  izErpog  kevQel  TpatyiKov  EifjLag,  e{lg  juak.a)pw»'  de 
\pv)(i]v  decnreffl-qv  drjice  deog  irthiov, 
ovvekev  i)v  iravapiarog,  kv  ijyaQioig  Se  TroXelraig 

Trpuira  (j>epwy  TrirvTyg  KvCog  tKapirioaTo' 
evl,o.to  (?  au  fiaKapeaai  cat  t(fiepr))y  irapaKotTiv 
rov^e  Xay^elp  tvja($ov  yt'ipaog  evte  tv\oi. 

XalpE  rpafiKE. — V.  Inscription,  No.  HO. 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


279 


under  the  influence  of  Aly,  who  maintains  here  a 
guard  of  Albanians. 

The  military  importance  of  JEdessa  was  still 
greater  under  the  Romans,  in  consequence  of  its 
lying  in  the  great  road  from  Dyrrhachium  to 
Thessalonica,  the  establishment  of  which  was  one 
of  their  first  cares  after  the  conquest  of  Macedo- 
nia1. Although  this  road  was  furnished  through 
its  whole  extent  of  267  miles  with  milestones, 
and  the  distances  of  the  several  stations  are 
given  in  all  the  three  itineraries,  the  Antonine, 
Jerusalem,  and  Tabular,  and  some  parts  of  it 
twice  over  in  the  first2,  there  are  not  many 
points  on  the  road  which  can  be  accurately  fixed 
until  the  whole  shall  be  submitted  to  a  careful 
examination,  so  as  to  ascertain  some  of  the  ancient 
sites.  Nor  until  then  can  any  safe  criticism  be 
exercised  upon  the  itineraries  themselves,  which 
as  usual  differ  from  one  another  in  many  of  the 
distances.  A  few  remarks  on  this  important  route 
may  nevertheless  be  acceptable  to  future  travellers. 

In  proceeding  westward  from  the  pass  of  Vod- 
hena,  the  road  crossed  two  great  valleys  and  three 
remarkable  ridges  before  it  arrived  at  Clodiana, 
from  which  there  was  a  bifurcation  to  Dyrrha- 
chium and  Apollonia.  From  the  Tabular  Itine- 
rary we  learn  that  at  19  m.p.,  beyond  Lychnidus, 
the  road  crossed  a  bridge  named  Pons  Servilii, 
which  could  have  been  no  other  than  a  bridge 
over  the  Drin,  anciently  Drilo,  at  its  issue  from 
the   lake   Lychnitis.      We   thus  obtain   the   point 


1  Polyb.  ap.  Strabon,  p.  322. 

a  Vet.  Roman.  Itiner.  Wessel,  p.  -317.  329.  G0;>. 


280 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


from  whence  the  road  crossed  Mount  Candavia  to 
Clodiana,  which  appears  to  have  been  situated  on 
the  Genusus,  for  the  name  Clodiana  is  probably  de- 
rived from  Appius  Claudius,  whose  camp  was  upon 
that  river  when  he  was  employed  against  Gentius, 
at  the  same  time  that  the  Consul  iEmilius  was 
carrying  on  the  war  against  Perseus  in  Macedonia, 
in  the  year  b.c.  168 '.  And  hence  it  becomes  evi- 
dent that  the  Genusus  was  the  river  now  called 
Skumbi,  or  Tjerma,  consequently  that  the  moun- 
tain which  lies  between  the  sources  of  that  river 
and  the  northern  end  of  the  lake  Lychnitis  was 
the  proper  Candavia.  It  is  the  same  mountain 
of  which  I  observed  the  bearing  from  Korytza.  to 
be  N.  23  W.  by  compass.  Although  the  distance 
of  Clodiana  from  Apollonia  is  no  less  than  8  m.  p. 
greater  in  the  Jerusalem  than  in  the  Tabular, 
Itinerary,  yet  as  both  these  authorities  place  the 
Apsus  about  midway,  we  have  thus  an  approxima- 
tion which  may  assist  in  ascertaining  the  exact  site 
of  Clodiana a.  Skumbi  is  obviously  a  corruption  of 
Scampis,  a  name  found  in  all  the  Itineraries  at 
about  21  m.  p.  eastward  of  Clodiana,  conse- 
quently on  or  near  the  Genusus,  perhaps  at  the 
modern  Elbasan.  The  branch  of  the  Genusus 
upon  which  that  town  is  situated  may  have  been 
named  Scampis  as  well  as  the  town,  and  by  a 
common  kind  of  change  may  have  superseded 
the  name  of  Genusus,  as  that  of  the  entire  course 
of  the  stream  below  the  junction. 


1  Liv.  1.  44,  c.  30. 

2  As  31  M.  p.  from  Dyrrha- 
chium  to  Clodiana  in  the  Jeru- 
salem is  evidently  much  nearer 


to  the  truth  than  the  43  M.  r. 
of  the  Table,  the  latter  number 
is  perhaps  an  error  for  33. 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


281 


As  there  was  a  distance  of  about  17  m.  p.  from 
the  bridge  of  Servilius  to  Lyclmidus,  this  chief 
city  of  the  Dassaretii  was  near  the  southern  ex- 
tremity of  the  lake,  on  the  eastern  shore,  where 
the  road,  after  having  been  diverted  by  the  lake 
to  the  northward  of  its  general  direction,  recovered 
that  line  by  following  the  eastern  shore  from  the 
bridge  of  Servilius  to  Lychnidus.  From  thence  it 
crossed  the  mountains  which  rise  from  the  eastern 
side  of  the  lake  into  the  plains  watered  by  the 
Erigon  and  its  branches.  These  mountains,  which 
have  a  north  and  south  direction,  are  divided  into 
two  parallel  ridges  by  a  longitudinal  valley,  where 
are  situated  Peupli  and  Prespa,  and,  if  I  am 
rightly  informed,  three  lakes,  of  which  the  south- 
ern, called  that  of  Ventrok,  sends  forth,  as  I  have 
before  observed,  the  river  which  flows  through 
the  pass  of  Tzangon,  and  forms  the  principal,  or 
at  least  the  longest  branch  of  the  Apsus,  and 
which  I  suppose  to  be  the  Eordaicus  of  Arrian  '. 

The  disagreement  of  numbers  in  the  several 
Itineraries  renders  it  difficult  to  deduce  from  them 
the  exact  position  of  any  of  the  places  on  the 
road  between  Lychnidus  and  Edessa ;  the  only 
one  of  any  importance  was  Heracleia,  the  chief 
town  of  the  province  of  Upper  Macedonia,  called 
Lyncus,  or  Lyncestis.  Heracleia  was  distant  from 
Lychnidus  about  46  m.  p.,  from  Edessa  64, — total 
from  Lychnidus  to  Edessa  110;  which,  compared 
with  the  56  g.  m.  of  direct  distance  on  the  map, 
gives  a  rate  of  2  m.  p.  to  the  horizontal  g.  m.,  not 


1  Arrian.  Exp.  Alex.  1.  1,  c.  5. 


282 


MACEDONIA. 


[CHAP. 


an  unreasonable  rate  in  itself,  as  the  road  is  in 
great  part  mountainous,  nor  as  compared  with  the 
rate  on  the  level  road  from  Edessa  to  Thessa- 
lonica,  which  is  1.4  M.  p.  to  the  g.  m.  According 
to  the  proportional  distances,  Heracleia  stood  not 
far  from  the  modern  town  of  Filurina,  at  about  10 
g.  m.  direct  to  the  southward  of  Bitolia,  which  is 
now  the  principal  town  in  that  part  of  the  country, 
and  occupies  the  site  of  the  ancient  Pelagonia,  thus 
agreeing  in  reference  to  the  supposed  position  of 
Heracleia  of  Lyncestis,  inasmuch  as  the  ancient 
authorities  show  that  the  Lyncestse  were  situated 
to  the  southward  of  the  Pelagones,  and  between 
them  and  the  Eordaei,  who  appear  to  have  occu- 
pied the  country  of  'Ostrovo  and  Sarighioli.  But 
I  shall  have  occasion  to  revert  to  the  geography  of 
Lyncestis,  in  reference  to  the  military  operations  at 
the  beginning  of  the  contest  between  Philip,  son 
of  Demetrius,  and  the  Romans. 

Dec.  1. — Among  the  vineyards  at  the  foot  of 
the  precipices  of  Vodhena  are  many  fragments  and 
foundations  of  ancient  buildings,  together  with  re- 
mains of  barbarous  times,  probably  those  of  Greek 
or  Turkish  houses,  which  were  once  dispersed 
among  these  gardens.  It  is  said  that  several  mar- 
bles sculptured  in  relief  were  once  to  be  seen  here, 
and  among  them  some  broken  statues,  in  par- 
ticular part  of  a  horse  of  very  large  dimensions. 
Lower  down  the  stream  there  are  some  other  frag- 
ments of  antiquity  ;  from  all  which,  as  well  as  the 
foundations  of  Hellenic  walls,  both  above  and  be- 
low, it  is  evident  that  Edessa  occupied  both  sites. 
With  the  decline  of  Macedonia  after  the  Roman 

12 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


283 


conquest,  the  lower  town  may  have  gradually  been 
abandoned,  and  the  upper,  which  was  anciently 
the  acropolis,  and  probably  the  royal  residence, 
may  have  become  the  part  principally  inhabited, 
as  indeed  the  inscriptions,  being  all  of  that  date, 
tend  to  show.  At  10  we  leave  the  point  where  we 
crossed  the  two  bridges  in  approaching  the  town, 
and  following  the  foot  of  the  heights  on  the  south- 
ern side  of  the  valley,  arrive  at  10.30  at  a  pro- 
jecting point  where  a  copious  source  of  water 
issues  from  under  the  hill ;  then  pass  along  the 
plain  at  a  short  distance  from  the  foot  of  the 
mountain,  and  at  11.25  join  the  direct  road  from 
Vodhena  to  Niausta,  which  descends  from  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  former  town  into  a  small 
circular  plain  lying  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  that 
side,  and  then  crosses  over  the  heights  of  Mount 
Turla,  which  enclose  that  plain  to  the  southward. 
At  12.5  we  halt,  till  12.34,  to  dine  at  a  brook, 
and  then  after  having  crossed  a  small  stream 
which  descends  to  the  lake  of  Iannitza  from  the 
mountain  on  the  right,  arrive  in  sight  of  the  sin- 
gular topography  of  Niausta,  to  which  we  soon 
begin  to  ascend,  and  arrive  in  the  town  at  1.45. 

At  the  upper  end  of  a  deep  rocky  glen,  between 
two  of  the  highest  summits  of  the  mountain,  three 
tabular  elevations  rising  one  above  the  other, 
look  from  the  plain  like  enormous  steps  ;  they 
present  a  front  of  cliffs  not  so  high  as  those  of 
Vodhena,  but  which  terminate  laterally  also  in 
cliffs  separated  on  each  side  by  ravines  from 
the  great  heights  of  the  mountain.  Niausta  occu- 
pies the  middle  and  widest  terrace,  and,  like 
Vodhena,   is  watered  by  numerous  branches  of  a 


284 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


stream  which,  flowing  from  a  ravine  behind  the 
upper  tabular  summit,  passes  through  the  middle 
of  the  town  in  a  deep  rocky  bed,  over  which  there 
is  a  bridge.  As  at  Vodhena  derivations  from  this 
stream  pass  through  every  house  in  the  town,  and 
fall  over  the  cliffs,  after  which  they  turn  some 
mills,  and  are  again  united  into  one  river  in  the 
low  grounds. 

Niausta  is  a  Greek  town,  the  Bulgarians  not 
having  obtained  possession  of  the  Olympene  range 
to  the  southward  of  Vodhena.  The  name  is  pro- 
perly Nidyovara,  perhaps  a  corruption  of  Nt'a  Av- 
yovara.  Although  now  in  the  power  of  Aly  Pasha, 
it  is  still  governed  by  its  own  magistrates,  whose 
authority,  the  place  being  an  imperial  appanage, 
and  the  inhabitants  well  armed,  has  been  gene- 
rally respected  by  all  the  neighbouring  Pashas 
and  other  men  in  authority,  including  the  robbers, 
though  Niausta  has  occasionally  been  at  war  with 
them  all.  By  an  effect  of  the  republican  system 
of  the  place,  I  am  detained  two  hours  in  an 
empty  house,  while  the  powers  are  consulting  as 
to  the  konak  in  which  I  am  to  be  lodged ;  at 
length  I  am  conducted  to  the  house  of  Thomas, 
who  is  married  to  the  widow  of  Lusa  Papafilippo, 
a  name  of  some  note  in  Macedonia,  and  formerly 
proestos  of  Niausta. 

The  decline  of  the  place,  and  its  subjection  to 
Aly,  which  will  be  followed  by  the  usual  conse- 
quences of  his  insatiable  extortion,  is  to  be  attri- 
buted to  that  spirit  of  dissension  which  seldom 
fails  to  ruin  the  Greeks  when  they  have  the  power 
of  indulging  in  it.  Not  many  years  ago  Niausta 
was  one  of  the  most  commercial  places  in  Northern 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


285 


Greece,  and  like  Verria,  Siatista,  and  Kastoria, 
had  merchants  who  traded  to  Christendom  as  well 
as  Turkey,  but  not  one  of  whom  now  remains 
here.  Papafilippo,  who  is  spoken  of  in  terms  of 
high  respect  by  his  own  adherents  as  a  benefactor 
of  his  native  town,  was  poisoned  with  several 
others,  about  20  years  ago,  by  the  adverse  party, 
at  the  head  of  which  was  one  Zafiraki,  son  of 
Theodosius,  who  afterwards  became  proestos,  and 
enjoyed  all  the  authority  until  last  year,  when 
the  party  of  Papafilippo,  by  applying  to  Aly 
Pasha,  gave  him  the  long-desired  excuse  for  in- 
troducing his  myrmidons  into  the  town.  But  he 
met  with  a  stout  resistance  from  Zafiraki  and  his 
brother  Konstantino  Musa  assisted  by  a  party  of 
Albanians,  under  two  Albanian  brothers  Vrakho 
and  Litjo.  Those  whom  the  Pasha  first  sent 
having  been  fired  upon  from  an  inclosure  of 
mud  bricks,  which  is  the  only  artificial  defence 
of  the  place,  he  found  it  necessary  to  increase 
their  numbers  to  2000,  who  quickly  destroyed 
every  thing  on  the  outside  of  the  town,  but  not 
having  cannon,  could  not  ruin  the  fortifications, 
slight  as  they  are.  They  proceeded  therefore 
in  the  manner  of  an  ancient  7roAiopKia,  building 
towers  on  a  level  with  the  walls,  from  which 
they  could  fire  into  the  town.  Their  loss  was 
very  great,  according  to  the  people  of  Niausta, 
of  whom  about  fifty  were  slain.  At  length 
the  besieged,  after  having  lived  for  some  time 
upon  wild  herbs,  branches  of  trees,  and  bread 
made  of  the  refuse  of  their  rice  mills,  were  obliged 
to  surrender,   but  not  until  the  four  chiefs  above 


286 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap 


mentioned  bad  fought  their  way  one  night  through 
the  besiegers  with  50  paiikaria,  and  had  arrived 
safe  at  Saloniki,  where  I  saw  them,  and  where 
they  still  remain.  All  the  persons  found  in  Zafi- 
raki's  house  have  been  carried  to  Ioannina,  where 
they  are  now  in  prison,  and  the  house  is  occupied 
by  the  Albanian  commandant,  and  by  a  Stambuli 
Bostanji  residing  here  as  agent  of  the  Sultana, 
who  enjoys  the  revenue  of  the  town  and  its  dis- 
trict. In  one  year  Aly  has  exacted  500  purses 
from  the  people,  and  no  longer  apprehending  any 
resistance,  has  reduced  his  Albanian  guard  to  20, 
which,  united  with  those  stationed  at  Verria  and 
Vodhena,  are  sufficient  both  to  maintain  his  in- 
terests and  to  protect  the  passes  against  the  rob- 
bers, to  whom  he  has  been  indebted  for  his  justifi- 
cation with  the  Porte  for  introducing  his  troops 
here.  These  kleftes  during  the  last  summer 
blockaded  Verria  as  well  as  Niausta,  and  advanc- 
ing to  the  walls  of  the  latter,  carried  away  chil- 
dren, cattle,  and  sheep.  At  length  Aly  sent  his 
trusty  Tepeleniote  Mutjobon,  or  Merlof-iTrovog,  as 
the  Greeks  write  his  name,  who  has  dispersed  or 
taken  them  all,  except  a  few  men  under  a  Musul- 
man  Albanian  named  Sulu 1  Proshova,  who  not 
long  before  was  at  the  head  of  700  men,  for  the 
most  part  Christians.  He  still  haunts  these  moun- 
tains which  as  far  as  Bitolia 2,  Prillapo,  and  Ve- 
lesa 3,  furnish  so  many  impenetrable  retreats,  that 


1  The  Albanian  form  of  Su- 
liman. 

2  By  the  Turks  called  Mo- 
naster, or  Toli. 


3  By  the  Turks  called  Kiu- 
pruli  (bridge  town),  probably 
the  ancient  Bylazora, 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


287 


it  is  almost  impossible  to  eradicate  the  thieves 
from  them.  Not  long  since,  Sulu  took  a  boy  of 
Niausta  going  to  Verria,  who  was  to  have  been 
ransomed  by  the  village  for  16  purses,  when,  two 
days  before  the  money  was  to  be  paid,  the  boy 
escaped,  and  arrived  here  a  day  or  two  ago. 

The  principal  church,  dedicated  to  St.  George, 
has  a  monastery  attached  to  it,  and  is  surrounded 
by  a  quadrangle  of  cells  or  small  apartments  for 
the  monks,  which  they  generally  let  to  strangers. 
The  people  of  Niausta  were  formerly  noted  for 
working  in  gold  and  silver,  and  still  carry  on  the 
manufacture  in  a  smaller  degree.  The  productions 
of  the  territory  are  wheat,  barley  and  maize  in  the 
plain  ;  rice  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  the 
marshes  adjacent  to  the  lake  of  Iannitza ;  on 
the  heights  vines,  supplying  one  of  the  best  wines 
in  Macedonia,  in  sufficient  quantity  for  a  large 
exportation,  and  in  the  valley  mulberry  plantations, 
which  yield  about  300  okes  of  silk  per  annum. 
The  town  is  well  supplied  with  fish,  particularly 
with  large  pike  from  the  lake  of  Iannitza,  and  with 
trout  from  their  own  river,  the  principal  source  of 
which  is  at  a  short  distance  above  the  town.  Many 
persons  suppose  it  to  be  the  discharge  of  a  kata- 
vothra  in  the  lake  of 'Akridha,  but  can  give  no 
better  reason  for  this  opinion,  than  that  the  lake 
is  the  only  one  in  Macedonia  which  produces 
trout.  The  sheep  which  feed  on  the  mountains 
behind  the  town,  furnish  a  fine  wool,  and  mutton 
of  the  best  quality. 

Niausta,  as  might  be  expected  from  its  natural 


288 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


advantages,  stands  on  the  site  of  an  ancient  city, 
of  this  the  coins  which  are  found  in  the  fields 
below  the  hill,  and  some  vestiges  of  ancient 
buildings  in  the  same  situation,  leave  no  doubt. 
But  these  are  the  only  remains  I  can  discover, 
except  a  Doric  shaft,  of  a  soft  kind  of  stone,  in 
the  gallery  of  the  church  of  St.  George,  and  at 
one  of  the  fountains  in  the  town  a  sepulchral 
marble,  with  figures  in  low  relief.  The  natives 
suppose  that  the  Macedonian  city  stood  higher  in 
the  mountain ;  it  occupied,  perhaps,  all  the  three 
terraces,  the  upper  having  been  the  citadel.  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  Citium  was  the  ancient 
Livy  states  that  in  the  plain  before  Citium 


name. 


Perseus  reviewed  his  army  before  he  marched  into 
Thessaly,  when  after  a  peace  of  twenty-three  years, 
he  began  that  celebrated  war  with  Rome,  which  in 
four  campaigns  put  an  end  to  the  Macedonian 
kingdom  l.     That  Citium  was  between  Pella  and 


1  Liv.  1.  42,  c.  51.  The 
army  reviewed  at  Citium,  which 
amounted  to  39,000  foot  and 
4000  horse,  was  collected,  with 
the  exception  of  3000,  entirely 
from  Macedonia  and  its  depen- 
dencies, and  was  the  largest 
ever  assembled  by  any  of  the 
kings  of  that  country.  And 
yet  of  this  number  only  about 
19,000  of  the  hoplitae,  or  pha- 
lanx, were  Macedonians,  which 
seems  small  when  compared  to 
those  of  the  southern  states  of 
Greece  in  the  Persian  and  Pe- 


loponnesian  wars  ;  though  it  is 
in  harmony  with  a  fact  men- 
tioned by  Xenophon  (1.  5,  c.  2,) 
that  Olynthus,  with  only  800 
hoplitae,  reduced  most  of  the 
Greek  cities  of  Thrace  to  sub- 
mission, and  even  took  Pella 
from  Amyntas.  In  the  army 
led  by  Alexander  into  Asia, 
there  were  only  12,000  hoplita1, 
but  as  his  forces  were  collected 
in  great  measure  from  Southern 
Greece,  they  hardly  furnish  a 
proper  comparison. 


XXVI1.J 


MACEDONIA, 


289 


Berrhoea,  may  be  inferred  from  the  king  having 
sacrificed  to  Minerva  Alcidemus  at  Pella,  just 
before  he  joined  his  army  at  Citium,  and  from  his 
having  marched  from  thence  in  one  day  to  the  lake 
Begorrites  in  Eordaea,  and  on  the  succeeding  day 
into  Elimeia,  where  he  encamped  on  the  bank  of 
the  Haliacmon,  and  thence  proceeded  to  cross  the 
Cambunian  mountains  into  Perrhsebia.  Hence 
also  we  may  infer  that  the  lake  Begorrites  was  the 
Kitrini  of  Sarighioli,  for  the  lake  of 'Ostrovo  would 
not  have  been  in  the  direction  from  Pella  to  the 
Haliacmon,  unless  Citium  had  been  at  Vodhena, 
nor  could  the  king  have  marched  in  one  day  from 
that  lake  to  the  Haliacmon. 

In  the  epitome  of  the  7th  book  of  Strabo,  it  is 
stated  that  the  lake  of  Pella  is  formed  by  a  certain 
a7ro(T7raa/ua,  or  stream  diverging  from  the  Axius  ', 
which  can  only  be  reconciled  with  the  reality,  by 
supposing  the  sources  of  Pella  and  Paleokastro  to 
be  derived  from  the  Axius  through  the  mountain. 
But  this  would  be  so  unusual  a  phenomenon,  that 
it  cannot  even  be  considered  probable,  until  a 
derivation  from  the  Axius  is  found  flowing 
into  the  opposite  side  of  the  mountain  ;  nor  if  it 
were  true,  would  the  quantity  of  water  be  any 
thing  approaching  to  a  sufficiency  for  the  lake 
of  Pella,  which  is  evidently  fed,  not  only  by  the 
springs  of  Pella  and  Paleokastro,  but  also  by 
the  Moglenitiko,    the  rivers  of  Vodhena  and  Ni- 


"Oti     rrjy    IleWar    ovaav  >'/c  o  Aovciar  irorafioc  />£»'   Trfv 

fiocpav   Trporepov,    <$>i\nriroG  £'G  Be   \lf.ivi]v  irXripot  roii  'AijioiJ  ti 

fj.tlkOQ   rfb^rfae   Tpcupelc;  iv  avrfj'  tzutujxuv    <i7ro<T7raffjua. — Stnnbo, 

tyzi  Be    \ijxvr\v    irpo    avr?/e,    ti;  (Epit.  1.  7),  p.  330. 

VOL.   III.  U 


290 


MACEDONIA. 


[CHAP. 


austa,  and  many  smaller  torrents,  assisted  perhaps 
by  some  subterraneous  springs  ;  the  excess  of  all 
these  over  the  water  carried  off  by  the  Ludias, 
is  the  cause  of  this  extensive  tract  of  lakes  and 
marshes. 

Dec.  2. — Setting  out  from  Niausta  for  Verria  at 
12.30,  we  descend  the  hills  obliquely,  and  having 
reached  the  plain  follow  its  margin,  pass  two  small 
villages  beautifully  situated  among  the  rich  slopes 
of  the  mountain,  while  to  the  left  is  the  plain, 
equally  well  cultivated,  and  extending  to  the 
marshes  of  the  Pellcean  lake.  At  3,  turning  a  pro- 
jecting point  of  the  mountain,  we  arrive  in  sight 
of  Verria,  and  at  3.30  cross  a  deep  rivulet,  which 
issues  from  a  gorge  in  the  mountain  to  the  right. 
Here  are  some  foundations  of  an  ancient  bridge, 
consisting  of  loose  materials  cemented  with  mortar, 
but  faced  with  large  quadrangular  stones,  accurately 
laid  in  the  best  Hellenic  style.  An  ascent  from 
thence  of  ten  minutes  conducts  to  the  modern  gate 
of  Verria,  after  passing  through  a  Turkish  cemetery, 
which  contains  many  fragments  of  ancient  architec- 
ture, and  a  little  beyond  it  a  large  piece  of  the  wall 
of  the  ancient  Berrhsea,  founded  on  the  rocky  bank 
of  the  rivulet,  and  apparently  one  of  the  lower 
angles  of  the  inclosure  of  the  city. 

Verria,  as  the  name  is  pronounced,  or  Beppoia, 
as  it  is  still  written,  stands  on  the  eastern  slope  of 
the  Olympene  range  of  mountains,  about  five  miles 
from  the  left  bank  of  the  Vistritza  or  Injekara,  just 
where  that  river,  after  having  made  its  way  in  an 
immense  rocky  ravine  through  the  range,  enters 
the  great  maritime  plain.     The  territory  produces 


XXVII. J 


MACEDONIA. 


29 


corn  and  maize  in  the  lower  plain,  and  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountain  hemp  and  flax,  which  are  supplied 
with  the  necessary  irrigation  from  the  rivulet  on 
the  northern  side  of  the  town.  This  stream,  which 
has  its  origin  in  the  mountains  to  the  westward, 
emerges  from  a  rocky  gorge  in  them,  falls  in  cas- 
cades over  some  heights  which  rise  abruptly  above 
the  town,  and  after  turning  several  mills,  rushes 
down  the  mountain  between  steep  rocky  banks  to 
the  bridge,  over  which  we  crossed  it,  and  from 
thence  into  the  plain. 

The  town  contains  about  2000  families,  of  which 
1200  are  Greek  :  the  houses  are  lofty,  and  for 
Turkey  well  built.  Water  flows  through  every 
street,  supplied  either  from  springs  or  from  the 
rivulet ;  which  advantage,  together  with  the  lofty 
and  salubrious  situation,  the  surrounding  gardens, 
many  fine  plane-trees  interspersed  among  the 
houses,  the  vicinity  of  the  mountains,  and  a  com- 
manding view  over  the  great  level  to  the  eastward, 
renders  Verria  one  of  the  most  agreeable  towns  in 
Rumili.  The  manufacturing  part  of  the  popula- 
tion spin  the  hemp  and  flax  grown  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountain,  and  make  shirts  and  towels,  parti- 
cularly the  makrama,  or  large  towel  used  in  the 
public  baths,  and  of  which  there  is  a  great  con- 
sumption in  all  Turkish  towns,  four  of  them  being 
required  for  each  bather,  besides  two  more  for 
sheets  to  the  bed  on  which  he  reposes  after  the 
bath.  Many  of  the  water-mills  around  the  town 
are  for  fulling  coarse  woollens  and  carpets,  which 
are  made  in  the  surrounding  villages  or  by  the 
Jews  of  Saloniki. 

u2 


292 


MACEDONIA. 


[CHAP. 


The  remains  of  the  ancient  Berrhcea  are  very 
inconsiderable.  I  have  already  noticed  that  which 
appears  to  be  the  north-western  angle  of  the  walls 
or  perhaps  of  the  acropolis;  these  walls  are  traceable 
from  that  point  southward  to  two  high  towers  to- 
wards the  upper  part  of  the  modern  town,  which 
appear  to  have  been  repaired  or  rebuilt  in  Roman  or 
Byzantine  times,  as  the  large  quadrangular  stones 
of  which  the  work  is  partly  constructed  are  mixed 
with  mortar,  tiles,  and  fragments  of  ancient  monu- 
ments. I  can  discover  only  three  inscriptions  at 
Verria * :  in  one,  Popillius  Summus  the  younger  is 
honoured  by  the  council  and  people  ;  the  other  two 
are  sepulchral  monuments,  one  of  which  was  erected 
by  Annia  Epigone,  in  memory  of  her  son  Flavianus, 
and  her  grandfather,  who  is  not  named  ;  the  other 
by  Porus,  son  of  Ammia,  to  Caius  Scirtius  Aga- 
thocles,  his  son,  and  Scirtia  Zosime,  his  wife,  who 
are  styled  heroes  of  virtuous  life  2.  In  this  inscrip- 
tion we  have  another  instance  of  the  Macedonian 
custom  of  recording  in  some  cases  the  mother's 
name  instead  of  the  father's;  and  it  is  remarkable 
that  one  of  the  Politarchons  of  Thessalonica  was 
also  the  son  of  an  Ammia. 

In  the  plain  below  Verria,  at  no  great  distance, 
are  two  barrows,  or  tumbe,  as  tin;  Turks  call  them. 

The  name  Vistritza,  which  is  applied  by  the 
Greeks  to  the  Haliacmon,  although  betraying  a 
Sclavonic  modification  in  its  termination,  may 
possibly  be  a  corruption  of  Astrseus,  for  we   learn 


1  V.   Inscriptions,  No.  141, 
142,  14.3. 


1    -u 


,  l/ff<(  )'-«(•   (Tffl)'lOQ  yjpwur. 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


•293 


from  iElian  that  there  was  a  river  called  Astraeus1, 
flowing  between  Thessalonica  and  Berrhoea,  which 
although  not  a  veay  correct  description  of  the  Vis- 
tritza,  inasmuch  as  this  river  is  not  crossed  on  the 
road  from  Saloniki  to  Verria,  would  be  still  less  suit- 
able to  the  Moglenitiko,  or  to  the  river  of  Vodhena, 
as  lying  so  far  to  the  right  of  that  line,  or  indeed 
to  any  but  the  two  great  streams  which  we  know 
to  have  been  anciently  named  Axius  and  Lydias. 
Perhaps  Haliacmon  was  the  ordinary  appellation 
of  the  river  above  the  gorges  of  Berrhcea,  and  As- 
trseus  below  them  :  in  the  same  manner  as  Injekara 
and  Vistritza  are  used  in  the  present  day.  The 
river  is  noted  at  Verria  for  guliani  of  immense  size. 
I  before  remarked  that  the  same  fish  grows  to 
enormous  dimensions  in  the  lake  at  Kastoria,  which 
is  one  of  the  sources  of  the  Vistritza. 

The  district  of  Verria  contains  about  300  vil- 
lages, extending  eastward  nearly  to  the  Lydias,  or 
Karasmak,  and  to  the  west  to  Sarighiul.  To  the 
south  the  village  of  Kulindros,  standing  on  the 
heights  which  terminate  the  plains  at  their  southern 
extremity,  not  far  from  the  gulf,  formerly  belonged 
to  Verria,  but  is  now  enumerated  among  the  vil- 
lages of  Elassona.  The  voivoda  of  Verria  is  Halil 
Bey  of  Grevena,  who  lived  here  many  vears  as 
kharatji,  or  farmer  of  the  Christian  capitation  tax, 
and  upon  the  death  of  Osinan  Aga,  a  short  time 
ago,  obtained  the  government,  having  first  secured 


1  iElian.  Hist.  Anim.  1.  15,      from  the  same  root  as  Strymon, 
e.  1.     Astrseus    was    probably      and  perhaps  our  own  stream. 
an  old  Macedonic  word  derived 


294 


MACEDONIA, 


[chap- 


the  approbation  of  Aly  Pasha,  whose  influence  is 
thus  established  in  Verria.  Though  the  Verriotes 
suspect  Aly  to  have  been  sometimes  instrumental 
to  their  having  been  annoyed  by  the  thieves  in 
order  to  make  the  necessity  of  his  own  services 
manifest  to  the  Porte,  they  are  so  far  satisfied  with 
the  result  as  to  agree  in  commendation  of  the 
police  of  Metjobon,  and  to  admit  that  all  this  part 
of  Macedonia  now  enjoys  great  security  :  nor  has 
Aty  yet  ventured  to  lay  any  heavy  contributions 
on  a  place  which  is  at  the  farthest  extremity  of  the 
country  under  his  influence,  and  the  revenues  of 
which  are  attached  to  the  imperial  family.  His 
encroachments  in  this  quarter  have,  however, 
created  a  panic,  and  there  are  now  several  large 
houses  in  the  town  of  which  the  building  has  sud- 
denly been  suspended. 

Dec.  3. — In  the  afternoon  I  receive  a  visit  from 
Metjobon,  who  here  assumes  the  Turkish  name  of 
Mehmet  Bey  :  he  is  a  little  spare  man,  of  simple 
Albanian  manners  and  mild  address,  and  is  said 
to  be  gifted  with  a  remarkable  share  of  prompti- 
tude, coolness,  and  sagacity.  He  showed  great 
ability  lately  in  his  proceedings  against  the  rob- 
bers, most  of  whom  he  made  prisoners. 

In  this  part  of  Macedonia  it  is  customary  for  the 
keepers  of  wine-houses  to  suspend  an  evergreen 
bush  before  them,  being  the  same  as  the  old 
English  custom,  from  whence  the  proverb,  "  Good 
wine  needs  no  bush.*'  In  the  southern  parts  of 
Greece,  it  is  generally  a  long  stick  with  shreds  of 
painted  paper  on  a  string. 

I  have  frequently  had  occasion  to  notice  the  ex- 
12 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


295 


traordinary  celerity  of  some  of  the  pezodhromi,  or 
foot-messengers  in  Greece.  A  celebrated  one  of 
Verria  may  compete  with  any  of  them.  He  car- 
ried letters  on  foot  to  Saloniki  in  seven  hours,  re- 
mained there  one  hour,  and  returned  to  Verria  at 
the  end  of  the  fifteenth  hour.  After  having  per- 
formed this  feat  more  than  once,  he  was  commonly 
known  to  the  day  of  his  death  by  the  name  of 
'Anemos,  an  adjunct  as  honourable  to  a  courier  as 
African  us  to  a  Scipio. 

Dec.  4. — The  weather,  which  has  been  fine, 
with  a  northerly  wind,  ever  since  the  day  of  my 
arrival  at  Saloniki,  as  well  as  on  the  road  from 
thence,  is  said  to  have  been  the  reverse  at  Verria 
for  several  days,  and  last  night  the  rain  fell  hea- 
vily. At  6.30,  Turkish  time,  I  set  out  for  Kozani, 
accompanied  by  one  of  Aly  Pasha's  tatars,  a  guard 
of  six  Albanians  supplied  by  Metjobon,  and  Musa 
Pasha's  tatar,  who  has  accompanied  me  from  Salo- 
niki. We  begin  immediately  to  ascend  the  hills 
at  the  back  of  the  town,  and  soon,  enter  a  narrow 
vale  watered  by  the  stream  which  descends  to  the 
town.  At  the  upper  end  of  this  valley,  at  8.4, 
stands  the  derveni,  a  straw  hut  for  lodging  the 
Albanian  guard,  from  whence  we  begin  to  ascend 
Mount  Bermium,  in  defiance  of  the  assertion  of 
Herodotus,  that  it  is  impassable  l,  and  although  the 
historian  has  every  possible  advantage  in  the 
season,  and  weather,   that  of  last  night  having  co- 


1  if  Btppota  iv  toaq  virwptiaiQ 
Ki'iTcit  rov  Bep^t/ou  vpovc. — 
Strabo,  p.  330. 


Ovpog  litpfiiov  ouvofxa,  afia- 
tov  vtto  ^iifxioroQ.  —  Herodot. 
1.  8,  c.  138. 


296 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


vered  the  mountain  with  snow  to  a  great  depth. 
Very  soon  after  entering  a  forest  of  large  chestnut 
trees,  we  arrive,  at  9.40,  at  Kastania,  a  small  vil- 
lage, of  which  all  the  houses,  except  two  or  three, 
are  now  deserted,  in  consequence  of  the  demands 
for  provisions,  which  were  alternately  made  upon 
them  by  the  robbers  and  their  Albanian  opponents. 
Aly  Pasha,  endeavours  to  encourage  their  return, 
and  declares  his  intention  of  building  here  a  large 
village,  with  kules  on  the  mountain  for  his  sol- 
diers, and  thus  to  secure  to  himself  this  important 
pass  between  Lower  and  Upper  Macedonia.  The 
mountain  abounds  with  wolves  *,  wild  boars 2,  fal- 
low deer  3,  and  roes  4.  The  swine  are  killed  for 
the  sake  of  their  skins,  which  are  in  request  for 
making  shoes5.  A  peasant  informs  me  that  not 
long  since  he  shot  one  of  these  animals  in  the 
woods,  which  weighed  90  okes.  The  flesh  of  the 
roe  is  esteemed  by  these  people,  but  not  that  of 
the  deer. 

Dec.  5. — We  leave  Kastania  at  3.5,  Turkish 
time.  The  snow  continued  to  fall  during  the 
night,  but  the  weather  has  now  become  bright  and 
calm,  with  a  hard  frost.  As  we  advance  the 
woods  are  of  birch,  in  the  highest  parts  of  beech, 
and  amidst  them  numerous  traces  of  the  wild  ani- 
mals are  observable.  On  the  summit,  which  is  not 
more  than  three  miles  in  a  straight  line  from  the 
Vistritza,  we  leave  the  highest  point  of  the  moun- 


1    XvKOl. 

3  uypLoypipoi. 
i\d<pta. 


4  £apKacia. 

5  rCapoiiKia. 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


297 


tain  now  called  Dhoxa,  or  more  commonly  Xeroli- 
vadho,  from  a  village  of  that  name  which  once 
stood  near  it,  six  or  eight  miles  on  our  right,  and 
descend  to  Khadova,  a  village  of  about  50  Turkish 
families,  from  whence  there  is  a  further  descent  of 
about  three  miles  to  the  Vistritza,  which  is  seen 
from  our  road.  There  is  no  passage  to  the  same 
point  from  Verria  along  the  river,  as  both  banks 
are  here  bordered  by  impracticable  precipices. 
Above  those  on  the  right  bank  are  the  villages  of 
Kokova,  Katafyghi,  and  some  others,  from  which 
the  mouritain  rises  to  a  lofty  summit,  one  of  the 
Olympene  chain,  and  separated  only  from  Olympus 
itself  by  the  elevated  pass  of  Petra.  To  the  north- 
westward of  the  mountains  the  Vistritza  is  again 
seen  flowing  in  a  valley  which  extends  to  Servia. 
Katafyghi  is  on  the  shortest  route  from  Verria  to 
Servia,  which  crosses  the  Vistritza  near  Verria,  but 
in  some  parts  is  so  difficult  that  the  pass  of  Kas- 
tania.  is  often  preferred.  Having  passed  Khadova 
at  5.10,  we  descend  from  thence  along  a  narrow 
valley,  which  at  the  end  of  an  hour  conducts  into 
the  plain  of  Budja.  To  the  left  this  plain  is 
separated  from  those  of  Tjersemba  and  Servia  on 
the  banks  of  the  Injekara,  by  a  low  root  of  Mount 
Bermium,  which  is  connected  at  the  other  end  of 
the  plain  of  Budja  with  the  mountain  of  Kozani, 
which  is  a  branch  of  Mount  Burino.  The  highest 
and  middle  point  of  these  lower  heights  is  called 
by  the  Turks  Ghioztepe,  a  name  analogous  to  the 
Greek  Skopo,  and  meaning  a  point  which  com- 
mands an  extensive  view.  The  plain  of  Budja 
widens  as  we  advance,  and  contains  many  small 


•29* 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


Yuruk  villages,  situated  at  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains on  either  side. 

To  our  right  a  root  of  Mount  Dhoxa,  advancing 
to  the  westward,  leaves  only  a  space  of  two  miles 
between  it  and  a  similar  projection  of  the  moun- 
tain of  Siatista  ;  but  beyond  the  opening  the  level 
again  widens  into  the  more  extensive  plain  of 
Sarighiul.  A  little  on  this  side  of  the  opening 
stands  the  small  Turkish  town  of  Djuma,  which 
contains  a  bazar,  and  is  the  market  town  of  a  dis- 
trict of  small  Turkish  villages.  The  plains  of 
'Ostrovo,  Sarighiul,  Djuma,  and  Budja,  seem, 
with  the  enclosing  mountains,  to  have  formed  the 
ancient  Eordaea.  At  6.50  we  halt  to  dine  at  a 
rising  ground  in  the  plain,  spreading  carpets  and 
capots  on  the  snow,  which  still  lies  here  though 
the  sun  is  now  hot;  then  proceeding  at  7.35, 
leave  soon  afterwards  Djuma  two  or  three  miles  on 
the  right,  and  at  length  arrive  in  the  lowest  part  of 
the  plain,  in  which  there  is  no  longer  any  snow. 
The  plain  is  fertile,  and  well  cultivated  with  corn. 
The  entrance  of  the  Boghaz  of  Siatista  appears  at 
a  distance  of  seven  or  eight  miles  on  the  right. 
At  9.20,  having  arrived  at  the  end  of  the  plain  of 
Djuma,  and  passed  a  little  to  the  right  of  several 
small  Turkish  villages  situated  at  the  foot  of  the 
hills  of  Ghioztepe,  we  turn  to  the  left  of  our  for- 
mer course,  through  a  narrow  passage  between 
the  Ghioztepe  range  and  some  other  small  hills 
connected  with  the  mountains  near  Kozani.  At 
the  entrance  of  the  opening  stands  a  khan  and 
a  small  Turkish  village  called  Sulinaria  :  half  an 
hour  further  begins  an   undulated  country,  which 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


299 


extends  on  the  right  to  Kozani,  and  the  mountains 
behind  it,  and  descends  to  the  left  to  the  Vistritza ; 
at  10.30  we  arrive  at  Kozani,  vulgarly  pro- 
nounced Kodjani.  This  is  a  town  of  six  or 
seven  hundred  houses,  with  a  good  bazar  and  a 
market  on  Saturday  for  the  neighbouring  coun- 
try :  formerly  it  had  a  considerable  commerce 
with  Hungary  and  Germany,  and  several  opu- 
lent merchants  resided  here.  My  lodging,  which 
belonged  to  one  of  them,  is  constructed  like  the 
houses  at  Siatista,  with  thick  walls,  and  apartments, 
which,  though  smaller,  are  more  commodious 
than  those  in  ordinary  Greek  and  Turkish  houses. 
There  is  a  cellar  below  the  house  for  the  wine, 
which  is  here  made  from  an  extensive  tract  of 
vineyards  surrounding  the  town.  The  greater 
part  of  the  Kozanite  merchants,  whom  Turkish 
oppression,  particularly  that  of  Aly  Pasha,  has 
driven  from  hence,  have  settled  in  Hungary. 

Dec.  6. — The  market  this  morning  is  much 
frequented  by  both  Turks  and  Greeks  from  the 
neighbouring  country.  Kozani  and  Servia  form 
one  episcopal  diocese  in  the  province  of  Thes- 
salonica ;  the  bishop  has  a  house  in  both  places, 
and  is  now  at  Servia,  but  his  ordinary  residence  is 
Kozani.  At  the  foot  of  the 
steps  of  his  house,  is  a 
square  stone  of  the  annexed 
form,  which  serves  the 
bishop  for  a  mounting-block 
when  he  rides  out. 

It  is  an  tTriTVfjkfiioQ  (TTTjXrj,  erected  in  honour  of  one 
Cleopatra,  by  her  husband  Crispus,  in  union  with 


300 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


his  daughter  Crispina  '  :  a  square  excavation  in  the 
upper  surface  may  perhaps  have  supported  a  vase 
of  stone.  On  two  opposite  sides  of  the  stele,  is  a 
repetition  of  words,  intended  probably  for  an  Iambic 
verse,  and  signifying 

"  Farewell  ye  heroes  :    and  fare  thee  well  also 
traveller,  and  good  journey  to  thee2." 

The  plural  form  of  iJowec  appears  to  indicate  that 
these  two  inscriptions  were  added  after  the  death 
of  Crispus  and  Crispina,  and  when  they  had  been 
buried  in  the  same  sepulchre  with  Cleopatra.  The 
sigma  is  rectangular,  and  there  are  several  siglae 
or  conjoined  letters,  a  mode  of  engraving  which 
seems  to  have  been  more  common  in  Mace- 
donia than  in  the  southern  provinces  of  Greece, 
but  was  probably  seldom  or  ever  employed  even 
here,  before  the  end  of  the  first  century  of  the 
Roman  Empire,  to  which  date  the  inscription  may 
with  probability  be  attributed.  The  monument 
having  been  discovered  in  one  of  the  corn-fields 
above  the  village,  where  several  small  sepulchral 
marbles,  with  figures  in  relief,  or  other  remains  of 
antiquity,  have  also  been  brought  to  light,  it  is 
evident  that  Kozani  occupies  the  position  of  an 
ancient  town,  though  I  search  in  vain  for  any  other 
indications  of  it,  such  as  town  walls,  or  remains  of 
architecture.       Kozani  is  the  native  place  of  Dr. 


1   Kpicrirug  [metci  rfjg  dvyarpug       irarpav  ryv  rvfi/jtoy  fiXav^piag 
KpHnrEtvac,      (G>v      tri,    KXed-       evekev. 


XaipeTE  ijpioEg'  xa~'()E  Kai  <7V  *"  woeei. 

Vide  Inscription,  No.  11-1. 


XXVII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


301 


George  Sakellario,  translator  of  a  part  of  the 
Voyage  D'Anacharsis  and  some  other  works,  which 
he  undertook  for  the  benefit  of  his  countrymen. 
The  comfortable  residence  in  which  I  find  his 
family,  shews  the  sacrifice  he  makes,  or  rather  is 
forced  to  make,  in  residing  at  Berat  as  physician 
to  Ibrahim  Pasha.  His  brother-in-law,  Papa  Kha- 
rismio,  who  is  now  residing  at  Kozani,  is  an  author 
also,  and  has  written  a  Pantheon  for  the  use  of  the 
schools  of  Greece. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

MACEDONIA,    PERRIIjEBIA. 

Tjersemba — Geography  of  Upper  Macedonia — Elimeia,  Eordcea, 
Orestis,  Lyncestis,  Pcecnia,  Pelagonia — Campaign  of  Sulpicius 
against  Philip  —  Tripolitis  of  Pelagonia — Slymbara — Pelium 
— Dassaretia — Antipatria,  &c. — Servia,  /  \>luslana, — Livadhi 
— Pass  of  Petra — Tripolitis  of  Perrhccbia — Pythium,  Azorus, 
Doliche  — Elassona,  Oloosson — Mount  Titarus,  River  Titare- 
sius  —  Mount  Olympus  —  Tzaritzena  —  Pass  of  Meluna  — 
Tiirnavo. 

The  plain  or  rather  low  undulated  country  in- 
cluded between  the  Vistrltza,  the  mountain  of 
Kozani,  Mount  Burino  and  Ghioztepe,  is  called 
Tjersemba,  a  Turkish  word,  written  by  the  Greeks 
TlepoE/jnrag.  Its  inhabitants  are  chiefly  Turks,  oc- 
cupying small  villages.  The  soil  produces  good 
corn,  but  it  is  more  particularly  noted  for  saffron  ', 
which  is  sent  by  land  to  Germany,  by  the  merchants 
of  Kozani  and  Tzaritzena.  When  the  trade  of 
Egypt  was  closed  by  the  consequences  of  the  French 
invasion,  the  saffron  of  this  country  was  worth  80 
piastres  the  oke,  but  it  has  now  fallen  to  50  and  40. 
The  only  other  district  which  produces  it,  is  that 
of  Venja,   on  the  opposite  side  of  Mount  Burino, 


Kpoicoe. 


CTTAP.   XXVIII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


303 


and  lying  between  Tjersemba  and  Grevena.  The 
name  Burino  appears  to  belong,  like  Vistritza,  to 
the  ancient  language  of  Macedonia,  and  may  have 
been  derived  from  the  same  root  as  Bora1,  Ber- 
Bertiscus. 


mms, 


Beyond  Burino  to  the  southward,  is  seen  a  ridge 
of  nearly  equal  height,  which  takes  a  southerly 
direction  towards  Tr'ikkala,  and  separates  the 
waters  of  the  Haliacmon  from  those  of  the  Peneius. 
They  are  the  mountains  anciently  called  Cambunii, 
a  word  of  which  flowog  is  obviously  the  root.  They 
form  a  continuation  of  the  heights  above  Katafyghi, 
and  at  their  foot,  a  few  degrees  to  the  right  of  the 
summit  of  Olympus,  is  seen  the  town  of  Servia, 
called  Selfldje  by  the  Turks,  a  name  which  they 
attach  also  to  the  entire  district  stretching  along 
the  right  bank  of  the  Tnjekara,  opposite  to  Tjer- 
semba. In  Tjersemba  there  are  said  to  be  remains 
of  antiquity  in  four  places,  but  in  none  of  them 
are  they  described  as  being  formed  of  that  beautiful 
masonry  which  is  so  distinguishing  a  mark  of 
Hellenic  works.  This  the  Kozanites  !  very  justly 
account  for,  by  the  nature  of  the  stone  of  the  sur- 


1  Bora  seems  to  be  nothing 
more  than  a  modification  of 
opog  preceded  by  ft,  which  the 
Macedonians  employed  instead 
of  the  digamma  or  initial  aspi- 
rate customary  in  other  dialects. 
In  Macedonic,  according  to 
Plutarch,  (Q.u.  Graec.)  and  Ste- 
phanus    (in    Bepoca)  <pd\aKpoc, 


QepEviKT)  and  <bi\nrn-og  were 
(idXaKpog,  HepoviKT],  BtXnnror, 
Berrhcea  seems  in  like  manner 
to  have  been  the  same  as  <bepai, 
a  name  common  in  other  parts 
of  Greece,  and  Beres  and  Beron, 
the  same  as  Pheres  and  Pheron. 
2  Ko£aWrcuc. 


304 


MACEDONIA. 


[CHAP. 


rounding  mountains,  which  being  brittle  and  in- 
capable of  being  hewn  into  large  blocks,  apparently 
obliged  the  inhabitants  of  this  part  of  Upper  Ma- 
cedonia, who  moreover  were  semi-barbarous  before 
the  time  of  Philip  son  of  Amyntas,  to  build  in  a  man- 
ner different  from  that  of  the  Southern  Greeks.  The 
four  ruins  are  :   1.  At  Ktinia,  on  the  side  of  Mount 
Burino,   where  a  height  is   crowned   by  a  castle 
having  a  double  inclosure,  and  thin  walls.     2.   At 
Kaliani,  a  small  Greek  village,  three  hours  from  K6- 
zani,  near  the  left  bank  of  the  Injekara,  a  little  on 
this   side  of  a  boghaz  leading  from   the  valley  of 
Tjersemba  into  that  of  Venja.     Here  are  the  re- 
mains of  a  building,  of  which  my  informant  gave 
me   a  rude  drawing.      It  was  constructed  with  a 
double  row   of  arches,   of  which  the   larger  were 
supported  by  white  marble  columns,   with  Corin- 
thian capitals,   in   bad  taste.     The  building  is  in 
ruins  on  three  sides,  but  the  fourth  still  preserves 
the  place  where  the  statue  is   supposed  to  have 
stood.     The   arches   have  been  walled  to  form  it 
into  a  Greek  church.     The  neio-hbourino;  fields  are 
said  to  be  strewed  with  broken  pottery  ;  coins  also 
are  often  found,  and  sometimes  small  idols.     3.  At 
Kesaria,  about  half  way  between  Kozani  and  Servia, 
half  an  hour  to  the  right  of  the  direct  road,  are 
similar  appearances,  with  fragments  of  marble  and 
sepulchral  monuments  ;   and  there  are   remains  of 
the   same  kind  also  between  Kesaria  and  Kaliani. 
So  deficient    are    the    ancient   details    of  Mace- 
donian geography,   that  no   opinion  can  be  given 
of  these    places,    further  than  that  one   of  them 


XXVIII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


305 


bore  the  common  name  of  Kmaapla,  and  that  they 
were  all  subordinate  towns  of  the  JElimeia,  for  that 
Elimeia  extended  thus  far  to  the  eastward,  and 
here  bordered  upon  Eordaea  and  Pieria,  seems 
evident  from  Livy,  in  a  passage  already  referred 
to,  where  he  relates  that  Perseus  marched  from 
Citium  to  the  lake  Begorrites  in  Eordaea,  from 
thence  to  the  Haliacmon  in  Elimeia,  and  on  the 
(olio wing  day  into  Perrhcebia,  which  lies  imme- 
diately to  the  southward  of  Tjersemba  on  the 
western  side  of  Mount  Olympus,  whence  it  is 
evident  that  the  encampment  of  Perseus,  pre- 
viously to  his  entering  Perrhsebia,  was  exactly 
on  this  part  of  the  river.  As  it  is  equally 
manifest  from  other  authorities  that  Elimeia  ex- 
tended westward  to  the  range  of  Pindus,  it  may 
be  defined  as  comprehending  the  modern  districts 
of  Grevena,  Venja  and  Tjersemba.  Of  the  three 
other  subdivisions  of  Upper  Macedonia,  namely, 
Eordcea,  Orestis  and  Lynccstis,  Eordcea  compre- 
hended probably,  as  I  have  before  remarked,  the 
modern  districts  of  Budja,  Sarighiul  and  'Ostrovo  — 
Orestis  those  of  Gramista,  Anaselitza  and  Kastoria — 
and  Lyncestis,  Filurina  and  all  the  southern  part  of 
the  basin  of  the  Erigon.  These  seem  to  have  been 
all  the  districts  which  properly  belonged  to  Upper 
Macedonia,  the  country  to  the  northward,  as  far 
as  Illyria  westward,  and  Thrace  eastward,  consti- 
tuting Paeonia,  a  part  of  which  (probably,  on  the 
Upper  Axius)  was  a  separate  kingdom  as  late  as 
the  reign  of  Cassander1,   but  which  in  its  widest 


VOL.     III. 


1  Diodor.  1.  20,  c.  19. 
X 


306 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


sense  enveloped  on  the  north  and  north-east  both 
Upper  and  Lower  Macedonia,  the  latter  containing 
the  maritime  and  central  provinces,  which  were 
the  earliest  acquisition  of  the  kings,  namely,  Pieria, 
Bottiaeis,  Emathia,  and  Mygdonia.  Even  a  part 
of  these  was  occupied  by  Paeonians  before  the 
establishment  of  the  Macedonian  monarchy. 

Paeonia  extended  to  the  Dentheletae  and  Maedi 
of  Thrace  and  to  the  Dardani,  Penestae  and 
Dassaretii  of  Illyria,  comprehending  the  various 
tribes  who  occupied  the  upper  valleys  of  the  Erigon, 
Axius,  Strymon,  and  Angitas,  as  far  southward  as 
Sirrhae  inclusive.  Its  principal  tribes  to  the  east- 
ward were  the  Odomanti,  iEstraei  and  Agrianes, 
parts  of  whose  country  were  known  by  the  names  of 
Parstrymonia  and  Paroreia,  the  former  containing' 
probably  the  valleys  of  the  Upper  Strymon  and  of 
its  great  tributary  the  river  of  Strumitza  (JEstrceus  ?) 
the  latter  the  adjacent  mountains.  On  the  western 
frontier  of  Paeonia,  its  subdivisions  bordering  on 
the  part  of  Illyria  inhabited  by  the  Penestae  and 
Dassaretii  were  Deuriopus  and  Pelagonia,  which 
together  with  Lyncestis  comprehended  the  entire 
country  watered  by  the  Erigon  and  its  branches. 
The  respective  limits  of  these  subdivisions  were 


not   wen    uenneu,    nor    m 


iges; 


♦h' 


Line. 


Strabo  considered  Pelagonia,  as  well  as  Lyn- 
cestis, a  division  of  Upper  Macedonia,  but  as 
Stobi  is  described  by  other  authors  sometimes 
as  a  city  of  Paeonia,  and  sometimes  of  Pela- 
gonia, as  Stymbara,  another  important  place 
on  this  frontier  of  regal  Macedonia  is  stated  by 
some  as  belonging  to   Deuriopus,  and  by  others 


XXVIII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


307 


to  Pelagonia,  and  as  Bryanium,  placed  by  Strabo 
in  Deuriopus,  was  near  the  passes  leading  into 
Eordaea,  and  consequently  in  Lyncestis,  it  is  evident 
that  no  exact  definition  of  these  districts  prevailed, 
at  least  among  the  ancient  writers  whose  works 
have  reached  us.  Lyncestis,  although  originally 
a  part  of  Paeonia,  having  become  a  separate  king- 
dom, which  was  annexed  to  Macedonia  as  early  as 
the  reign  of  Philip,  son  of  Amyntas,  may,  with 
reference  to  a  later  period,  be  ascribed  to  Upper 
Macedonia  ;  at  the  same  time  that  all  beyond  it, 
to  the  sources  of  the  Erigon,  was  still  a  portion  of 
Paeonia,  the  whole  of  which,  however,  was  united 
to  regal  Macedonia  before  the  Macedonic  wars  of 
Rome. 

There  is  no  occurrence  in  ancient  history  which 
better  illustrates  the  ancient  geography  of  that 
part  of  the  country  than  the  operations  of  the 
consul  Sulpicius  against  Philip,  in  the  campaign 
of  the  year  b.c  200  \  Philip,  who  flattered  him- 
self that  he  should  be  able  to  deprive  the  Romans 
of  the  assistance  of  the  i£tolians  and  Dardani,  had 
for  the  purpose  of  preventing  the  entrance  of  the 
latter  people  into  Macedonia,  stationed  his  son  Per- 
seus in  the  passes  of  Pelagonia,  when  the  consul 
having  marched  from  Apollonia  of  Illyria  through 
Dassaretia  into  Lyncestis,  there  encamped  on  the 
banks  of  the  Bevus,  and  from  thence  sent  foraging 
parties  into  Dassaretia,  where  the  corn  of  the  open 
country  had  already  enabled  him,  on  passing 
through  that  district,  to  save  the  supplies  which 
he   brought  with  him   from  his  winter  quarters. 

1  Liv.  1.  31,  c.  33,  et  seq. 

x2 


308 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap 


One  of  his  parties  having  suddenly  encountered 
a  body  of  Philip's  cavalry  who  were  in  quest  of 
information,  an  action  ensued,  with  a  loss  nearly 
equal  on  both  sides.  Upon  learning  the  force  and 
position  of  the  enemy,  Philip  found  it  prudent  to 
recal  Perseus  from  the  passes  of  Pelagonia,  and 
having  thus  brought  together  20,000  men,  he 
occupied  a  height  distant  only  200  paces  from  the 
Roman  camp,  and  which  he  fortified  with  a  ditch 
and  rampart.  On  the  third  ensuing  day,  the 
consul  having  drawn  forth  his  line  at  a  distance 
of  500  paces  from  the  enemy,  Philip  ordered  out 
700  of  his  cavalry,  attended  by  the  same  number 
of  light  infantry  ;  these  the  enemy  met  with  an 
equal  body  of  horse  and  foot,  and  obtained  an 
advantage,  the  Greeks  having  shown  themselves, 
in  both  kinds  of  force,  inferior  in  firmness  to  the 
Romans,  and  the  velites  of  the  latter  being  much 
better  armed  than  the  Illyrians  and  Cretans  who 
accompanied  the  Macedonian  cavalry. 

Two  days  afterwards,  Philip  equally  failed  in 
drawing  the  enemy  into  an  ambuscade  of  peltasta?, 
whom  he  had  stationed  during  the  previous  night 
in  a  position  between  the  two  camps.  On  the 
following  day  Sulpicius  drew  out  his  whole  army, 
with  elephants  in  front1,  and  offered  battle  to 
the  king,  when  the  latter,  not  accepting  the 
defiance,  the  consul  moved  his  camp  8  miles  to 
Octolophus,  for  the  sake  of  being  able  to  forage 
in  greater  security  than  could  be  done  while  the 
enemy's  camp  was  so  near.     The  armies  remained 


1  Some  elephants  taken    in 
the  Punic  war,  which  the  Ro- 


mans now  employed  in  battle 
for  the  first  time. 


XXVIII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


309 


inactive  in  their  respective  positions  until  the 
Roman  foragers  had  become  negligent  of  their 
security,  when  the  king  advancing  suddenly  with 
all  his  cavalry,  and  some  Cretan  infantry,  cut  off  the 
Roman  foragers  from  their  camp,  and  slew  many 
of  them.  The  consul,  upon  being  made  acquainted 
with  the  occurrence,  advanced  his  legions  in  a 
close  column  and  sent  forward  his  cavalry,  who 
came  to  action  with  the  king.  At  first  Philip  had 
the  superiority,  but  at  length  he  was  defeated,  and 
lost  300  horsemen,  of  whom  a  third  were  made 
prisoners,  and  the  rest  were  killed  or  perished 
in  some  neighbouring  marshes.  The  king  him- 
self was  nearly  taken,  having  wandered  for 
some  time  in  the  marshes  before  he  recovered 
his  camp.  He  now  resolved  upon  a  retreat,  being 
partly  actuated  by  the  report  that  the  Dardani, 
under  Pleuratus,  were  approaching.  He  concealed 
this  intention  from  his  adversary  by  a  proposal  for 
a  truce  to  bury  the  dead,  and  by  lighting  fires  in 
his  camp  at  night,  while  he  was  retiring  towards 
the  mountains. 

The  consul  remained  several  days  in  the  same 
position,  ignorant  of  the  enemy's  movements,  when, 
having  exhausted  the  supplies  of  the  neighbour- 
ing country,  he  removed  to  Stymbara,  and  from 
thence,  after  having  collected  the  corn  from  the 
fields  of  Pelagonia,  to  Pluvina,  still  ignorant  of  the 
motions  of  Philip,  who  bad  in  the  meantime 
encamped  at  Bryanium,  and  having  better  infor- 
mation of  his  opponent's  proceedings,  alarmed 
the  Romans  by  suddenly  approaching  them,  but 
did    not    venture    to    bring   on    an   action.      The 


310 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


Romans  then  proceeded  to  encamp  on  the  river 
Osphagus,  while  Philip  entrenched  himself  at  no 
great  distance  on  the  bank  of  the  Erigon,  when, 
perceiving  that  the  Romans  intended  to  cross  the 
mountains  into  Eordsea,  he  retired,  and  fortified  the 
passes  with  trees,  stones,  ditches,  and  ramparts. 
But  from  these  works  he  derived  little  benefit.  The 
Romans  forced  or  turned  them  without  difficulty, 
chiefly  because  the  Macedonian  phalanx  was  use- 
less and  unmanageable  in  such  a  narrow  and 
rugged  field  of  action.  Philip  having  retired,  the 
Romans  ravaged  the  fields  of  Eordaea,  entered 
Elimeia,  and  from  thence  moved  into  Orestis. 
Here  the  consul  received  the  submission  of  Cele- 
trum,  and  from  thence,  proceeding  into  Das- 
saretia,  took  Pelium,  "  a  town  conveniently  placed 
for  making  incursions  into  Macedonia,"  and  having 
placed  a  garrison  in  this  place,  he  returned  with 
his  captives  and  plunder  to  Apollonia. 

This  narrative,  extracted  undoubtedly  from 
Polybius,  seems  so  clear,  that  a  traveller  com- 
manding sufficient  leisure  and  security  might  hope 
to  determine  the  position  of  the  first  encampment 
of  Sulpicius  as  well  as  that  of  Octolophus,  to  iden- 
tify the  branches  of  the  IZrigon,  named  Bevus  and 
Osp/iagus,  and  perhaps  to  ascertain  the  sites  of 
Pluvina,  Bryanium,  and  Stymbara.  In  this  he 
would  be  greatly  assisted  by  the  evidence  which 
the  Itineraries  have  left  us  of  the  position  of  Hera- 
cleia,  the  chief  town  of  Lyncestis  \  As  the  histo- 
rian states   the  first  encampment  of  the  Romans 


1  Ttolem.  1.  3,  c.  13. 


XXVIII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


311 


to  have  been  at  Lyncus,  on  the  river  Bevus ',  and 
as  Lyncus  is  described  as  a  town  by  Stephanus  2, 
it  might  be  supposed  that  Heracleia  was  some- 
times called  Lyncus,  and  that  the  camp  of  Sulpi- 
cius  was  at  Heracleia  itself.  But  notwithstanding 
the  words  "  ad  Lyncum "  seem  to  favour  this 
opinion,  it  is  more  likely  that  Polybius  employed 
Lyncus  on  this  occasion  in  the  same  sense  which 
we  find  attached  to  it  in  two  other  passages  of 
Livy,  as  well  as  in  Thucydides  and  Plutarch 3 ; 
that  is  to  say,  as  synonymous  with  Lyncestis, 
or  the  country  of  the  Lyncestae,  once  a  small 
independent  kingdom,  and  afterwards  a  province 
of  the  Macedonian  monarchy. 

Lychnidus  and  Heracleia  lying  nearly  in  the  line 
between  Dyrrhachium,  or  Apollonia,  and  Thessalo- 
nica,  were  the  principal  places  in  the  centre  of  the 
Candavian  or  Egnatian  way — the  great  line  of  com- 
munication by  land  between  Italy  and  the  East,  be- 
tween Rome,  Constantinople,  and  Jerusalem.  A 
road  of  such  importance,  and  on  which  the  distance 
had  been  marked  with  milestones  soon  after  the 
Roman  conquest  of  Macedonia,  we  may  believe  to 
have  been  kept  in  the  best  order,  as  long  as  Rome 
was  the  centre  of  a  vigorous  authority  ;  but  it  pro 
bably  shared  the  fate  of  many  other  great  establish- 
ments in  the  decline  of  the  empire,  and  especially 

1  Ad  Lyncum  stativa  posuit      Strabo,  who  mentions  only  the 


prope   fiumen    Bevum. —  Liv. 
1.  3i,  c.  33. 

8  AvyKog,  woXig  'IlTreipov. 
ItTpafiwv  tftc6[.t,rj. — Stephan.  in 
voce.  No  such  name,  how- 
ever, is  found  in  our  copies  of 


Lyncestae  :  and  the  ethnogra- 
pher is  obviously  wrong  as  to 
Epirus. 

8  Liv.  1.  26,  c.  25  ;  1.  32, 
c.  9.  Thucyd.  1.  4,  c.  83.  121. 
— Plutarch  in  Flamin. 


312 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap 


when  it  became  as  much  the  concern  of  the 
Byzantine  as  of  the  Roman  government.  Of 
this  we  discover  some  strong  symptoms  in  the 
itineraries ;  for  although  Lychnidus,  Heracleia, 
and  Edessa,  still  continued,  as  on  the  Candavian 
way  described  by  Polybius,  to  be  the  three  prin- 
cipal points  between  Dyrrhachium  and  Thessalo- 
nica  (nature  in  fact  having  strongly  drawn  that 
line  in  the  valley  of  the  Genusus,  branching  from 
the  maritime  country  of  Illyria,  and  penetrating- 
Mount  Candavia  in  the  same  easterly  direction  in 
which  the  vale  of  the  river  of  Edessa  issues  into 
the  plains  of  Lower  Macedonia)  there  appears 
to  have  been  a  choice  of  routes  over  the 
ridges  which  contained  the  boundaries  of  Illy- 
ria and  Macedonia,  and  which  separate  the 
lake  of  Lychnidus  from  the  valleys  watered 
by    the    Erigon    and    its    branches l  :    a    strong 


1  'Ek  £e  ri/e  'AiroWuiviaQ  elg 
M.aKeb'oviuv  i)  'Eyrar/a  larlv 
bbbg  wpbg  tio,  ^f/Sariff^fVr/  Kara 
fAiXiuy  Kal  KaraoTTiKwuivr)  ^XPl 
Kv\p£Xov  Kal  "E/3pou  Trora/xov' 
fiiXiwu  c)'  larl  TTEVTaKoaiwp  rpia- 

Kovra  -kevte 

Suju/BcuVei  h'  curb  'ioov  biaari)- 
fiarog  (TVfnriTtTeLv  elg  ri]v  avrijy 

bbbv,     TOVQ     T      £K    Tije    'AtToXXu)- 

vLclq  bpfirjOivrag  Kal  TOVQ  il, 
'JLwidafivov.  II  fJitv  ovv  ivaaa 
'JLyvaria  icaXcTrat"  v  be.  irpwrt] 
ewl  Kavbaoviug  Xiyerai,  bpovg 
'IXXvpiKov,  bia  Av%vibov  nuXewg 
Kal  HvXwvog,  totvov  bpi(ov>Tog 
iv  Ttj  bif  T)\v   rt    IXXvpica  Kal 


rrjv  TAaKtZoviav.  'EkeWev  £' 
iffrl  ivapa  JSapvovvra,  bid  'llpa- 
KXsiag  Kal  A.vyKY)aTwv  Kal  'Eup- 
bdJv  eIq  "E^fiT(rav  Kal  TliXXav 
^iypi  OEcraaXopiKEiaQ'  piXia  tS' 
Earl,  (jjr)ul  HoXbfiiog,  ravra  bia- 
Koata  eUtfiKOVTCL  ticra. — Stntbo, 
p.  322,  323. 

Dyrrhachio,  Clodiana,  43 
M.  p.  Scampis  20,  al.  22. 
Tres  Tabemas  28,  al.  30. 
Lychnido  27.  Nicia  34,  He- 
racleia 11 — al.  Lychnido,  Scir- 
tiana  27,  Castra  15,  Heracleia 
12.— Antonin.  It.  p.  318,  330. 
Wess. 

Apollonia,  Clodiana  o7  m.  p. 


XXVIII  ] 


MACEDONIA. 


313 


indication  that  the  great  Roman  work  was  out 
of  repair.  In  the  original  road  described  by  Po- 
ly bi  us,  the  portion  between  Lychnidus  and  Hera- 
cleia  led  through  Pylon,  which  received  that  name 
from  its  being  the  limit  of  the  two  provinces.  The 
Antonine  Itinerary  gives  two  routes  in  this  part ; 
one  passing  through  Scirtiana  (Scirtonia '  ?)  and 
Castra,  the  other  through  Nicia  (Nicoea?),  which 
is  the  same  as  that  in  the  Tabular  Itinerary 2.  In 
the  Jerusalem  the  road  passes  through  Brucida 
(Brygiada,  i.  e.  Brygias  3  ?)  and  Parembole. 

Now  there  seems  little  doubt  that  these  names 
Castra,  Parembole,  and  Nicaea,  have  reference  to  the 
military  transactions  of  the  Romans  in  Lyncestis, 
who  not  many  years  after  those  events  constructed 
a  road,  which  happened   to  pass  exactly  over  the 


Scampis  2 1 ,  Trajectus  9,  Canda- 
via  9,  in  tabernas  9,  Claudanon 

9,  Patras4,  Lychnidum  1 2,  Bru- 
cida 13,  Parembole  19,  Hera- 
cleia  12. — It.  Hierosol,  p.  006. 

This  route  has  been  re- 
versed, and  some  of  the  names 
corrected,  in  order  to  furnish  a 
better  comparison  with  the 
other  Itineraries. 

Dyrrhachio,  Clodiana  31, 
Scampis  20,  ad  Genusum  9,  ad 
Dianam  7,  in  Candavia  9,  Pons 
Servilii  9,  Lychnido  19,  Nicea 

10,  Heracleia  11. — Tab.  Peu- 
tinger,  segm.  5. 

1  Ptolemy,  1.  2,  c.  17,  couples 
the  Pirustas  and  Scirtones  as 
Illyrian  tribes  near  Macedonia, 
and  the  Pirustae  we  know  from 


Polybius  (1.  5,  c.  108)  and  from 
Livy  (1. 45,  c.  26)  to  have  been 
a  people  of  Dassaretis. 

2  A  station  has  been  omitted 
in  the  Table  between  Lychni- 
dus and  Nicaea,  the  total  dis- 
tance from  Lychnidus  to  Hera- 
cleia being  only  half  of  that  in 
the  Jerusalem,  and  seventeen 
or  eighteen  miles  less  than  in 
the  Antonine. 

3  B(ji/£,  to  tdvog  kq.1  Bpv-yal 

tlal  £e  Ma- 

Ktdovutov  kdvog  Tvpoatytq  'IA\u- 
ptolg. — Stephan.  in  voce.  See 
also  in  Bpi/yi'ar,  Bpvytoi',  each 
described  as  a  7r6\ig  Maiceco- 
vidQ,  but  probably  one  and  the 
same  place. 


314 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


scene  of  the  former  exploits  of  their  army.  Castra 
or  Parembole,  therefore,  indicates  the  first  encamp- 
ment of  Sulpicius  on  the  Bevus ;  and  Nicsea  the 
place  where  he  obtained  the  advantage  over  Phi- 
lip's cavalry,  near  Octolophus,  which  was  eight 
miles  distant  from  the  first  encampment :  conse- 
quently, Nicsea  was  about  eight  Roman  miles  from 
Parembole  or  Castra — and  probably  to  the  north- 
ward of  it,  because  after  the  battle  near  Octolo- 
phus, the  consul  proceeded  in  a  northerly  direc- 
tion to  Stymbara,  in  search  of  provisions,  having 
already  exhausted  the  country  around  Heracleia. 
It  appears,  therefore,  that  Nicaea,  Parembole,  and 
Heracleia,  formed  a  triangle,  of  which  the  sides 
were  8,  11,  and  12  m.  p.  in  length;  that  the 
northern  route  from  Lychnidus  descended  upon 
Nicaea,  or  Octolophus,  and  the  two  southern  upon 
Parembole,  or  Castra,  on  the  river  Bevus  :  this 
was  evidently  the  southern  branch  of  the  Erigon, 
near  the  issue  of  which  into  the  plains  Heracleia 
might  be  sought  for,  and  nearer  to  its  sources  the 
town  of  Beve  \  As  to  the  route  described  by  Poly- 
bius  through  Pylon,  the  names  which  he  mentions 
being  of  much  earlier  times  than  those  in  the 
Itineraries,  it  is  very  possible  that  the  former  route 
may  have  coincided  with  one  of  the  latter,  not- 
withstanding the  difference  of  names. 

The  pass  over  the  mountains  which  separated 
Lyncestis  from  Eordaea,  where  Philip  made  his  un- 
successful stand  against  the  Romans,  is  described 
by  Polybius  as  al  tig  rrjv  'EopSalav  w7T£pj3oX«t 2,  and 
Thucydides  terms  a  defile  in  the  same  mountains 

1  Stephan.  in  Bei/t].  '  Polyb.  1.  18,  c.  6. 

12 


XXVIII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


^  t(T/3oX77  tik  Avjkov,  in  relating  the  attempt  of  Per- 
diccas  against  Lyncestis,  in  the  eighth  year  of  the 
Peloponnesian  War,  which  ended  in  a  separate  ne- 
gotiation between  his  ally  Brasidas  and  Arrhibseus 
king  of  the  Lyncestae  !.  It  was  by  the  same  pass 
that  Brasidas,  in  the  following  year,  effected  a  skil- 
ful retreat  from  the  Lyncestae  and  Illyrians 2,  when, 
having  descended  into  the  plains  of  Lyncus  with 
Perdiccas  and  a  joint  force,  composed  of  3000 
hoplitae,  1000  cavalry,  and  a  large  body  of  barba- 
rians of  Thrace,  they  were  obliged  to  retreat  in 
consequence  of  the  Illyrians,  who  had  promised  to 
join  Perdiccas,  having  suddenly  ranged  them- 
selves on  the  side  of  Arrhibaeus.  The  Macedo- 
nians of  Perdiccas,  and  the  undisciplined  barba- 
rians, having  taken  the  alarm,  moved  tumult- 
ously in  the  night,  and  rendered  it  necessary  for 
the  king  himself  to  accompany  them  without  com- 
municating with  Brasidas,  who  was  stationed  with 
his  forces  at  some  distance.  Thus  abandoned,  the 
Spartan  general  began  his  retreat  on  the  following 
morning  towards  the  pass,  forming  his  hoplitae  in 
a  square,  placing  his  light-armed  within  it,  and  co- 
vering the  retreat  of  this  body  with  300  chosen  men 
under  his  own  command.  He  thus  not  only  resisted 
the  attacks  of  the  enemy,  but  having  seized  upon 
one  of  the  heights  which  bordered  the  entrance  of 
the  pass,  prevented  them  from  intercepting  him  in 
it.  He  was  then  allowed  to  retreat  without  farther 
molestation,  and  arrived  the  same  day  at  Arnissa, 
the  first  town  in  the  territory  of  Perdiccas.  Ar- 
nissa, therefore,  seems  to  have  been  in  the  vale  of 

1  Thucyd.  1.  4,  c.  83.  2  Thucyd.  1.  4,  c.  124,  et  seq. 


316 


MACEDONIA. 


[CHAP 


'Ostrovo,  and  possibly  it  may  have  been  the  same 
place  as  the  Barnus  of  Polybius,  B  being  a  com- 
mon Macedonian  prefix  ;  for  the  words  of  Strabo 
are  not  imperative  in  placing  Barnus  between 
Lychnidus  and  Heracleia,  although  bearing  un- 
doubtedly that  interpretation. 

It  is  from  the  remark  of  Polybius  that  the  Canda- 
vian  way  passed  through  the  country  of  the  Eordsei, 
in  proceeding  from  that  of  the  LyncestaB  to  Edessa  ', 
together  with  the  historical  authorities  just  referred 
to,  and  that  other  passage  in  the  Latin  historian, 
wherein  he  describes  the  march  of  Perseus  from 
Citium  in  Lower  Macedonia,  through  Eordsea  into 
Elimeia,  and  to  the  Haliacmon 2,  that  we  obtain  a 
knowledge  of  the  exact  situation  of  JEordcea,  which 
thus  appears  to  have  extended  along  the  western 
side  of  Mount  Bermius,  comprehending 'Ostrovo  and 
Katranitza  to  the  north,  Sarighioli  in  the  middle, 
and  to  the  southward  the  plains  of  Djuma,  Budja, 
and  Karaianni,  as  far  as  the  ridges  near  Kozani  and 
the  Klisura  of  Siatista,  which  seem  to  be  the  natural 
boundaries  of  the  province.  The  only  Eordaean 
town  noticed  in  history  is  Physcus,  of  which  Thu- 
cydides  remarks,  that  near  it  there  still  remained 
some  of  the  descendants  of  the  Eordrei,  who  had 
been  expelled  from  all  other  parts  of  Eordaia  by 
the  Temenidae 3.  But  there  is  some  reason  to  add 
to  this  name  those  of  Begorra  and  Galadrae  as 
Eordscan  towns,  the  Begorritcs  lacas,  to  which  Per- 
seus marched  from  Citium,  having  probably  been 
so  called  from  a  town  of  Begorra ;   which  stood 


1  Ap.  Strabon,  p.  323,  v.  sup. 

2  Liv.  1.  42,  c.  53. 


Tlnicyd.  1.  2,  c.  99. 


XXVIII.] 


MACEDONIA 


317 


perhaps  at  Kaliari,  by  the  Turks  called  Sarig- 
hiul,  the  central  and  otherwise  advantageous  posi- 
tion of  which  leads  also  to  the  conjecture  that  it 
may  have  been  the  city  Eordsea  of  later  times  \ 
As  Lycophron  couples  Galadrse  with  the  land  of  the 
Eordsei,  and  as  Stephanus  attributes  that  town  to 
Pieria  2,  it  might  best  be  sought  for  at  the  southern 
extremity  of  Eordsea,  towards  the  Haliacmon  and 
the  frontiers  of  Pieria,  its  territory  having  con- 
sisted chiefly  perhaps  of  the  plains  of  Budja  and 
Djuma.  If  Galadrse  was  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  province,  and  Begorra  in  the  middle,  Phys- 
cus  was  probably  to  the  northward,  about  Katra- 
nitza,  towards  the  mountains  of  the  Bcrmian 
range,  such  a  situation  being  the  most  likely  to 
have  preserved  the  ancient  race  3. 

The  modern  routes  over  the  mountains  which 
separated  Lyncus  from  Eordcea,  are,  from  Tilbeli 
to  'Oslova,  to  the  eastward,  and  from  Banitza  to 
'Ostrovo  to  the  westward  :  the  former  is  in  the 
ordinary  route  from  Bitolia  to  Vodhena;  the  latter 
from  Filurina  to  the  same  place.  Although  Filu- 
rina  is  nearer  than  Bitolia  to  the  site  of  Ilerackia, 
I  should  conceive  the  Egnatian  Way  to  have 
crossed  by  the  former  route,  as  it  descends  into 

1  Hierocl.  p.  G38. 

2 Ta\a^pi]Q  tov  <rrparr;\ar?jv  Xvkov. 

Lycophr.  v.  1444. 
Xojpctv  t   'Eop&Jv  Kal  rtt\a£pa7oj>  irtdov. 

lb.  v,  1342.— Stephan.  in  TaXdZpai. 
3  Ptolemy,     1.     3,    c.     13,      evidently  confounded  the  Eor- 
elasses  three  towns  under  the      daei  with  the  Eordeti,  an  Illy- 
Eordoei  of  Macedonia  ;  but  as      rian  people. 
Scampoe  is  one  of  them,  he  has 


318 


MACEDONIA. 


TCHAP. 


the  Eordcean  valleys  nearer  to  the  situation  of 
JEdessa.  The  only  place  which  the  three  Itineraries 
agree  in  placing  between  Heracleia  and  Edessa,  is 
Cellae,  but  the  distances  given  are  too  conflicting 
to  lead  to  any  certainty  as  to  its  position. 

At  or  near  Banitza  are  the  mineral  acidulous 
waters  of  Lyncestis,  much  renowned  among  the 
ancients,  who  imagined  that  they  possessed  in- 
toxicating qualities ' ;  they  were  noticed  by  Dr. 
Browne  in  the  year  1669 2. 

Although  Livy  employs  the  name  Pelagonia 
in  his  narrative  of  the  campaign  of  Sulpicius  only 
as  that  of  a  large  district  containing  Stymbara,  it 
is  evident  from  his  account  of  the  division  of  Mace- 
donia into  four  provinces  after  the  Roman  conquest, 
that  if  not  at  the  former  period  of  time,  thirty-three 
years  later  at  least,  Pelagonia  was  the  appellation 
of  the  chief  town  of  the  Pelagones,  which  then 
became  the  capital  of  the  Fourth  Macedonia  3.  It 
was  perhaps  not  specifically  employed  as  the  name 
of  a  town  until  the  two  other  cities  of  Pelagonia 
were  ruined  :  for  that  Pelagonia  or  a  portion  of  it 
once  contained  three  we  may  infer  from  the  adjunct 
Tripolitis  given  to  it  by  Strabo,  who  also  shows,  if 
I  rightly  apprehend  his  meaning,  that  one  of  the 


1  "E<rn  <)£  Trepi  AvyKov  kprjvr) 
Tig  vdarog  6{,eoq. — Aristot.  Me- 
teor. 1.  2,  c.  3. — Theopomp. 
ap.  Antigon.  Caryst.  c.  180, 
ap.  Plin.  1.  2,  c.  103;  1.  31, 
c.  2,  et  ap.  Sotion.  de  flum, — 
Vitruv.  1.  8,  c.  3.  Ovid  Me- 
tam.  1.  15,  v.  329. 

2  He   passed   them    in   the 


road  from  Filurina  to  Egri 
Budja,  from  whence  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Sarighiul :  he  calls 
the  place  Eccisso  Verbeni ;  pos- 
sibly this  may  be  some  corrup- 
tion of  the  name  of  the  Derveni 
or  pass.  It  sounds  Wallachian. 
3  Liv.  1.  45,  c.  29. 


XX  VIII.  J 


MACEDONIA. 


319 


three  towns  bore  the  same  name  as  the  Azorus  of 
Perrhsebia  Tripolitis1.  The  name  Pelagonia  still 
exi  sts  as  the  designation  of  the  Greek  metropolitan 
bishopric,  of  which  the  see  is  Bitolia,  or  Monas- 
tiri 2,  which  latter  Greek  name  the  Turks  have 
adopted.  Bitolia  is  now  the  chief  place  of  the  sur- 
rounding country,  and  the  ordinary  residence  of 
the  governor-general  of  Rumili.  At  or  near  the 
town  are  many  vestiges  of  ancient  buildings  of 
Roman  times.  These  the  natives  suppose  to  have 
belonged  to   a  city  named  Tripolis 3 :  a  tradition 


1  'O  3e  'Epiywv  TroXXd  ce^ii- 
fievog    pEVfjLciTa    ek  twv    'IXXv- 

piKU)  V    6pd)V    Kai    AvyKT)(TTWV  Kai 

UpvyiZv,  Kai  AeuptoVajy  Kai  Ue- 
Xayoptov  tic  top" A£iop  EKSl^wcn. 
Uporepov  fitv  ovv  Kai  ttoXeiq 
i\aav  kv  tolq  edvevi  tovtolq. 
TpnroXiTic  yovp  ?/  HeXayovla 
iXtyero,  i)q  /cat" A£wpO£  i]V,  Kai 
eVt   r«    'Epiytim   Trdaai  al  t(Hp 

AtVptoVwj'     7T0\£tC       $Kr)PTO,     U)P 

to  Rpvdpiop  Kai  'AXco/ievai  Kai 
2,Tvpfiapa. — Strabo,  p.  327. 

2  >/  M.TriTU)\ia,   to  Movaorr/- 
ptov. 

3  The   following   are   some 


inscriptions  which  were  found 
among  the  ruins  called  those  of 
Tripolis,  in  an  excavation  made 
in  that  spot  in  the  search  of 
building  materials  in  the  year 
1808.  They  were  communi- 
cated to  me  by  Aly  Pasha,  who 
at  the  same  time  presented  me 
with  a  Hermaic  bust,  and  a 
head  which  seems  to  have 
formed  part  of  another.  The 
former  is  in  perfect  preserva- 
tion, and  is  inscribed  with  the 
name  AISXINHS.  An  engrav- 
ing of  it  has  been  published  by 
Mr.  Millingen.  —  Anc.  uned. 
Monuments  Series  2  pi.  9. 


On  a  square  stele,  five  feet 
high  and  two  feet  and  a  half 
square,  adorned  with  mould- 
ings in  the  usual  taste  of  the 
declining  Roman  Empire. 

McikecWwv  ol  Hivvecpoi  Ma'p- 


INSCRIPTIONS  FROM  BITOLIA. 

Kiav 'AKv\iap,$>afipiKiai>ov  Atte- 
poq  dvyaTEpa,  avcpog  uyaOov. 


2. 

On  a  similar  stele — 
' Ay adrj  Tv^t)'  To  koipov  tiUp 
Mcu'tcWwv  MaVXiay  JIovTEiav 


320 


MACEDONIA. 


CHAP. 


which  accords  with  the  existence  of  a  Pelagonia 
Tripolitis  as  attested  by  Strabo,  and  which  is  not 
adverse  to  the  identity  of  Tripolis  with  the  city 
Pelagonia  of  Livy,  since  it  is  easy  to  conceive  that 
after  the  reduction  of  the  two  other  towns  of  the 
Tripolitis  (and  Strabo  asserts  that  all  the  towns  on 
the  Erigon,  Stymbara  included,  were  ruins  in  his 
time),  the  surviving  city  may  have  been  known 
by  the  name  of  Tripolis,  as  formed  from  the  three 
former  towns,  and  that  it  may  also  have  been  often 
known  by  the  name  of  the  district,  Pelagonia. 
Bitolia  being  a  word  of  Greek  origin,  may  possibly 
be  a  corruption  of  a  third  name  of  the  same  place, 
or  that  which  the  city  bore  when  the  three  towns 
of  Pelagonia  still  existed  :  the  Hellenic  name  most 
resembling  it  is  Epitalia. 

The  passes  of  Pelagonia,  in  which  Perseus  was 
stationed  by  his  father  Philip,  1  take  to  have  been 
the  passage  over  the   mountains  in  the   modern 


AovKOvWav  '  Atypvtcdvqv  AvXuv 
XIovtLov  Bi/pou  tov  XafnrpoTarov 
'  Ai'dvTrcirov       yvvciiica      dperiic 

h'EKEV. 

3. 

On  a  quadrangular  stele 
unadorned,  two  feet  and  a  half 
high  and  two  feet  broad — 

NA-ctvcipog  arparLbJTTjg  l^tov 
dv£Br)Kzv  eavrov  ke  -KthLov  ke 
TepririQ    rijg    cEjuyorarqe    nv/J.- 

/3/ov 

K£  avvaptOTEVovTiov  rdv  fiovwv 
Oeiordrtov  fiov  TrivQepiov 

Ik  t<Zv  Iciojv  \ivi\- 


4. 

On  a  sepulchral  marble — 
TXafvpuJg     fttJaairi     dy?pi 

fJ.OV(TlKO)     Xpr)OTtp    <J>l\t7T7rW    'Ep- 

fxiovri  fX}'i]f.ir]c  ^ciptv. 
5. 
On  another  stele — 
Zweoue    'Hpu(c\i£    rj;     dvyarpi 
[ivi'ifirie  \dpiv  tT&v  k'C  kcl\  avrt) 
Ciooa  tTToiei. 

6. 
AiXiavrj  'lovXiat'ip. 

7. 

$>dj3iav      ....      (>o£av 

M.    ~2iTEpTlVlOQ    K.O£l)TO£    fAvfyfltlQ 

%dpiv. 


XX  VIII.  j 


MACEDONIA. 


321 


route  from  'Akhridha  to  Bitolia,  which  now  forms 
the  main  communication  instead  of  the  old  line 
or  lines  of  the  Via  Egnatia,  that  change  having 
probably  been  caused  by  the  circumstance  that 
A'khridha  and  Bitolia  being  now  the  chief  places 
instead  of  Lychnidus  and  Heracleia,  and  lying 
respectively  to  the  northwrard  of  the  two  ancient 
places,  have  caused  the  road  to  assume  a  more 
northerly  line  in  this  part,  and  which  has  occurred 
the  more  easily,  as  anciently  the  Egnatia  was  here 
diverted  from  its  direct  line  by  the  necessity  of 
passing  round  either  the  northern  or  southern  end 
of  the  lake  Lychnidus,  and  had  no  advantage 
therefore  in  shortness  over  the  present  line. 

The  pass  of  Pelagonia  was  of  great  importance 
as  one  of  the  direct  entrances  from  Illyria  into 
Macedonia  by  the  course  of  the  river  Drilon, 
now  called  Drin.  Hence  it  was  necessary  for 
the  kings  of  Macedonia  to  maintain  strong  gar- 
risons in  Lychnidus  and  some  other  positions  on 
the  lake,  as  well  as  in  Styinbara  and  Heracleia. 
By  means  of  these  garrisons  and  the  strength  of 
the  frontier,  the  kingdom  was  not  so  liable  to 
invasion  here  as  on  the  side  of  Scupi,  which 
commanded  the  entrance  from  Dardania  into 
the  plains  of  the  Upper  Axius,  and  which  place 
having  been  generally  held  by  the  Dardani, 
gave  them  great  facilities  of  offence  against  Mace- 
donia. 

Stymbara  or  Stubera  appears  from  Polybius 
and  Livy  to  have  stood  in  the  most  fertile  part 
of     the     country,     to    the     northward     of     Bito- 

VOL.    III.  Y 


322 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


lia1;  a  situation  which  accords  with  its  having  been 
the  place  from  whence  Perseus  marched  in  three 
days  to  Uscana,  the  chief  town  of  the  Penestiana 2, 
situated  probably  on  the  Dr'don,  at  or  near  the 
modern  Dibre.  Stymbara  would  seem  to  have 
been  near  Prillapo,  by  the  Turks  called  Pyrlepe, 
and  Pluvina,  between  Stymbara  and  Bryanium 
which  was  not  far  from  the  passes  leading 
into  Eordaea.  If  Strabo  is  correct  in  naming 
Alcomenae  as  a  town  on  the  Erigon,  its  situa- 
tion appears  to  have  been  above  Bryanium,  for 
below  that  town,  or  betwreen  it  and  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Erigon  with  the  Axius,  the  Tabular 
Itinerary  shows  that  we  ought  to  place  Euristus 
(the  orthography  is  not  quite  certain)  and  Stobi. 
By  Ptolemy  both  these  towns  are  ascribed  to  Pela- 
gonia, and  by  other  authorities  Stobi  is  designated 
a  city  of  Paeonia  ;  but  these,  and  some  other  con- 
flicting testimonies  of  the  same  kind,  are  recon- 
ciled, if  we  admit  that  Deuriopus  was  sometimes 
considered  a  subdivision  of  Pelagonia,  and  the  lat- 
ter sometimes  a  subdivision  of  Paeonia. 

I  have  already  remarked  how  exactly  Livy's  de- 
scription of  Celetrum,  as  well  in  relative  position 
as  in  its  situation  on  a  peninsula  in  a  lake,  agrees 
with  Kastoria.  By  means  of  this  datum  we  have 
the  exact  course  of  the  march  of  Sulpicius  on  his 
return  from  Pelagonia  into  Dassaretia.  From 
Mordcea  or  Sarighioli  he  crossed  a  part  of  the  plain 


1  Polyb.  1.  28,   c.  8.     Liv. 
1.  31,  c.  39. 


Liv.  1.  43,  c.  10,  18. 


XXVIII.] 


ILLYRIA. 


323 


of  Grevena,  and  through  Anaselitza  to  Kastoria, 
from  whence  his  route  to  Pelium  in  Dassaretia 
could  have  been  no  other  than  through  the  pass  of 
Tzangon,  which,  being  the  only  interruption  in  the 
great  dorsal  ridge  of  Northern  Greece,  was  un- 
doubtedly one  of  the  most  frequented  of  the  com- 
munications between  the  two  sides  of  the  country, 
and  particularly  from  Ores'tis  into  Dassaretia.  It 
was  precisely  near  Pelium  that  Arrian  describes 
a  remarkable  pass,  through  which  flowed  the  Eor- 
daicus,  leaving  in  one  part  space  only  for  four 
shields  abreast ' ;  a  description  which  corresponds 
so  exactly  with  the  pass  of  Tzangon,  both  as  to  the 
river  and  the  breadth  of  one  part  of  the  pass,  that 
the  identity  can  hardly  be  questioned.  Pelium 
was  situated  at  the  foot  of  a  woody  mountain,  near 
the  pass ;  a  description  which  may  be  applied 
either  to  Pliassa  or  to  Poyani,  but  the  former  has 
the  preference  by  its  name,   which  seems  to  be  a 

vulgar  Sounding  of  IIr)\iaaaa. 

The  march  of  Alexander  in  approaching  Pelium, 
as  well  as  his  subsequent  progress  to  Pelinnaeum 
in  Thessaly,  may  furnish  some  further  illustrations 
of  the  relative  chorography.  He  was  returning 
from  an  expedition  against  the  Getae,  who  dwelt 
beyond  the  Danube,  and  had  arrived  in  the  coun- 
try of  the  Agrianes  and  Paeones,  when  he  received 
intelligence  that  Clitus  and  Glaucias,  who  shared 
between  them  all  maritime  Illyria,  had  declared 
against  him,  and  had  prevailed  upon  the  Autariatae 
to  attack  him  on  the  route.     But  Langarus,  king  of 


1  Arrian.  de  exp.  Alex.  1.  1,  c.  5. 

y2 


324 


TLLYRTA 


[CHAP. 


the  Agrianes,  having  frustrated  the  latter  design  by 
invading  the  country  of  the  Autariatae,  Alexander 
was  enabled  to  march  without  interruption  along 
the  Erigon,  and  from  thence  to  Pelium1,  near  which 
the  Illyrians  were  encamped.  After  some  opera- 
lions  which  are  not  very  clearly  described,  he  sur- 
prised the  Illyrian  camp  in  the  night,  when  Glau- 
cias  fled,  pursued  by  Alexander  as  far  as  the  moun- 
tains of  the  Taulantii,  while  Clitus  retired  into 
Pelium,  from  whence,  after  having  burnt  the  city, 
he  proceeded  to  join  Glaucias  in  Taulantia.  Soon 
after  this  event  Alexander  received  advice  of  the 
revolt  of  Thebes,  when,  crossing  Eordaea  and  Eli- 
meia,  and  passing  the  mountains  of  the  Tymphaei 
and  Paravaei,  he  arrived  in  seven  days  at  Pelin- 
naeum  in  Thessaly. 

Without  the  comparison  afforded  by  Livy's  ac- 
count of  the  proceedings  of  Sulpicius,  it  might  be 
supposed  from  the  circumstances  stated  by  Arrian, 
that  Pelium  was  not  far  from  the  Erigon,  or  the 
name  Eordaicus  might  lead  to  the  impression 
that  Pelium  was  in  Eordsea,  instead  of  having 
been  upon  a  river  which  flows  to  the  western 
coast.  It  is  clear,  however,  that  Pelium  was 
not  far  from  the  mountains  of  the  Taulantii,  a 
people  who  occupied  the  plains  extending  to  the 
western  coast.  Again,  it  might  be  thought  that 
Alexander  marched  from  Pelium  to  Pelinnseum 
by  the  most  direct  route  ;  but  as  in  that  case  he 
would  not  have  passed  through  any  part  of  Eor- 


1  'AXt'ijai^poc   £e   napd   rbr  'Epiyoya   Trorafibv  iruptvofiEVog  ££ 
UiXXiov  noXiv  EoreWtro. 


XXVIII.  j 


ILLYRIA, 


325 


daea,  the  historian  has  probably  omitted  to  men- 
tion that  Alexander  returned  home  to  Pella  before 
lie  received  intelligence  of  the  revolt  of  Thebes  : 
on  which  supposition  the  road  to  Pelinnaeum  would 
have  led  through  the  centre,  first  of  Eordsea  and 
then  of  Elimeia,  as  Arrian  relates. 

If  the  situation  of  Pelium  as  deduced  from  the 
combined  evidence  of  Arrian  and  Livy  be  correct, 
it  will  follow  that  Dassaretia  comprehended  not 
only  the  great  valley  which  contains  the  lake  of 
Lychnidus,  but  also  the  plain  of  Korytza :  and 
that  plain  being  an  extensive  corn  country,  the  in- 
ference accords  with  that  abundance  of  grain  in 
Dassaretia  which  enabled  Sulpicius  to  save  his 
own  stock  while  he  passed  through  that  district, 
and  which  induced  him  afterwards  to  send  back 
his  foragers  thither,  though  he  was  encamped  in 
an  equally  fertile  plain,  but  of  which  he  had  not 
the  same  military  possession. 

The  western  part  of  Dassaretia  was  a  contrast 
to  the  eastern,  consisting  entirely  of  lofty  and 
rugged  mountains  intersected  by  branches  of  the 
river  Apsus :  its  extent  was  very  great.  If  Benit 
be  the  site  of  Antipatria,  as  I  have  shown  some 
reason  for  supposing,  it  will  follow  that  the  Dassa- 
rct<B  possessed  all  the  mountainous  country  lying 
between  Korytza  and  Berat,  beyond  which  latter  the 
frontiers  of  the  Dassareta?  met  those  of  the  Tau- 
lantii,  Bylliones,  and  Chaones  of  Epirus.  On  the 
north  they  bordered  on  the  Eordeti  and  Penestae, 
and  partly  on  the  Taulantii,  while  to  the  eastward 
the  crest  of  the  great  central  ridge  very  naturallv 
formed  the  line  of  demarcation  between  them  and 


326 


ILLYRIA. 


[chap. 


the  Pelagones,  Brygi,  and  Orestae,  or  in  other 
words,  between  Illyria  and  Macedonia.  It  results 
from  these  boundaries  that  Dassaretia  was  not  less 
than  60  miles  in  length,  and  as  much  in  breadth, 
an  extent  such  as  we  are  in  some  measure  led  to 
expect  from  Polybius,  who  in  addition  to  the 
towns  on  the  lake  of  Lychnidus,  represents  the 
Phebatae,  Pissantini,  Calicoeni,  and  Pirustae,  all 
as  tribes  of  Dassaretia  \ 

The  situation  of  some  of  these  tribes  may  be 
deduced  from  the  testimony  of  the  same  author, 
as  preserved  in  the  Latin  text  of  Livy2.  When 
Sulpicius  was  encamped  on  the  Apsus  between 
Dyrrhachium  and  Apollonia,  before  he  advanced 
into  Lyncestis,  he  sent  Apustius  against  the  neigh- 
bouring possessions  of  Philip3.  Corragum,  Ger- 
runium,  and  Orgessus,  were  captured,  not  without 
resistance  ;  after  which,  Apustius  laid  siege  to 
Antipatria,  a  large  city  in  a  narrow  pass  remark- 
able for  the  strength  of  its  position  and  walls. 
Having  taken  this  place  he  slew  the  men,  de- 
stroyed the  walls,  burnt  the  town,   and  gave  up 


1  Polyb.  1.  5,  c.  108. 
3  Liv.  1.  31,  c.  27. 

a  he  words  of  Livy  arc, 
"  Apustius  extrema  Macedonia? 
populatus  ;"  where  he  seems  to 
use  the  word  Macedonia  in  the 
same  sense  in  which  Strabo 
(p.  326),  informs  us  that 
it  was  sometimes  employed, 
namely,  as  extending  quite  to 
the  channel  of  Corcyra,  the  rea- 
son of  which  was  that   all   the 


people  used  the  same  tonsure, 
dialect,  and  chlamys.  But  this 
was  evidently  an  improper 
designation,  and  never  acknow- 
ledged in  the  country  itself. 
When  Macedonia  was  divided 
into  four  provinces  at  the 
Roman  conquest,  the  Atin- 
tanes  and  Tymphaei  were  the 
most  western  tribes  attributed 
to  it. 


XXVIII.] 


ILLYRIA. 


327 


the  plunder  to  his  soldiers,  which  so  intimidated 
the  people  of  Codrion,  that  they  surrendered  to 
him,  although  their  city  was  well  garrisoned  and 
fortified.  Ilion,  another  town,  was  taken  by  force, 
after  which  the  Romans,  in  returning  to  Sulpicius 
loaded  with  plunder,  were  attacked  at  the  passage 
of  the  river  by  Athenagoras,  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished of  Philip's  officers1,  but  without  suf- 
fering much  damage. 

Gerrunium  (Gertunium  ?)  and  Codrion  seem  to 
be  the  same  places  which  in  the  text  of  Polybius 
are  written  Gertus  and  Chrysondion,  for  he  names 
them  together  with  Antipatria  as  frontier  places 
which  Scerdilaidas  had  taken  from  Philip,  and 
which  the  latter  retook  in  the  second  year  of  the 
Social  war,  b.  c.  221.  As  Gerrunium  and  Anti- 
patria were  in  Phoebatis,  and  Orgessus  was  a  town 
of  the  Pissantini,  it  seems  probable,  assuming  An- 
tipatria to  have  been  at  Berat,  that  the  PhaebatcB 
chiefly  inhabited  the  valley  of  the  Uzumi,  and 
the  Pissantini  that  of  the  Devol ;  and  that  as 
Gertunium  was  attacked  by  Apustius  before  An- 
tipatria, it  was  lower  on  the  Uzumi  than  Berat, 
perhaps,  near  the  junction  of  the  two  rivers. 
To  the  eastward  of  it  on  the  Devol,  may  be 
placed  Orgessus,  and  somewhat  nearer  than  either 
to  the  camp  of  Sulpicius,  Corragum  the  first  named 


1  Athenagoras  was  a  pur- 
puratus.  He  led  the  Mace- 
donians at  the  first  engagement 
of  cavalry  against  Sulpicius 
in  Lyncus.  In  the  ensuing 
year  he  commanded  the  portion 


of  the  Macedonian  army  which 
was  stationed  on  Mount  As- 
naus,  at  the  Aoi  fauces,  and  he 
had  the  honour  of  repulsing 
the  Romans  in  the  battle  of 
Cynoscephahc. 


328 


ILLYRIA, 


[chap. 


of  the  three.  Codrion  and  Ilium  seem  to  have 
been  in  the  valley  of  the  Uzumi  above  Berat  on 
the  slopes  of  Tomor.  This  great  mountain  still 
bears  probably  its  ancient  name,  of  which  the 
Greek  form  was  Tomarus.  It  is  easy  to  conceive 
that,  like  the  names  of  mountains  and  rivers  in 
general,  Tomor  was  a  generic  word  belonging  to 
the  aboriginal  language  of  Epirus,  and  that  hence 
it  became  attached  also  to  the  more  celebrated 
mountain  near  Dodona.  The  ancient  fortress  near 
the  modern  village  of  Tomor  may,  like  that  vil- 
lage, have  borne  the  same  name  as  the  mountain 
itself,  according  to  a  custom  which  seems  to  have 
been  prevalent  in  Greece  in  every  age. 

In  the  same  chapter  of  Polybius  just  referred 
to,  the  historian  proceeds  to  relate  that  Philip, 
after  having  recovered  the  three  towns  of  Phce- 
batis  abovementioned,  proceeded  to  capture  other 
places  in  Dassaretia,  namely,  Creonium  and  Ge- 
rions,  (not  the  same  place  as  Gertus,)  and  four 
towns  on  the  lake  Lychnitis,  namely,  Enchelaria3, 
Cerax,  Sation,  and  Bcei,  then  Bantia  of  the  Cali- 
cceni,  and  Orgessus  of  the  Pissantini.  That  the 
four  towns  on  the  lake  were  on  its  western  shore, 
may  be  inferred  from  the  Itineraries,  but  especially 
from  the  Tabular,  which  evidently  followed  tho 
eastern  side  of  the  lake  from  the  bridge  of  the 
Drilon  to  Lychnidus,  and  which  makes  no  mention 
of  any  of  the  places  named  by  Polybius.  The 
same  silence  as  to  those  towns  may  perhaps  be 
considered  as  an  argument  to  prove  that  all  the 
three  routes  in  the  Itineraries  led  along  the  eastern 
shore,  but  it  is  very  possible  that  one  of  them  at 


XXVIII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


329 


least  may  have  approached  the  southern  end  of 
the  lake  ohliquely  from  the  pass  of  Candavia,  so  as 
entirely  to  avoid  the  western  shore.  I  am  inclined 
to  believe  that  the  road  in  the  Jerusalem  itinerary 
passed  round  the  southern  end  of  the  lake,  and 
that  Patrse  was  situated  at  that  extremity. 

The  Pirustae  would  seem  to  have  been  on  the 
northern  frontier  of  Dassaretia,  as  they  joined  the 
Taulantii  and  some  other  more  northerly  Illyrians, 
to  assist  the  Romans  in  the  reduction  of  Gentius '. 
They  probably  occupied  an  intermediate  tract  be- 
tween the  Pissantini,  on  the  lower  part  of  the  Devol, 
and  the  southern  extremity  of  the  lake  Lychnitis, 
in  which  case  there  seems  to  remain  only  the  plain 
of  Korytza  to  the  left  of  the  Eordaicus  for  the 
situation  of  the  CaVicoe.ni.  Possibly  Korytza  may 
be  the  site  of  Bantia. 

Dec.  6. — Quitting  Kozani  for  Servia  at  7.45, 
Turkish  time,  we  leave  Akbunar,  by  the  Greeks 
called  Nizvoro,  or  'Izvoro,  not  far  to  the  left,  at  the 
extremity  of  the  vineyards  of  Kozani,  then  descend 
over  downs  covered  with  corn-fields,  and  inter- 
spersed with  small  villages,  until  at  8.45,  Had- 
jiran,  about  the  same  size  as  Akbunar,  is  \\  mile 
distant  on  the  left  of  the  road  at  the  foot  of  the 
Ghioz-tepe  :  all  these  places  are  Turkish.  At  10.6 
we  arrive  at  the  river  Injekara,  or  Vistritza,  which 
is  bordered  by  white  cliffs  along  the  left  bank, 
and  on  the  opposite  side  by  low  level  ground  :  fol- 
low the  sands  on  the  bank  of  the  river  for  nine 
minutes,  then  cross  it  in  a  broad  flat-bottomed  boat, 


1  Liv.  1.  45,  c.  26. 


330 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


capable  of  containing  ten  or  twelve  horses,  and  in 
an  hour  and  8  minutes  from  the  river  reach  Ser- 
via,  having  passed  over  rich  meadows  and  a  fertile 
plain,  beyond  which  is  an  ascent  of  20  minutes 
to  the  town. 

Servia 1  contains  about  500  Turkish  houses,  and 
a  few  Greek.  It  is  situated  on  the  northern  side 
of  an  opening,  in  the  ridge  which  commences  at 
the  gorges  of  the  Vistritza,  near  Verria,  and  ter- 
minates in  the  mountains  of  Khassia,  to  the  north 
of  Trikkala.  The  most  valuable  produce  of  the 
fields  of  Servia  is  a  small  species  of  tobacco,  bear- 
ing a  yellow  leaf  like  that  of  Yenidje.  The  streets 
of  the  town  are  bordered  with  the  herb  which  is 
hung  to  dry  along  the  sides  and  galleries  of  the 
houses,  as  well  as  round  the  yards  attached  to  all 
the  better  class  of  houses. 

Dec.  7. — The  episcopal  church  of  Servia,  which 
stands  on  a  height  rising  from  the  lowest  part  of 
the  mountain  behind  the  town,  is  now  in  ruins,  and 
the  bishop's  house,  which  is  in  the  town,  is  not  in 
much  better  condition,  though  he  still  occupies  it. 
The  bishop,  whom  I  visit  this  morning,  supposes 
Servia  to  be  a  Knapa,  or  colony  of  Servians,  whose 
descendants  were  driven  out  by  the  Turks,  which 
is  not  improbable.  Another  opinion  of  his  holiness 
seems  more  questionable,  though  he  advances  it 
as  a  fact  not  to  be  disputed,  and  the  honour  of  his 
see  being;  concerned  I  do  not  contest  it  with  him. 
He  asserts  that  St.  Paul  passed  through  Servia 
on  his  way  from  Berrhcea  to  Athens.     Undoubt- 


1   to.  Stpfiia. 


XXVIII.] 


MACEDONIA. 


331 


edly,  if  the  apostle  crossed  Mount  Bermius,  Servia 
was  in  his  way  to  Athens  by  Larissa,  but  it  does 
not  appear  whether  he  went  to  Athens  by  sea  or 
by  land  ;  and  even  if  we  suppose  the  words  w?  im 
OaXcKroav '  to  mean,  that  in  order  to  elude  his  ene- 
mies he  departed  from  Berrhcea  to  the  coast  "  as 
if  he  intended  to  embark,"  but  that  in  reality  he 
travelled  by  land,  it  is  much  more  probable  that 
he  should  have  continued  his  way  through  Pieria 
and  by  the  direct  and  level  road  of  Tempe,  or 
even  by  the  pass  of  Petra,  than  that  he  should 
have  made  a  circuitous  journey  over  two  ranges  of 
mountains. 

Having  dismissed  the  guards  who  were  fur- 
nished to  me  by  Metjobon  at  Verria,  I  take  six 
others  from  Aly  Pasha's  derventji  at  Servia,  who 
is  an  Albanian  Mussulman  of  Kolonia,  and  set 
out  for  Livadhi,  first  visiting  a  ruined  castle  on 
the  summit  of  the  hill  above  the  episcopal  church, 
and  accompanied  so  far  by  the  Albanian  com- 
mandant, who  when  he  finds  that  I  have  some 
knowledge  of  the  distant  objects  in  view  from  the 
castle,  shows  great  satisfaction  in  answering  all 
my  geographical  questions,  for  which  he  is  well 
qualified  by  his  extensive  knowledge  of  Mace- 
donia, acquired  in  the  course  of  his  military  ser- 
vices. 

All  Tjersemba  is  seen  from  hence,  inclosed  by 
Mount  Burino  and  the  Ghioz-tepe  ;  between  which 
summits  the  mountain  of  Siatista  shows  itself 
nearly  in  a  line  with  Kozani,  and  beyond  it  to  the 


1  Act.  Apost.  c.  17,  v.  14. 
12 


332 


MACEDONIA. 


Ten  A  P. 


left  Siniatziko  ;  a  little  to  the  right  of  the 
latter  Peristeri  is  also  seen,  which  looks  down  on 
the  plains  of  the  Erigon  and  Bitolia.  To  the 
north-eastward  rises  the  great  Dhoxa,  or  Bermius, 
and  to  the  right  of  it  is  seen  Velvedhos,  or  Vel- 
vendos ',  a  town  of  300  houses,  which,  though 
conspicuous  by  its  minaret,  is  chiefly  inhabited 
by  Greeks.  Velvedho  is  3  hours  distant  from 
Servia,  and  similarly  situated  on  the  same  moun- 
tain ;  it  lies  in  a  line  with  the  great  ravine  of  the 
Haliacmon,  through  the  opening  of  which  appears 
the  mountain  above  Pdla. 

The  castle  of  Servia  was  so  placed  as  to  com- 
mand the  ascent  to  the  Portes,  as  the  highest 
point  of  the  pass  is  called,  which  here  conducts 
from  the  banks  of  the  Haliacmon  into  the  valleys 
watered  by  tributaries  of  the  Peneius.  Being  the 
most  direct  and  easy  passage  across  the  Cambunian 
ridge,  it  is  the  natural  gate  between  Macedonia 
and  Perrhaibia,  and  the  position  could  not  have 
been  neglected  by  the  ancients,  though  I  have 
been  unable  to  discover  any  Hellenic  remains, 
either  in  the  castle  or  town.  It  is  now  the  most 
important  station  of  the  dervent  Aga's  troops  on 
the  beylik,  or  post  road  from  Larissa  and  Trik- 
kala  to  Bitolia,  the  first  post  on  which  from  hence 
is  Kaliari,  and  the  second  Filurina.  The  road 
from  the  castle  to  the  Portes  is  wide  and  level, 
and  occupies  the  whole  of  a  natural  opening  in 
the  mountain. 

At  the  farther  end  of  the  Portes  are  vestiges  of  a 


'    IhXfttCur,   BlXjUITUr. 


XXVIII.  j 


PERRHiEBIA, 


333 


fortification  apparently  of  the  same  date  as  the 
castle,  and  once  forming  part  of  the  same  system 
of  defence.  The  road  to  Trikkala  follows  the 
eastern  foot  of  the  mountain  as  far  as  another 
opening  between  it  and  a  round  hill  on  the  left, 
where  it  enters  the  valley  of  one  of  the  branches 
of  the  Titaresius.  This  round  hill,  which  is  visible 
through  the  pass  of  Servia  from  Kozani,  is  called 
Vigla,  a  modern  word  equivalent  to  Phyle,  and  is 
said  to  retain  some  vestiges  of  an  ancient  fortress. 
Instead  of  passing  through  the  Portes,  I  pursue  a 
higher  track  along  the  southern  face  of  the  moun- 
tain, which  stretches  northward  to  Katafyghi  and 
the  gorges  of  the  Vistritza  above  Verria.  As  we 
ascend,  the  peak  of  Samarina  appears  to  the  north- 
westward through  the  upper  straits  of  the  same 
river,  or  those  which  at  the  southern  extremity  of 
Mount  Burino,  near  Kaliani,  separate  the  plains 
or  valleys  of  Grevena  and  Venja  from  those  of 
Tjersemba  and  Servia. 

Our  route  all  the  way  to  Livadhi  follows  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  gradually  ascending  and 
crossing  many  deep  ravines  and  rocky  slopes  'of 
dangerous  footing.  At  about  half  way  we  begin 
to  look  down  to  the  right  upon  a  plain  which  ex- 
tends five  or  six  miles  from  the  foot  of  this  moun- 
tain to  another  called  Amarbes,  in  the  direction  of 
Dheminiko.  Amarbes  is  the  principal  summit  of 
the  Cambunii  monies :  westward  it  is  connected  with 
another  named  Bunasa,  which  rises  from  the  left 
bank  of  the  Vistritza,  opposite  to  Burino.  Amar- 
bes is  the  great  link  which  connects  the  Olympene 
chain  behind  Servia  and  Velvendo  with  the  hills  of 


334 


PERRILEBIA. 


[chap. 


i 


Khassia.  A  small  river  flows  through  the  middle  of 
the  plain  on  our  right,  and  passes  through  a  glen 
at  its  south-western  end,  near  which  it  receives 
another  stream  from  some  copious  sources  issuing 
from  the  southern  foot  of  Mount  Amarbes,  where 
the  Livadhiotes  have  some  fulling  mills ;  then, 
after  making  a  large  angle  to  the  eastward  of  its 
former  course,  enters  another  plain  in  which  it  is 
joined  by  the  Elasonitiko,  or  River  of  Elasona,  at 
Amuri,  a  small  village  not  far  from  Dheminiko. 
The  united  stream  is  the  Titaresius  of  Homer, 
which  joins  the  Peneius  in  the  plain  of  Larissa. 
The  branch  from  the  mountain  of  Livadhi  is  now- 
called  Vurgari  or  Sarandaforo.  At  a  small  dis- 
tance from  its  right  bank,  near  the  Boghaz,  where 
it  quits  the  plain,  is  a  village  named  Vuvala,  and  a 
metokhi  of  the  monastery  of  Elassona,  standing  on 
a  height  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Amarbes.  The  sum- 
mit is  encircled  with  the  ruined  walls  of  an  ancient 
city  of  some  magnitude.  This  place,  which  is  near 
the  road  from  Servia  to  Trikkala,  is  reckoned  three 
hours  from  Livadhi,  and  is  less  than  one  to  the  right 
of  the  road  from  Servia  to  Elassona,  which,  after 
its  exit  from  the  pass  of  Vigla,  leaves  the  Trikkala 
road  on  the  right,  and  crosses  the  plain  diagonally, 
in  a  direct  line  towards  Elassona. 

At  the  end  of  five  hours  from  the  castle  of 
Servia  we  arrive  at  Livadhi '  :  a  name  which 
seems  to  have  been  given  to  the  place  by  antithe- 
sis, the  situation  being  one  of  the  most  rugged 
that  can  well  be  imagined,  with  hardly   a  foot  of 

1   Aifidhov. 


XVIII.] 


PERRII&BIA. 


335 


plain  within  some  miles  of  it.  The  town  contains 
800  houses,  situated  in  a  rocky  hollow  below  a 
peak  in  the  range  of  mountains  which  extend  from 
hence  as  far  as  the  maritime  plain  of  Katerina,  and 
the  right  bank  of  the  Vistritza,  near  Verria.  The 
highest  summit  of  these  mountains  is  a  conspi- 
cuous object  from  Saloniki,  and  has  already  been 
mentioned  as  one  of  the  chief  points  of  the  Olympenc 
chain  1. 

Livadhi  is  a  Wallachian  colony  of  ancient  date, 
and  is  hence  often  called  Vlakho-Livadho.  The 
other  Vlakhiote  villages  in  this  vicinity  are  Kok- 
kinoplo,  on  the  side  of  'Elymbo,  three  hours'  dis- 
tant from  hence  towards  Tzaritzena,  Ftera  at  the 
same  distance  towards  Katerina,  and  Neokhori 
situated  between  Servia  and  Livadhi,  in  a  lofty 
situation  on  the  mountain,  an  hour  to  the  left  of 
the  road  by  which  we  came.  Kokkinoplo  has 
about  200  houses,  Ftera  100,  and  Neo-khorio  20 
or  30.  Near  Ftera.  there  is  said  to  be  an  ancient 
quarry.  These  villages  live  chiefly  by  the  manu- 
facture of  the  coarse  woollen  cloth  called  skuti,  of 
which  are  made  the  cloaks  named  Ka-inraig,  in  Ita- 
lian cappe,  extensively  used  in  Greece  and  the 
Adriatic.  The  cloth  is  of  two  kinds,  white  and 
black,  and  is  made  shaggy  in  the  inside  :  it  is 
sent  to  Venice  and  Trieste  in  pieces  called  xyla, 
which  are  two  peeks  long  and  four  or  four  and  a 
half  hands  broad.  The  Kalarytiotes,  who  manu- 
facture the  same  kind  of  cloth  in  their  own  moun- 
tains, and  whose  merchants  reside  in  the  Adriatic, 


See  above,  p.  297. 


336 


PERRII/EBIA. 


[chap. 


are  in  the  habit  of  buying  up  that  which  is  made 
by  the  Livadhiotes,  and  of  sending  it  to  some  mer- 
chant, generally  a  Venetian,  at  Salonlki,  who 
ships  it  to  the  Kalarytiote  merchant  in  the  Adria- 
tic, charging  two  piastres  and  a  half  per  fortoma 
of  140  xyla  as  spedizionario.  The  Livadhiotes 
make  annually  from  150  to  200  fortomata.  They 
grow  very  little  corn,  but  possess  an  abundance  of 
sheep,  goats,  horses,  and  mules.  Like  the  Kalary- 
tiotes,  they  are  proud  of  the  excellent  air  and  water 
of  their  town,  but  are  so  nice  on  the  subject  of  the 
latter  as  sometimes  to  send  three  hours,  in  order  to 
procure  the  choicest.  The  lake  of  Kastoria  supplies 
them  with  fish  at  twenty-five  or  thirty  paras  the 
oke,  better  than  the  sea-fish  which  is  sold  at  Salo- 
nlki for  forty-five.  On  the  other  hand,  the  climate 
is  so  severe  in  winter,  that  the  inhabitants  are  some- 
times snowed  up  in  their  houses  for  several  days, 
and  are  forced  to  drink  melted  snow,  not  being- 
able  to  get  at  their  wells  and  springs.  It  is  now  a 
hard  frost,  and  we  found  it  very  difficult  on 
arriving  to  drag  our  loaded  horses  up  the  steep 
and  slippery  streets.  The  view  of  Olympus  from 
hence  is  magnificent ;  but  the  highest  summit,  the 
direct  distance  of  which  is  ten  or  twelve  miles,  is 
not  seen,  and  the  same  number  of  hours  would  be 
required  even  in  summer  to  reach  it :  the  route 
passes  by  Kokkinoplo,  which  stands  on  the  great 
steep,  a  little  above  the  plain.  The  town  pays 
200  purses  in  contributions.  My  host,  one  of  the 
primates,  has  already  disbursed  800  piastres  this 
year  for  his  share,  and  expects  to  have  some  far- 
ther demands.     On  the  outside  of  the  town  stands 


xxvrn.] 


PERRII/EBIA. 


337 


a  monument  of  an  Albanian  chieftain,  who  was 
killed  in  fighting  against  the  robbers  of  Olympus 
about  thirty  years  ago. 

It  is  now  twenty-two  years  since  Aly  Pasha 
by  his  Dervent-Agalik  obtained  the  command  at 
Livadhi,  since  which  time  he  has  always  been  the 
farmer  of  its  revenues.  Its  importance  to  him 
is  chiefly  derived  from  its  proximity  to  the  pass 
leading  from  Elasona  or  Servia  into  the  maritime 
plains  of  Macedonia,  and  which  is  at  once  the  most 
direct  and  least  difficult  of  the  routes  across  the 
Olympene  barrier.  In  this  pass  one  hour  and  a 
half  from  Livadhi  stands  the  village  of  Aio  Dhi- 
mitri,  and  one  hour  and  a  half  farther,  exactly  on 
the  Zygos,  are  the  ruins  of  the  village  of  Petra, 
which  being  a  name  recorded  in  ancient  history  is 
very  useful  in  elucidating  the  geography  of  this 
frontier  of  Macedonia  and  Thessaly.  Petra  is  de- 
scribed to  me  as  situated  on  a  great  insulated  rock 
which  is  naturally  ayj.a^kvt],  or  separated  from  the 
adjoining  mountain  :  the  road  passes  through  the 
opening  and  then  descends  into  the  plain  of  Kate- 
rina, which,  being  undoubtedly  a  part  of  the 
ancient  Pieria  of  Macedonia,  the  situation  of  Petra 
thus  illustrates  Livy,  who  shows  that  Petra  was  a 
town  of  Pieria  on  the  frontier  of  that  province,  in 
the  pass  which  led  into  the  maritime  plain  from 
Perrhsebia. l  The  distance  from  Livadhi  to  Katerina 
by  St.  Demetrius  is  reckoned  ten  hours.  There  is 
another  road  which  leads  over  the  same  ridge 
from  Servia,  by  Velvendos,  to  Katerina  ;  but  it  is 


1  Liv.  1.  39,  c.  20  ;  1.  44,  c.  32  ;  1.  45,  c.  41. 
VOL.    III.  Z 


338 


PERUIIJEBIA. 


[CHAP. 


not  so  easy  as  the  pass  of  Petra  :  and  it  was  a  com- 
munication, if  it  existed  anciently,  not  from  Thes- 
saly  into  Macedonia,  but  from  Elimeia  of  Upper 
into  Pieria  of  Lower  Macedonia. 

I  have  already  observed,  that  the  mountains 
which  rise  from  the  right  bank  of  the  Vistritza, 
and  extend  from  the  plain  of  Grevena  to  that  of 
Verria,  were  the  ancient  Cambunii,  mentioned 
by  Livy,  from  whom  it  is  further  manifest,  that 
the  pass  of  Servia  is  the  defile  in  the  same  moun- 
tains, named  Volustana  \  the  security  of  which 
appeared  so  important  to  Perseus  on  the  approach 
of  the  consul  Q.  Marcius  Philippus,  in  the  third 
year  of  the  last  Macedonic  war,  that  he  occupied 
it  with  10,000  men.  It  was  probably  the  same 
pass  through  which  Perseus  had  entered  Thes- 
saly  in  the  first  year  of  the  war2,  the  same  by 
which  the  consul  Hostilius  invaded  Macedonia 
in  the  following  year,  and  one  of  the  roads  into 


1  Liv.  1.  44,  c.  2.  In  the 
word  Volustana  the  V  repre- 
sents probably  the  B,  which 
was  so  common  an  initial  in 
Macedonian  names  of  places  ; 
the  two  last  syllables,  arav'a, 
are  perhaps  the  Macedonic  form 
of  areva,  and  have  reference  to 
the  pass,  the  entire  name  in 
Greek  being  BwAou  areva. 

2  Profectus  inde  (Perseus  a 
Citio  sc.)  toto  exercitu  Eor- 
daeam  petens,  ad  Begorritem 
quern  vocant  lacum  positis  cas- 
tris,  postero  die  in  Elimeam  ad 
Haliacmona  fluvium  processit. 


Deinde  saltu  superatis  monti- 
bus,  quos  Cambunios  vocant, 
descendit  ad  (Tripolim  vocant) 
Azorum  Pythium  et  Dolichcn 
incolentes.  Haec  tria  oppida 
paulisper  cunctata  quia  obsides 
Larissseis  dederant,  victa  tamen 
prsesenti  metu  in  deditionem 
concesserunt.  Benigne  his  ad- 
pellatis,  baud  dubius  Perrlue- 
bos  quoque  idem  facturos,  ur- 
bem,  nihil  cunctatis  qui  inco- 
lebant,  primo  adventu  reccpit. 
Cyretias  obpugnare  coactus, 
&c— Liv.  1.  42,  c.  53. 


XXVITI, 


PERIUIjEBIA. 


331) 


Macedonia  contemplated  by  Marcius  when  he  was 
encamped  between  Azorus  and  Doliche,  and  before 
he  had  determined  upon  forcing  his  way  across 
Mount  Olympus  by  Lapathus  l.  Upon  comparing 
the  descriptions  which  the  historian  has  left  us  of 
these  transactions,  there  cannot  remain  a  doubt 
that  the  valleys  lying  between  the  Cambunian 
mountains  and  Olympus,  bordering  to  the  north- 
ward on  Elimeia  and  Pieria,  and  which  extend 
from  Portes  and  the  mountain  of  Livadhi  south- 
ward to  within  a  few  miles  of  Elasona,  constituted 
the  division  of  Perrhcebia  named  Tripolitis ;  and 
it  seems  equally  evident  from  two  other  occur- 
rences, one  of  which  happened  in  the  first  Mace- 
donic  war2,  the  other  in  the  campaign  of  Anti- 
ochus  9  years  afterwards3,  that  Perrhsebia  proper, 


1  Aliis  per  Pythium  placebat 
via  (in  Macedonian!  sc.)  aliis 
per  Gambunios  montes,  qua 
priore  anno  duxerat  Hostilius 
consul  :  aliis  praater  Ascuridem 
paludem  •  .  .  Per  eosdem  dies 
Perseus,  quum  adpropinquare 
hostem  sciret,  quod  iter  peti- 
turus  esset  ignarus,  omnes  sal- 
tus  insidere  praesidiis  statuit. 
In  jugum  Cambuniorum  mon- 
tium  (Volustana  ipsi  vocant) 
decern  millia  levis  armaturae 
cum  duce  Asclepiodoto  mittit ; 
ad  castellum  quod  super  Ascu- 
ridem paludem  erat  (Lapathus 
vocatur  locus)  Hippias  tenere 
praesidio  jussus.  Ipse  cum  re- 
liquis  copiis  primo  circa  Dium, 
&c— Liv.  1.  44,  c.  2. 

z 


2  Timor  omnes  qui  circum- 
colunt  Bceben  paludem,  relictis 
urbibus,  montes  coegit  petere. 
iEtoli,  inopia  prcedoe  inde  aver- 
si,  in  Perrhaabiam  ire  pergunt. 
Cyretias  ibi  vi  capiunt  fcedequc 
diripiunt :  qui  Mallseam  inco- 
lunt  voluntate  in  deditioncm 
societatemque  accepti.  Ex 
Perrhaebia  Gomphos  petenti 
Amynander  auctor  erat,  &c. — 
Id.  1.  31,  c.  41. 

3  Intra  decimum  diem,  quum 
Pheras  venerat,  Cranonem  .  .  . 
cepit  (Antiochus  sc.)  inde  Cy- 
pasram  et  Metropolim  et  iis 
circumjecta  castella  recepit : 
omniaque  jam  regionis  ejus, 
praater  Atracem  et  Gyrtonem, 
in  potestate  erant :  turn  adgredi 


340 


PERRIIJEBIA. 


[CHAP 


which  contained  the  city  of  the  Perrhaebi,  Cyretiee, 
and  other  towns,  lay  to  the  southward  of  the  Tri- 
politis,  confining  on  Pelasgiotis  and  the  Larkscea, 
and  that  it  comprehended  the  valleys  of  Elassona 
and  Dheminiko. 

It  is  by  means  of  these  several  passages  of 
Livy,  following  Polybius,  that  we  are  enabled  to 
clear  up  the  obscurity  which  Strabo,  or  his  de- 
fective text,  have  thrown  on  the  geography  of  this 
quarter  of  Greece,  by  naming  towns  in  conjunc- 
tion which  were  very  wide  of  each  other,  and  by 
confounding  Perrhsebia  Tripolitis,  with  Pelagonia 
Tripolitis,  which  was  near  eighty  miles  distant1. 


Larissam  constituit  .  .  .  Per 
eosdem  dies  Amynander  .  .  . 
occupat  Pelinnaeum ;  et  Menip- 
pus  ...  in  Perrhaebiam  profec- 
tusMallaeametCyretiasvicepit, 
depopulatusquc  est  agrum  Tri- 
politanum.  His  raptim  peractis, 
Larissam  ad  regem  redeunt. — 
Id.  1.  36,  c.  10. 

1  TpnroXirig  yovv  rj  tleXayo- 
via  tXiyiTO,  tjq  teal  "A^iopov  i)v, 
Kal  kirl  rw  'Epiywjt  iraoai  at 
Ttvv  Aev pLOTriov  ttoXeic  mki]vto, 
iov  to  Hpydvioy  seal  'AXicouf.vat 
Kai  HiTvfiftupa'  KvEpat  e?£  Upv- 
yuiv,  Alyiviov  3e  Tvju^niwi' 
ofiopov  AldiKia  Kal  TpiKKy'  TrXr/- 
alov  S*  i'l^r]  Tijg  te  MaKE^oviag 
Kal  rrjg  QerraXiag  Trepi  to  Holov 
opog  Kal  tov  Yi'ivlov,  AWikeq  te 
Kal  ai  tov  Hrjvtiov  Trrjyal,  wv 
dfX(piafti]TovaL  Tvfx(f>a.7oi  te  Kal 
ol  bird   rrj  HivSa  QerraXoi'   Kal 


TroXig  'O^vvEia  irapd  tov  "lova 
■KOTajxov,  dirE^ovaa  'A(iopov  r//e 
TpfiroXiTtcoQ  aTaoiovQ  tiKOcri  Kal 
EKaTOv'  irXiqaiov  Se  Kal  al  'AXvo- 
fiEPal  Kal  Alyiviov  Kal  Evpioiroc 
Kal  al  tov'Iovoq  eiq  tov  Hi)veiov 
avfiftoXai. — Strabo,  p.  327. 

The  most  difficult  part  of 
this  passage  is  the  leap  from 
Stymbara  of  the  Deuriopes  and 
Cydrae  of  the  Brygi  to  iEgi- 
nium  of  the  Tymphaei,  a  dis- 
tance of  100  miles  ;  and  it  is 
hardly  to  be  accounted  for,  but 
on  a  supposition  of  the  loss 
of  a  part  of  the  text.  The 
words  iyc  Kal  "A£wpoQ  7jv,  "  in 
winch  there  was  likewise  an 
Azorus,"  would  seem  to  imply 
that  Strabo  had  made  some 
previous  mention  of  the  Azo- 
rus of  Perrhaebia  in  another 
lost  passage.     It  appears  that 


XXVIII.] 


PERIlH.EJilA. 


341 


Perrhsebia  Tripolitis  was  so  named  as  contain- 
ing the  three  cities  of  Pythium,  Azorus,  and 
Doliche.  Of  these,  Pythium  appears  to  have 
stood  exactly  at  the  foot  of  Olympus,  as  well  from 
its  having  been  the  point  from  which  Xenagoras, 
a  geometrician  and  poet,  measured  the  perpen- 
dicular height  of  Olympus  !,  as  from  its  having 
been  in  the  road  across  the  mountain  by  Petra, 
since  both  Livy  and  Plutarch  couple  Pythium 
with  Petra  in  describing  the  route  by  which 
Scipio  Nasica  crossed  Mount  Olympus  into  the 
rear  of  the  position  of  Perseus  on  the  Enipeus 2. 
There  seems  no  question,  therefore,  that  Pythium 
stood  on  the  angle  of  the  plain  between  Kok- 
kinoplo  and  Livadhi,  though  I  have  not  been  able 
to  ascertain  the  existence  of  any  remains  in  that 
situation.  We  learn  from  the  epigram  just  re- 
ferred to,  that  the  name  of  Pythium  was  derived 
from  a  temple  of  Apollo  Pythius,  in  whose  honour 


Azorus,  Alcomenae,  and  Euro-  Europus  on  or  near  the  lower 

pus,  were  all  names  found  both  Axius,  and   there   were    cities 

in    Thessaly,   and     in    Mace-  of  the   same  names  in  Upper 

donia.     There    was    an    Alco-  Thessaly,  near  JEginium  and 

nienae     on     the     Erigon,     an  the  Ion. 

1  Ou\v/.nrov  Kopvtyijt;  lirl  UvOiou  'AttoWiovoq 
'lepov,  v\pog  t^tt  (wpog  Kudtruv  t)'  IfxirpEi) 
\\\i}pt]  fAtv  StKcida  GTahitov  ulav,  avrap  iir  avrij 

H\ibpcoi>  T£Tpa.ir£ty  Xeiwofitvov  fxeytdEi' 
]Lv^u'l\ov  S£  fxiv  v'ioq  edijkaTO  fiirpa  KtXevdov 
Seivaynpt]^'  av  c>'  aval,  \a~l9e  kCt'  tvQXa  %i%ov. 

Xenagoras.  ap.  Plutarch,  in  P.  iEmil. 

*  Liv.  1.  41,  e.  32.     Plutarch,  in  Paul.  Mmil. 


342 


RERRtl/EIJIA. 


[chap. 


it  appears  from  another  author  that  periodical 
games  were  there  celebrated  '. 

The  ten  stades  of  perpendicular  altitude  which 
Xenagoras  assigned  to  the  summit  of  Olympus 
above  Pythium  seem  to  be  not  far  from  the  truth, 
and  what  is  uncommon  in  ancient  computations  of 
this  kind,  the  error  is  more  probably  in  defect 
than  in  excess2.  It  may  here  be  observed,  that 
the  name  'Elymbo,  i  e.  ''EXwjU7roc,  which  is  now 
applied  to  the  mountain,  not  only  by  its  inha- 
bitants, but  throughout  the  adjacent  parts  of  Ma- 
cedonia and  Thessaly,  is  probably  not  a  modern 
corruption,  but  the  ancient  dialectic  form,  for  the 
iEolic  tribes  of  Greece  often  substituted  the  epsi- 
lon  for  the  omicron,  as  in  the  instance  of  'Op^o- 
jitvoe,  which  the  Boeotians  called  'Epyo/mevog. 

If  Pythium  was  in  the  situation  which  I  have 
indicated,  we  may  with  some  probability  place 
Azorus  at  Vuvala ;  for,  as  Strabo  remarks  that 
Azorus  was  120  stades  distant  from  Oxyneia  on 
the  Ion  3,  which  was  a  branch  of  the  Peneius,  it 
may  be  inferred,  whether  the  distance  be  correct 
or  not,  that  Azorus  was  the  most  south-westerly 
of  the  towns  of  Tripolitis  which  agrees  with  the 
position  of  Vuvala. 

Nothing  can  more  strongly  show  the  importance 
of  the  pass  of  Pythium  and  Petra,  than  the  many 
occasions  on  which  it  is  noticed  in  connection  with 


1  Stephan.  in  Ylvdiov.  feet  are  to  be  added  for  the 

2  Ten   stades    are    equal   to  height  of  Pythium    above  the 
about   6050    English    feet,    to  sea. 

which   two    or   three    hundred  3  Strabo,  p.  327,  v.  sup. 


XXVIII.] 


PERRHiEBIA. 


343 


the  military  operations  of  the  ancients.  Xerxes  sent 
his  host  this  way  into  Perrhaebia,  after  having  em- 
ployed a  third  of  his  army  then  encamped  in  Pieria, 
in  preparing  the  road  \  Brasidas,  after  his  rapid 
march  across  Thessaly  and  Perrhaebia,  in  the  eighth 
year  of  the  Peloponnesian  war,  crossed  by  the  same 
pass  to  Dium2.  Agesilaus,  returning  into  Greece 
from  Asia  Minor,  in  the  year  b.  c.  394,  entered 
Thessaly  from  Macedonia  by  the  same  route 3. 
Cassander,  in  the  year  b.  c.  316  traversed  the 
same  defile,  in  proceeding  from  the  Peloponnesus 
against  Olympias  at  Pydna 4.  And  lastly,  it  fur- 
nished to  L.  iEmilius  Paullus,  in  the  year  b.  c. 
168,  the  means  of  forcing  Perseus  to  retreat  from 
his  strong  position  on  the  Enipeus,  as  soon  as 
he  learnt  that  Scipio  Nasica  had  overthrown  the 
Macedonian  garrison  at  Petra,  and  was  descend- 
ing into  the  plains  in  the  rear  of  the  king's  po- 
sition on  the  Enipeus  5. 

Dec.  8. — From  Livadhi  to  Elassona  5  hours. 
At  4.50,  Turkish  time,  we  descend  the  mountain, 
and  having  reached  its  foot  at  the  end  of  an  hour 
and  a  half,  soon  leave  to  the  right  the  plain  of  the 
Sarandaforo  and  enter  a  valley  separated  from  it 
by  a  small  ridge  of  hills  which  branches  north- 
ward from  the  heights  of  Elassona.  At  the  northern 
extremity  of  this  ridge  are  some  remains  of  a  for- 
tress on  the  summit  of  a  peaked  hill,  which  we 


1  Herodot.  1.  7,  c.  132. 

2  Thucyd.  1.  4,  c.  78. 

3  rrfv  uvt))v  cJie£«w*'  ^wpnj',  i)y 
Kdl  Sip^rjij  iwupevOi]. — Diodor. 
1.  14,  c.  83. 


Diodor.  1.  19,  c.  35. 
Liv.  1.  44,  c.  35. 


344 


PERRH/EBIA. 


[chap. 


leave  a  little  on  our  right,  and  a  few  minutes 
afterwards  arrive  at  the  small  village  of  Duklista, 
situated  at  the  foot  of  the  same  heights,  where 
in  a  ruined  church  are  two  fragments  of  Doric 
columns  2  feet  8  inches  in  diameter,  and  in  the 
burying  ground  a  sepulchral  stone,  together  with 
some  squared  blocks.  These  remains,  combined 
with  the  name  Duklista,  seem  to  indicate  the 
site  of  Dolichc,  the  third  city  of  the  lYipolitls. 
Here  Kokkinoplo  is  two  or  three  miles  on  the 
left,  on  the  edge  of  the  snow  on  the  ascent  of 
the  steepest  part  of  'Elymbo ;  below  it  to  the 
southward,  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  is  Selos, 
another  large  village.  We  now  cross  the  plain 
towards  the  mountain,  and  at  6.50  fall  into  the 
road  from  Katerina  to  Elassona.  On  the  right, 
at  a  distance  of  about  eight  miles,  on  the  summit 
of  a  ridge  which  is  the  continuation  of  the  southern 
end  of  Amarbes,  appears  the  village  of  Besharitza  \ 
and  the  large  monastery  of  Ghianota.2.  Four  hours 
beyond  them  in  the  same  direction  is  Dhissikata, 
vulgarly  Dhishkata 3,  a  large  village  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Khassia,  the  mountains  of  which  are  seen 
extending  to  the  southward  and  westward  behind 
the  hills  of  Bessaritza.  At  7.30,  continuing  along 
the  same  valley,  we  leave  Bazarli  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  on  the  left  of  the  road,  and  at  8.10  Ormanli, 
both  large  villages,  and  both  Turkish  as  their 
names  indicate.  A  mile  farther  some  heights  ter- 
minate the  valley  and  separate  it  from  that  of 
Elassona  ;   having  crossed  these,  we  arrive  at  9.50 


1   M7r£(T(ra(j(V^«. 


Tluvotuq- 


&r](jaiKara. 


XX  VIII.] 


PERRH/EBIA. 


345 


at  the  Panaghia  of  Elassona,  a  large  ancient  mo- 
nastery said  to  have  been  built  by  the  emperor 
Andronicus. 

The  town  of  Elassona  lies  below  the  monastery  on 
the  edge  of  the  plain,  and  is  divided  into  two  parts 
by  a  rapid  stream  proceeding  from  an  immense 
chasm  which  separates  the  great  summit  of  Olym- 
pus from  an  inferior  range  which  stretches  from 
near  Elassona  to  Tempe,  and  borders  the  northern 
side  of  the  Larissaian  plain.  This  latter  mountain 
I  take  to  be  the  ancient  Titarus,  as  the  river  now 
called  the  Elassonitiko  is  certainly  the  Titaresius, 
or  JEurotas\  The  height  on  which  the  monastery 
stands  is  defended  on  either  side  by  a  deep  ravine, 
in  the  eastern  flows  the  Elassonitiko,  in  the  western 
a  branch  of  it  proceeding  from  the  hills  to  the 
northward.  Both  these  ravines,  as  well  as  those 
of  some  smaller  torrents  which  open  into  them, 
consist  of  a  white  argillaceous  soil  worn  into  fur- 
rows by  the  waters,  like  that  of  Zakytho  and  many 
parts  of  Achaia,  from  which  peculiarity,  as  Strabo 
remarks,  Homer  derived  the  epithet  which  he  has 
applied  to  Oloosson 2.  Of  this  the  Greeks  of 
Elassona  are  not  ignorant ;  they  add,  that  at  Selos 
are  some  remains  of  the  Homeric  Elone,  which, 
according  to  Strabo,  was  afterwards  called  Lei- 
mone  s. 


1  Strabo,  p.  440. 

2  "OpOt/u,  'IIXwvjji'  re,  nokiv  t   'OXuoaarova  XevK))v. 

II.  B.  v.  739. 

Kui    'OAocxtctwv    <)£,     Xevki)       KapyiXnQ  uvea,  koX  'H\wj'?7  Dtp- 
TrtHjauyuptvOuffa   ano    row  \ev-       paipiKdl  ttoXziq  ko.1  Tovvoq.    'II 


346 


PERRH^EBIA. 


[chap. 


The  modern  name  Elassona  can  hardly  be  called 
a  corruption,  being  in  the  usual  Homaic  form  of 
the  third  case  of  'EXaoouv,  as  Meletius  writes  the 
name.  The  initial  E  is  only  a  dialectic  variation, 
like  ''EXvju7toc  for ''OXujU7roc,  and  'Epyo/xtvog  for  'Op- 
-^ofitvog,  all  which  were  probably  the  ordinary  local 
forms,  although  Homer  and  subsequent  writers 
may  have  preferred  the  O  to  the  E,  as  being 
general  in  other  parts  of  Greece.  The  third  o  in 
the  Oloosson  of  Homer  seems  to  have  been  in- 
serted or  omitted  by  the  ancient  poets  as  the  verse 
happened  to  require  it  ^  ;  so  that  the  corruption  of 
the  modern  name  is  confined  to  the  first  a. 

The  hill  of  the  monastery,  defended  by  the  two 
ravines,  and  in  front  falling  abruptly  to  the  plain, 
afforded  a  strong  situation  for  the  ancient  city  of 
Oloosson,  or  at  least  for  its  citadel.  The  only 
remains  are  a  few  fragments  of  walls,  and  some 
foundations  behind  and  around  the  monastery, 
consisting  of  large  masses  of  rough  stones  and 
mortar,  without  any  accurately  hewn  blocks  in 
the  ancient  style.  These  have  probably  been  re- 
moved for  modern  use,  particularly  for  that  of 
building  and  repairing  the  monastery  itself,  in  the 
walls  of  which  some  stones  of  this  kind  may  be 
seen.     In  the  church  is  an  inscribed  column,  but 


0     'HXwvrj     utrifiaXt     rovyo^ia  Qev  tov  Evpwra  Tzora^iov,  hi>   o 

Aeif-iajfr]    fxerorufxaaBelaa'   kcit-  ttoit]t}}q     TirapiiGtov     ktt/Xtt.  — 

ioKaiTTai  Se  vvv'  afX(j)(i)  o   vttot^  Strabo,  p.  440. 
\)\vfjnr(t)  Kelvrai,  ov  ttoXv  uttu)- 

1  HeppatfitKiiv 

.  Tuvov  <ba\av6v  t    »/cT  XyXooauvuv  yvlag, 

Lycoph.  v.  905. 
12 


XXVIII. j 


PERRH7EBIA. 


347 


the  letters  are  so  much  defaced  that  I  do  not 
attempt  to  copy  them.  The  library  is  well  pro- 
vided with  good  editions  of  the  classics,  brought 
from  Germany  by  an  Igumenos,  who  had  resided 
there  17  years,  and  who  died  here  not  long  ago  ; 
since  which  there  has  been  nobody  capable  of  read- 
ing these  books,  the  present  monks  being  as  igno- 
rant and  clownish  as  those  of  Mount  Athos.  I  pur- 
chase from  them  a  colossal  votive  hand  of  bronze, 
which  was  found  in  one  of  the  ravines. 

The  town  of  Elassona,  containing  about  400 
families  is  the  capital  of  a  district  of  30  villages, 
many  of  which  are  large.  The  Voivoda  who 
farms  the  revenues  is  an  Albanian,  and  has  a 
large  house  in  the  town  in  the  Turkish  style. 
Three  mosques  and  many  houses  in  ruins  on  the 
left  side  of  the  Elassonitiko  show  that  the  Mussul- 
man population  was  formerly  more  numerous. 
The  Greeks,  who  now  form  three  fourths  of  the 
inhabitants,  were  then  confined  to  the  right  bank. 
Their  church  in  that  quarter  contains  an  inscribed 
marble,  much  defaced,  but  evidently  a  record  of 
the  manumission  of  slaves,  and  of  the  sum  which 
they  paid  on  the  occasion  !. 

Dec.  9.  —  From  Elassona  in  35  minutes  to 
T£apiV££va,  in  vulgar  pronunciation  Tjaritjena,  a 
Greek  town  of  7  or  800  houses,   standing  at  the 


1  One  of  these  forms  begins 
TauiEVOVTOQ  tT]q  TroXeug  ttjv 
7rpwn;v  i^afirjvov  'Avnyuvov 
rov  ....  and  ends  upyvpiov 
ARIi.  Another  which  has  a 
similar    beginning    ends    with 


iXevdepojdelc  vtto  Euvoi^ou  kui 
KXtO/rar/jag  /cat  AiKaioyepovQ 
ifihHce  rrj  ttoXei  A  KB.  So  that 
22  denaria  seems  to  have  been 
the  ordinary  sum  paid  by  the 
freedman. 


348 


PERRI-IiEBIA. 


[chap. 


foot  of  the  range  of  hills  which  border  the  eastern 
side  of  the  plain  of  Elassona,  to  which  kaza  it 
belongs.  The  name  is  Sclavonic,  and  not  un- 
common in  Russia,  and  other  countries  of  Europe 
where  dialects  of  the  Illyric  are  spoken.  The 
place  is  noted  for  the  manufacture  of  the  stuffs  of 
cotton,  or  of  a  mixture  of  silk  and  cotton,  of 
which  there  is  a  great  consumption  among  both 
Turks  and  Greeks  for  men's  vests  and  women's 
gowns  :  cotton  thread  is  also  dyed  here  of  several 
colours  and  sent  to  Germany.  Immediately  behind 
the  middle  of  the  town  a  rocky  aperture  in  the 
hills  gives  passage  to  a  small  torrent  called  Xeria, 
which  rushes  through  the  town  into  the  plain. 
The  rocks  are  a  very  white  limestone.  There  are 
many  good  houses  in  the  town,  but  it  is  not  with- 
out some  marks  of  decline,  which  are  attributed 
as  usual  to  the  effects  of  Aly  Pasha's  govern- 
ment. 

The  gorges  of  the  Elassonitiko  and  Xeria  are  the 
natural  ascents  into  the  upper  regions  of  Olympus, 
where  are  several  large  villages  and  some  cultivated 
plains  situated  between  the  great  southern  face  of 
that  mountain  and  the  summits  overhanging  Tempe 
and  the  Pelasgic  plain.  It  was  through  this  ele- 
vated country  that  the  consul  Quintus  Marcius 
Philippus  turned  the  pass  of  Tempe  and  pene- 
trated from  Perrhaebia  to  the  Macedonian  coast  in 
the  third  year  of  the  last  Macedonic  war1.  The 
pass  over  this  part  of  the  Olympene  range  is  formed 
like   almost  all  natural    routes  over  high   nioun- 


1  Liv.  1.  44,  c.  2,  et  seq.     Polyb.  1.  28,  c.  11. 


XXVIII.] 


PERTUI/EBIA. 


349 


tains,  by  two  rivers  flowing  from  the  same  col,  or 
ridge,  in  opposite  directions.  One  of  these  is 
the  Elassonitiko,  or  Titaresius,  the  other  the  river 
of  Platamona  ;  the  heads  of  the  respective 
ravines  through  which  they  flow,  are  separated 
only  by  a  plain,  at  the  southern  foot  of  the  upper 
heights  of  Olympus,  which  contains  the  village  of 
Karya,  one  of  the  largest  on  the  mountain.  This 
plain  is  about  five  miles  long,  in  an  E.  and  W. 
direction,  and  is  the  greatest  level  space  upon 
Olympus.  Like  other  similar  plains  on  the  moun- 
tains of  Greece,  it  supplies  only  rye  and  pasture 
for  flocks.  On  the  fir-clad  heights  above  it,  to  the 
north,  stands  the  monastery  of  the  Holy  Trinity ', 
situated  near  a  torrent  which  flows  from  thence 
through  a  part  of  the  plain  of  Karya  and  then  to 
Platamona.  St.  Triadha  was  for  many  years  a 
favourite  haunt  of  the  robbers  of  'Elymbo,  until  by 
the  magic  touch  of  Aly's  sword  the  villages  of  the 
mountain  were  converted  into  tjiftliks  of  his  own, 
and  the  robbers  into  armatoli  for  their  protection. 

Southward  of  the  plain  of  Karya,  and  divided 
from  it  only  by  a  ridge,  is  the  parallel  valley  of 
Ezero,  about  half  as  large  as  that  of  Karya,  and  so 
called  from  a  lake  which  occupies  the  greater  part 
of  it,  and  which  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  of 
Ezero  endeavoured  to  draw  off  into  a  neighbouring- 
ravine,  but  were  obliged  to  desist  after  having 
wrought  several  years  at  it.  The  lake  of  Ezero  is 
evidently  the  ancient  Ascuris.  Eastward  of  this 
plain  is  another,  not  far  distant  from  the  summits 


1    ciylu  Tpuica. 


350 


PERRII/RBIA. 


[chap. 


which  inclose  the  pass  of  Tempe  to  the  northward  ; 
it  is  separated  only  by  a  ridge  from  a  cultivated 
region  around  the  town  of  Rapsani,  or  Rapsiani !, 
which  looks  down  upon  the  maritime  level  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Peneius,  and  southward  is  opposed  to 
the  face  of  Mount  Ossa  and  Ambelakia.  On  the 
ridge  to  the  westward  of  Rapsani  are  the  remains 
of  an  ancient  fortress,  probably  Lapathus,  of  which 
name  Rapsani  may  perhaps  be  a  corruption.  In 
like  manner  as  the  plain  of  Karya  and  the  gorges 
of  the  rivers  Elassonitiko  and  Platamona  form  a 
separation,  between  the  great  Olympus  and  its  sub- 
ordinate summits,  which  extend  to  the  plains  of 
Elassona  and  Larissa,  and  to  Tempe,  so  these  latter 
mountains  are  subdivided  by  the  plain  of  Ezero 
and  that  near  it  to  the  eastward.  The  western  por- 
tion of  them  was  evidently  the  Mount  Titarus  adja- 
cent to  Olympus  noticed  by  Strabo  ;  the  eastern 
probably  bore  the  same  name  as  the  fortress  Lapa- 
thus  which  stood  upon  one  of  its  summits.  The  dis- 
tance from  Karya.  to  Ezero  is  reckoned  two  hours, 
and  from  the  latter  to  Rapsani  three  hours.  Between 
Karya  and  Elassona  there  are  two  other  villages 
on  the  mountain,  namely,  Skamnia,  which  is 
not  far  from  the  northern  side  of  the  plain  of 
Karya,  distant  one  hour  and  a  half  from  that 
town,  and  Boliana  one  hour  distant  from  Skam- 
nia, near  the  western  extremity  of  the  plain 
of  Karya,  where  are  some  remains  of  anti- 
quity called  Konispoli,  situated  at  the  division 
of  the  waters  which  flow  in  one  direction  along  the 


1  'Viv^dvq,  'Payptdyt]. 


XX  VIII.] 


PERRTI7EDIA. 


351 


plain  to  Karya,  and  in  the  other  form  the  sources 
of  the  Xeria,  or  river  of  Tzaritzena.  Konispoli 
appears  to  correspond  to  the  Eudierum  of  Livy, 
which  was  fifteen  miles  from  the  Roman  camp, 
between  Azorus  and  Doliche,  in  the  direction  of 
Ascuris  and  Lapathus  K  The  sources  of  the  prin- 
cipal branch  of  the  Titaresius  are  in  the  great 
flank  of  Olympus,  between  Skamnia  and  Selos, 
and  particularly  at  a  great  perennial  spring  situ- 
ated two  or  three  hours  to  the  north-east  of  Elas- 
sona :  after  quitting  the  gorges  of  Olympus  it  ap- 
proaches Elassona  from  the  north -eastward,  turns 
southward  through  the  town,  thence  flows  west- 
ward near  the  foot  of  the  hills  on  the  northern 
side  of  the  plain,  and  quitting  it  at  the  western 
extremity  passes  between  hills  into  the  valley  of 
Dheminiko,  where  it  joins  the  Sarandaforo,  or 
branch  from  the  mountains  of  Livadhi,  near 
Amuri. 

Dec.  10. — At  3.40,  Turkish  time,  leaving 
Tzaritzena,  we  continue  to  cross  the  plain  of 
Oloosson,  not  far  from  the  foot  of  Mount  Titarus, 
and  at  the  south-eastern  corner  ascend  a  pass 
called  the  derveni  of  Meluna,  where  the  road 
traverses  a  low  rocky  ridge  which  connects  Titarus 
with  the  mountain  of  Turnavo,  and  on  the  descent 
commands  a  prospect  over  the  superb  plain  of 
Pelasgiotis  as  far  as  the  entrance  of  Tempe  and 
Mount  Ossa.  Beyond  the  Peneius,  to  the  right  of 
Ossa,  is  seen  the  lake  of  Karatjair,  the  ancient 
Nessonis. 


1  Liv.  1.  44,  c.  3. 


35-2 


PERRNiEBIA. 


[chap.  XXVIII. 


At  5.10  we  arrive  at  the  foot  of  the  heights  of 
Meiuna,  and  enter  the  plain  at  the  small  Turkish 
village  of  Karadere  (Mack  valley)  called  by  the 
Greeks  Ligara,  then  turning  to  the  right  and  fol- 
lowing the  foot  of  the  mountain  of  Turnavo,  cross 
at  5.35  a  small  stream  just  below  the  mati,  or 
source  where  it  issues  from  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain, and  forms  a  small  lake  and  marsh  in  the 
plain  to  our  left.  Here  a  large  Turkish  village, 
named  Karadjoli,  appears  across  the  plain  on  the 
side  of  Mount  lyitarus,  two  or  three  miles  on  our 
left.  Some  conspicuous  remains  of  the  Hellenic 
walls,  inclosing  the  face  of  the  hill,  show  it  to  be 
the  position  of  a  city  of  some  importance. 

Continuing  to  wind  to  the  right  along  the  foot 
of  the  mountain  of  Turnavo,  we  cross  at  6.33 
another  rivulet  flowing  from  a  source  on  our  right, 
called  Krya-vrysi,  pass  a  large  tumulus  to  the 
left,  and  at  6.48  arrive  in  the  town  of  Turnavo,  or 
Tyrnavo1,  which  stands  in  the  plain,  but  not  far 
from  the  mountain. 


1  Tovpvafioc;,  TvpvaftoQ. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


THESSALIA. 

Turnavo  —  Manufactures  —  Kastri  —  Tatari  — Larissa  —  Palea 
Larissa,  Crannon — Argissa — Atrax  — Metropolis — Karalar — 
Marmariani,  Sy curium — First  Campaign  of  the  Persic  War — 
Scea  —  Mopsium — Pha  lanna  — Elateia  —  Gyrton  — Kiserli — 
Makrikhori — Vale  of  Dereli — Baba — Ascent  of  Mount  Ossa 
— Ambelakia,  its  productions,  &c. — Lykostomo,  Gonnus — 
Pass  of  Lykostomo,  Tempe — River  Peneius — Ancient  descrip- 
tions of  Tempe — Gonnocondylus — Charax — Castle  of  Tempe. 


Turnavo  contains  1500  families;  of  these  only  70 
are  Mahometan,  a  number  which  compared  with 
the  six  mosques  still  existing,  shows  how  much 
the  Turkish  population  has  diminished.  It  is  said 
that  there  were  once  4000  houses,  which  the  great 
number  of  those  in  ruins,  or  uninhabited,  renders 
credible.  The  causes  to  which  the  depopulation 
is  ascribed,  are  several  successive  years  of  plague, 
the  first  Russian  war  which  brought  the  Albanians 
into  Thessaly  in  great  numbers,  and  lastly,  the 
acquisition  of  the  place  by  Aly  Pasha,  which  has 
driven  away  the  Turks.  Turnavo,  like  Tzaritzena, 
is  a  name  of  Sclavonic  origin,  and  shows  that  a 
colony  of  that  race,  perhaps  from  Turnavo  in  Bul- 
garia, was  once  settled  here,  of  which  no  other 
trace  than  the  name  now  remains.  Another  Illyric 
name  is  found  at  the  lake  and  village  Ezero,  in 
vol.  in.  a  a 


354 


THESSALIA. 


[(HAP 


Mount  Titarus,  between  Tzaritzena  and  Rapsani. 
These  are  the  more  remarkable,  as  there  are 
few  if  any  others  in  the  great  eastern  Thessalo- 
Macedonian  range  to  the  southward  of  Vodhena. 
Like  Tzaritzena,  Turnavo  has  been  and  is  still 
indebted  for  its  importance  to  the  weaving  and 
dyeing  of  the  stuffs  made  of  cotton,  or  of  a  mix- 
ture of  silk  and  cotton  called  bukhasia  and  aladja, 
and  to  the  dyeing  of  cotton  thread,  which  is  chiefly 
sold  to  the  Ambelakiotes.  Long  towels  in  the 
Turkish  and  Greek  fashion  interwoven  with  gold 
threads,  and  shawls  for  the  head  and  waist,  are  also 
made  here.  There  are  three  dyeing  manufactories  ; 
but  the  looms  are  all  in  private  houses  ;  these  are 
reckoned  to  produce  daily  1200  Ko/x/icma,  or  pieces 
of  seven  peeks  each.  There  are  only  200  working 
days  in  the  year,  so  numerous  are  the  Greek 
holidays.  Ninety  okes  of  thread  are  made  every 
day  in  the  town  ;  the  surrounding  villages  supply 
one  third  of  that  which  is  used  in  the  looms,  and 
all  that  which  is  dyed  for  exportation.  Tzaritzena 
makes  as  many  stuffs  as  Turnavo,  but  does  not 
dye  so  much  thread.  As  at  Tzaritzena,  Siatista, 
Kozani,  and  Kastoria,  there  are  many  persons 
here  who  speak  German,  and  they  were  more 
numerous  formerly  ;  but  as  in  the  places  just  men- 
tioned, those  who  have  realized  any  property  often 
prefer  the  secure  enjoyment  of  it  in  Christendom, 
to  the  chance  of  increasing  it  here. 

The  metropolitan  bishop  of  Larissa,  who  is  now 
at  Turnavo  on  a  visitation,  has  been  translated  to 
this  dignity  from  the  see  of  Grevena  since  I  met  him 
last  year  at  Ioannina.     He  paid  sixty  purses  to  the 


XXIX.] 


THESSALIA. 


355 


Porte  upon  this  occasion,  and  finds  the  see  bur- 
thened  with  a  debt  of  300  purses,  bearing  the  cus- 
tomary high  interest,  which  he  finds  the  more  dif- 
ficult to  pay,  as  the  exportation  of  grain  from  Thes- 
saly  is  forbidden  to  all  but  the  agents  of  govern- 
ment, which  disables  the  bishop's  flock  from  con- 
tributing to  the  payment  of  his  demands  upon 
them,  or  at  least  supplies  an  excuse  for  withhold- 
ing them.  Almost  all  the  Greek  bishoprics  are 
burthened  in  the  same  manner  with  debt ;  but 
like  the  public  debts  of  other  countries,  they  form 
a  bond  of  union  between  individuals  and  the  au- 
thorities, and  in  this  country  have  the  advantage 
of  saving  the  former  from  the  dangers  of  hoarding 
— the  only  alternative  with  those  who  are  fearful 
of  the  risks  of  commerce.  The  necessity  of  being 
prepared  to  pay  the  interest  gives  the  bishops  also 
something  more  than  a  personal  plea  for  enforcing 
the  collection  of  their  dues  from  the  clergy  and 
laity,  in  which  they  often  find  great  difficulty. 
Aly  Pasha's  bishops  are  generally  assisted  by  His 
Highness's  buyurti,  supported  sometimes,  espe- 
cially in  the  case  of  the  bishop  of  Ioannina,  by  a 
palikari  or  two,  to  ensure  attention  to  it.  It  was 
by  Aly's  influence  at  Constantinople  that  the 
bishop  of  Larissa  obtained  his  promotion,  the 
Pasha  finding  it  useful  to  the  support  of  his  influ- 
ence in  this  part  of  Thessaly  to  have  the  chief 
Christian  authority  subservient  to  him,  and  in  the 
hands  of  one  who  has  long  resided  at  his  court. 
The  largest  house  at  present  in  Turnavo  was  built 
by  Mukhtar  Pasha  for  a  young  Antinous  of  this 

a  a2 


356 


TH  ESS  A  LI  A, 


CHAP. 


place,  whom  Aly  has  lately,  upon  complaint  of  his 
son's  wife,  ordered  to  be  put  to  death,  but  who 
has  been  saved  and  concealed  by  Mukhtar. 

There  are  many  fragments  of  antiquity  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  town,  some  of  which  it  is  not 
easy  to  obtain  a  sight  of,  as  they  are  in  private 
houses  :  they  are  all  said  to  have  been  brought 
from  a  height  half  an  hour  below  Turnavo  called 
Kastri.  At  a  well  in  the  town,  a  large  sepulchral 
stone  represents  a  woman  sitting  in  a  chair,  with 
a  couch  before  her  on  which  lies  a  child  stretching 
out  its  hands  to  join  those  of  the  mother.  The 
attitudes  and  drapery  indicate  a  high  antiquity.  In 
the  churches  are  a  few  sepulchral  stelae,  with  the 
remains  of  names  on  them.  The  most  interesting 
monument  is  in  the  court  which  surrounds  the  epis- 
copal church  and  palace,  where  a  plain  quadran- 
gular block  of  white  marble  is  inscribed  on  one  of 
the  narrow  sides  with  four  lines  in  the  iEolic  or 
Thessalian  dialect :  it  is  a  dedication  to  Apollo 
Cerdous  by  Sosipatrus,  son  of  Polemarchides,  who 
had  held  the  offices  of  Hieromnemon  and  Archi- 
daphnephorus  '. 


1  'AirXovvi  Ktp^o/'ou  ^aova'i- 
warpoQ  Uo\efiap\iSaloe  b  dvrctQ 
oviBtiKt  iF.po/.ivaiJ.oi'elffa.Q  kcu 
dpxi^av^vacpopEiffaC' 
In  common  Hellenic — 
'AttoXXiovi  Kepoww  2<i><7t7ra- 
rpoc  TloXenap-^i^ov  u  dvrrjc  di't- 
OrjKE  iepofj.yrifiovi](rac  Kal  ctpX'~ 
tia<pvr}(popiicrae. 


Plato  (in  Cratyl.)  says  that 
the  Thessalians  called  Apollo 
'ATrXvg.  It  would  rather  seem 
from  this  inscription  to  have 
been  'A7r\oue,  or  'AttXovv,  'A7r- 
Xovvoq.  Aplu  is  the  form  of 
Apollo's  name  on  Etruscan 
monuments,  which  supports 
the  opinion  as  to  the  Pelasgic 


XXIX.] 


THESSALIA. 


357 


The  lands  of  Turnavo  produce  corn,  wine,  and 
cotton,  but  are  not  extensive,  being  bounded  at  a 
few  miles'  distance  by  those  of  Larissa  to  the 
south,  and  to  the  east  and  north-east  by  the  Koni- 
aro-khoria,  named  Kazaklari,  Misalari,  Karadjoli. 
All  these  places,  as  well  as  Tatari  and  Bakrina,  are 
inhabited  entirely  by  Turks,  whose  appellation  of 
Koniaridhes  indicates  that  they  are  remains  of  the 
original  settlers  from  Konia  or  Icoiiium,  who  came 
here  before  the  conquest  of  Constantinople.  They 
are  employed  entirely  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil, 
the  surplus  produce  of  which  suffices  to  supply 
them  with  their  other  wants.  They  are  poor  and 
inoffensive,  and  their  name  is  a  bye-word  of  con- 
tempt among  the  Albanians,  who  esteem  nothing 
but  the  power  derived  from  the  sword  and  the 
tufek. 

Reapers  in  the  plain  of  Turnavo  receive  from 
80  to  100  paras  a  day,  but  without  provision  or 
wine  :  these  high  wages  are  not  undeserved,  as  the 
heat  in  harvest  is  so  excessive  as  often  to  cause 
sickness  and  even  death  among  the  labourers.  In 
the  vineyards  they  have  generally  50  paras  a  day, 
with  meat   and   wine,    but   no   bread.     The  wine 


origin  of  the  Etruscans ;  for 
the  Larissaean  plain  was  one 
of  the  peculiar  seats  of  the 
Pelasgi,  and  was  named  Pelas- 
giotis  to  the  latest  period  of 
antiquity.  The  epithet  Ktp^woc 
here  applied  to  Apollo,  is  found 
in  Lycophron,  v.  208,  where 
the  scholiast  says  that  he  was 


so  called  as  showing  things 
profitable  (tTrttcipcri)  by  means 
of  his  oracles.  The  possessive 
adjective  instead  of  the  noun, 
in  the  second  case,  to  express 
the  name  of  the  father,  appears 
from  many  other  inscriptions 
to  have  been  a  Thessalian  cus- 
tom. 


358 


TIIESSALIA. 


[chap 


made  here  would  be  good  were  it  not  for  the  haste 
with  which  it  is  drawn  off  from  the  fruit  before  the 
fermentation  is  complete.  As  usual  throughout 
Greece,  water  is  added  to  it  before  it  is  sold  in  the 
wine-houses ;  but  there  is  no  mixture  here  of  the 
resin,  which  in  the  poorer  liquors  of  Epirus,  Attica, 
and  the  Morea,  serves  to  check,  in  some  degree,  the 
acetous  fermentation.  The  wine  called  rirjXivoc  is 
flavoured  with  several  herbs,  and  has  a  taste  by  no 
means  agreeable.  The  cotton,  like  that  of  Thes- 
saly  in  general,  is  reckoned  superior  to  the  Mace- 
donian, and  second  only  to  that  of  Magnesia  ad 
Sipylum,  and  to  some  peculiar  kinds  of  the  cotton 
of  Smyrna. 

The  mountain  above  the  town  is  known  by  the 
name  of  Kritiri '  :  its  summit  lies  a  little  to  the 
westward  of  a  line  drawn  from  Elassona  to  Tur- 
navo.  The  ridge  has  the  appearance  of  extending 
to  the  southward  as  far  as  the  Klisura,  or  opening 
noticed  on  my  former  journey,  through  which  the 
Peneius  issues  into  the  Larisscean  plain,  but  in  fact 
there  is  another  similar  opening  but  narrower, 
about  an  hour  to  the  southward  of  Turnavo, 
through  which  the  Titaresius,  here  commonly 
called  Xeraghi,  enters  the  plain.  This  stream, 
after  flowing  parallel  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and 
leaving  the  town  near  its  left  bank,  turns  east- 
ward, and  finally  joins  the  Peneius,  at  an  hour's 
distance,  between  Misalari  and  Kazaklari.  The 
Xeraghi  deserves  its  name,  having  no  water  in  it, 
which  surprised  me,  as  at  Elassona  there  was  a 


»/7->/(' 


XXIX.] 


THESSALIA. 


359 


considerable  stream ;  but  this  is  sufficiently  ac- 
counted for  by  the  TroTiopaTa,  for  irrigating  gardens 
and  fields  of  maize,  cotton,  and  tobacco,  which  in- 
tercept its  waters  in  the  plain  of  Dheminiko  and 
valley  of  Dhamasi,  and  by  a  canal  which  carries 
water  to  Larissa.  But  notwithstanding  these  diver- 
sions,  it  is  sometimes  a  respectable  river  at  Tur- 
navo,  as  a  bridge  of  fifteen  arches  at  the  entrance 
of  the  town  testifies.  Even  now  the  bed,  although 
apparently  dry,  is  said  to  abound  in  dangerous 
quicksands,  concealing  a  considerable  quantity  of 
water. 

Sometimes  the  higher  classes  of  Greeks  show 
greater  ignorance  even  than  the  peasantry.  The 
master  of  the  house  in  which  I  lodge,  one  of  the 
richest  men  in  the  place,  and  who  has  resided  in 
Germany,  asks  me  for  a  herb  to  turn  copper  into 
gold,  and  learns,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  that 
the  stream  which  flows  by  Turnavo  is  the  same  as 
that  at  Elassona,  and  that  it  has  its  origin  in  Mount 
Olympus.  There  are  two  routes  from  Turnavo  to 
Tempe ;  one  leading  to  Dereli,  on  the  northern  side 
of  the  fauces ;  the  other  to  Ambelakia,  on  the  southern 
side.  The  former  of  course  does  not  cross  the  Sa- 
lamvria,  but  passes  below  Karadjoli  and  along  the 
foot  of  Mount  Titarus  into  the  vale  of  Dereli,  which 
has  a  communication  by  a  bridge  with  Baba,  a  town 
situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river  below  Am- 
belakia, at  the  entrance  of  the  only  road  through 
the  strait.  The  other  road  from  Turnavo  to  Baba 
crosses  the  plain  to  a  ferry  over  the  Salamvria,  in 
a  district  of  small  Koniaric  villages  called  Bakrina. 
This  ferry  is  midway  to  the  northern  extremity  of 


360 


THESSALJA. 


[chap. 


the  lake  Karatjair,  or  Nessojiis,  where  the  road 
joins  that  from  Larissa  to  Baba,  and  then  ascends 
an  opening  in  a  roeky  ridge  which  here  bounds  the 
plain  of  the  Peneius,  and  separates  it  from  the  vale 
of  Kiserli  at  the  foot  of  Mo  ant  Ossa.  The  road 
then  follows  that  valley,  without  any  farther  inter- 
ruption of  heights,  to  Baba. 

Dec.  11. — A  heavy  fall  of  rain  yesterday  even- 
ing, and  a  thunder-storm  at  night,  are  succeeded 
by  fair  weather.  In  the  afternoon  I  proceed  to 
Larissa,  crossing  the  bridge,  and  arriving  in 
twenty-seven  minutes  at  Kastri.  At  a  small  vil- 
lage named  Amari,  two  miles  to  the  right,  is  a 
large  artificial  tumulus,  similar  to  that  already  re- 
marked in  the  opposite  direction.  Kastri  is  un- 
doubtedly the  site  of  a  Hellenic  town,  though 
there  now  remains  nothing  but  the  foundations  of 
a  square  tower  of  those  times  on  the  summit  of  the 
hill,  near  which  are  many  excavations  which  have 
been  made  for  extracting  wrought  masses  of  stone, 
which  have  been  transported  to  Turnavo.  The 
hill  and  surrounding  fields  are  strewed  with  frag;- 
ments  of  ancient  pottery.  Proceeding  from  hence 
at  6.30,  Turkish  time,  we  cross  the  plain  to  Tatari, 
leaving  Kazaklari  on  the  left,  composed,  like  the 
other  Koniaric  villages,  in  this  plain,  of  several 
makhakis,  situated  among  vineyards,  cotton  planta- 
tions, and  corn-fields.  Large  intervals,  however, 
of  this  fertile  plain  remain  uncultivated.  At  7.20 
we  arrive  at  a  rising  ground,  resembling  that  of 
Kastri,  and  similarly  covered  with  pottery  and  the 
remains  of  ancient  buildings.  Several  squared 
blocks  of  stone  are  dispersed  around  the  height, 


XXIX.] 


TUESSALIA. 


361 


and  at  its  foot  a  Turkish  burying-ground  contains 
among  the  tomb-stones  the  fragment  of  a  Doric 
fluted  shaft,  five  feet  three  inches  in  circumference. 
The  height  is  called  Magiila,  a  common  name  for 
an  insulated  hill  in  a  plain,  especially  when  pre- 
serving the  vestiges  of  former  buildings  ;  it  stands 
in  the  midst  of  a  district  of  small  Turkish  vil- 
lages named  Tatari. 

Leaving  the  Magula,  which  is  about  half  an 
hour  from  the  left  bank  of  the  Perieius,  at  7.27,  we 
halt  at  7.45  at  a  khan  at  one  of  the  makhalas  of 
Tatari,  near  a  very  extensive  Turkish  burying- 
ground,  in  which,  among  many  ancient  sepulchral 
monuments  and  fragments  of  antiquity,  I  find 
another  dedication  to  Apollo,  under  his  Thessalian 
name  Aplus,  with  the  addition  of  the  epithet  Tem- 
pites1.  iElian  alludes  to  the  worship  of  Apollo  at 
Tempe  in  his  description  of  that  celebrated  valley2 ; 
and  it  is  easy  to  conceive  that  the  deity  may  have 
been  worshipped  in  some  of  the  neighbouring  cities 
under  the  same  appellation.  From  the  khan  the 
bridge  of  Larissa  is  just  one  hour  distant. 

Dec.  13. — The  road  from  Larissa  to  the  ruins 
which  the  Greeks  call  Palea.  Larissa,  and  absurdly 
suppose  to  be  the  site  of  the  ancient  city,  diverges 
a  few  degrees  to  the  right  of  the  direct  road  to 
Fersala,  and  at  the  distance  of  five  or  six  miles 
enters  upon  a  low  undulated  tract  which  separates 
the  lowest  level,  or  that  reaching  to  the  banks  of 


1  'AtzXovvi  TefXTrtira,  Alcry^v-  2  ./Elian.    Var.    Hist.     1.    3, 

\iq      Sarupov      e\svdii)ia. — V.       C.  1. 
Inscription,  No.  147. 


362 


THESSALIA. 


[chap. 


the  river,  from  another  rather  higher.  The  latter 
though  now  little  cultivated,  is  fertile,  and  was 
obviously  the  territory  of  one  of  the  chief  cities  of 
Thessaly.  It  extends  nine  or  ten  miles  south- 
eastward from  the  foot  of  the  hill  of  Alifaka,  as  far 
as  the  ridge  which  separates  this  plain  from  the 
Pharsalian  valley.  At  the  beginning  of  the  undu- 
lated ground,  one  hour  and  five  minutes  from  La- 
rissa, several  squared  stones,  and  a  piece  of  a  fluted 
Doric  column,  occur  in  a  spot  where  no  Turkish 
burying-ground  or  remains  of  habitations  appear. 
It  is  perhaps  the  site  of  a  solitary  temple.  Ten 
minutes  farther  is  Hassan  Tatari,  a  small  vil- 
lage, below  which  are  two  or  three  sori  at  a 
fountain,  some  ancient  wells,  and  several  wrought 
stones. 

At  the  end  of  two  hours  and  twenty-seven 
minutes  from  Larissa  we  arrive  at  Hadjilar,  a 
tjiftlik  belonging  to  Hadji  Halil  Aga  of  Larissa,  but 
inhabited  only  by  the  Greeks  who  cultivate  his 
lands.  My  lodging  here  is  a  cottage  of  the  better 
sort,  but  of  a  construction  common  throughout 
the  plains  of  Greece.  It  consists  of  one  long- 
apartment  in  two  portions,  which  have  a  difference 
of  about  two  feet  in  the  level.  In  the  higher  a 
hearth  without  a  chimney,  two  or  three  shelves, 
with  a  few  plates  and  earthen  vessels  on  them,  a 
pan,  boiler,  and  sieve,  hung  upon  the  walls,  an- 
nounce the  habitation  of  the  human  portion  of  the 
family,  which  is  separated  from  that  of  the  cattle 
only  by  a  barrier  of  tall  baskets,  some  full  of  corn 
and  others  of  dried  peas.  Two  opposite  doors  form 
a  passage  through  the  building  just  below  the  par- 

12 


XXIX.] 


THESSALIA. 


363 


tition  of  baskets,  between  two  of  which  there  is  an 
opening  serving  for  the  communication  between  the 
upper  and  lower  compartments  of  the  cottage. 

Half  an  hour  from  Hadjilar,  in  the  direction  of 
Fersala,  is  the  place  called  Palea  Larissa,  a  name 
which  was  undoubtedly  attached  to  it  when  the 
remains  of  antiquity  were  much  more  considera- 
ble than  they  are  at  present.  It  supplies  an  ex- 
ample of  the  manner  in  which  the  ancient  cities 
of  the  more  fertile  parts  of  Greece  have  gradually 
been  obliterated,  although  built  by  a  people  with 
whom  durability  was  the  principal  object.  Besides 
applying  the  ordinary  materials  to  reconstruction, 
the  Turks  are  in  the  habit  of  searching  for  wrought 
stones  of  white  marble,  for  the  purpose  of  convert- 
ing them  into  tomb-stones,  by  which  means  an- 
cient sculptures  and  inscriptions  are  often  defaced 
to  make  way  for  the  rude  representation  of  a 
Turkish  turban,  or  for  some  words  in  Arabic. 
Even  when  the  ancient  letters  have  escaped 
erasure,  the  monument  having  been  removed  to 
a  distance  from  its  original  position  may  only  mis- 
lead the  geographical  enquirer.  In  rocky  situa- 
tions, and  the  poorer  parts  of  the  country,  the 
remains  have  a  better  chance  of  preservation  than 
in  such  fertile  plains  as  these,  where  large  modern 
towns  have  succeeded  the  ancient  cities,  and  where 
stone  being  scarce,  every  village  finds  it  conve- 
nient to  resort  to  the  ancient  sites  for  materials. 
At  Palea  Larissa,  the  sori,  or  stone  coffins  of  the 
ancient  cemetery,  have  been  particularly  in  de- 
mand, as  well  in  Larissa  as  in  all  the  villages 
around   Hadjilar,  where  they  are  used  as  water 


364 


THESSALIA. 


[chap. 


troughs.  They  were  in  such  request,  that  the 
people  of  this  village  finding  that  they  were  some- 
times sunk  three  or  four  feet  deep  in  the  ground, 
were  in  the  habit  of  sounding  for  them  with  iron 
rods.  But  Abdim  Bey,  chief  Ayan  of  Larissa,  in- 
formed me  yesterday  that  he  had  forbidden  the 
further  search,  lest  the  Porte,  hearing  false  ac- 
counts of  the  proceeding,  should  suppose  that  trea- 
sure had  been  discovered.  Notwithstanding*  the 
spoliations  to  which  the  ancient  remains  have  been 
so  long  exposed,  some  foundations  of  the  walls  of 
the  town,  or  more  probably  of  the  citadel,  may  be 
traced  along  the  edge  of  a  quadrangular  height 
called  Paleokastro,  which  is  nearly  a  mile  in  cir- 
cumference, and  towards  the  upper  part  of  which 
are  some  vestiges  of  a  transverse  wall  forming  a 
double  inclosure.  This  height,  and  all  the  fields 
around,  are  covered  with  pottery,  and  on  the  side 
of  the  height,  or  on  the  rise  of  the  hills  behind  it, 
are  eight  or  nine  small  tumuli.  Here  the  sori 
wTere  found,  and  some  of  them  are  still  left  above- 
ground,  not  having  been  carried  away  after  they 
had  been  dug  out.  They  are  plain  coffins,  roughly 
shaped,  and  with  marks  of  the  tool  still  remaining 
upon  the  stone.  Nearly  half  a  mile  to  the  south- 
ward of  the  Paleokastro  are  two  other  artificial 
heights  on  the  slope  of  the  hills,  at  the  foot 
of  one  of  which  a  semicircular  cavity  in  the 
ground  looks  like  the  vestige  of  a  theatre  ;  but  as 
its  aspect  is  towards  the  hills,  and  not  towards  the 
plain,  and  as  it  is  beyond  the  ancient  cemetery,  1 
am  inclined  to  think  it  only  a  natural  accident  of 
the  ground.   A  little  beyond  this  spot,  to  the  south- 


XXIX.] 


TTIESSALIA. 


36/ 


ward,  the  road  from  Larissa  to  Maskoluri  crosses 
the  heights  into  the  plain  of  the  Enipeus. 

Dec.  14. — The  most  interesting  of  the  monuments 
found  at  Palea  Larissa  have  been  removed  from 
thence  and  deposited  b}^  the  Greeks,  who  generally 
show  this  respect  for  the  works  of  their  ancestors,  at 
the  little  village  church  of  Hadjilar.  The  first  to  be 
mentioned  is  an  inscription  of  forty  lines,  in  small 
characters  of  the  best  times,  wanting  four  or  five 
lines  at  the  commencement,  as  well  as  a  few  letters 
at  the  beginning  and  end  of  every  line,  but  still 
preserving  enough  to  prove  Palea  Larissa  to  be  the 
site  of  Crannon1,  or  as  the  name  is  written  on  the 
marble  Cranon2.  This  inscription  is  in  the  Thes- 
salic  dialect,  among  the  peculiarities  of  which  is 
the  conversion  of  the  Hellenic  Q  into  OY,  so  that 
TOYN  TArOYN  TN0YMA2  occurs  for  TON  TA- 
TQN  TNQMAS.  The  name  of  the  people  is  written 
KPANOYNNIOI  ;  ONAAOYMA  represents  ANA- 
AQMA,  and  resembles  the  0NE6EIKE  of  the  in- 
scription of  Turnavo  ;  of  this  form  another  instance 
is  found  in  the  words  *A<J>I2MA  ONrPA<PEI 
EN  KIONA  A16IN0N,  which  are  repeated.  The 
object  of  this  record  is  the  very  common  one  of 


1  Crannon  is  placed  in  the 
Pentinger  table  on  the  road 
from  Larissa  to  Phalyra  in  the 
Maliac  gulf,  15  M.  p.  from  the 
former,  and  38  m.  p.  from  the 
latter,  which  nearly  accords 
with  the  situation  of  Palea 
Larissa  relatively  to  Larissa 
and  the  gulf. 


2  On  the  coins  we  find 
KPAN,  KPANNO,  KPANNil- 
NI£2N.  The  single  or  double 
letter  was  generally  a  matter 
of  indifference.  KPANNOY- 
NIOYN  is  also  found  on  some 
of  the  coins,  and  in  like  man- 
ner Yofxfirovv,  $>epaiovr,  on 
those  of  Gomphi  and  Pheroe. 


366 


THESSAMA. 


[chap 


a  vote  of  citizenship  to  certain  foreign  benefactors 
of  the  city1.  A  stone  in  the  wall  of  the  church, 
upon  which  a  Hermes  on  a  pedestal  is  represented 
in  relief,  is  inscribed  with  the  words  EPMAO 
X90NIOY2,  in  very  neat  characters  well  pre- 
served. On  a  handsome  pedestal  in  the  church- 
yard are  the  words  NIKA2inn02  NIK0YNEI02  8, 
where  the  last  word,  which  in  Attica  and  most 
other  parts  of  Greece  would  have  been  NIKQNOS, 
exemplifies  both  the  provincial  custom  of  convert- 
ing Q  into  OY,  and  that  of  employing  the  patro- 
nymic adjective  instead  of  the  father's  name  in  the 
second  case.  On  turning  up  a  marble  lying 
in  the  church,  I  find  that  it  is  sculptured  in  low 
relief,  without  any  inscription,  and  represents  a 
female  placing  a  chaplet  on  the  head  of  a  horse, 
a  large  dog  standing  by.  The  priest  allows  me  to 
carry  it  away  on  condition  of  leaving  a  present  for 
the  church.  In  one  of  the  cottages  is  a  sepulchral 
stone  representing  a  man  with  a  small  dog  leaping 
up  to  caress  him, — the  drapery  heavy  and  figure 
unfinished.  While  I  was  copying  the  inscription 
in  the  church,  a  wedding*  took  place,  this  being 
Kwptafc?},  or  Sunday,  which  after  mass  is  the  usual 
time  for  that  ceremony  among  the  Greeks.  All 
the  village  was  assembled.  Boiled  corn,  bread, 
and  raki  were  handed  about,  and  the  bride  kissed 
the  hand  of  all  present. 

It  is  reckoned  an  hour  and  a  half  from  Hadjilar 
to  the  Paleo-kastro  above  the  village  of  Alifaka, 


1  V.  Inscription,  No.  149. 

2  V.  Inscription,  No.  150. 


V.  Inscription,  No.  151. 


XXIX.] 


THESSALTA. 


367 


near  the  right  bank  of  the  Peneius.  The  road 
passes  by  Taushan,  a  small  village  lying  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill,  and  then  over  the  ridge,  leaving 
the  summit  to  the  left.  We  return  to  Larissa  in  the 
afternoon  by  the  same  route  by  which  we  came. 

Dec.  15. — At  4.24,  Turkish,  having  crossed  the 
bridge  of  Larissa,  I  pursue  westward  for  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  a  kalderim,  or  causeway  along 
the  side  of  an  inundation  which  is  formed  by  the 
river  in  winter,  and  then  crossing  the  plain  with 
the  river  at  a  short  distance  on  the  left,  arrive,  at 
5.7,  at  a  spot  where  some  ancient  foundations,  two 
or  three  covers  of  sori,  and  several  squared  blocks 
are  scattered  on  the  ground.  In  a  neighbouring 
field  lies  a  fragment  of  a  Doric  column,  of  which 
the  chord  of  the  fluting  is  six  inches.  An  inun- 
dation extends  from  hence  to  the  river,  which  is 
half  a  mile  distant.  A  third  of  a  mile  to  the  right 
are  six  tumuli  standing  nearly  in  a  line,  and 
stretching  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  east  to 
west ;  the  two  in  the  middle  are  large,  particularly 
one  of  them,  the  others  are  small  and  low.  Be- 
hind one  of  those  in  the  middle  there  is  a  seventh. 
Tumuli  being  generally  indications  of  sites  of  high 
antiquity,  these  probaby  mark  the  position  of  the 
Homeric  Argissa  ;  the  remains  in  the  road  may  be 
those  of  its  successor  Argura,  which  Strabo  places 
exactly  in  this  situation  \ 

1    H  fiev  ovv  "  Apyiaaa.  r;  vvv  ti)v  h'  aviifieaov  Trorajxiav  £<x°'' 

" Apyovpa  tirl  rw  Et^veiw  Ktirai.  Ileppaij3oi. — Strabo,  p.  440. — 

'Yiripxtirai  d'  avrrje  "  At pat,   kv  Stephan  in  "Apyovpa. 
TerrapaKovTa   erracioiQ,  T(j>   7ro-  Eustathius  (in  II.  B.  v.  738) 

rrifi<p    Tr\r)tna£ovffa    ical   avrr)'  says  that  in  some  of  the  copies 


368 


THESSALIA. 


[chap 


Proceeding  from  hence  at  5.17,  we  soon  arrive 
on  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  following  it,  pass  at 
5.47  for  7  minutes  over  fields  covered  with  stones 
and  pottery,  on  low  eminences  which  terminate  in 
an  earthy  cliff  overhanging  the  river's  bank.  Five 
minutes  beyond  the  end  of  this  stony  ground  is 
another  tumbe  or  tumulus  on  the  right  of  the  road, 
and  as  much  farther  one  more. 

At  6.45  we  arrive  at  the  ferry  of  Giinitza,  which 
is  a  small  Greek  village  on  the  opposite  or  right 
bank  of  the  Salamvria,  just  where  it  emerges  into 
the  plain  from  the  opening  more  than  once  men- 
tioned, which  is  a  rocky  gorge  about  half  a  mile 
long.  A  road  ascends  the  left  bank  of  the  river 
along  the  pass  to  Zarko,  and  another  branches 
from  it  to  Dhamasi  li  hour  distant.  The  fields  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  river  just  opposite  to  Gunitza, 
both  on  the  slope  of  the  hill  and  in  the  plain,  are 
covered  with  stones  and  fragments  of  ancient  pot- 
tery, and  in  one  place  there  are  foundations  of 
a  Hellenic  wall.  On  the  summit  also  are  con- 
siderable remains  of  a  wall  of  loose  stones  ex- 
tending from  thence  to  a  lower  precipice  of  the 
hill.  The  latter  is  very  rocky,  and  so  abrupt, 
particularly  towards  the  river,  as  hardly  to  have 
required  any  artificial  fortification  in  that  part. 
Just  within  the  pass  a  copious  source  of  water 
issues  from  the  foot  of  the  height.  This  place, 
now    called    Sidhiro-peliko  *,     agrees    so    entirely 

of  Homer  the  word  was"  Apyeia,  l    Zldripo-TrtXiKog    means    a 

and  that  the  place  was  founded  place  where  chippings  of  iron 

hy  the  sons  of  Larissa,  daugh-  are  found. 
ter  of  Pelasgus. 


XXIX. J 


THESSALIA. 


369 


with  that  of  Atrax,  which  stood  on  the  Peneius, 
ten  miles  from  Larissa,  that  I  have  no  doubt  of 
the  identity,  though  little  of  Hellenic  antiquity 
remains  here.  The  strength  of  the  height  is  in 
perfect  conformity  with  the  successful  resistance  of 
Atrax  against  the  consul  Quinctius,  in  the  year 
b.c.  198 '.  Neither  Livy  nor  Strabo2,  indeed, 
state  on  which  bank  of  the  Peneius  Atrax  stood, 
but  as  the  former  remarks  that  the  inhabitants 
were  Perrhaebi,  and  in  another  place  shows  its 
vicinity  to  other  Perrhsebian  towns  3,  the  left  bank 
is  the  more  probable. 

Having  crossed  the  ferry  to  Gunitza,  I  there 
find  in  a  church  a  sepulchral  marble  erected  in 
memory  of  one  Coricus,  by  his  wife  Melete, 
daughter  of  Sosias 4.  On  the  outside  of  the  vil- 
lage, a  great  number  of  mill- stones  are  collected, 
which  are  made  in  a  neighbouring  quarry,  and 
are  here  in  preparation  to  be  embarked  on  the 
river.  Just  below  the  village  the  river  is  partly 
diverted  as  a  canal  for  mills  and  irrigation.  The 
ferry  is  the  ordinary  communication  from  Tur- 
navo,  the  Larisscaan  plain,  and  Elassona,  towards 
Hadjilar  and  Fersala. 

After  having  recrossed  the  river,  and  dined  at 
the  fountain  on  the  bank,  the  weather  clear  and 
warm  as  in  an  English  May,  we  proceed  to 
Turnavo,  setting  out  at  8.30,  and  riding  along  the 
foot  of  the  rocky  heights  with  the  plain  on  the 


1  Liv.  1.  32,  c.  15.  17. 

2  Strabo,  p.  438. 
VOL.   III. 


Bb 


3  Liv.  1.  36,  c.  13. 

4  V.  Inscription,  No.  152. 


370 


THESSAL1A. 


[chap 


right,  until  at  9.12  we  cross  a  small  canal  derived 
from  the  Elassonitiko,  or  Titaresius,  and  which  is  car- 
ried from  hence  directly  across  the  plain  to  Larissa. 
I  have  before  observed,  that  this  canal  and  the 
irrigations  at  Dhamasi,  and  in  the  plain  of  Amuri, 
deprive  the  river  of  so  much  water,  that  at  Tur- 
navo  the  sandy  bed  absorbs  all  the  rest.  The 
opening  in  the  ridge  of  Kritiri,  through  which  the 
river  issues,  is  similar  to  that  of  Gunitza, — steep 
rocky  heights  on  either  side  leaving  space  only 
for  the  river.  The  pass  is  about  2  miles  in  length, 
and  begins  to  widen  a  little  below  Dhamasi ;  beyond 
which  village  it  forms  an  extensive  plain.  At 
9.22  the  large  tumulus  near  Amari  is  upon  a 
rising  ground  near  the  right  of  the  road  ;  and  at 
9.45,  after  having  crossed  the  bed  of  the  Elas- 
sonitiko, I  again  enter  Turnavo.  The  Larisscean 
plain  to  the  north  of  the  Peneius  is  reckoned  not 
so  fertile  as  that  to  the  south,  although  this  year 
it  produced  20  to  1,  and  from  15  to  18  is  not  an 
uncommon  return.  The  corn  of  Dhamasi  is  not 
so  productive,  but  is  reckoned  better  than  that  of 
the  LarissGean  plain. 

After  a  further  inquiry  for  inscriptions,  I  dis- 
cover another,  scarcely  less  interesting  than  the 
iEolic  dedication  to  Aplus.  It  is  on  the  edge  or 
narrow  dimension  of  a  square  plain  marble,  upon 
the  top  of  which  are  some  holes,  apparently  for 
the  reception  of  a  statue,  which  the  inscription 
shows  to  have  been  that  of  Petrseus,  son  of  Phi- 
loxenides  of  Metropolis,  erected  by  the  young 
men  who  had  been  under  his  direction  as  gym- 


XXIX.] 


Til  ESS  A  LI  A. 


371 


nasiarch '.  The  inference  to  be  drawn  from  this 
inscription  is  that  Kastri  is  the  position  of  Metro- 
polis, since  it  is  not  very  likely  that  the  gynma- 
siarch  should  have  been  an  alien.  That  there  was 
a  city  named  Metropolis  in  this  part  of  the  country 
different  from  that  of  Upper  Thessaly  which  was 
near  Ithome  and  Tricca2,  there  are  proofs  in  Livy 
and  Stephanus 3.  From  the  historian  we  learn 
that  Antiochus,  in  the  year  191  b.c.  having  sailed 
from  Chalcis,  and  landed  at  Demetrias,  first  took 
Pheraa,  then  Crannon,  then  Cypsera,  Metropolis, 
and  all  the  neighbouring  fortresses,  except  Atrax 
and  Gjrrton,  after  which  he  encamped  before  La- 
rissa,  with  the  intention  of  besieging  that  place. 
But  a  portion  of  the  Roman  army  under  Appius 
Claudius,  who  had  been  detached  by  Baebius  from 
Dassaretia,  having  arrived  at  Gonnus,  and  Antio- 
chus, who  saw  their  fires,  having  mistaken  them  for 
an  indication  of  the  arrival  of  the  whole  allied  force 
of  Philip  and  the  Romans,  he  was  so  much  alarmed 
that,  taking  into  consideration  also  the  advanced 
season,  he  returned  to  Demetrias,  after  having  re- 
mained before  Larissa  only  one  day,  during  which 
he  was  rejoined  by  his  allies  of  Athamania  and 
iEtolia,  who  had  previously  quitted  his  army  on 
hostile  expeditions,  of  which  the  Tripolitis  of 
Perrhsebia  and  Pelinnaeum  were  the  most  distant 
points.     It  is  evident  that  these  operations  were, 


1  Ol  yeaviiTKoi  Hirpaloy  <$i-  3  Liv.  1.  36,  c.  10. — Mrjrpo- 
\o£,evlcov    MrfrpoTrgXiTriv    yvfjL-  TroXig  ....    -frcipr??  QevtraXias 

>aaiap-£))rravra.  —  V.    Tnscrip-       ^ekcitt],    rrJQ    ciyu)    Qta- 

tion,  No.  L53.  rraXiac. — Stephan.  in  voce. 

2  Strabo,  p.  4'.\7- 

n  1)  2 


372 


THESSALIA. 


[chap 


except  in  the  single  instance  of  the  excursion  to 
Pelinnaeum,  confined  to  the  Pelasgiotis  and  Per- 
rhaebia ;  consequently,  that  the  Metropolis  there 
mentioned  was  in  the  same  part  of  Thessaly,  and 
distinct  from  that  of  Upper  Thessaly,  which  was 
not  far  from  Gomphi  and  iEginium,  and  was 
taken  by  Flamininus  on  his  descent  into  that  part 
of  Thessaly  after  the  battle  of  the  Aous1.  And 
thus  we  have  an  explanation  of  the  distinction 
which  Stephanus  has  made  between  the  Metropolis 
of  Thessaly  and  that  of  Upper  Thessaly. 

Dec.  16. — The  plain  having  been  dried,  and 
the  paths  improved  by  the  late  fine  weather,  I 
return  to  Larissa  this  afternoon  by  the  circuitous 
route  of  Amari,  and  from  thence  directly  to  the 
city,  for  the  most  part  along  the  canal  derived 
from  the  Titaresius.  The  circuit  is  not  so  great 
as  by  Tatari,  but  one  sixth  longer  than  by  the 
direct  paved  road,  which  is  about  ten  miles. 

Dec.  17. — At  8.30,  Turkish  time,  leaving  La- 
rissa with  horses  of  the  post,  and  taking  the  road 
to  Aghia,  I  observe,  as  we  clear  the  town,  at  least 
sixteen  tumuli  in  the  adjacent  part  of  the  plain. 
After  a  halt  of  10  minutes  at  a  tjiftlik  belonging 
to  Vely  Pasha,  we  continue  our  direction  towards 
a  rocky  point  conspicuous  from  Larissa.  This 
point  is  the  southern  extremity  of  the  rocky  ridge 
extending  from  thence  10  or  12  miles  in  a  northerly 
direction  to  the  Salamvria,  which  separates  that 
end  of  it  from  Kondo-vuni,  as  the  eastern  part  of 
the  range  of  Titarus  is  called.     Approaching  the 


1  Liv.  1.  32,  c.  15. 


XXIX. 1 


THESSALIA. 


373 


rocky  point,  we  cross  the  Asmak,  or  profundity,  a 
deep  watercourse  which  carries  the  superfluous 
waters  of  the  lake  Karatjair,  or  JSfessonis,  to  the 
lake  of  Karla.  In  seasons  of  rain  the  Asmak  is 
impassable,  but  now  it  has  only  water  standing  in 
pools,  in  which  small  fish  are  caught.  Soon  after 
having  passed  it,  we  are  abreast  of  the  rocky 
point,  and  at  11.15  arrive  at  a  tjiftlik  of  Abdim 
Bey,  called  Karalar,  having  left  the  Turkish  vil- 
lage of  Marmariani  on  the  slope  of  the  range  of 
Ossa,  2  miles  on  our  left.  Not  having  provided 
myself  with  a  letter  from  Abdim,  1  find  some  diffi- 
culty in  obtaining  a  lodging  here,  but  at  length 
find  refuge  in  a  small  cottage,  sending  our  horses 
to  the  khan.  Two  miles  and  a  half  beyond 
Karalar  is  Gkiuksan,  another  tjiftlik  on  the 
foot  of  some  low  ridges  which  branch  from  Ossa 
towards  Pelium.  About  an  hour  to  the  south  of 
Gkiuksan  is  the  village  of  Kastri,  at  the  foot  of  a 
hill  which  stands  advanced  in  front  of  the  heights 
of  Pelium,  and  is  inclosed  by  the  walls  of  a  for- 
tress, which  has  an  appearance  of  Roman  or  lower 
Greek  times,  but  may  possibly  be  Hellenic  ;  for  it 
is  evident  that  the  people  of  Thessaly  were  not 
always  in  the  habit  of  employing  the  massive 
masonry  of  the  southern  parts  of  Greece,  notwith- 
standing that  they  occupied  the  original  seats  of 
the  Pelasgi,  who  seem  to  have  taught  the  Greeks 
that  mode  of  building.  But  in  many  parts  of  the 
extensive  plains  of  Thessaly,  quarries  from  which 
large  homogeneous  masses  might  be  extracted, 
sucli  as  are  found  in  the  walls  of  the  cities  of 
southern   Greece  and  the  Peloponnesus,   were  so 


374 


THESSALIA. 


[chap. 


distant,  that  the  labour  and  expence  of  fortifying 
in  that  manner  would  have  been  enormous. 

An  hour  and  a  half  beyond  Gkiuksan  is  Aia, 
properly  Aghia1,  called  Ghiaur  Yenidje  by  the 
Turks,  standing  on  some  heights  near  the  foot  of 
the  steepest  part  of  Mount  Ossa,  exactly  in  the 
opening  between  Ossa  and  Pelium,  and  not  more 
than  2  hours  from  the  sea.  From  Aia  to  Volo  the 
distance  is  10  hours,  leaving  the  lake  of  Karla  on 
the  left,  about  half  way  ;  in  the  opposite  direction 
the  road  from  Aia  to  Ambelakia  crosses  the  mari- 
time face  of  Mount  Ossa,  where  are  several  small 
villages  among  the  woods,  and  a  path  practicable 
only  by  mules. 

Dec.  18. — We  leave  Karalar  at  3.40,  Turkish, 
but  lose  twenty  minutes  by  taking  the  wrong  road 
and  wandering  in  a  wood  which  stretches  from 
Marmariani  into  the  plain.  A  little  below  that 
village  are  some  fragments  of  white  marble,  and 
many  stones  in  the  fields.  A  stream  of  water 
which  flows  through  the  wood  originates  in  a 
source  in  the  mountain  above  Marmariani  called 
Yedi  Kapelar,  (the  seven  gates,)  where  a  tank  has 
been  formed  by  means  of  an  embankment.  This 
plentiful  supply  of  water,  the  marbles,  and  the 
name  of  Marmariani,  which  seems  to  have  been 
derived  from  larger  remains  of  the  same  kind  once 
existing  here,  are  strong  indications  of  an  ancient 
site,  which,  from  Livy's  narrative  of  the  military 
operations  at  the  beginning  of  the  last  Macedonic 
war,  in  the  year  171  b.  c,  I  infer  to  be  that  of 
Sycurium.      We    learn    from    the    historian    that 

1   \\ytaV. 


XXIX.] 


THESSALIA, 


375 


Sycurium  was  situated  at  a  distance  of  about  ten 
miles  from  Larissa,  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Ossa,  on 
the  southern  side,  looking  upon  the  Thessalian 
plains  in  that  direction,  and  backed  by  Macedo- 
nia and  Magnesia,  abounding  in  fountains  of  peren- 
nial water,  and  commodiously  placed  for  collect- 
ing corn  from  the  neighbouring  territories  of  Cran- 
non  and  Pherae  l. 

The  consul,  P.  Licinius  Crassus,  commander  of 
the  Roman  army  opposed  to  Perseus,  who  had 
marched  through  Epirus  and  Athamania  to  Gom- 
plii  in  Upper  Thessaly,  considered  himself  fortu- 
nate in  finding  that  part  of  the  country  free  from 
the  enemy,  as  his  army  had  suffered  severely  in 
crossing  the  mountains.  After  a  few  days'  repose, 
he  continued  his  route  towards  Larissa,  which  was 
in  possession  of  the  Romans,  and  pitched  his  camp 
at  Tripolis  Scea,  a  village  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Peneius,  three  miles  above  that  city 2.  Here  he 
was  joined  by  the  brothers,  Eumen.es  and  Attalus, 
of  Pergamus,  with  a  considerable  reinforcement  of 
infantry  and  a  small  body  of  Greek  cavalry,  chiefly 
Thessalian.  Perseus,  being  superior  in  cavalry, 
endeavoured  to  draw  the  consul  out  of  his  position 
by  laying  waste  the  Pheraea  ;  but  not  succeeding  in 
this  design,  he  marched  from  Sycurium  to  the  dis- 


1  Liv.  1.  42,  c.  54,  et  seq. 

2  The    vulgar   reading   is — 

ad  Larissam 

ducit.  Inde,  quum  tria  rnillia 
forme  abesset  a  Tripoli  (Sceam 
vocant)  super  Peneium  amnem 
posuit  castra  (c.  55),  which  im- 
plies that  Scea  was  three  miles 


from  a  place  called  Tripolis. 
]?ut  we  know  of  no  such  town 
in  this  part  of  the  country;  and 
as  it  is  clear  that  the  Roman 
camp  was  not  far  from  Larissa, 
the  true  reading  is  perhaps 
"  ad  Tripolin." 


376 


THESSALIA. 


[chap. 


tance  of  a  mile  from  the  Roman  camp,  where  he 
arrived  at  the  fourth  hour  of  the  day.  A  partial 
combat  ensued  midway  between  the  two  camps, 
chiefly  of  cavalry  and  light  infantry,  in  which  Cas- 
signatus,  chief  of  the  Gauls,  was  slain.  Perseus 
then  returned  to  Sycurium.  On  the  following  day 
he  made  a  similar  attempt,  and  as  the  troops  had 
before  suffered  from  a  want  of  water  in  a  march 
of  twelve  miles  over  a  plain  where  little  water 
was  to  be  found,  they  now  carried  a  supply  with 
them  in  waggons.  But  the  Romans  still  remained 
within  their  camp,  and  were  equally  cautious 
during  several  successive  days  on  which  Perseus 
repeated  the  experiment.  The  king  then  moved 
his  army  to  a  distance  of  five  miles  from  the  ene- 
my, entrenched  his  position,  and  on  the  following 
day,  drawing  out  his  infantry  at  the  same  place  as 
before,  advanced  at  sunrise  with  all  his  light- 
armed  and  cavalry  to  the  Roman  camp.  As  he 
made  his  appearance  at  a  much  earlier  hour  than 
on  the  former  occasions,  the  Romans  were  taken 
by  surprise ;  the  consul,  however,  having  drawn 
up  his  infantry  behind  the  rampart  of  his  camp, 
advanced  with  his  light  troops  and  cavalry  against 
those  of  Perseus,  who  had  formed  around  a  height 
called  Callicinus,  when  an  engagement  ensued  in 
which  the  Romans  were  defeated  and  lost  2000  in- 
fantry and  400  cavalry.  As  soon  as  the  Macedo- 
nian commanders,  who  had  remained  in  camp, 
heard  of  the  king's  success,  they  led  out  the  pha- 
lanx ;  but  Perseus,  being  advised  not  to  risk  a 
decisive  action,  gave  orders  for  its  return,  of  which 
he  had  quickly  reason  to  repent,   for  the  enemy, 


XXIX.  I 


THESSALIA. 


377 


having  crossed  the  river  in  the  night,  thus  gave  a 
proof  of  conscious  weakness,  such  as  was  likely  to 
have  led  to  a  complete  overthrow.  The  king  now 
removed  to  Mopsium,  and  the  Romans,  without 
quitting  the  bank  of  the  river,  retired  to  a  safer 
situation,  where  they  received  a  reinforcement  of 
2000  Numidian  cavalry,  with  infantry  in  equal 
numbers,  and  twenty-two  elephants.  This  position 
was  probably  not  far  from  Atrax. 

Mopsium,  although  described  only  by  the  histo- 
rian as  a  hill  midway  between  Larissa  and  Tempe1, 
was  a  Thessalian  city  of  some  importance,  as  we 
learn  from  other  authorities,  and  from  its  coins, 
and  it  was  of  high  antiquity,  as  the  name  was  said 
to  have  been  derived  from  Mopsus,  a  Lapitha,  who 
accompanied  the  Argonauts.  Its  ruined  walls  are 
still  conspicuous,  exactly  in  the  situation  mentioned 
by  Livy ;  that  is  to  say,  midway  between  Larissa 
and  Tempe,  near  the  northern  end  of  the  lake 
Karatjair  or  Nessonis,  just  where  the  road  from 
the  one  to  the  other  crosses  the  ridge  which  I  have 
already  described  as  extending  from  a  rocky  point 
near  Karalar  to  the  Salamvria,  not  far  from  the 
western  extremity  of  Tempe.  Mount  Mopsium 
separates  the  great  Larisscean  plain  from  the  vale 
of  Kiserli  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Ossa. 


1  Ad  Mopsium  posuit  cas- 
tra  (Perseus  sc.)  tumulus  hie 
inter  Tempe  et  Larissam  me- 
dius  est. — Liv.  1.  41,  c.  61, 
67. 

2  Strabo,  p.  441. — Stephan. 
in  Mvxpiov.     He  adds,  that  the 


Ethnic  was  M6\pwe,  but  the 
coins  are  inscribed  Mo^e/wv, 
the  dialectic  form  of  Moni- 
tor, from  Mo-^evg,  like  K«- 
pieiuv  for  Kiepuuiv  from  Kte- 
pievg. 


378 


THESSALIA. 


[chap. 


From  Mopsium,  after  making  proposals  of 
peace,  which  had  no  effect  in  consequence  of  the 
unreasonable  demands  of  the  consul,  Perseus  re- 
turned to  Sycurium,  and  while  in  that  position 
made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  set  fire  to  the 
corn  which  the  Romans  had  been  reaping,  and 
had  collected  in  heaps  before  their  tents  ;  soon 
after  which,  the  consul,  who  had  exhausted  the 
country  around  him,  removed  into  the  Crannonia 
for  the  sake  of  further  supplies.  The  two  camps 
were  now  separated  by  a  plain  not  less  deficient 
in  water,  and  much  wider  than  when  the  con- 
tending forces  were  respectively  at  Sycurium  and 
Scea.  The  king,  therefore,  in  advancing  against 
the  enemy,  began  his  march  from  Sycurium  at 
noon,  halted  in  the  evening  at  some  distance  short 
of  the  Romans,  and  the  next  morning  surprised 
them  by  occupying  all  the  hills  around  their  camp 
with  the  Macedonian  cavalry.  As  they  still  de- 
clined an  engagement,  Perseus  sent  orders  for  his 
infantry  to  return  to  Sycurium,  and  soon  afterwards 
retired  with  his  horse,  followed  for  a  short  distance 
by  the  Roman  cavalry,  but  who  did  not  venture  upon 
an  attack.  From  Sycurium  he  once  more  proceeded 
to  Mopsium,  and  the  Romans,  having  reaped  the 
corn  of  the  Crannonia,  proceeded  into  the  Phalan- 
naea.  Here,  while  their  dispersed  foragers  were 
engaged  in  the  same  operation,  the  king  suddenly 
appearing  in  person  with  his  light-armed  and 
cavalry,  captured  600  men  and  1000  waggons, 
and  sent  them  to  his  camp  under  an  escort  of  300 
Cretans  :  he  then  attacked  a  body  of  800  Romans 
under  L.  Pompeius,  who  retired  to  a  height,  and 

12 


XXIX.] 


THESSALIA. 


379 


though  surrounded  by  the  Macedonians,  resisted 
until  the  consul  arrived  to  their  relief.  Upon 
hearing  of  his  approach,  Perseus  sent  to  the  camp 
at  Mopsium  for  the  phalanx,  but  in  the  meantime, 
having  engaged  with  the  Romans  and  sustained 
considerable  loss,  he  was  obliged  to  retreat  before 
the  succour  could  arrive.  The  advancing  phalanx 
met  the  prisoners  and  waggons  taken  from  the 
Romans  in  a  narrow  pass,  which  so  impeded  their 
progress  that  they  killed  the  prisoners,  and  threw 
the  waggons  over  a  precipice ;  soon  after  which 
they  met  Perseus  and  his  forces  retiring  in  con- 
fusion. Fortunately  for  him,  the  consul  was  as 
negligent  in  following  up  his  advantage  as  the 
king  himself  had  been  at  the  battle  of  Scea.  A 
few  days  afterwards,  Perseus,  leaving  a  strong- 
garrison  in  Gonnus,  and  a  smaller  body  at  Phila, 
for  the  purpose  of  gaining  over  the  Magnetes  and 
other  neighbouring  people,  retired  into  Mace- 
donia. Licinius  then  moved  to  Gonnus,  but  find- 
ing it  impregnable,  turned  towards  Mallsea,  which 
he  took  and  destroyed  ;  then,  reducing  the  Tripo- 
litis  and  other  parts  of  Perrhsebia,  he  went  into 
winter-quarters  at  Larissa,  distributing  his  army 
among  the  cities  of  Thessaly. 

If  we  admit  Crannon  to  have  been  at  Palea 
Larissa,  Sycurium  at  Marmariani,  and  Mopsium  at 
the  ancient  remains  midway  between  Larissa  and 
Tempe,  nothing  can  be  clearer,  on  an  inspection  of 
the  real  scene  of  action,  than  the  preceding  narra- 
tive of  the  first  campaign  of  the  Persic  war.  We 
may  farther  infer  from  it,  that  the  remains  at  Ka- 
radjoli  are  those  of  Phalanna ;  for  it  is  evident 
that  when  Perseus  placed  himself  the  second  time 


3S0 


THESSALIA. 


[chap. 


at  Mopsium,  the  position  of  the  Romans  was  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  great  Larisscean  plain,  and 
consequently  that  Phalanna  was  either  the  ancient 
city  which  stood  at  Kastri,  or  that  at  Karadjoli ; 
Tatari,  the  third  ancient  site  in  this  plain,  being 
too  near  to  Mopsium,  and  having  only  a  plain  tra- 
versed by  a  river  between  it  and  the  site  of  Mop- 
sium, whereas  the  narrative  requires  hills  and  a 
pass.  If  Kastri  be  taken  for  the  site  of  Metropolis, 
it  will  follow  that  Phalanna  was  at  Karadjoli ;  a 
position  according  much  better  than  that  of  Kastri 
with  the  Homeric  name  Orthe,  which,  in  the 
opinion  of  some  critics,  reported  by  Strabo,  was 
the  same  as  the  citadel  of  Phalanna ' ;  for  Orthe  is 
exactly  descriptive  of  such  a  steep  rocky  hill  as  that 
of  Karadjoli,  and  was  a  name  scarcely  applicable  to 
situations  in  the  plain  such  as  those  of  Kastri  and 
Tatari.  This  position  of  Phalanna  accords  more- 
over with  its  having  been  considered  a  Perrhcebian 
town,  as  well  as  Gonnus2,  which  was  similarly 
situated  as  to  the  Pelasgic  plain. 

From  Marmariani  we  cross  a  small  rocky  ridge 
into  the  plain  of  Kiserli,  which  lies  between  Mount 
Ossa  and  the  parallel  lower  range  of  Mopsium. 
Kiserli,  which  supplies  the  market  of  Larissa  with 
grapes,  is  a  large  Turkish  village,  beautifully  situ- 
ated at  the  foot  of  Ossa,  just  below  the  peak.  At 
5.20  it  is  one  mile  on  our  right,  while  Toivasi, 
another  Turkish  village,  is  at  the  same  distance  on 
the  left,  the  latter  being  just  opposite  the  opening  in 
Mount  Mopsium.  through  which  leads  the  road  from 
Larissa  to  Baba.     At  6.30,  when  passing  close  to 


1  Strabo,  p.  440. 


Strabo,  ibid. — Stephan.  in  voc. 


XXIX. J 


THESSALIA. 


381 


Little  Kiserli,  Utmanda,  a  large  Turkish  village, 
called  by  the  Greeks  Makrikhori,  is  two  miles  on 
our  left,  on  the  side  of  the  ridge  of  Mopsium.  At 
6'. 48  we  halt  at  a  fountain,  where  the  road  begins 
to  ascend  Mount  Ossa  towards  Ambelakia.  On 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river  a  beautiful  semicir- 
cular plain  presents  itself,  extending  to  the  foot  of 
Mount  Olympus,  and  containing  the  Turkish  town 
of  Dereli,  situated  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  river, 
and  occupying  a  large  space  of  ground  among 
vineyards  and  gardens,  which  are  separated  from 
the  river  by  a  wood  of  pirnaria.  The  river  enters 
this  valley  from  the  great  Larisscean  plain  through 
a  pass  formed  by  the  northern  end  of  the  height 
of  Makrikhori,  or  northern  extremity  of  Mount 
Mopsium,  opposed  to  Kondovuni,  or  the  extremity 
of  Mount  Titarus.  In  the  Klisura,  or  pass,  the  river 
is  crossed  by  a  bridge  named  that  of  Vernesi,  above 
which,  on  the  height  of  Makrikhori,  are  some  re- 
mains of  the  walls  of  an  ancient  city.  In  a  few  words, 
Livy  shows  this  to  have  been  the  site  of  Elateia, 
and  Gonnus  to  have  occupied  the  vale  of  Dereli !. 

It  was  between  Kondovuni  and  Karadjoli,  at 
the  foot  of  Mount  Titarus,  that  I  conceive  the 
last  action  of  the  first  campaign  of  the  Persic  war 
to  have  occurred,  when  Perseus,  after  having  cap- 
tured a  large  body  of  the  enemy  who  were  en- 
gaged in  collecting  the  corn  of  the  Phalannsean 
plain,  surrounded  L.  Pompeius  and  800  Romans, 
upon  a  height  which  seems  to  have  been  one  of 

1    .  Elatiam     et      adeunt :  magis  Gonnus. — Liv. 

Gonnum.     Utraque  oppida  in      1.  42,  c.  54. 
faucibus     sunt,    quae     Tempe 


382 


THESSALIA. 


[chap 


the  last  falls  of  Mount  Titarus.  The  pass  in  which 
Perseus  in  his  retreat  was  met  by  his  advancing 
phalanx,  was  probably  near  the  bridge  of  Vernesi ; 
for  although  Livy  has  not  mentioned  the  river  in 
his  description  of  this  affair,  the  previous  positions 
and  movements  of  the  two  contending  armies 
show  that  it  must  have  flowed  between  the  two 
camps,  and  must  therefore  have  been  crossed  and 
recrossed  by  Perseus  in  the  operations  of  that  day. 
The  pass  of  Vernesi,  or  otElateia,  is  precisely  suited 
to  the  circumstances  related  by  the  historian,  espe- 
cially if  we  suppose  a  bridge  to  have  existed  in  the 
same  situation  as  at  present,  which  would  in  some 
measure  account  also  for  Livy's  silence  as  to  the 
crossing  of  the  river. 

If  the  edges  of  the  great  plain  to  the  north- 
ward of  Larissa  were  occupied,  as  I  have  sup- 
posed, by  Atrax,  Metropolis,  Phalanna,  Elateia, 
and  Mopsium, — Gyrton  is  the  only  place  to  which 
the  remains  at  Tatari  can  be  attributed,  supposing 
Gyrton  to  have  stood  in  this  plain,  on  which  point 
it  must  be  confessed  there  is  conflicting  testimony. 
Strabo,  by  twice  connecting  Gyrton  with  the 
mouth  of  the  Peneius  \  seems  to  show  that  it  was 
below  the  pass  of  Tempe  ;  and  on  that  supposi- 
tion, the  epitomizer  of  his  seventh  book,  by  add- 
ing that  it  was  near  the  Peneius  and  the  foot  of 
Mount  Olympus2,  will  require  it  to  be  placed  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  river.  But  the  Peneius  below 
Tempe  having  been  the  boundary  of  Magnesia  and 
Macedonia,   such  a  situation  is  very  improbable, 


1  Strabo,  pp.   139,  441 


2  Strabo  (Epit.  1.  7)  p.  329. 


xxrx.J 


THESSALIA. 


383 


as  Gyrton  was  a  Thessalian  town.  Nor  could  it 
be  reconciled  with  Livy,  whose  circumstantial  tes- 
timony, derived  from  Polybius,  is  far  preferable  to 
the  vague  indications  of  the  geographer,  and  who 
seems  evidently  to  require  Gyrton  to  have  been  in 
the  vicinity  of  Phalanna,  Atrax,  and  Larissa,  or  in 
some  part  of  the  same  plains  in  which  those  cities 
stood.  When  Perseus  descended  into  them  from 
Tripolitis,  or  the  northern  division  of  Perrhsebia, 
before  his  first  occupation  of  the  position  of  S}^cu- 
rium,  he  encamped,  after  having  taken  Cyretise 
and  Mylae,  in  the  southern  part  of  Perrha3bia,  at 
Phalanna,  and  the  next  day  moved  to  Gyrton, 
from  whence,  on  finding  the  place  defended  by  a 
strong  garrison  of  Romans  and  Thessalians,  he 
turned  away  to  Elateia  and  Gonnus.  Such  a 
march  is  quite  incomprehensible,  on  the  supposi- 
tion that  Gyrton  was  below  Tempe.  Tatari, 
therefore,  I  take  to  have  been  the  site  of  Gyrton. 
Its  distance  from  Larissa  seems  to  accord  with  the 
proximity  of  Gyrton  to  that  city,  as  deducible  from 
a  fact  mentioned  by  Soranus,  the  biographer  of 
Hippocrates  of  Cos  ;  namely,  that  the  sepulchre  of 
that  celebrated  physician  stood  on  the  road  which 
leads  from  Gyrton  to  Larissa  :  such  a  central 
situation  in  this  fertile  plain  was  well  adapted  to 
the  importance  and  opulence  which  the  tenor  of 
history  and  other  evidence  attaches  to  Gyrton  '. 


lonius  applies  to  it  the  epithet 
opulent. 


1  See  the  coins  of  Gyrton, 
and  its  mention  by  Livy,  Poly- 
bius, Strabo  and  Pliny.    Apol- 

"HXu0£  c'  d<f>vtu)v  TTpoXiirioi'  Fvprivya  KopwvoQ 
KaiysicriQ.  Argon.  1.  1,  v.  57 


384 


T II  ESS  ALIA. 


[chap. 


From  the  pass  of  Vernesi,  or  Elateia,  the  Pc- 
neius  winds  majestically  along  the  vale  of  Dereli  to 
Baba,  where  begin  the  straits  of  Tempe,  or  Baba 
Boghazi,  as  the  defile  is  called  by  the  Turks. 

On  the  foot  of  Kondovuni,  half  way  between  the 
bridge  of  Vernesi  and  Dereli,  stands  the  small 
Turkish  village  of  Rughin ;  and  two  miles  from 
Dereli,  in  the  opposite  direction  towards  Tempe, 
another  larger  named  Balamiit ;  the  latter  is  a 
little  removed  from  the  river,  and  nearly  opposite 
to  Baba.  Half  way  between  Dereli  and  Balamut, 
on  some  rocky  heights  at  the  foot  of  a  point  of 
Mount  Olympus,  about  a  mile  from  the  river,  are 
some  remains  of  a  Hellenic  city,  mixed  with  other 
ruins  of  a  later  date.  The  place  is  called  Lykos- 
tomo,  or  the  Wolf's  Mouth,  a  name  still  applied 
by  the  Greeks  to  the  pass  of  Tempe,  but  which 
occurs  as  that  of  a  town  in  the  Byzantine  history  as 
early  as  the  eleventh  century,  together  with  seve- 
ral other  names  still  existing  in  Macedonia  and 
Thessaly,  as  Salambrias,  Domenicus,  Triccala, 
Serbia,  Ostrobus,  Achris  l.  Lykostomo,  or  Lykos- 
tomio,  has  continued  from  those  ages  to  the  pre- 
sent to  give  title  to  a  bishop  of  the  ecclesiastical 
province  of  Thessalonica,  whose  ordinary  residence 
is  Ambelakia. 

From  our  meridian  halt  at  the  fountain  we 
ascend  to  Ambelakia  in  one  hour  and  eighteen 
minutes,  by  a  winding  path,  along  the  woody 
flanks  of  Mount  Kissavo,  looking  down  to  the  left 
on  the  village  and  bridge  of  Baba.     Ambelakia,  a 


Anna  Comnena,  1.  5. 


X  X  I  \  .  I 


Til  ESS  A  I.I  A. 


385 


Greek  town  of  about  six  hundred  families,  is  situ- 
ated in  a  hollow  included  between  two  counter- 
forts of  the  mountain,  which,  descending  steeply  to 
the  river,  form  together  with  the  still  more  abrupt 
sides  of  Olympus,  the  southern  or  western  entrance 
of  the  pass  of  Lykostomo,  or  Tempo.  The  entire 
hollow  around  Ambelakia  is  covered  with  vine- 
yards (whence  the  name),  intermixed  with  the 
oak,  olive,  fig,  and  cypress.  The  overhanging 
mountain  is  covered  with  oaks,  and  completes  the 
beauty  of  one  of  the  most  delightful  summer  re- 
treats in  Greece.  To  the  westward  is  seen  the 
Peneius,  winding  through  the  valleys  of  Utmanda 
and  Dereli,  until  a  little  beyond  Baba,  and  imme- 
diately below  Ambelakia,  it  enters  the  precipitous 
straits.  To  the  northward  the  snowy  summits  of 
Olympus  present  themselves,  towering  above  the 
woody  slopes  and  rocks  which  surround  the  vale 
of  Dereli  or  overhang  the  strait  of  Tempe ;  and 
though  not  less  than  twenty  miles  distant,  appear 
by  the  effects  of  their  magnitude,  of  the  clearness 
of  the  atmosphere,  and  of  the  small  difference  of 
the  angle  under  which  all  the  summits  are  seen, 
to  be  very  little  farther  from  Ambelakia  than  the 
rocks  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  No  view 
can  present  a  closer  and  more  complete  contrast 
of  the  sublime  and  terrific  with  the  tranquil  and 
beautiful ;  the  former  represented  by  the  preci- 
pices of  Ossa  and  Olympus,  the  latter  by  the  wind- 
ing river  and  the  villages  of  the  valley  reposing 
amidst  gardens,  meadows,  corn-fields,  scattered 
trees,  and  detached  groves  of  oak  and  ilex. 

Among  the  nearer  heights  of   Olympus,   which 

vol.  in.  c  c 


386 


TIIESSALIA. 


(II  \l> 


rise  above  the  eastern  extremity  of  Tempe,  is  seen 
Rapsani,  or  Rapsiani,  a  town  containing  a  greater 
number  of  houses  than  Ambelakia,  but  by  no 
means  so  opulent. 

The  inhabitants  of  Rapsani  are  chiefly  employed 
in  the  manufacture  of  aladjas,  or  mixed  stuffs  of 
silk  and  cotton  ;  those  of  Ambelakia  in  dyeing  red 
cotton  thread,  which  is  sent  overland  to  Germanv 
and  Hungary.  The  principal  Ambclakiotes  have 
resided  many  years  in  Christendom,  speak  Ger- 
man, and  though  rather  too  mercantile  in  their 
ideas,  are  agreeable  in  manners  and  compara- 
tively enlightened.  They  maintain  a  Hellenic 
school,  which  seems  to  make  good  progress,  under 
the  superintendence  and  encouragement  of  the 
resident  bishop.  But  notwithstanding  these  marks 
of  superior  civilization,  there  is  no  place  where  the 
Greek  Ziyovoia  is  more  prevalent  than  at  Ambelakia. 
Party  spirit,  or  envy  and  jealousy,  have  divided 
individuals,  families,  and  relationships ;  and  al- 
though small  disputes  are  generally  terminated  by 
the  archons,  the  Ambclakiotes  have  often  the  folly 
to  carry  their  complaints  to  Aly  Pasha,  who  duly 
profits  by  it.  It  is  now  many  years  since  Aly, 
by  means  of  his  Dervent-agalik,  first  set  his  foot  \ 
to  use  the  Greek  expression,  in  Ambelakia.  At 
this  moment  he  has  one  of  the  chief  archons  in 
prison  at  Ioannina,  for  the  purpose  of  extorting 
money  from  him. 

The  thread2   which   is  dyed  here   is  procured 
from  all  the  neighbouring  parts  of  Thessaly,   and 


1   ifiaXe  to  wocapi  rov. 


ru  viifxara. 


XXIX. 


THE9SALIA. 


387 


is  partly  spun  by  the  women  and  children  of  the 
place  itself.  It  is  all  formed  by  the  spindle.  The 
rizari  or  madder ',  more  vulgarly  aXilapi,  which 
forms  the  chief  ingredient  of  the  dye,  is  imported 
from  Smyrna,  and  crushed  here  in  mills  turned 
by  horses.  The  process,  as  well  as  I  can  com- 
prehend, or  the  Ambelakiotes  are  willing  to  exT 
plain  it,  consists  of  three  parts  ;  first  the  washing, 
in  which  oil  is  used ;  secondly,  the  impregnation 
with  animal  matter,  in  which  the  blood  of  oxen 
seems  to  be  the  chief  ingredient ;  and  thirdly,  the 
application  of  the  dye.  The  value  of  the  thread, 
which  costs  three  or  four  piastres  an  oke,  is  more 
than  doubled  by  the  process.  Nevertheless,  the 
ultimate  gain  is  by  no  means  excessive,  the  freight 
to  Belgrade  being  not  less  than  60  piastres  the  horse 
load,  and  two  years  being  often  required  to  give  a 
profitable  return  on  the  first  outlay.  Another  in- 
convenience is  the  increasing  expence  of  the 
manufacture  in  consequence  of  the  scarcity  of 
madder,  which  grows  wild  on  the  mountains  of 
Asia  Minor,  and  for  which  the  cultivated  root 
cannot  be  substituted  without  injury  to  the  dye. 
From  150  to  200  thousand  okes  of  thread  are  sent 
to  Germany  every  year,  where  it  is  chiefly  em- 
ployed in  stuffs,  of  which  a  large  portion  is  sent 
to  Spain  for  its  American  colonies.  Some  thread 
is  dyed  blue  at  Ambelakia  for  the  use  of  the  Thes- 
salian  looms.  Not  many  years  ago,  the  manu- 
facturers of  Ambelakia,  or  in  other  words  the 
whole  town,   formed  a  single  company,  in  which, 


1  f>i£tif)i  (the  root  near'  I^oy^v.) 

c  c  2 


388 


T  HESS  ALIA. 


CHAP- 


as  in  the  ships  of  the  JEgcuan,  and  many  Greek 
commercial  enterprizes,  every  labourer  had  a 
share.  The  members  residing  abroad  secured  to 
the  company  all  the  profits  of  brokerage  and 
agency.  Nothing  could  be  more  economical  and 
profitable  than  such  a  management.  They  are 
now  divided  into  five  or  six  companies,  conducted 
upon  the  same  principles,  but  by  no  means  with 
an  equal  degree  of  advantage.  They  were  all  in 
great  danger  last  year  in  consequence  of  the  nu- 
merous failures  at  Vienna ;  they  now  cannot  re- 
ceive their  remittances  here  on  account  of  the  low 
value  of  the  florin,  and  they  apprehend  ruin  if  the 
paper  of  Vienna  should  be  discredited.  Ivo,  the 
chief  merchant,  has  the  reputation  of  being  worth 
a  million  piastres,  which,  though  not  more  than 
60,000/.  sterling,  is  a  large  sum  in  this  impo- 
verished empire  \ 

One  of  the  ancient  cities  of  Ossa  was  celebrated, 
as  Ambelakia  is  in  the  present  day,  for  its  red 
dye,  but  according  to  Lucretius  it  was  procured 
from  a  shell-fish 2. 

At  Lykostomo  fragments  of  sculpture,  broken 
vases,  coins,  and  other  similar  remains  of  Hellenic 
antiquity  are  often  found.     A  stone  inscribed  with 


1  For  an  account  of  the  com-  period,  see  Beaujour,  Com- 
mercial company  and  republic  merce  de  la  Grece,  tome  i, 
of  Ambelakia  in  its  flourishing      let.  12. 

2  Purpura  Magandro  duplici  Melibcea  cucurrit. 

Virgil.  JEneid.  1.  5,  v.  253. 

Melibceaque  fulgens 
Purpura,  Thessalico  concharum  tincta  colore. 

Lucret.  1.  2,  v.  491). 


XXIX.] 


THESSALIA. 


389 


the  name  Hippocrates  was  not  long  since  brought 
to  light  there,  and  a  small  Hercules  in  bronze, 
which  I  have  purchased  from  the  Ambelakiote 
into  whose  hands  it  had  fallen.  These  remains 
seem  to  leave  no  doubt  that  the  Byzantine  Lycos- 
tomium '  was  built  on  the  site  of  the  Hellenic 
Gonnus  ;  for  as  this  city  appears  from  the  testimony 
of  Herodotus  to  have  been  on  the  northern  side  of 
the  Peneius2,  there  cannot  remain  a  doubt,  on 
considering  the  several  passages  of  Livy  in  which 
its  mention  occurs,  that  it  was  situated  in  the  val- 
ley of  Dereli s. 

Eight  or  nine  years  ago  the  Turkish  villages  of 
the  valley  of  Dereli  joined  some  other  allies  in  a 
predatory  expedition  against  Ambelakia,  and  at- 
tacked the  place  with  3,000  men.  The  Greeks 
advanced  to  the  height  westward  of  the  town, 
where  now  stands  a  ruined  windmill,  but  were 
obliged  to  retreat  before  superior  numbers.  The 
assailants  burnt  some  of  the  outer  houses  of  the 
town,   but  could  not  penetrate  into  it.     The  war 


1  AvKOITTOfllOV     TToXt^'LOy. 

Cantacuz.   1.  2,  c.  28 ;  1.  4,  c. 
19. 

2  Herodot.  1.  7,  c.  128.  173. 

3  Rex  (Philippus  sc.)  effuso 
cursu  Tempe  petit.  Ibi  ad 
Gonnos  diem  unum  substitit. — 
Liv.  1.  33,  c.  10. 

Oppidum  Gonni  viginti  mil- 
lia  ab  Larissa  abest  in  ipsis 
faueibus  saltus  quae  Tempe 
appellantur  situm. — Liv.  1.  36, 
c.  10. 

....  Elatiam  et   Gonnum. 


Utraque  oppida  in  faueibus 
sunt  quae  Tempe  adeunt ;  ma- 
gis  Gonnus. — Liv.  1.  42,  c.  54. 

Ad  Gonnum  .  .  .  ante  ipsa 
Tempe  in  faueibus  situm  Mace- 
doniae,  claustra  tutissima  prae- 
bet,  et  in  Thessaliam  oppor- 
tunum  Macedonibus  decursum. 
c.  67. 

Hie  locus  (Tempe  sc.)  .... 
per  quatuor  distantia  loca  prae- 
sidiis  regiis  fuit  insessus :  unum 
in  primo  aditu  ad  Gonnum 
erat. — Liv.  1.  44,  c.  6. 


390 


T  HESS  ALIA, 


[chap. 


continued  for  some  days,  when  the  Beys  of  La- 
rissa  interfered  and  put  an  end  to  it. 

Dec.  19. — This  morning  the  atmosphere  is  so 
diaphanous  that  I  am  able  to  distinguish  the  castle 
of  Saloniki,  and  to  connect  it  by  the  sextant  with 
several  important  points  ;  though  its  direct  distance 
is  not  much  less  than  60  geographical  miles.  But 
while  distant  objects  are  so  clear,  the  whole  of  Tempe 
is  covered  with  mist.  A  messenger  from  Vienna 
brings  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Jena,  intelligence 
which  seems  not  more  agreeable  to  the  Ambela- 
kiotes  than  it  is  to  myself.  They  have  for  many 
years  been  in  the  habit  of  maintaining  a  regular 
post,  which  was  due  every  15  days,  but  the  mes- 
senger being  a  footman  as  far  as  Semlin,  and  the 
war  and  troubles  in  Servia  having  thrown  many 
impediments  in  the  way,  he  now  arrives  very 
irregularly. 

Dec.  20. — From  Ambelakia  to  Litokhoro.  The 
snows  of  Olympus  had  just  received  a  golden  tinge 
from  the  rays  of  the  rising  sun,  when  we  began 
our  descent  into  the  strait,  or  narrowest  part  of  the 
vale  of  Tempe.  The  direct  distance  is  not  more 
than  half  a  mile,  but  the  steepness  of  the  hill  and 
the  bad  condition  of  the  winding  kalderim,  cause 
the  descent  to  occupy  half  an  hour. 

At  3.30,  Turkish  time,  we  arrive  on  the  river's 
bank,  and  soon  afterwards  pass  the  extremity  of 
the  root  of  Ossa,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  theatre- 
shaped  site  of  Ambelakia,  which,  separated  only 
by  the  river  from  a  similar  projection  of  Olympus, 
forms  the  commencement  of  the  strait.  After 
traversing  a  beautiful  grove   of  planes,  we  arrive 


XXIX.] 


THESSALIA. 


391 


upon  the  rocks,  where  the  space  between  the  foot 
of  the  precipices  of  Ossa  and  the  river  is  sufficient 
only  for  the  road,  which  is  about  20  feet  above 
the  water.  Here  a  current  of  cold  air  issuing  from 
a  small  cavern,  gives  to  the  place  the  name  of 
avtuoTnTpa.  The  wind  proceeds,  probably,  from 
the  channel  of  one  of  the  subterraneous  streams  of 
water,  of  which  there  are  many  in  the  pass,  rush- 
ing from  the  rocks  into  the  Salamvria.  The  river 
flows  with  a  steady  and  tranquil  current,  except 
where  its  course  is  interrupted  by  islands,  or  where 
dams  have  been  constructed  for  intercepting  fish. 

After   having    passed   some   marks   of  chariot- 
wheels  in  the  rock,  we  arrive  at  3.55  at  a  spot 
where  the  bank  is  supported  by  the  remains  of  a 
Hellenic  wall,   and  at  4.8  at  the  ruins  of  a  castle 
built  of  small  stones  and  mortar,  standing  on  one 
side   of  an  immense  fissure   in   the  precipices  of 
Ossa,    which   afford  an  extremely  rocky,  though 
not  impracticable  descent  from  the   heights  into 
the  vale.     Between  the  castle  and  the  river  there 
was  space  only  for  the  road,  nor  is  the  level  any 
wider  between    the   opposite   bank    and  the   pre- 
cipices of  Olympus,  where  several  caverns  are  seen, 
some  of  which  retain  traces  of  painting.     They 
were  once   probably  ascetic  retreats ;    for  one   of 
them  near  the  river  side  is  still  a  church,   dedi- 
cated to  the  Holy  Trinity.     It  may  formerly,  per- 
haps, have  been  sacred  to  Pan  and  the  Nymphs. 
As   to  the   altar,    or  temple  of  Apollo  Tempites, 
which  once  existed  in  Tempe,  some  of  the  circum- 
stances attending  his  worship  seem  to  require  a 
more  open  situation  than  these  narrowest  parts  of 
the  strait,   and   Baba  appears   the  most  probable 


392 


THESSALIA. 


[chap. 


situation  for  it.  The  ceremonies  performed  there 
were  commemorative  of  the  purification  of  Apollo 
by  order  of  Jupiter,  after  which  he  was  said  to 
have  proceeded  to  Delphi,  bearing  in  his  hand  a 
branch  of  bay  gathered  in  the  valley.  Hence  the 
victors  in  the  Pythia  were  crowned  with  bay  from 
Tempe,  and  the  Delphi  every  nine  years  sent 
hither  a  Theoria,  which,  having  approached  the 
altar  of  Apollo  in  procession,  sacrificed  to  the 
deity,  sang  hymns,  and  cut  branches  of  bay.  On 
other  occasions,  the  inhabitants  of  the  surrounding 
parts  of  Thessaly  were  in  the  habit  of  assembling 
in  Tempe  for  sacrifices,  symposia,  and  parties  of 
pleasure,  and  sometimes,  according  to  iElian,  so 
numerous  were  the  offerings,  that  the  whole  air 
was  perfumed  with  the  incense  \ 

At  4.18  we  leave  the  castle,  and  at  4.30  begin 
to  ascend  a  root  of  Ossa,  of  which  the  slope  is 
more  gradual  than  before,  but  which  terminating 
at  the  rivers  bank  in  a  precipice,  made  it  neces- 
sary that  the  road  should  pass  over  the  hill.  The 
traces  of  the  ancient  road,  cut  in  the  rock,  and  wide 
enough  for  carriages,  still  remain.  In  the  begin- 
ning of  the  ascent,  the  rock  on  the  right  hand  side 
of  the  road  is  excavated  perpendicularly,  and  upon 
the  face  of  it  are  engraved,  in  large  letters  much 
worn  by  time,  and  surrounded  by  a  moulding  of 
a  common  form,  the  words — L.  Cassius  Longi- 
nus  Pro  Cos.  Tempe  munivit.  Here,  again,  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  the  rocks  meet  the 
bank.  After  a  halt  of  5  minutes  at  the  inscribed 
rock,  we  descend  again  on  the  other  side  of  the 


1  Plutarch,  tic  Music. — /Elian.  Var.  Hist.  1.  3,  c.  1. 


XXIX.] 


THESSALIA. 


393 


ridge  to  the  river  side,  and  at  4.53  arrive  at  the 
end  of  the  wolfs  mouth,  where  a  fine  source  of 
water,  larger  than  any  in  the  pass,  rushes  from 
the  foot  of  the  rocks  into  the  river. 

The  walk  of  one  hour  and  eight  minutes 
from  the  foot  of  the  mountain  of  Ambelakia 
to  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  pass,  with  a  horse 
whose  pace  I  have  measured,  will  give  a  dis- 
tance of  about  four  miles  and  a  half  for  the 
length  of  the  road  through  Tempe.  In  this  space 
the  opening  between  Ossa  and  Olympus  is  in  some 
points  less  than  100  yards,  comprehending  in  fact 
no  more  than  the  breadth  of  a  road,  in  addition 
to  that  of  the  river,  which  is  here  much  com- 
pressed within  its  ordinary  breadth  in  the  plains, 
and  not  more  than  50  yards  across.  On  the 
northern  bank  there  are  places  where  it  seems 
impossible  that  a  road  could  ever  have  existed,  so 
that  the  communication  was  probably  maintained 
anciently  as  it  is  now,  by  means  of  two  bridges, 
or  by  ferries.  It  is  evident,  at  least,  from  the 
marks  of  wheels,  and  the  Latin  inscription,  that 
the  via  militaris,  or  main  route,  was  in  the  present 
track. 

In  some  parts  of  the  pass  there  is  sufficient 
space  for  little  grassy  levels,  and  even  in  the  nar- 
rowest places  the  river's  bank  is  overshaded  by 
large  plane  trees  throwing  out  their  roots  into  the 
stream.  In  the  meadows  where  the  ground  ad- 
mits it,  are  copses  of  evergreens,  in  which  Apollo's 
own   Daphne !  is  mixed  with  the  wild  olive,   the 


1   Law  us  nobilis,  still  called  Ad^r?/. 


394 


TH  ESS  A  LI  A. 


fci-IAP. 


arbutus,  the  agnus  castus,  the  paliurus,  and  the 
lentisk,  festooned  in  many  places  with  wild  grapes 
and  other  climbers.  The  limestone  cliffs  rise  with 
equal  abruptness  on  either  side,  but  their  white 
and  bare  sides  are  beautifully  relieved  by  patches 
of  dwarf  oaks,  velanidhies,  and  a  variety  of  the 
common  shrubs  of  Greece  \  while  occasional  open- 
ings afford  a  glimpse  of  some  of  the  nearer  heights 
of  the  two  mountains,  clothed  with  large  oaks  and 
firs  ;  in  other  places,  where  both  sides  of  the  ravine 
are  equally  precipitous,  a  small  portion  of  the 
zenith  only  is  visible. 

Of  the  ancient  descriptions  of  Tempe  by  Livy, 
Pliny,  and  iElian 2,   that  of  Livy  alone   seems   to 


1  Theophrastus  (Hist.  Plant. 
1.  4,  c.  6)  notices  the  poplar, 
plane,  and  ash,  as  growing 
in  these  mountains  ;  the  dif- 
ferent species  of  oak  are  now 
more  common  than  any  of  them. 
But  the  manufactories  of  Am- 
belakia  have  thinned  the  woods 
of  Ossa. 

3  Sunt  enim  Tempe  saltus, 
etiamsi  non  hello  fiat  infestus, 
transitu  difficilis :  nam  praeter 
angustias  per  quinque  millia, 
qua  exiguum  jumento  onusto 
iter  est,  rupes  undiquc  ita  ab- 
scissae sunt,  ut  despici  vix  sine 
vertigine  quadam  simul  ocu- 
lorum  animique  possit :  terret 
et  sonitus  et  altitudo  per  me- 
diam  vallem  fluentis  Penei  am- 
nis. — Liv.  1.  44,  c.  6. 

Ante   cunctos  claritate    Pe- 


neus,  ortus  juxta  Gomphos, 
interque  Ossam  et  Olympum 
nemorosa  convalle  defluens 
quingentis  stadiis,  dimidio  ejus 
spatii  navigabilis.  In  eo  cursu 
Tempe  vocantur  quinque  millia 
passuum  longitudine  et  ferine 
sesquijugeri  latitudine,  ultra 
visum  hominis  attollentibus  se 
dextera  lajvaque  leniter  con- 
vexis  jugis.  Intus  sua  luce 
(al.  sub  luco)  viridante  alla- 
bitur  Peneus,  viridis  calculo, 
amaenus  circa  ripas  gramine, 
canorus  avium  concentu.  Ac- 
cipit  amnem  Orcon,  nee  recipit, 
sed  olei  modo  supernatantem, 
ut  dictum  est  Homero,  brevi 
spatio  portatum,  abdicat  pce- 
nales  aquas  dirisque  genitas 
argenteis  suis  misceri  recusans. 
— Plin.  1.  4,  c.  8. 

"Eon 


XXIX.] 


THESSALIA. 


395 


have  been  written  by  an  eye  witness,  who  was  not 
Livy  himself,  but  Polybius.  It  is  remarkable  that 
Strabo  reverses  the  true  interpretation  of  Homer's 
comparison  of  the  Peneius  and  Titaresius  ' ;  and 


"EOTI     $rj    ■%<i)pO£    /jL£TO.l,V     KEl- 

f.ieroc  tov  tf.  'OXvfiTrov  Kal  r?jje 
"Oaarjc'  opt]  $e  ravT  eutiv  VTrep- 
ii\pT}\a  Kal  oiov  vno  tivoq  dslac 
(ppuvricoQ  Zttayiafxiva'  KOI  fii- 
aov  CikyiTai  ywpiov,  ov  to  fiEv 
fj.i}Koc  ettI  TEaaapaKovTa  Zu'ikei 
(TTCtclovg,  roye  uev  ttXcitoc,  rfj 
[xep  tan  irXiBpov,  rfj  ce  Kal 
ttXeTou  oXlyto.  Aiappel  ce  pi- 
aov  avrov  b  KaXovuevog  6  IItj- 
vewq'  sIq  tovtov  ce  Kal  01 
Xonrol  TrOTa/xol  (Tvppiovari  Kal 
uvaKairovvTai  to  iiSwp  ai/rw  Kal 
kpyuCovTai  tov  Xlr)veiov  ekeivoi 
fxiyav.  Aiarpt/iac  &  e^ei  iroi- 
KtXac   Kal   TravTOcairac   b  tottoc 

OVTOQ,     OVK     avBpU)Tvivr)Q     \ElpOQ 

epya,  aXXa  (pvaewe  avTopaTa, 
ore  eXduftave  yeveoiv  6  yoipoc. 
Kittoq  fiEv  yap  ttoXvq  Kal  EV 
fiaXa  Xdfftoe  EvaKfxa^Et  Kal  te- 
Qt)Xe  Kal  SiKrjv  twv  evyevior  d/J.- 
■7teXoji'  Kara  tHov  v\pr]Xioi'  cev- 
dpwv  avip-KEi  Kal  (rvpirEfpvKev 
avTo'ig'  -rroXXr)  h~E  fiiXaO,,  fj  jxev 
irpoQ  uvtov   Toy  irayov  dvarpi- 

\£l    Kal    ETTltTKUl^El    DJf    TVETpaV' 

Kal  EKtivri  pev  vizoXavQavEi'  bpa- 
Tai  Ce  to  yXoaL,ov  ixav  Ka't  £(jtiv 
ixpBaXjiibv  irainiyvpiQ.  'Ei'  au- 
to'ic  iiE  to'ic  Xeioic  Kal  KaOrj/JEVoiQ 
aX(TT)  re  tort  7roiKiXa  Kal  biro- 
('papal  awe^e'tr,  ev  &pq  dlpovr 


KaTatyvyElv  bconropoie  ij^iaTa 
KUTaywyut  a  Kal  dictoat)'  daue- 
vu)Q  ^v^dadai.  Aiapplovai  ce 
Kal  Kptjvat  ovyval  Kal  ewippel 
vdf.iaTa  vEaTwr  \pv^pii>i'  KaliriE~iv 
ilCliTTUt'.  AiyETUt  £t  to.  vdaTa 
TcixiTa  Kal  to~iq  Xovaapevotc  dya- 
dov  Eirai  kuI  Etc  vyiEtay  avTolc 
ovpfiaXXEcrdai.  KaraSovai  de 
Kal  bpviQEQ  dXXoc  dXXt]  ciecnrap- 
fxivot,  Kal  pdXiOTa  ol  povatKol, 
Kal  eaTiuxTiv  eu  paXa  Tac  aKoac, 
Kal  TrapaTTEpTTOvaiv  aVoVwe;  Kal 
crvv  ii^ovij  $ia  tov  jxeXovc  Toy 
KapaTov  tu>v  irapiovTW  ci<pavi- 
oarTEg.  Hap'  EKctTepa  $e  tov 
TvoTajiov  ai  ciarpifiai  eIoiv  at 
TrpoEipripivai  Kal  ai  aVa7ravXai* 
cid  piawv  Ze  t&v  Te\x-kwv  b 
Urji>eibg  iroTafibc;  'ip-^ETai  fr^oXrj 
Kal  irpawQ  irpoiioi'  iXaiov  (Hktjv. 
HoXXr/  Se  car'  av-ov  >/  (TKid  Ik  tGjv 
TrapaTTEtyvKOTwv  Sirbpu)}'  Kal  tuiv 

i£,T)pTr]fXEVU)l>       kXuC(i)1'       TlKTETai 

we.  Eirl  ttXe'kttoi'  Trjc  ijfiEpac  av- 
T))y  irpoi]Kov(rav  dwooTEyEiv  Ti)f 
dKT~it>a  Kal  ivapi\Ei.v  toIq  ttXe- 
ovai  ttXeIv nard  iLv^oc. — jElian. 
Var.  Hist.  1.  3,  c.  1. 

1    To     /JLEV  OW    WtfVElOV    Kada- 
pOV  ECTTIV  VCWp,    TO    (>E  TOV    TlTa- 

pr)(riov  Xnrapbv  ek  tivoc  vXx]c. — 
Strabo,  p.  441. 

12 


396 


THESSALIA. 


[chap. 


the  same  may  be  suspected  of  Pliny  and  iElian, 
especially  from  the  words  cXai'ou  Si'ktjv  of  the  latter. 
They  were  misled,  probably,  by  the  epithet  apyv- 
poSa'vr/c,  applied  by  Homer  to  the  Peneius,  infer- 
ring from  it  that  the  water  of  that  river  was  trans- 
lucent,  whereas  the  apparent  reluctance  of  the  water 
of  the  Titaresius  to  join  with  that  of  the  Peneius 
arises  from  the  former  being  clear  and  the  latter 
muddy.  Even  in  the  description  of  Tempe  by 
Livy,  some  reason  may  be  found  for  suspecting 
that  he  has  added  embellishments  foreign  to 
the  authority  from  which  he  borrowed ;  for  in 
describing  the  terrible  sound  of  the  Peneius,  he 
approaches  more  nearly  to  the  poetical  exag- 
geration of  Ovid  !  than  to  the  truth.  Although 
the  river  is  now  full,  it  is  not  remarkable  for  its 


1  Est  neraus  Haemoniae  praerupta  quod  undique  claudit 
Sylva,  vocant  Tempe.     Per  quae  Peneius  ab  irao 
Effusus  Pindo  spumosis  volvitur  undis  : 
Dejectuque  gravi  tenues  agitantia  fumos 
Nubila  conducit,  summasque  aspergine  sylvas 
Impluit  et  sonitu  plusquam  vicina  fatigat. 
Haec  domus,  haec  sedes,  haec  sunt  penetralia  magni 
Amnis :  in  hoc  residens  facto  de  cautibus  antro, 
Undis  jura  dabat,  Nymphisque  colentibus  undas. 

Ovid.  Metam.  1.  1,  v.  508. 

The  description  of  Catullus  is  much   nearer  the   truth  and 
equally  poetical : 

Confestim  Peneius  adest,  viridantia  Tempe, 
Tempe,  quae  silvae  cingunt  superimpendentes, 
Nereidum  linquens  claris  celebranda  choreis, 
Non  vacuas  :  namque  ille  tulit  radicitus  altas 
Fagos  ac  recto  proceras  stipite  laurus, 
Non  sine  nutanti  platano,  lentaque  sorore 
Flammati  Phaethontis  ct  aeria  cupressu. 

Haec 


X  XIX. 


TliESSALIA. 


397 


rapidity,  and  nothing  can  be  more  tranquil  and 
steady  than  its  ordinary  course.  On  rare  occasions 
only,  after  heavy  falls  of  rain,  it  rushes  with  impe- 
tuosity through  the  pass,  and  then  sometimes  effects 
considerable  damage  in  the  maritime  plain. 

Although  there  may  never  have  been  any  road 
through  Tempe  along  the  left  bank  of  the  river, 
there  were  routes  from  Gonnus  to  several  places 
on  the  heights  on  that  side,  and  from  thence  into 
the  maritime  plains.  One  of  these  probably  fol- 
lowed the  same  track  as  the  modern  path  from 
Dereli  to  Ezero  and  Rapsani,  by  the  lake  Ascuris 
and  Lapathus,  from  which  fortress  there  seems  to 
have  been  a  descent  to  the  river  in  the  Pass  of 
Tempe,  since  Livy  in  naming  Gonnus,  Condylon, 
Charax,  and  "  the  castle  which  stood  in  the  road," 
as  the  four  fortresses  which  defended  Tempe,  adds 
that  Charax  was  near  Lapathus  l.     Charax  there - 


Haec  circum  sedes  late  contexa  locavit 
Vestibulum  ut  molli  velatum  fronde  vireret. 

Epithal.  Pel.  et  Thet.  v.  285 


Of  the  trees  here  mentioned, 
the  aeria  Cupressus,  or  pyra- 
midal kind  of  Cypress,  which 
by  the  contrast  of  its  form  and 
colour  with  those  of  other  trees 
is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  em- 
bellishments of  Greek  scenery, 
is  not  to  be  found  growing  na- 
turally. Nor  is  it  a  common 
native  in  any  part  of  Greece, 
but  has  generally  been  planted 
for  the  decoration  of  gardens, 
mosques,  and  cemeteries. 


1  Hie  locus  (Tempe  sc.)  tarn 
suapte  natura  infestus  per  qua- 
tuor  distantia  loca  praesidiis 
regiis  fuit  insessus ;  unum  in 
primo  aditu  ad  Gonnum  erat : 
alterum  Condylon  castello  in- 
expugnabili,  tertium  circa  La- 
pathuntem  quern  Characa  ad- 
pellant,  quart  uin  vise  ipsi,  qua 
et  media  et  angustissima  vallis 
est,  inpositum,  quam  vel  decern 
armatis  tueri  facile  est. — Liv. 
1.  44,  c.  6. 


398 


TH  ESS  A  I.I  A. 


CHAP. 


fore  was  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  probably  at 
an  opening  which  ascends  from  that  bank  nearly 
opposite  to  the  inscribed  rock,  and  which  leads  to 
Rapsani.  As  to  Condylon,  the  second  castle  men- 
tioned by  the  historian,  it  seems  also  to  have  been 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  for  it  was  sometimes 
called  Gonno-Condylon,  which  explains  likewise 
why  the  Perrhsebi  (Gonnus  itself  having  been  a 
Perrhsebic  town)  claimed  Condylon  from  Philip 
when  their  claims  were  submitted  to  a  Roman 
commission  at  Tempe  in  the  year  b.  c.  185 '. 
Condylon  therefore  probably  stood  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  river  between  Balamut  and  the  ascent 
to  Rapsani. 

The  fourth  castle  which  Livy  mentions  without 
naming,  could  hardly  have  been  any  other  than 
that  of  which  the  ruins  still  exist,  half  a  mile  to 
the  westward  of  the  inscribed  rock,  and  which  de- 
fended the  only  weak  point  on  the  right  bank  ; 
for  the  historian  has  exactly  described  it  as  over- 
hanging the  road  itself,  in  one  of  the  narrowest 
parts  of  the  Pass  :  it  would  be  hypercritical  to  ob- 
ject that  the  position  does  not  in  strictness  agree 
with  the  historian's  word  media,  being  nearer 
to  the  eastern  than  to  the  western  end  of  the  pass. 
This  fortress  was  known  probably  by  no  other  Dame 
than  that  of  the  Castle  of  Tempe.  It  may  be 
owing  to  a  succession  of  repairs  very  likely  to  have 
been  made  to  a  fortress  in  so  important  a  situation, 
that  no  remains,  decidedly  Hellenic,  are  now  to 
be  observed  in  it.     As  to  the  inscription  on  the 


1  Liv.  I.  ;39,  c.  25. 


X  X  I  X 


THESSALIA. 


399 


rock,  there  may  be  some  doubt  whether  it  relates 
to  defensive  works  erected  by  Longinus  in  Tempe, 
or  merely  to  the  repairing  of  the  road.     Munire 
viam   was   a  common  expression,    to   signify  the 
making  of  a  road  ;  and,  combined  with  the  exca- 
vated rock  upon  which  the  words  are  engraved, 
leave  little  doubt  that  the  cutting  of  the  rock  was 
a  part  at  least  of  the  labour  commemorated  by  the 
inscription.     Lucius  Cassius  Longinus  was  sent  by 
Caesar  from  Illyria  into  Thessaly  with  a  legion  of 
new  levies,  and  200  horse,  at  the  same  time  that 
C.  Calvisius  Sabinus  proceeded   into  iEtolia  with 
a  smaller  force,  and  Cneius  Domitius  Calvinus  into 
Macedonia  with  two   legions   and   500   cavalry '. 
Calvisius  was  well  received  in  iEtolia ;   but  Thes- 
saly was  divided  into  two  parties,  one  of  which 
was  strongly  opposed   to  Caesar.     Besides  these, 
Longinus  had  to  contend  with  the  cavalry  of  Co- 
tys,  king  of  Thrace,  an  ally  of  Pompey,  which  were 
hovering  about  Thessaly.     When   Scipio,    there- 
fore, made  an  attempt  from  his  camp  on  the  Hali- 
acmon 2  to  surprise  Longinus,  the  latter,  although 
Scipio    was   speedily    recalled    in    order   to    save 
Favonius   from   the   superior  forces  of  Domitius, 
was  so  terrified   on  receiving   intelligence  of  the 
approach  of  Scipio,   and  on   seeing  some   of  the 
cavalry   of  Cotys,   which  he    mistook  for  that   of 
Scipio,   that  he  retreated  towards  the  mountains 
which    separated    Thessaly  from   Ambracia,    and 


1  Caesar   de  B.  C.  1.  3,  c. 


34. 


2  Between  Grevena  and  Sia- 
tista. — See  vol.  i.  p.  314. 


400 


TTIESSALIA, 


[CHAP.    XXIX. 


even  began  to  traverse  them  l.  Caesar  makes  no 
farther  mention  of  Longinus,  who  probably,  like 
Domitius,  joined  Caesar  at  JEginium  on  his  arrival 
in  Thessaly,  after  the  battle  of  Dyrrhachium.  It 
seems  very  improbable  from  these  circumstances 
that  Longinus  could  have  had  time  to  effect  any 
great  works  in  Tempe.  Were  it  not  that  the  first 
letter  of  the  inscription  is  certainly  not  C,  I  should 
be  more  disposed  to  attribute  the  work  to  Caius 
Cassius  Longinus,  who,  after  having  been  consul 
in  the  year  171  b.  c.,  served  in  Thessaly  under 
the  consul  Hostilius,  in  the  following  year,  and 
who,  if  he  had  not  quitted  the  army  when  in  the 
subsequent  year  it  was  under  the  command  of  the 
consul,  Q.  Marcius  Philippus,  would  have  had  an 
undoubted  right  to  style  himself  Pro.  Cos.  in 
an  inscription — a  right  which  is  not  so  evident  in 
the  case  of  Lucius,  the  officer  of  Caesar.  When 
Marcius  was  preparing  his  winter  quarters  at  He- 
racleia,  on  the  coast  of  Macedonia,  to  the  north- 
ward of  Tempe,  the  historian  expressly  states,  that 
for  the  sake  of  securing  his  supplies  from  Thes- 
saly, he  gave  orders  for  repairing  the  roads 2,  of 
which  the  most  important  was  the  road  through 
Tempe. 


1  Ambraciam  versus  iter 
facere  coepit. —  Caesar  de  B.  C. 
1.  3,  c.  36. 


2  vias  commeatibus  subve- 
hendis  ex  Thessalia  muniri 
jubet. — Liv.  1.  44,  c.  9. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


MACEDONIA. 


Bridge  of  Salamvria — Karitza — Homole — Platamona,  Heracleia 
River  of  Platamona,  Apilas — Litokhoro — Mount  Olympus — 
Malathria,  Dium — River  Baphyrus —  Spighi  —  Katerina  — 
Passage  of  Olympus  by  the  Consul  Marcius — Callipcucc, 
Phila,  River  Enipeus,  Libethrium,  Pimpleia — March  of  the 
Consul  beyond  Dium  —  Agassa?  —  Valla  —  River  Milys  — 
Hatera — Ascordus — Ayan  —  Kitro  —  Old  Kitro  —  Elefther- 
okhori — Position  of  Perseus  on  the  Enipeus — Defeat  of  the 
Macedonians  at  Petra — Battle  of  Pydna — Pydna — Methone — 
Alorus — Rivers  Haliacmon,  Lydias,  Axius — Return  to  Sa- 
lonika 


After  emerging  from  the  pass  we  traverse  the 
plain,  which  extends  from  the  exit  of  Tempe  to 
the  sea,  and  cross  the  Salamvria  at  5.15  by  a 
bridge,  at  which  on  the  right  bank  is  a  toll-house 
and  at  the  opposite  end  a  khan.  The  course  of 
the  river  from  this  point  is  at  first  northerly,  after 
which  it  turns  to  the  S.E.  and  in  that  direction 
crosses  a  maritime  plain  of  four  or  five  miles  in 
breadth.  At  its  mouth  it  is  separated  only  from 
the  foot  of  Mount  Kissavo,  or  Ossa,  by  a  lagoon 
communicating  with  the  sea,  in  which  there  is  a 
fishery.  On  the  adjacent  part  of  Ossa  is  a  large 
monastery  of  St.  Demetrius,  and  about  two  miles 

VOL.  III.  d  d  . 


402 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


beyond   it  Karitza,    a   large  village  situated  just 
below  the  peak  of  Ossa,  to  the  N.E. 

The  part  of  the  mountain  which  lies  between 
Tempe  and  Karitza  is  the  ancient  Homole,  a  name 
which  appears  sometimes  to  have  been  employed 
merely  as  a  synonym  of  Ossa  \  A  town  of  the 
same  name,  otherwise  Homolium,  or  the  city  of 
the  Homolienses  2,  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain, but  the  ancient  authorities  differ  as  to  its 
exact  position  :  Scylax  and  Strabo  seem  to  concur 
in  placing  it  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Peneius, 
near  the  exit  of  Tempe  3 ;  that  is  to  say,  at  a  dis- 
tance of  several  miles  from  the  sea  ;  whereas  the 
two  poets  of  the  Argonautics  represent  Homole  as 
situated  on  the  sea  shore,  and  the  order  of  names 
in  Apollonius  even  interposes  another  town,  Eury- 
mense,  between  it  and  Tempe  4.     To  discover  some 


1  Pausan.  Boeot.  c.  8. 
Theocrit.  Idyll.  7,  v.  103. 
Virg.  ^n.  1.  7,  v.  675.  Ste- 
phan.  in  '0/ioX»j. 

2  Stephan.  in  'O/ioXiov. 
The  legend  of  the  coins  is 
'OfxoXUioy,  which  agrees  with 
the  gentile  'OfioXuvg  in  Ste- 
phanus. 


Xiov,  Mayvr]TiKf)£  ttoXeojc,  i) 
earl  Trapd  rovnorafiov. — Scylax 
in  'A/xfipaKia.. 

To  fiev  ovv  'OfXuXiov  ?*/  rt)v 
'OliuXtjv  (Xiytrai  yap  ayu^ort- 
pwg)  cIttoBoteov  avToig  (Mayyi)- 
ratc  sc.)  eipriTai  <)'  ev  role  Ma- 

KE^OPlKolg,  &Tt  l(TTl  7TpO£  TT}  "OfftTt] 

Kara  -7}y  dp-^i)y  rev  Uv,v£tov  t/«a 


3  'HLvtevQev  (' AfxfipaKiag  sc.)      Tr}g    rwv   Teinrwy   SunfioXijt;. — 
ap^erai  t]  'TLXXag  av vE\i]g  dvai       Strabo,  p.  443. 
/if xpi  TItjveiov  iroTajxov  Kal'Ofxo- 

4  "EvQfv  $e  -n-poTEpwffE  7rap£^«0£ov  MeX//3otav, 
'Akttjv  t  alyiaXov  te  SvayvEiiov  EKirvEvaavTEq. 
'Hw0£j'  £'  'OfioXrjv  avroff\E^dv  EiffopowvTEQ 
XlovTf  kekXiuevtiv  TrapEfiETpEov'   oiifr  irt  lr}por 

MiXXop 


XXX. J 


MACEDONIA. 


403 


remains  of  the  city  itself  is  the  only  mode  of  clear- 
ing up  this  difficulty  ;  for  it  cannot  be  explained 
by  the  changes  effected  by  the  Peneius,  which,  like 
the  other  great  rivers  of  Greece,  has,  by  the  forma- 
tion of  new  land  at  its  mouth,  increased  the  breadth 
of  the  plain  below  Tempe ;  and  appears  to  have 
taken,  in  consequence  of  the  accumulation,  anew 
direction  towards  the  sea.  The  ancient  mouth 
of  the  river  seems  indicated  by  a  low  point  which 
is  exactly  opposite  to  the  chasm  of  Tempe,  and  in 
a  line  with  the  general  course  of  the  river  through 
the  pass. 

The  Salamvria  now  divides  the  districts  of  La- 
rissa  and  Katerina,  as  it  formerly  separated  Thcs- 
saly  from  Macedonia  or  Magnesia  from  Pieria. 
Having  crossed  the  bridge  usually  called  that  of 
Laspokhori  from  a  neighbouring  village  we  follow 


MeXXov  vtteic  7rorafJ.olo  fiaXElv  'Afxiipoio  peedpa. 
KeIOev  &  JLvpv/xivac  re  TroXytcXvcrrovg  te   (ftapayyug 
"OooriQ  Ov\vjj.xoi6  t  Effi^patcov'  avrap  'iwEira 
KXirsa  HaXXfivaia,  Kava.ffrpa.iriv  virtp  aKpr)v, 
"llvvffav  EvvvyjLOi,  irvoirjg  avEfioio  Oeovteq. 
THpt  Ze  viffffofMEvoifftv  " Adu)  aVt'reXXe  koXojvt] 
Qprjidr],  Apollon.  Argon.  1.  1,  v.  592. 

Tiffaii]  S"  anEKpvfdEv  a^pij  Kal  ^rjiruiQ  aVn), 
(bavd)]  c!e  2»:ta0oe,  AoXo7roc  r  dvE<j>a'ivero  fffjfia, 
Ay^iaXor  9'  'OfioXr),  pilQpov  0'  aXifivpEQ  'Avavpov, 
(al.  'Afxvpov — IvavXov.) 
"Oc  3ia  TToXXijv  ya'iav  1(1  /JEyaXofipofiov  vSwp. 
OvXvfXTTOv  Se  fiaQvffKOiciXov  irpi]G)vaq  Epvfivove 
ElffiSpaKov  Mivvai  Kal  "Ado  fcvdpwfoa  Kafx\pav. 

Orph.  Argon,  v.  402. 
ud  2 


404 


MACEDONIA. 


[('HAP. 


the  river  for  near  half  an  hour,  and  then  traverse  a 
muddy  part  of  the  plain,  gradually  approaching 
the  sea.  The  soil  of  this  maritime  level  is  fertile, 
but  little  cultivated  ;  and  a  great  part  of  it  is 
covered  with  shrubs  whieh  shelter  a  great  quan- 
tity of  game.  Maize  is  grown  on  the  slopes  of  the 
mountains  by  the  Greek  inhabitants  of  some  vil- 
lages, of  which  the  principal,  besides  Rapsani,  are 
Krania,  in  a  lofty  situation  to  the  north  of  Rapsani, 
containing  about  150  families,  and  Pyrgotos,  im- 
mediately below  Krania.  Farther  to  the  north 
are  several  smaller  villages.  At  6.25  we  pass 
round  the  extremity  of  a  root  of  the  mountain,  and 
at  7.20,  after  having  followed  the  sea  shore  for  a 
short  time,  halt  at  a  pleasant  kiosk,  shaded  by 
large  plane  trees,  and  standing  near  the  beach, 
just  below  the  hill  of  Platamona  on  the  south, 
where  a  rivulet  flows  through  the  building  into 
the  sea. 

Platamona,  the  derivation  of  which,  according 
to  Meletius,  is  irXarua  fiovrj,  or  the  level  monastery, 
in  allusion  to  its  situation  in  the  plain,  appears 
rather  from  the  mention  made  of  it  in  the  Byzan- 
tine history,  to  have  been  in  the  time  of  the  Greek 
Empire,  what  we  now  find  it,  a  fortress.  It  con- 
tains a  few  Turkish  houses,  and  on  the  outside 
there  is  a  ruined  khan  by  the  road  side.  Though 
standing  at  the  bottom  of  a  bend  of  the  coast,  it  is 
a  conspicuous  object,  from  being  the  only  elevation 
on  a  low  shore  of  great  extent.  As  the  place  has  the 
advantage  also  of  a  perennial  supply  of  good  water, 
there  can  scarcely  be  a  doubt  that  it  was  the  site 


XXX. j 


MACEDONIA. 


405 


of  one  of  the  two  ancient  towns  which  history  places 
on  this  coast  between  Dium  and  the  frontier  of 
Magnesia,  namely,  Heracleia  and  Phi  la  :  for  rea- 
sons which  will  be  stated  hereafter,  I  am  disposed 
to  believe  that  it  was  the  former. 

After  having  dined  at  the  kiosk,  we  proceed  at 
8.5   to  cross  the  neck  of  the  hill  of  Platamona, 
descend  again  into  the  plain,  which  is  uncultivated 
as  far  as  the  neighbourhood  of  Katerina,   and  at 
8.50  cross  the  river  of  Platamona  just  above  its 
junction  with  the  sea  :    this  is  a  wide  torrent  de- 
scending from  an  immense  chasm  which  separates 
the    highest   part    of    Olympus    from  the  inferior 
summits   terminating  in  the  cliffs  of  Tempe.     If 
Platamona  was  the  site  of  Heracleia,  the  lower  part 
of  this  ravine  will  correspond  to  that  defile  or  forest 
of   Callipeuce,  through  which  the  Romans  entered 
the  maritime  plain  to  the  northward  of  Heracleia, 
after  their  perilous  descent  from  near  Lapathus, 
under    the   conduct  of  the   consul    Marcius,    who 
among  the  other  difficulties  of  the  undertaking, 
had  to  contend  with  his  own  age  and  corpulence'. 
The  appearance  of  the  mountain  from  our  road  is 
sufficient  to  show  how  arduous  must  have  been  the 
task  of  conveying  elephants  by  such  a  precipitous 
route.      The  historian  relates  that  in  the  steepest 
places  a  succession  of  bridges  or  platforms  were 
constructed ;  and  that  as  soon  as  an  elephant  had 
obtained  a  footing  on  one  of  them,  the  supports 


1  Romanus  imperator    major    sexaginta  annis   ct  praegravis 
corporc. — Liv.  1.  44,  c.  4. 

12 


406 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


being  cut  away,  he  was  forced   to   slide  down   on 
his  feet  or  rump  to  the  next  bridge. 

The  river  of  Platamona  is  not  noticed  by  any 
ancient  author,  except  Pliny,  who  places  an  Apilas 
near  Heracleia1.     The  river  is  sometimes  danger- 
ous, but  is  now  dry  ;  for  the  weather  ever  since  we 
left  Saloniki,  with  the  exception  of  one  day  at  Vcrria 
and  another  at  Turnavo,  has  been  quite  free  from 
rain ;  the  last  ten  days  have  been  even  warm  in  the 
afternoon,  and  the  sky  without  a  cloud.     A  gentle 
north-eastern  breeze    has  generally  risen   in   the 
latter  part  of  the  day  bringing  with  it  a  frost  at 
night,  which  lasts  all  the  ensuing  day  where  the 
ground  is  shaded   by  high  mountains  or   woods, 
but  in  other  places  yields  to  the  power  of  the  sun 
at  an  early  hour.     At  9.12,   Leftokarya,  a  Greek 
village,  is  three  miles  on  our  left,  on  the  lowest 
falls  of  Olympus.     At   9.45   we   quit   the  direct 
road,  which  follows  a  line  parallel  to  the  shore, 
and  mount    a  long,   barren    slope,  to  Litokhoro, 
where  we  arrive  at  10.45  the  ascent  having  been 
very  slow  in  consequence  of  our  tired  horses  and 
the  badness  of  the  road.     Litokhoro  is  situated  at 
the  head  of  the  slope,  immediately  at  the  foot  of 
the  great  woody  steeps  of  Olympus,  on  the  right 
bank  of  a  torrent  which  has  its  origin  in  the  highest 
part  of  the   mountain,    and  here  issues  between 
perpendicular  rocks   five  or  six   hundred  feet   in 
height.     The  opening  presents  a  magnificent  view 
of  the  summit  of  'Elymbo,  the  snowy  tops  and  bare 


1  In  ora  Heraclca,  flumcn  Apilas. — Plin.  1.  1,  c.  10. 


XXX.] 


MACEDONIA. 


407 


precipices  of  which  form  a  beautiful  contrast  with 
the  rich  woody  heights  on  either  side  of  the  great 
chasm  above  Litokhoro.  From  the  village  and 
opening,  the  ground  falls  on  both  sides  of  the  river 
in  a  longeven  slope  to  the  sea  side,  terminating 
to  the  south  at  the  river  of  Platamona,  and  to 
the  north  extending  to  the  plain  of  Katerina.  The 
torrent  flows  from  Litokhoro  in  a  wide  bed  between 
precipitous  banks,  which  gradually  diminish  in 
height  to  the  sea.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the 
gulf  are  seen  Saloniki,  Cape  Karaburnu,  Mount 
Khortiatzi,  and  a  range  of  mountains  which  appear 
to  form  a  continued  range  from  the  latter  summit 
as  far  as  the  extreme  Cape  of  Pallene.  It  is  reck- 
oned four  hours  from  hence  to  the  monastery  of 
St.  Dionysius,  which  is  situated  just  below  the 
summit  of  Olympus,  not  far  from  the  head  of  the 
great  ravine  of  Litokhoro.  The  Litokhorites  fabri- 
cate skutia,  or  cloth  for  making  capots,  and  have 
several  fulling  mills  in  the  ravine  above  the  vil- 
lage. 

Dec.  21.- — This  morning,  the  sky  still  continuing 
cloudless,  and  the  atmosphere  of  that  extreme 
clearness  which  is  its  characteristic  in  Greece  in 
the  fine  days  of  winter,  the  summit  of  the  broad 
Olympus,  as  Homer  so  justly  describes  it !,  pre- 
sents itself  between  the  precipitous  sides  of  the 
ravine  of  Litokhoro,  with  a  still  more  admirable 
and    imposing  grandeur  than  yesterday  evening, 

1  fxaKpocis  the  epithet  which  that  is  ayavvupoc,  from  its  be- 
the  poet  most  frequently  at-  ing  more  snowy  than  any  other 
taches  to  Olympus.     Next  to      mountain  in  Greece. 


408 


MACEDONIA. 


[CHAP. 


when  the  sun,  being  behind  the  mountain,  left  its 
eastern  side  comparatively  dark,  but  afforded  a 
clear  view  of  the  Cfialcidic  coast  and  hills ;  the 
rising  sun  now  lights  up  the  snowy  summit  of 
Olympus,  as  well  as  all  the  rocks,  woods,  torrents, 
and  precipices  below  it ;  distinguishes  them  from 
one  another  by  the  strongest  shading,  and  seems 
to  bring  them  all  within  half  their  real  distance. 

At  3.10,  Turkish  time,  we  begin  to  descend  the 
slope  obliquely  into  the  plain  of  Katerina.  The 
ground  is  stony,  barren,  and  quite  uncultivated. 
Near  the  bottom  an  old  church,  situated  in  a  little 
grove  of  trees  at  a  small  distance  from  the  left  of 
the  road,  contains  some  ancient  squared  blocks 
of  stone  and  some  capitals  of  columns.  Arrived 
in  the  plain,  we  traverse,  by  a  winding  path,  a 
wood  where  shrubs,  particularly  the  paliuri  or 
Jerusalem  thorn,  fill  up  the  intervals  between 
groves  of  handsome  planes  and  oaks,  and  at  4.35 
arrive  at  Malathria  \  a  tjiftlik  lately  established 
by  Vely  Pasha,  occupied  by  Greek  labourers,  whom 
he  has  sent  here,  and  managed  by  one  of  his  Alba- 
nians. "  A  small  tract  of  arable  has  been  cleared 
by  burning  the  paliuria.  The  other  parts  of  the 
forest  furnish  pasture  to  large  flocks  of  the  Pasha's 
sheep,  which  are  now  assembled  here  from  the 
mountains.  The  village  consists  of  three  rows  of 
houses,  forming  three  sides  of  a  quadrangle,  with  a 
fountain  in  the  centre.  A  church  has  been  already 
built  by  the  inhabitants,  though  one   only  of  the 

'   Ma\a0(nac 


XXX.] 


MACEDONIA. 


409 


rows  of  houses  is  yet  occupied.  Five  hundred 
yards  below  the  tjiftlik,  in  a  thick  grove  of  trees 
and  shrubs,  are  many  copious  springs  of  water, 
which  unite  and  immediately  form  a  large  stream 
and  a  marsh,  of  which  the  discharge  joins  the  sea 
at  a  bridge  called  Baba  Kiupresi,  in  the  direct 
road  from  Platamona  to  Katerina.  At  the  river's 
mouth,  which  is  not  far  from  the  bridge,  there  is 
a  skaloma  frequented  by  small  boats,  which  are 
drawn  up  on  the  beach  in  bad  weather. 

In  the  space  between  the  village  and  the  sources, 
where  corn  is  growing  among  the  stumps  of  the 
burnt  bushes,  I  find  some  remains  of  a  stadium 
and  theatre.  None  of  the  stone-work  which  mav 
be  supposed  to  have  formed  the  seats  and  super- 
structure of  these  monuments  now  exists,  with  the 
exception  of  two  or  three  squared  masses  on  the 
outside  of  the  theatre ;  and  as  the  soil  is  a  fine 
black  mould,  the  effects  of  the  seasons  have  reduced 
them  both  to  mere  hillocks  of  earth,  but  retaining 
their  original  form  and  dimensions  sufficiently  to 
show  that  the  stadium  was  about  equal  in  length 
to  the  other  stadia  of  Greece,  and  that  the  theatre 
was  about  250  feet  in  diameter.  Below  the  the- 
atre, on  the  edge  of  the  water,  are  the  foundations 
of  a  large  building,  and  a  detached  stone  which 
seems  to  have  belonged  to  a  flight  of  steps. 

Some  foundations  of  the  walls  of  the  city  to 
which  these  monuments  belonged  are  visible  also 
among  the  bushes ;  but  it  would  be  in  vain  to 
attempt  to  trace  them  in  such  a  labyrinth  without 
a  guide,  an  assistance  which  I  cannot  succeed  in 


410 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


obtaining,  even  to  show  me  some  ruined  churches 
which  are  said  to  exist  among  the  paliuria,  lest  the 
consequence  to  the  poor  Greeks  should  be  an 
avania.  I  can  only  find  one  sepulchral  stele,  and 
that  so  much  buried  in  the  ground  that  no  inscrip- 
tion is  visible.  There  is  a  tumulus  with  a  flat 
summit,  about  500  yards  to  the  southward  of  the 
theatre,  and  at  an  equal  distance  from  the  sea. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  here  stood  the 
famous  Dium,  which,  though  not  large,  was  one 
of  the  leading  cities  of  Macedonia  \\  and  the  great 
bulwark  of  its  maritime  frontier  to  the  south. 
Nevertheless,  it  was  easily  occupied,  and  almost 
destroyed  in  the  Social  War  by  the  iEtolians, 
whose  capital  soon  paid  the  debt  of  cruelty  and 
destruction  which  they  contracted  on  that  occa- 
sion 2.  In  the  Persic  war  Dium  seems  to  have 
thoroughly  recovered  that  disaster,  and  by  the  im- 
portance of  its  situation  it  became  at  length  a 
Roman  colony  3.  The  remains  near  the  sources 
are  probably  those  of  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Olym- 
pius,  from  which  the  city  received  its  name  ;  for 
we  are  informed  that  public  games  called  Olym- 
pia,  instituted  by  Archelaus,  the  great  improver  of 
Macedonia 4,    were   celebrated    at  the   temple   of 


1  . . .  urbem  sicut  non  mag- 
num, ita  exornatam  publicis 
locis  et  multitudine  statuarum, 
munitamque  egregie. — Liv.  1. 
44,  c.  7.  Thucydides  (1.  4, 
c.  78)  describes  it  as  a  nokiafxa, 
or  small  city. 


2  Polyb.  1.  4,  c.  62.— 1.  5, 
c.  8. 

3  Alov  koXuvui,  Ptolem.  1.  3, 
c.  13. — Colonia  Diensis.  Plin. 
H.N.  1.  4,  c.  10. 

4  Thucyd.  1.  2,  c.  100. 


XXX.] 


MACEDONIA. 


411 


Jupiter  Olympius  at  Dium  \  The  theatre  and 
stadium  served  doubtless  for  that  celebration,  and 
they  formed  probably  part  of  the  'Icpov,  as  at 
Olympia,  Nemea,  and  the  Isthmus.  It  is  clear 
from  Livy  that  the  temple  was  not  within  the 
city 2,  in  which  particular  it  resembled  many 
other  great  temples  in  Greece.  The  historian, 
however,  is  not  correct  in  asserting  that  the  dis- 
tance between  Olympus  and  the  sea  was  little 
more  than  a  mile,  as  indeed  his  own  description 
of  the  place  might  alone  give  reason  to  suspect, 
since  he  adds,  that  half  the  space  was  occupied  by 
the  marsh  of  the  Baphyrus,  thus  leaving  little 
more  than  half  a  mile  for  the  temple,  theatre, 
stadium,  and  city,  as  well  as  for  a  level  space 
between  the  walls  and  the  foot  of  the  mountain  3. 
Pausanias  seems  to  have  had  a  more  correct  idea 
of  the  distance ;  for  he  states,  that  on  proceeding 
twenty  stades  from  Dium  towards  the  mountain, 
there  stood  a  monument,  which,  according  to  the 


1  Diodor.  1. 17,  c.  16.— Ste- 
phan.  in  A7ov. 

2  Consul ....  praemisso  Popi- 
lio  ad  explorandos  passus  circa 
Dium,  postquam  patere  omnia 
in  omnes  partes  animadvertit, 
secundis  castris  pervenit  ad 
Dium,  metarique  sub  ipso  tem- 
plo,  ne  quid  sacro  in  loco  vio- 
laretur,  jussit.  Ipse  urbem  in- 
gressus,  &c. — 1.  44,  c.  7. 

3  Nam  quum  Olympi  radices 
montis  paullo  plus  quam  millc 


passuum  ad  mare  relinquant 
spatium  cujus  dimidium  loci 
occupat  ostium  late  restagnans 
Baphyri  amnis,  partem  plani- 
cia;  aut  Jovis  templum  aut  op- 
pidum  tenet :  reliquum  perexi- 
guum  fossa  modica  valloque 
claudi  poterat  et  saxorum  ad 
manum  silvestrisque  materia? 
tantum  erat  ut  vel  murus  ob- 
jici  turresque  excitari  potuc- 
rint. — Liv.  1.  44,  c.  0. 


412 


M  ACKDOMA. 


[C  11 A  P. 


Diastse,  contained  the  bones  of  Orpheus1.  The 
river  Baphyrus  or  Baphyras,  though  so  short 
in  its  course,  and  enveloped  in  marshes,  was  a 
stream  of  some  celebrity.  It  is  noticed  by  Lyco- 
phron  2,  and  by  the  poet  Archestratus,  who  in  the 
course  of  his  travels.  §ia  yaarpi^apyiav,  noticed 
the  excellence  of  the  revdiBeg,  or  cuttle-fish  of  the 
river  Baphyrus,  at  the  Pierian  Dium,  and  recorded 
it  in  the  same  verse  in  which  he  celebrated 
those  of  Ambracia  3.  Pausanias  asserts  that  this 
was  the  same  river  named  Helicon,  which,  after 
flowing  75  stades  above  ground,  had  then  a  sub- 
terraneous course  of  22  stades,  and  on  its  re- 
appearance became  navigable  under  the  name  of 
Baphyras. 

Dium  is  one  among  numerous  instances  of  an- 
cient cities  of  opulence  and  celebrity,  situated  in 
the  most  unhealthy  spots.  In  some  of  those  places 
the  cultivation  and  draining  which  attend  a  dense 
population  may  have  afforded  a  remedy  to  the 
natural  inconvenience  more  or  less  effectual,  but 
neither  the  nature  of  the  place  nor  ancient  testi- 
mony admit  the  probability  that  the  marsh  of 
Dium    was    ever   drained.     Its  effects,  combined 

1     'loVTl  $£  £(C  ±i0V  TtlV  £TTL  TO 

bpoq  Kal  (TTacia  TrpoeXtjXvdoTi 
e'ixoffi  Kiwy  tL  iuriv  iv  £e£i£  Kal 
ETriOrjfxa  etti  rw  Kioin  vdpia  Xi- 
6oV  k\ei  <$£  tu  oard  rov  'Op^ewc 
if  vcpia  Kadii  ol  liri\u>pioi  Xi- 
yuvai.  'PeT  £t  kuI  iroTajxoQ 
'EXiKojy  «X(n  otoZLuv  tfidofxi)- 
kovra  nlvrt'    TrpoeXQurri    £e   to 


Otvfxa  a<pavi£tTai  to  uttu  tovtov 
Kara  tijc  y>7c*  ^iclXfattop  t)e  fia- 
Xiora  c.vo  Kal  eiKoai  ora&a, 
&v(.hti  to  vdwp  avdig  Kal  ovofia 
Hatyvpac  dvrt  'EXikwvoc  Xajyuty 
KaTEiaiv  Ig  OdXaaaay  yavaiiro- 
poc. — Pausan.  Boeot.  c.  30. 

2  Lycoph.  v.  274. 

3  Ap.  Athen.  1.  7,  c.  22. 


\  X  X .  j 


MACEDONIA. 


413 


with  that  of  the  too  groat  vicinity  of  the  steep 
sides  of  Olgmpus,  could  hardly  have  failed  in 
having  a  pernicious  effect  upon  the  salubrity  of 
the  place  ;  and  in  fact,  Malathria  is  now  consi- 
dered a  most  unwholesome  situation  in  the  sum- 
mer. Were  not  the  evidence  conclusive  as  to 
the  site  of  Dium,  it  might  be  supposed  from  the 
resemblance,  that  the  modern  Malathria  is  a 
corruption  of  the  ancient  Libethrium ;  the  simi- 
larity is  to  be  attributed  perhaps  to  the  two  names 
having  a  common  origin  in  some  word  of  the 
ancient  language  of  Macedonia. 

Leaving  the  tjiftlik  at  6.20,  we  cross  the  plain 
by  a  winding  road,  and  at  7.13  leave  Andreotissa 
two  miles  to  the  left.  This  village  is  situated  on 
the  side  of  a  long  projection,  advancing  into  the 
Pierian  plain  from  the  mountains  which  reach 
from  Olympus  to  the  ravine  of  the  Haliacmon, 
where  they  are  separated  by  that  chasm  in  the 
great  eastern  ridge  of  Northern  Greece  from  the 
portion  of  it  which  was  anciently  named  Bermius. 
The  highest  summit  of  the  Pierian  part  of  the  range 
rises  about  eight  miles  to  the  northward  of  Vlak- 
holivadho,  and  is  a  conspicuous  object  in  all  the 
country  to  the  eastward,  particularly  from  Salo- 
nika Its  name  seems  from  Pliny  to  have  been 
Pierus  \  Pausanias,  in  alluding  to  the  moun- 
tain Pieria  as  near  Dium  2,  may  be  supposed  to 
have  referred  to  the  mountains  of  this  Macedonian 
province  in  a  more  comprehensive  sense,  and  as 
including  all  the  heights  connected  with  Olympus 


Plin.  1.  4,  c.  8. 


2  Pausan.  Kceot.  c.  30. 


414 


MACEDONIA, 


[chap. 


which  border  the  Pierian  plain.  A  Scholiast  of 
Apollonius,  alluding  to  the  same  ridges,  describes 
Pieria  as  a  mountain  of  Thrace  J,  which  was  a 
correct  definition  of  it  according  to  the  most  an- 
cient chorography  of  this  part  of  Greece. 

At  7.29  we  pass  through  Spighi 2,  a  large  vil- 
lage in  the  plain,  near  the  extremity  of  the  ridge  of 
Andreotissa  where  it  ends  in  a  point,  upon  high 
which,  in  a  very  conspicuous  situation,  stands  a 
tumulus  overgrown  with  trees.  This  monument 
indicates  perhaps  the  site  of  the  principal  town  of 
Pieria,  toward  the  middle  of  the  province,  or  inter- 
mediate between  Dium  and  Pydna.  It  would  seem 
from  Stephanus  and  Suidas,  that  there  was  a  city 
named  Picria3,  which  may  have  been  here  situated. 

At  7.40  we  cross  a  clear  and  rapid  stream,  noted 
for  the  abundance  of  its  fish,  and  which,  though 
now  small,  is  said  in  times  of  rain  to  be  wide,  full 
of  quicksands,  and  dangerous  to  pass  :  this  may 
easily  be  imagined,  as  it  appears  to  receive  most 
of  the  waters  from  the  northern  end  of  Olympus, 
as  well  as  those  which  descend  from  the  southern 
extremity  of  its  continuation,  the  Pierian  ridge. 
Olympus  rises  abruptly  from  the  plain  on  this 
side,  dark  with  woods,  and  deriving  from  its 
steepness  an  increase  of  grandeur  and  apparent 
height.  At  8.10  we  enter  Katerina  a  little  be- 
yond a  broad  charadra  or  dry  river.     This  town, 


1  Schol.  Apollon.  Rhod.  1.  1, 
v.  31. 

2  H/Trtjyr). 

3  Uupla    TruXig   iv   o/xwrvfif 


%U)piu)'    6    TT0\lTT)Q   Yll£piU)TT]g  KCll 

TlieptrriQ  kcu  Tliepisvg. — Ste- 
phan.  in  voce. — 7ro\ic  c>£  Mave- 
doriac  iariv  >/  Hupia — Suid.  in 
Kpiruv, 


XXX.] 


MACEDONIA. 


415 


which  has  eight  or  nine  large  villages  in  its  de- 
pendency, besides  tjiftliks,  contains  only  100  poor 
Greek  houses,  and  as  many  Turkish.  The  pro- 
duce of  the  plain  is  corn  and  flax,  and  the  Bey 
Saly  is  almost  the  only  proprietor.  Vely  Pasha 
is  married  to  his  sister,  since  which  alliance  the 
district  of  Katerina  has  been  free  from  thieves :  on 
the  other  hand  Saly's  new  kinsman,  the  great  Te- 
peleniote,  having  heard  that  the  Bey  had  lately 
made  himself  the  heir  of  a  deceased  aga  of  Kate- 
rina, has  just  sent  to  borrow  15  purses  of  him. 

I  here  learn  that  all  the  land  about  Malathria 
was  entirely  covered  with  bushes,  until  it  was 
lately  cleared  by  Vely  Pasha,  who  was  tempted 
by  the  richness  of  the  soil  to  establish  a  farm 
there.  Before  that  time  the  remains  of  antiquity 
were  probably  known  only  to  the  shepherds.  In- 
deed I  had  not  heard  of  their  existence  when  I 
arrived  at  Malathria.  The  ruined  churches,  how- 
ever, show  that  a  Christian  village  of  some  im- 
portance once  occupied  the  site,  which  had  been 
for  many  years  a  desert  when  Vely  took  it  in  hand. 
The  deep  mould  may  conceal,  perhaps,  and  pre- 
serve many  fine  remains  of  antiquity,  for  Dium  was 
noted  for  its  splendid  buildings  and  the  multi- 
tude of  its  statues  h  Here  were  deposited  twenty- 
five  of  the  works  of  Lysippus,  representing  the 
sratpoi,  or  peers  of  Alexander,  who  fell  at  the  battle 
of  the  Granicus2. 

Having  ascertained  the  site  of  Dium,  it  is  not 


1   Liv.   1.  44,  c.   7.— Vide 
not.  1,  p.  410. 


2  Arrian.  de  Exp.  Alex.  1.  1. 
c.  10. 


416 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


difficult,  after  the  tour  of  mount  Olympus  which  I 
have  just  made,  to  apply  the  history  of  the  third 
and  fourth  years  of  the  Persic  war  to  the  real 
topography,  though  for  the  complete  elucidation  of 
the  former  year,  it  would  be  desirable  at  the  proper 
season  to  cross  the  mountain  from  Platamona  to 
Elassona,  or  the  reverse ;  and  this  would  be  the 
more  interesting  as  Polybius,  whose  authority  the 
Latin  historian  followed  in  his  narrative  of  that 
campaign,  was  himself  present  in  the  passage 
across  Mount  Olympus !,  having  arrived  in  the 
Roman  camp  in  Perrhsebia,  on  a  mission  from  the 
council  of  the  Achaean  league  just  before  the  move- 
ment began.  The  consul,  Q.  Marcius  Philippus, 
having  landed  at  Ambracia  in  the  spring,  with 
5000  men  for  the  supply  of  the  legions  in  Thessaly, 
marched  from  thence  into  the  Thessalian  plains, 
where  he  was  met  by  his  predecessor,  Hostilius, 
who  had  moved  for  that  purpose  from  his  position 
at  Pharsalus.  Marcius,  assuming  the  command 
of  all  the  forces,  then  marched  into  Perrhaebia, 
where  he  encamped  in  the  Tripolitis,  between 
Azorus  and  Doliche,  intending  to  carry  the  war 
immediately  into  Macedonia.  The  question  as  to 
the  route  by  which  he  should  enter  that  kingdom 
had  been  under  consideration  during  the  march, 
and  was  still  undecided,  when  Perseus,  hearing  of 
the  enemy's  approach,  occupied  all  the  passes.  Ten 
thousand  light  infantry  were  stationed  on  the^w- 
gum  or  pass  of  the  Cambunian  mountains,  called 

1  01  Se  rrepi  roy  TloXvfiiov .  .       tig  MaKtSoviav  Kivdvvuiv  fitrt't- 
.  .twv  £e  Kara  d)v  tioolov  rt)v      \ov. — Polyb.  1.  28,  c.  11. 


XXX. 


MACEDONIA. 


417 


Volustana  (Servia)  by  which  Hostilius  had  in- 
vaded Elimeia  in  the  preceding  year ;  12,000 
under  Hippias  at  Lapathus,  above  the  lake  As- 
curis *,  and  the  remaining  forces  at  Dium,  from 
whence  Perseus  himself  ranged  the  coast  between 
Dium,  Heracleia,  and  Phila,  like  a  man  in  a  state 
of  utter  indecision. 

The  consul  having  resolved  to  attempt  the  pas- 
sage by  Octolophus2,  sent  forward  his  son  with 
4,000  men,  under  the  command  of  M.  Claudius, 
and  followed  immediately  with  his  whole  army. 
So  difficult  were  the  roads,  that  the  advanced 
party  only  marched  15  miles  in  two  days,  at  the 
end  of  which  they  arrived  at  a  tower  named  Eu- 
dierum ;  t>n  the  third  day,  at  the  end  of  seven 
miles,  they  found  themselves  in  the  presence  of 
the  Macedonians  under  Hippias.  Marcius,  who 
had  reached  the  lake  Ascuris  when  he  received 
the  report  of  Claudius,  continued  his  route  until 
he  arrived  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  from  the 
enemy,    when   he  occupied   some  heights  which 


1  Ad  castellum,  quod  super 
Ascuridem  paludem  (Lapathus 
vocatur  locus)  Hippias  tenere 
saltum  cum  duodecim  millium 
Macedonum  praesidio  jussus. 
— Liv.  1.  44,  c.  2. 

2  Consuli  sententia  stetit  eo 
saltu  ducere  ubi  propter  Octo- 
lophum  dixlmus  regis  castra. 
—  Liv.  1.  44,  c.  3. —These 
last  words  show  that  there  has 
been  a  loss  of  text  at  the  end 


of  the  preceding  book,  where 
some  mention  was  made  of  the 
king's  movements  after  his  re- 
turn into  Macedonia  from  an 
unsuccessful  expedition  into 
Acarnania  in  the  middle  of 
winter.  It  appears  that  in  the 
ensuing  spring  he  had  en- 
camped at  Octolophus,  and 
had  retired  from  thence  into 
Pieria  on  the  approach  of  the 
Roman  army. 


VOL.  Ill 


e  e 


418 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


commanded  a  view  of  all  the  sea  coast  between 
Dium  and  Phila. 

Octoloplius  was  probably  near  the  issue  of  the 
Titaresius,  or  Elassonitiko,  from  Mount  Olympus 
into  the  valley  of  Elassona.  Ezero  being  the  only 
lake  in  the  part  of  the  Olympene  ridges  traversed 
by  the  Romans  on  this  occasion,  is  evidently  the 
Ascuris,  and  the  ancient  remains  at  Konispoli 
lying  in  the  direction  towards  that  lake  from  Octo- 
loplius as  well  as  from  the  Roman  camp  between 
Azorus  and  Doliche,  seem  to  answer  perfectly  to 
those  of  Eudierum :  the  latter  interval  moreover  cor- 
responding with  tolerable  correctness  to  the  fifteen 
miles  of  the  historian.  The  ruggedness  of  the 
mountains  sufficiently  explains  the  length  of  time 
which  it  required  for  the  Romans  under  Claudius 
to  reach  Eudierum.  Nor  is  the  ancient  castle 
near  Rapsani  less  adapted  to  Lapathus,  not  only 
by  its  proximity  to  Tempe,  as  I  before  remarked, 
but  by  that  part  of  Livy's  narrative  also,  from 
which  we  may  infer  that  Lapathus,  although  de- 
scribed as  having  been  "  super  Ascuridem  palu- 
dem,"  was  at  some  distance  from  that  lake,  since 
Claudius,  when  he  found  himself  in  presence  of 
the  enemy  in  the  pass  of  Lapathus,  had  to  send 
a  messenger  to  Marcius  at  Ascuris  to  inform  him 
of  the  fact,  and  the  consul  had  a  march  to  make 
to  arrive  at  the  position  which  he  assumed,  at  the 
distance  of  a  mile  from  the  enemy.  The  histo- 
rian's remark,  moreover,  that  the  consul's  position 
commanded  a  view  of  the  sea  coast  from  Hera- 
cleia  to  Phila,  exactly  accords  with  the  heights  of 
Rapsani. 


XXX.] 


MACEDONIA, 


419 


After  a  day's  repose  the  consul  led  his  forces 
against  Hippias,  and  both  on  that  day  and  the 
following  there  was  a  continued  combat,  but  of 
light  troops  only,  the  nature  of  the  ground  not  ad- 
mitting of  any  more  serious  conflict.  The  fame  and 
power  of  Rome  were  at  this  moment  in  the  utmost 
peril ;  but  the  consul  fully  sensible  of  his  hazard- 
ous situation,  judged  that  it  would  be  still  more 
dangerous  to  retreat  than  to  advance,  and  Perseus 
fortunately  having  made  no  attempt  to  support  or 
relieve  the  fatigued  troops  of  Hippias,  the  consul 
left  Popillius  with  a  sufficient  force  to  observe  them, 
and  began  a  descent  to  the  maritime  plain,  in 
which  at  the  end  of  four  days  of  extreme  labour, 
he  pitched  his  camp  between  Libethrium  and 
Heracleia.  Even  here,  had  he  not  been  opposed 
to  an  enemy  who  was  under  the  influence  of  that 
dementation  which  is  the  surest  prognostic  of 
falling  power,  his  position  was  still  little  better 
than  desperate,  as  he  was  surrounded  on  every 
side  by  strong  passes,  in  the  hands  of  superior 
forces,  and  without  means  of  obtaining  sufficient 
supplies  for  his  army  by  sea.  But  his  foolish 
opponent,  as  soon  as  he  received  intelligence  of 
the  approach  of  the  consul,  quitted  his  excellent 
position  at  Dium,  ordered  the  garrisons  to  be  with- 
drawn from  Phila  and  the  positions  above  Tempe, 
and  retreated  to  Pydna. 

The  consul  having  detached  Sp.  Lucretius 
against  the  enemy's  posts  in  his  rear,  and  to 
open  a  communication  with  Larissa,  advanced 
cautiously  to  Dium,  which  Perseus  had  unac- 
countably abandoned,   since  it  would  have   been 

e  e  2 


420 


MACEDONIA, 


[chap. 


easy    for    him,    observes   Livy,    to    have    fortified 
the    space   between    the    city   and    the    mountain 
by  a  rampart  and  ditch,   or   even  by  walls   and 
towers,     for    which    the    neighbouring    mountain 
would  have  supplied  ample  materials  of  wood  and 
stone.     After  having  halted  one  day  at  Dium,  the 
consul  proceeded  to  the  river  Mitys.     On  the  next 
day  he  received  the  submission  of  Agassse,  and  on 
the  following  marched  to  the  river  Ascordus,  but 
finding   that  supplies  became   scarcer   as   he   ad- 
vanced, he  returned  to  Dium,  where  he  soon  re- 
ceived the  grateful  intelligence  that  Lucretius  was 
in  possession  of  Phila  and  Tempe,  and  had  found 
an  abundance  of  provisions  in  these  and  the  neigh- 
bouring   fortresses.      Marcius   then    retired    from 
Dium  to  Phila,  for  the  sake  of  strengthening  that 
place,  and  of  supplying  his  soldiers  with  corn, — a 
movement  which  having  the  appearance  of  avoid- 
ing the  enemy  was  not  generally  approved  in  the 
Roman   army.     Its   immediate   consequence  was, 
that  Perseus  returned  to  Dium,   and  after  having 
repaired  the  damage  which  the  walls  of  the  city 
had  received  from  the  Romans,  placed  his  army 
at  a  distance  of  five  miles   in  front  of  the  city, 
behind  the  Enipeus.     This  river  is  described  by 
the  historian  as  descending  from  a  valley  of  Olym- 
pus, and  as  enclosed  between  high  and  precipitous 
banks,   containing  little  water  in  summer,  but  full 
of  quicksands  and  whirlpools  in  the  time  of  wintry 
rains.      It  is  almost  unnecessary  to  remark  how 
exactly  both  the  description  of  the  river,  and  its 
distance  from   Dium  correspond    to    the  river  of 
Litokhoro. 


XXX. J 


MACEDONIA. 


421 


The  next  operation  of  Marcius  was  against  He- 
racleia,  now  the  only  place  on  the  Pierian  coast 
southward  of  the  Enipeus  which  was  not  in  his 
possession.  It  was  situated  five  miles  from  Phila, 
about  midway  between  Tempe  and  Dium,  on  a 
rock  overhanging  a  river  \  Being  strong  and 
well  garrisoned,  and  within  sight  of  the  king's 
fires  on  the  Enipeus,  Heracleia  made  an  obstinate 
resistance,  but  was  at  length  taken  by  means  of 
the  Ktpa/jiu>Tov,  or  testudo,  by  which  the  assailants 
advanced  to  the  wall  upon  the  united  shields  of  a 
dense  body  of  their  comrades  below  them.  The 
Roman  commander  then  removed  his  camp  to 
Heracleia,  ordered  roads  to  be  made  into  Thessaly, 
magazines  to  be  erected  at  convenient  places,  and 
huts  for  those  who  were  to  convey  the  supplies. 
From  Livy's  description  of  Heracleia,  some  doubt 
may  arise  whether  it  was  situated  at  Platamona 
itself,  or  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  the  same 
name  :  either  place  would  sufficiently  suit  the 
words  "  media  regione  inter  Dium  Tempeque," 
but  Platamona  cannot  be  said  to  overhang  the 
river  which  I  suppose  to  be  the  Apilas  of  Pliny, 
being  more  than  two  miles  distant  from  it.  On 
the  other  hand  there  is  no  rocky  height  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  Platamona  being 
the  only  hill  on  this  coast,  and  the  only  post 
possessing  any  natural  strength,  is  obviously 
the  position  in  which  the  principal  fortress  is 
likely  to  have  been  situated.  It  would  seem, 
therefore,  that  the  "  amnis  at  the  foot  of  the  rock 

1  Media  regione  inter  Dium  nente  positum.  —  Liv.  1.  44, 
Tempeque  in  rupe  amni  immi-      c.  8. 


422 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


of  Heracleia'"  was  no  other  than  the  rivulet  which 
flows  through  the  kiosk  at  Platamona.  Phila  hav- 
ing been  the  frontier  fortress  of  Macedonia  towards 
Magnetis,  and  distant  5  miles  from  Heracleia,  ap- 
pears to  have  stood  near  the  mouth  of  the  Peneius 
on  the  left  bank. 

Libethrium  was  situated,  as  evidently  follows 
from  the  transactions  related  by  Livy,  between 
Dium  and  Heracleia.  Pausanias  reports  a  tra- 
dition, that  the  town  was  once  destroyed,  together 
with  all  its  inhabitants,  by  the  inundation  of  a 
torrent  called  Sus  ;  and  that  on  the  preceding 
day  the  tomb  of  Orpheus,  which  was  near  Libe- 
thrium, had  been  injured  by  another  accident, 
which  exposed  the  poet's  bones  to  the  light,  and 
induced  the  people  of  Dium  to  remove  them  to  a 
spot  20  stades  distant  from  their  city  towards 
Olympus,  where  they  erected  a  monument  to  him, 
consisting  of  an  urn  of  stone  upon  a  column  !. 
The  only  two  torrents  which  could  have  effected 
such  havoc  as  Pausanias  states,  are  the  rivers  of 
Platamona  and  of  Litokhoro.  The  former,  how- 
ever, was  near  Heracleia,  and  probably  in  the 
territory  of  that  city ;  we  can  hardly  fail  to  con- 
clude, therefore,  that  the  Sus  was  the  same  river 
as  the  JEnipeus,  and  that  Libethrium  was  situated 
not  far  from  its  junction  with  the  sea,  as  the  upper 
parts  of  the  slope  towards  Litokhoro  are  secured 
from  the  ravages  of  the  torrent  by  their  elevation 
above  its  bank.     Litokhoro  itself  I  take  to  be  the 


1  Pausan  Boeot.  c.  30. 
In  the  time  of  Alexander  the 
Great   there    was   a   statue   of 


Orpheus    made  of  cypress    at 
Libethrium.  —  Plutarch,      in 

Alex. 


XXX.] 


MACEDONIA. 


423 


site  of  Pimplcia,  for  this  birth-place  of  Orpheus 
appears  to  have  been  near  Libethrium,  and  the 
Baphyrus ',  and  the  aicoTrrj,  or  atcon'm  U^mXriiq  of 
the  poets,  corresponds  remarkably  with  the  ele- 
vated situation  of  Litokhoro  and  its  commanding; 

o 

prospect. 

It  is  not  easy  to  afford  any  illustration  of  the 
three  marches  of  the  Romans  beyond  Dium ;  the 
first  of  which  terminated  at  the  river  Mitys,  the 
second  at  Agassse,  and  the  third  at  the  Ascordus ; 
for  these  names  are  not  found  in  any  other  ancient 
authority,  unless  the  last  be  the  same  as  the  Acer- 
dos,  which  occurs,  though  not  marked  as  a  river, 
in  the  Tabular  Itinerary,  where  it  is  placed  at  a 
distance  of  12  m.  p.  short  of  Bercea 2,  on  the  road 
thither  from  Larissa  by  Tempe  and  Dium,  which 
could  not  have  been  very  different  from  the  route 
of  Marcius.  As  Pydna  is  not  mentioned  in  the 
consul's  march,  he  followed  probably  a  direction 
more  westerly  than  that  town,  which  was  on  the 
sea  coast,  and  crossing  the  Pierian  ridge  descended 
upon  the  Haliacmon,  not  far  from  where  it  issues 

1 KtKkaVffflivOQ 

Nvfxcpataiv  at  (ptXavro  ftrjtyvpov  ydvog 
Aiprjdptrjv  0'  vnepde  HifiirXelae  okottiiv. 

Lycophron.  v.  273 
UpaJTci  vvv  'Op<prjoQ  fxyjjai/jfjieda  rdv  pa.  ttot   avryj 
KaWioiTT]  Qpi'i'iKi  (parl^erai  cuvTjOtTira 
Qidypy  crKOTrifjg  UifxnXrjiSog  ciy^i  TEKeadai. 

Apollon.  1.  1,  v.  23. 


2  Larissa  15  m.  p.  Olympum 
10  m.  p.  Stenas  (Tempe)  15 
m.p.  Sabatium  12  m.  p.  Bium 
(Dium)    12    m.  p.     Hatera   12 


m.  p.  Anamo  7  m.  p.  Bada 
20  m.  p.  Arulos  15  m.  p. 
Acerdos  12  K.  p.  Bercea.  — 
Tab.  Peutinger,  Seg.  v. 


424 


MACEDONIA, 


[CHAP. 


from  the  ravines  into  the  plain  of  Verria.  The 
distance  of  this  point,  indeed,  from  Dium,  being 
not  more  than  twenty-five  miles  in  a  straight  line, 
is  little  for  a  three  days'  march ;  but  the  consul 
was  suspicious  of  some  hidden  design  in  the 
enemy's  retreat,  and  was  chiefly  intent  upon  col- 
lecting supplies,  whence  he  may  be  supposed  to 
have  made  small  progress  in  direct  distance.  The 
Mitys  was  perhaps  the  river  of  Katerina,  and 
Agassce  may  have  been  situated  about  midway 
between  Katerina  and  the  passage  of  the  Vistritza, 
in  the  way  to  Verria.  I  should  have  suspected 
that  Ascordus  was  an  error  for  Astrseus,  aud  that 
the  river  which  the  Romans  reached  was  the  Hali- 
acmon  itself,  which,  as  I  have  before  remarked, 
bore  the  name  of  Astrseus  in  the  lower  part  of  its 
course.  The  Acerdos  of  the  Itinerary,  however, 
is  opposed  to  this  opinion  by  its  resemblance  to 
Ascordus,  which  may,  therefore,  have  been  a  tri- 
butary of  the  Haliacmon,  joining  it  from  the  right 
and  having  a  town  upon  it  of  the  same  name. 

Katerina  so  nearly  approaches  in  sound  to  the 
Hatera,  which  is  the  first  place  occurring  in  the 
Table  on  the  road  from  Dium  to  Berrhcea,  that  we 
can  hardly  doubt  of  the  identity.  That  Hatera  is 
not  mentioned  by  Livy,  although  lying  on  or  very 
near  the  route  of  Marcius,  may  be  explained  by 
the  great  difference  of  date  between  the  Itinerary 
and  the  Persic  war,  when  Hatera  may  have  been 
a  very  inconsiderable  place,  or  may  not  have  ex- 
isted at  all.  It  may  certainly  be  objected  that  the 
interval  between  Dium  and  Hatera  in  the  Table  is 
greater  than  the  real  distance  from  Malathria  to 


XXX.] 


MACEDONIA. 


425 


Katerina  ;  but  this  excess  is  less  than  a  due  pro- 
portion of  that  which  occurs  on  the  whole  line 
from  Dium  to  Berrhcea,  which  is  78  m.  p.  in  the 
Table,  and  less  about  36  English  miles  in  direct 
distance.  Bada  in  the  same  geographical  docu- 
ment has  some  resemblance  to  Balla,  or  Valla, 
which  we  learn  from  Ptolemy  and  Pliny  to  have 
been  a  Pierian  town1.  In  that  case  Valla  would 
seem  to  have  been  about  midway  between  Dium 
and  Berrhcea  ;  but  I  am  more  inclined  to  place 
Valla  in  the  mountainous  part  of  Pieria,  because 
we  are  told  by  an  author  cited  by  Stephanus  that 
the  inhabitants  of  Valla  were  removed  to  Pythium 2, 
and  Pythium  was  in  Perrhcebia,  at  the  south- 
western foot  of  the  Pierian  mountains.  Possibly 
Velvendo  may  have  derived  its  appellation  from  a 
corruption  of  Valla. 

Dec.  22. — At  5.7,  Turkish  time,  we  proceed 
from  Katerina  with  the  menzil,  and  follow  a  good 
carriage-road  across  the  beautiful  Pierian  plain, 
which  is  here  near  ten  miles  in  breadth  from  the 
sea  to  the  woody  falls  of  the  Olympene  range,  or 
Mount  Pierus. 

The  soil  is  excellent,  but  very  partially  culti- 
vated :  large  trees  occur  at  intervals,  and  towards 
the  sea  are  some  extensive  woods,  which  are  famed 
among  the  sportsmen  of  Saloniki  for  their  phea- 
sants. A  place  on  the  shore  where  boats  anchor 
in  fair  weather,  or  are  drawn  up  in  foul,  serves  for 
the  skaloma  of  Katerina. 


1  Ptolem.  1.  3,  c.  13.— Plin. 
1.  4,  c.  10. 


2  Theagenes  ap.  Stephan.  in 
BuXXu. 


426 


MACEDONIA, 


[chap. 


At  6  the  plain  terminates,  and  we  begin  to  cross 
a  range  of  low  hills,  which,  advancing  from  the 
Pierian  mountain,  meet  the  shore  at  the  north- 
western angle  of  the  Thermaic  Gulf.  At  6.7  we 
arrive  at  Kutjuk  (or  Little)  Ayan  :  Buyuk  (or  Great) 
Ayan  is  one  mile  on  the  left.  Both  these  villages 
are  the  property  of  Saly  Bey.  The  labourers 
who  inhabit  them  furnish  all  the  labour,  cattle, 
and  instruments  of  agriculture,  receive  seed- 
corn  from  the  Bey,  and  share  half  the  crop  after 
the  dhekatia  has  been  deducted  from  it.  At 
Little  Ayan,  in  the  wall  of  a  church  which  is  sur- 
rounded by  some  ancient  foundations  of  squared 
blocks,  is  a  piece  of  a  statue  with  drapery  of  fine 
workmanship,  and  an  inscribed  stone,  erected  by 
one  Ophelion  in  memory  of  his  father  of  the  same 
name  !. 

Continuing  to  cross  the  heights  where  the  varied 
surface  is  clothed  with  a  beautiful  mixture  of  rich 
corn-land  and  woods,  we  have  half  a  mile  on  our 
right,  on  the  slope  towards  the  sea,  two  tumuli 
standing  close  together,  one  with  a  flat  top,  the 
other  peaked.  They  indicate  the  vicinity  of  the 
position  of  Pydna,  either  as  monuments  of  the 
battle,  or  as  common  accompaniments  of  a  site  of 
high  antiquity  such  as  Pydna  was.  The  sea  is  a  mile 
and  a  half  beyond  the  tumuli,  and  a  little  farther 
northward  begins  a  lagoon,  which  covers  all  the  low 
ground  at  a  projecting  point  of  the  coast,  and  com- 
municates with  the  sea  by  a  narrow  opening.  Half 
a  mile  short  of  Kitro,  a  ruined  church  on  the  left 


V.  Inscription,  No.  156. 


XXX.] 


MACEDONIA. 


427 


of  the  road  contains  a  Corinthian  capital  and  many 
wrought  blocks  of  stone.  Kitro,  which  is  one  hour 
and  eight  minutes  from  Ayan,  stands  at  two  miles 
from  the  sea,  on  a  hill  which  although  of  inconsi- 
derable height  is  one  of  the  highest  of  these  mari- 
time ridges.  Though  now  consisting  only  of  the 
houses  of  a  few  Greek  labourers,  with  that  of  a 
Turkish  subashi,  placed  here  by  the  Bey  of  Kate- 
rina,  to  whom  the  greater  part  of  the  land  belongs, 
Kitro  retains  proofs  of  former  importance  in  six 
churches,  three  of  which  are  in  ruins,  and  in  seve- 
ral Turkish  pyrghi  in  the  same  state. 

In  all  the  churches  are  to  be  seen  squared  blocks 
of  Hellenic  times,  together  with  some  remains  of 
architecture  which  are  chiefly  of  later  date.  At 
one  of  the  churches  are  three  sepulchral  stelae 
bearing  inscriptions,  only  one  of  which  is  in  a 
copyable  condition.  It  is  a  memorial  of  a  com- 
mon form,  followed  by  two  elegiac  couplets  show- 
ing that  the  monument  was  erected  by  Arte- 
midorus  to  his  brothers  Eiarinus  and  Sporus  of 
Heracleia,  who  were  twins1.  Another  church, 
which  is  almost  new,  contains  a  sepulchral  monu- 
ment, erected  by  one  Ulpia,  for  herself,  in  her  life- 
time. Like  the  former,  it  is  engraved  in  charac- 
ters indicating  a  late  date  in  the  Roman  Empire. 

1  'Aprtui^wpoc  EtapiJ'w  Kal  27ropw  to~iq  dStX(j>olc  {J-vtiaq  yapiv. 

Trjfie  KaTCUpdifxivovQ  StSvpovg  tivo  <pu)rag  dpiarovg 

Eiaptjw  tv/a(3o£  Kal  ~Lir6pov  tiae'Xa^ev* 

Ilarpic  <>'  'Hpti/cXfia  Kal  'Aprefii^oipog  6  rtvijac 

Adlvov  dfuf>OTEpoig  (3u)fj.dv  v-rrepde  ratyov. 

V.  Inscription,  No.  157. 
3  V.  Inscription,  No.  158. 


428 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


Around  the  latter  church  are  some  ancient  foun- 
dations, and  in  another  part  of  the  hill  of  Kitro  a 
sorus,  which  is  now  employed  for  the  reservoir  of 
the  public  fountain,  its  lid  serving  for  a  trough 
underneath.  On  leaving  Kitro  at  1.33,  we  take 
the  road  to  its  skala,  which  is  merely  an  open 
beach  near  the  lagoon  before  mentioned  ;  but  at 
two-thirds  of  the  distance,  we  cross  the  fields  to  the 
left  and  fall  into  a  carriage-road  which  leads  along 
the  coast  from  Katerina  to  Elefthero-khori  with- 
out passing  through  Kitro. 

A  little  further,  we  arrive  at  9.10  at  some  ruins 
called  Paleokastro,  or  Paleos  Kitros,  consisting  only 
of  the  foundations  of  a  small  oblong  rectangular 
castle  which  occupied  the  summit  of  a  cliff  on  the 
sea  side.  In  one  place  a  piece  of  wall  remains, 
formed  of  small  stones  and  mortar  intermixed  with 
pieces  of  Roman  tiles.  Some  square  blocks  among 
the  foundations  are  the  only  appearances  of  Hellenic 
antiquity,  nor  is  there  any  thing  in  the  situation  or 
construction  of  this  castle  that  tends  to  refer  it  to 
those  times.  After  a  halt  often  minutes,  we  proceed 
for  a  short  distance  near  the  brow  of  the  cliffs 
which  border  the  shore,  and  then  cross  the  heights 
obliquely  to  Elefthero-khori,  which  is  two  miles 
from  the  sea,  and  where  we  arrive  at  10.15.  Our 
route  was  about  twenty  minutes  longer  than  by 
the  direct  road. 

In  the  fertile  hills  which  extend  from  Kitro  to 
Elefthero-khori,  not  a  third  part  of  the  land  is  cul- 
tivated ;  and  as  the  same  good  soil  is  seldom  grown 
with  corn  two  successive  years,  it  is  extremely  pro- 
ductive :  every  granary  and  cottage  is  full  of  corn, 


XXX.] 


MACEDONIA. 


429 


for  which  there  is  at  present  no  sale.  The  Turkish 
granaries  in  these  parts  are  immense  square  wooden 
cases,  with  a  kiosk  at  the  top  :  they  are  generally 
the  most  conspicuous  buildings  in  the  village. 
The  Turkish  houses  correspond  to  the  natural 
fertility  of  the  soil,  and  are  spacious  and  tolerably 
commodious.  Beyond  Elefthero-khori,  on  the 
slope  of  the  same  hills,  stands  Kulindros ',  and 
then  Libanova 2,  about  seven  miles  from  Elefthero- 
khori,  near  the  point  of  the  heights  where  they 
project  farthest  into  the  maritime  plain.  Kulin- 
dros is  the  largest  of  the  three  villages. 

The  Epitomizer  of  Strabo,  and  a  Scholiast  of 
Demosthenes,  assert  that  the  Klrpog  of  their  time 
was  the  same  place  as  the  ancient  Pydna  3 ;  but  as 
their  authority  is  of  no  great  weight,  not  much 
better  indeed  than  the  opinion  of  a  modern  Greek 
would  be,  and  as  the  facts  of  history  seem  to  re- 
quire a  more  southern  position  for  Pydna,  I  am 
inclined  to  place  it  at  Ayan,  Kitro  itself  having 
probably  risen  in  the  middle  ages  upon  the  decay 
of  Pydna  and  Methone  in  an  intermediate  position 
between  those  two  Hellenic  cities. 

When  Perseus  heard  of  the  approach  of  the  new 
consul  L.  iEniilius  Paullus,  as  successor  to  Q.  Mar- 
cius  Philippus,  in  the  command  of  the  Roman 
army  in  Macedonia,  among  other  preparatory  mea- 
sures by  land  and  sea,  he  sent  5000  Macedonians 
to  garrison  Pythium  and  Petra,  in  order  that  his 
camp  on  the  Enipeus  might  not  be  turned  through 


1  KovXtvrpoc- 

2  \r)fnrdvofta. 


3  Strabo,  (Epit.  1.  7)  p.  330. 
— Schol.  in  Demosth.  Olyn.  1. 


430 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


Perrhaebia :  he  adopted  at  the  same  time  various 
precautions  for  the  defence  of  the  Enipeus,  which 
is  naturally  a  position  of  singular  strength.  Not- 
withstanding these  efforts,  he  was  obliged  to  re- 
treat to  Pydna  in  consequence  of  his  detachment 
in  the  pass  of  Petra  having  been  overthrown  by 
P.  Scipio  Nasica,  who  had  been  sent  against  it 
accompanied  by  the  consul's  eldest  son,  Q.  Fabius 
Maximus.  As  secrecy  was  essential  to  the  suc- 
cess of  this  design,  Scipio  had  been  detached  with 
5000  chosen  men  from  the  camp  in  front  of  the 
Enipeus  to  Heracleia,  for  the  pretended  purpose 
of  being  there  embarked  on  a  maritime  expedition 
against  the  Macedonian  coast ;  but  where,  instead 
of  embarking,  he  placed  himself  under  the  guid- 
ance of  two  Perrhaebians,  who  conducted  him  by  a 
circuitous  march  to  Pythium  on  the  fourth  watch 
of  the  third  day !.  Their  route  was  probably 
through  Tempe,  and  by  Phalanna,  Oloosson,  and 
Doliche,  to  Pythium, — a  distance  of  more  than 
sixty  miles, — and  consequently  requiring  the  time 
which  Livy  has  stated  upon  the  incontestable  au- 
thority of  Polybius.  Plutarch,  therefore,  seems  to 
have  been  extremely  ignorant  of  the  places  and 
distances  in  question,  or  totally  regardless  of  accu- 
racy, in  asserting  that  Scipio  reached  Pythium  on 
the  night  of  his  march  from  Heracleia 2.  As  to  the 
circumstances  of  the  engagement  at  Petra,  there  is 
unfortunately  a  deficiency  in  this  part  of  the  text 
of  the  Latin  historian,  so  that  we  have  only  Plu- 


1  Liv.  1.  44,  c.  35. 


3  Plutarch,  in  JEmil. 


XXX.] 


MACEDONIA. 


431 


tarch  to  refer  to  ;  but  as  in  questioning  the  accu- 
racy of  Polybius  upon  an  important  circumstance 
relating  to  it,  he  has  given  us  an  intimation  of  the 
statement  of  the  Greek  historian,  we  have  thus  the 
means  of  choosing  between  the  two  authorities  on 
this  point.  Polybius,  as  we  have  seen  from  Livy, 
represented  Scipio's  detachment  to  have  been  5000 
strong.  Plutarch,  on  the  contrary,  on  the  autho- 
rity of  a  letter  of  Scipio  to  a  certain  king,  asserts 
that  they  amounted  to  more  than  8000.  Another 
disagreement  is  of  smaller  moment,  or  rather  is  no 
more  than  natural :  Polybius,  an  old  soldier,  was 
satisfied  with  saying  that  the  enemy  were  surprised 
in  their  sleep,  and  driven  before  the  Romans  ; 
while  Scipio,  who  was  in  his  first  campaign,  took 
a  pleasure  in  relating  that  there  was  a  brisk  action 
on  the  mouutain,  that  he  himself  killed  a  Thracian, 
and  that  Milo,  the  Macedonian  commander,  fled  in 
his  shirt. 

During  the  three  days  in  which  Scipio  was  effect- 
ing his  circuitous  route,  the  consul  arrested  the 
attention  of  Perseus  by  skirmishes  of  light  infantry, 
which  chiefly  took  place  between  the  precipitous 
banks  inclosing  the  bed  of  the  river  :  on  the  third 
day  he  made  a  demonstration  of  crossing  the  river 
near  the  mouth.  These  operations  had  the  desired 
effect,  for  they  were  suddenly  interrupted  by  the 
unexpected  intelligence  which  the  king  received 
from  a  Cretan  deserter1,  of  the  attack  and  defeat 


1  Livy  says  : — Tertio  die 
praelio  abstinuit  (Consul  sc.) 
degressus  ad  imam  partem  eas- 
trorum  veluti  per  devexum  in 


mare  brachium  transitum  ten- 
taturus.  Perseus  quod  in  ocu- 
lis  erat  ********;the 
remainder  is  lost,  but  may  be 

12 


432 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


of  his  forces  at  Petra.  Thus  threatened  with  an 
assault  from  the  enemy  on  both  sides,  he  made  a 
rapid  retreat  to  Pydna,  while  the  consul,  having 
effected  a  junction  with  Nasica,  followed  the  enemy 
with  all  possible  expedition,  and  at  mid-day  had 
advanced  so  near  to  the  king's  position  at  Pydna 
that  it  was  a  question  whether,  notwithstanding 
the  heat  and  the  fatigue  of  the  troops,  he  should 
not  then  attack  the  Macedonians.  The  distance 
from  the  Enipeus  to  Ayan  being  not  more  than  a 
four  or  five  hours'  march,  the  whole  operation 
might  have  been  effected  in  the  long  days  near  the 
summer  solstice,  when  the  event  occurred  *, — but 
not  very  easily  if  Pydna  had  stood  at  Kitro. 


supplied  from  the  following 
words  of  Plutarch:  Tu  Ylepaii, 
tvv  AlfiiXwy  drpefiouvra  Kara 
yjopav  bpuivTi  (cat  firj  \oyi£o- 
jdivu)  to  yivufitvov,  diroSpdc  Ik 
rijg    bdov    Kpt)g   avrofioXoQ    r']KE 

fiTjl'VtOV    TY]V    TTEplOCOV    TU>V  'Pw- 

jucuW.  Plutarch  then  proceeds, 
in  defiance  of  probability  and 
of  the  testimony  of  Polybius, 
to  state  that  Milo,  with  2000 
men,  was  at  this  juncture  sent 
by  Perseus  to  defend  the  pass. 
Milo  is  named  by  Livy  as 
one  of  the  commanders  of  the 
Macedonians  sent  to  Pythium 
when  the  king  first  took  up  his 
position  on  the  Enipeus. 

1  The  eclipse,  which  both 
Livy  and  Plutarch  relate  to 
have  occurred  on  the  night  be- 


fore the  battle,  fixes  its  exact 
date  to  the  22d  June,  168  b.c. 
and  shows  the  "  pridie  nonas 
Septembres"  of  Livy  to  be  er- 
roneous, although  it  is  con- 
sistent with  some  other  dates 
in  1.  45,  c.  1,  2,  as  well  as  with 
the  Qipovq  i)v  &pa  tyQivovroq  of 
Plutarch.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  we  refer  to  the  time  of  the  de- 
parture of  iEmilius  from  Rome, 
(protinus  post  kalendas  Apriles, 
Liv.  i.  44,  c.  22,)  and  tu  his 
speech  after  his  triumph,  given 
by  Plutarch,  wherein  he  states 
that  a  month  only  intervened 
between  that  departure  and  his 
victory,  the  inference  would  be, 
that  the  battle  was  fought  long 
before  the  solstice. 


XXX.] 


MACEDONIA. 


433 


The  description  of  the  field  of  battle  furnishes 
another  argument  in  favour  of  the  opinion,  that 
Pydna  was  at  Ayan.  Livy,  Strabo,  and  Plu- 
tarch, agree  in  showing  that  the  hostile  encounter 
occurred  in  the  plain  before  Pydna,  which  was 
traversed  by  a  small  river,  and  bordered  by 
heights  affording  a  convenient  retreat  and  shelter 
to  the  light  infantry,  while  the  plain  alone  con- 
tained the  level  ground  necessary  for  the  phalanx, 
— circumstances  which  accord  perfectly  with  the 
plain  extending  from  Katerina  to  the  heights  of 
Ayan,  whereas  the  entire  country  from  the  latter 
to  Elefthero-khori,  in  the  midst  of  which  Kitro  is 
situated,  affords  no  sufficient  plain,  but  consists, 
with  the  exception  of  some  small  level  spaces  on 
the  sea  shore,  entirely  of  the  last  falls  of  a  moun- 
tain, which  Plutarch  names  Olocrus. 

The  hostile  camps  were  separated  during  one  night 
by  the  river.  On  the  following  day  the  action  was 
brought  on  by  an  accident,  and  had  not  been  long 
engaged  on  the  whole  line,  when  Perseus  set  an 
example  of  flight,  which  was  followed  by  all  his 
cavalry ;  the  phalanx  nevertheless  resisted  with 
obstinacy,  but  when  at  length  the  consul  had  suc- 
ceeded in  penetrating  it,  the  overthrow  of  the  Mace- 
donians was  so  complete,  that  20,000  were  slain, 
and  more  than  10,000  made  prisoners,  with  a  loss 
of  only  100  killed  on  the  side  of  the  Romans. 

It  appears  from  Diodorus,  that  Pydna  stood 
originally  on  the  sea  side,  but  that  Archelaus, 
king  of  Macedonia,  having  taken  it  in  the  year 
B.C.  411,  removed  it  to  a  distance  of  20  stades 

Ff 


vol.  rir. 


434 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


from  the  shore  l.  This  distance  accords  with  that 
of  the  heights  of  Ayan  from  the  sea,  as  well  as 
with  the  relation  which  the  same  historian  has 
left  us  of  the  capture  of  Pydna  by  Cassander. 
Towards  the  close  of  the  year  b.c  316,  Olympias, 
the  mother  of  Alexander,  retired  into  Pydna  with 
a  large  army,  attended  by  cavalry  and  elephants. 
Cassander  being  unable  to  besiege  the  place  on 
account  of  the  season,  encamped  around  it,  formed 
a  circumvallation  terminating  at  either  end  at 
the  sea,  and  blockaded  the  port  with  his  ships 2. 
Olympias  resisted  until  the  spring,  when  her  sup- 
plies totally  failing,  the  horses  and  beasts  of  bur- 
then having  been  devoured,  the  elephants  having 
died  3,  great  numbers  of  the  men  having  perished 
of  disease  and  starvation,  and  others  having  de- 
serted, the  queen  herself  attempted  to  escape  by 
sea  but  was  taken  prisoner.  The  fall  of  Pydna 
was  followed  by  the  surrender  of  Pella  and  Am- 
pin polis  to  Cassander,  who  was  not  long  in  con- 
firming his  claim  to  the  Macedonian  throne,  by 
marrying  the  sister  of  Alexander,  by  putting  his 
mother  to  death,  and  by  shutting  up  his  widow 
and  young  son  in  Amphipolis,  where  a  few  years 
afterwards  they  were  murdered  4. 

No  remains  are  distinguishable  from  Avan   or 


1  Diodor.  1.  13,  c.  49.  ku>Xve. —  Diodor.      1.    19,      c. 

2  TTEpia-paTOTrtdeiHTaQ  cie  n)v  49. 

ttoXiv   ica'i    -^dpaxa    l3aX6/.i.£yoc  3  An   attempt  was  made  to 

aV6    daXdaarjc    rig    OdXaaaav,  keep    the   elephants    alive    by 

ttti  St  £<popfiuJv  rw  Xi/xert,  nav-  feeding  them  upon  saw  dust. 
to.  ftovXdfiEvov  tTTiKovpyjaai  Su-  4  Diodor.  1.  19,  c,  51,  105. 


XXX.] 


MACEDONIA. 


435 


Kitro  of  the  port  of  Pydna,  but  the  coast  has 
doubtless  undergone  a  considerable  change  by 
means  of  the  alluvion  of  Olympus,  and  the  Pierian 
mountain. 

As  Methone  is  named  in  the  Periplus  of  Scy- 
lax — as  it  was  one  of  the  Greek  colonies  established 
in  early  times  on  this  coast,  then  considered  a 
part  of  Thrace,  and  as  it  was  possessed  by  Athens 
when  she  was  mistress  of  the  seas  *,  there  can  be 
little  doubt  that  it  was  upon  or  very  near  the 
shore.  Elefthero-khori  is  so  advantageous  a  situ- 
ation that  we  can  hardly  suppose  it  to  have  been 
neglected  by  the  ancients ;  and  it  is  for  this  reason 
principally,  that  I  conceive  it  to  have  been  the 
site  of  Methone,  for  its  distance  from  Ayan  is 
certainly  greater  than  the  40  stades  which  the 
epitomizer  of  Strabo  places  between  Pydna  and 
Methone.  The  epitome,  however,  is  not  much  to 
be  depended  upon  in  this  passage,  as  it  names  the 
Haliacmon  in  the  place  of  the  river  of  Katerina  and 
an  Erigon  in  that  of  the  Haliacmon  ;  whereas  the 
only  Erigon  known  from  ancient  history  was  a 
branch  of  the  Axius,  which  joined  it  80  miles 
inland. 

As  Alorus  is  stated  to  have  been  situated  be- 
tween  the    Haliacmon    and    Lydias    by  Scylax 2, 


1  Thucyd.  1.  6,  c.  7.— Scy- 
lax in  MaKtCovla. — Demosth. 
Olynth.  1 .— Diodor.  1. 16,  c.  34. 
—  Strab.  (Epit.  1.  7)  p.  330.— 
Plutarch  in  Q,u.  Gr.  states  that 
Methone  was  a  colony  of  Ere- 
tria. 


2  'Atto  c5e  Hr]P£iov  Trorafiov 
MaKeloveg  tiolv  'idvoQ  Kai  tcoX- 
tvoq  Oepfxaloc'  7rpu>Trj  7rvXi£ 
Ma/ce<Wf'ae>  'IlpdicXeiov'  A7oy, 
TlvSva  iroXic  'EXXtjvIc,  Meddjyn] 
iroXig  'E\\?7v<C)  ical  'AXicucfitov 
iroTtifios," AXwpnc  iroXig  K<ti  wo- 


pf2 


43G 


MACEDONfA. 


[chap. 


whose  correct  enumeration  of  the  other  places 
between  the  Peneius  and  Thessalonica  entitles 
him  to  confidence  in  this  particular,  it  seems  to 
have  stood  not  far  from  Kapsokhori,  the  position 
of  which,  opposite  to  the  innermost  part  of  the 
Thermaic  gulf,  agrees  with  the  description  of  Alo- 
rus  given  by  Stephanus  \  Perhaps  Palea-khora, 
near  Kapsokhori,  may  have  received  its  name 
from  its  preserving  some  remains  of  Alorus. 

Dec.  23. — The  wind  being  "  from  the  Vardar," 
according  to  the  local  phrase,  and  consequently 
fair  for  the  City,  I  descend  over  rich  hills  and 
through  small  woods  of  oaks,  and  embark  at  the 
skala  of  Elefthero-khori,  which  is  a  little  more  than 
half  an  hour  distant  from  the  village  where  the 
hills  terminate,  and  the  great  plain  begins,  which 
is  watered  by  the  Vistritza,  Karasmak,  and  Vard- 
hari,  and  occupied  in  great  part  by  the  lake  of  Ian- 
nitza,  ovPclla.  Elefthero-khori  seems  thus  to  be  the 
natural  frontier  of  Pieria  and  Botticea.  Besides  the 
lake  ofPella,  the  maritime  part  of  the  plain  contains 
a  long  succession  of  lagoons,  beginning  near  Elef- 
thero-khori and  reaching  nearly  as  far  as  Saloniki. 
Of  these  lagoons,  Herodotus  has  noticed  that  be- 


Taiiog  AvSiag,  lit  Wet  noXtg  /cat 
(jaaiXttov  iv  avrij  xal  avair Xovg 
elg  avT>)y  aVa  rov  AvCiav, 
"A£«o£  TTorafxog,  'E^cwpoc  tto- 
7-ayuoc,  Qepfxr)  ttoXiq. — Scylax 
in  MaiceBovia. 

1  "AXwpog  -rroXig  MaKECoviag' 
ioTt  Zk  to  ixvya.iTa.T0v  tov  Qep- 
fialov  koXttov.  —  Stephan.  in 
'  AXiopog. 


Alorus  was  an  important 
town  ;  Ptolemy  Alorites,  natu- 
ral son  of  Amyntas,  took  his 
appellation  from  thence,  and 
Polybius  (1.  5,  cc.  63,  65)  men- 
tions a  certain  Cnopius  6  'AXw- 
ptrrje. 


XXX.] 


MACEDONIA. 


437 


tween  the  Axius  and  the  Echidorus  \  They  pro- 
duce an  abundance  offish  and  salt.  Of  the  latter, 
large  heaps  are  seen  near  the  extremity  of  the 
heights  of  Elefthero-khori  on  the  water-side.  A 
gentle  breeze  carries  us  at  the  rate  of  five  miles 
an  hour  along  the  coast ;  in  an  hour  and  a  half 
we  arrive  at  a  projecting  cape  formed  by  the  allu- 
vion of  the  Haliacmon.  In  the  time  of  Herodotus 
this  river  was  joined  by  the  Lydias,  or  discharge 
of  the  lake  of  Pella,  but  a  change  has  now  taken 
place  in  the  course  of  the  latter,  which  joins  not 
the  Haliacmon  but  the  Axius,  The  Haliacmon 
itself  appears  to  have  moved  its  lower  course  to 
the  eastward  of  late,  so  that  in  time,  perhaps,  all 
the  three  rivers  may  unite  before  they  join  the  sea. 
In  all  the  large  rivers  of  Greece,  similar  changes 
of  direction  in  the  lower  parts  of  their  course  are 
observable.  The  new  soil  which  is  brought  down  by 
the  water,  and  distributed  along  the  shore  by  the 
sea,  acted  upon  by  prevailing  winds  and  currents, 
produces  a  continual  change  of  obstacles  and  of 
relative  levels  in  the  maritime  plain,  which  speedily 
gives  a  new  course  to  the  waters,  even  in  the  land 
which  is  not  of  the  latest  formation.  The  joint 
stream  formed  by  the  Lydias  and  Axius  is  still 
navigable  into  the  lake,  and  probably  up  to  Pella, 
as  it  was  in  ancient  times.  After  having  passed 
Cape  Karasmak,  which  is  exactly  opposite  to  tha 
outer   extremity    of  Cape   Karaburnu,    the    wind 


1    .    .    .    .    'Eve/dwpov,    og    ek       irapd   tu  eXog  to  kiz    'Asi'w   -no- 
K()»;«77W)'C(/w^     dnidfXci'ix:     piti      r«/xw. — Herodot.  1.  7,  c.  124. 
eta  Mvyoovt'jjc  X'''."'?'-''  Kai  t^tet 


438 


MACEDONIA. 


[CHAP.   XXX. 


heads  us  a  little,  and  we  proceed  more  slowly 
than  before,  but  in  half  an  hour,  at  6  o'clock 
Turkish,  arrive  at  a  second  point,  about  midway 
between  the  Vistritza  and  Vardhari,  where  nu- 
merous monoxyla  belonging  to  Kulakia  are  em- 
ployed in  catching  shell-fish  and  octopodhia, 
while  at  no  great  distance  from  them  some  large 
squadrons  of  wild  swans  are  floating  lazily  on  the 
gently-swelling  surface,  and  appear  to  enjoy  the 
fine  weather.  To  the  right,  the  cliffs  of  Kara- 
burn  li  extend  for  three  or  four  miles  in  length. 
The  cape  seen  from  Saloniki  is  the  westernmost 
point.  This  conspicuous  promontory  seems,  from 
Dionysius  of  Halicarnassus,  who  consulted  some 
early  Greek  writers,  to  have  been  once  the  plat- 
form of  a  temple  of  Venus,  said  to  have  been 
founded  by  iEneias  \  There  cannot  be  a  more 
beautiful  situation  for  such  a  building.  At  6.25 
we  are  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Vardhari,  which 
now  joins  the  sea  in  a  bay  between  the  last  cape 
which  we  passed  and  another  called  Kazik-burnu, 
which  we  pass  at  6.51.  It  is  not  improbable  that 
the  former  was  produced  by  the  Lydias  and  the 
latter  by  the  Axius,  at  some  period  when  they 
fell  separately  into  the  gulf.  From  hence  the 
wind  falling  and  coming  more  a  head,  we  do  not 
reach  Saloniki  till  9. 


1  (AlvEtag   ko.1  Tpwec,)    vt(t>%>      A'ivaav  iKTioav. — Dionys.  Hal. 
'A<ppo^irt]c    i^pvaayro    kni   twv      1.  l,c.  49. 
nKpwrripiwv     h'be     Kai      ttoXiv 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


MACEDONIA. 


Comparative  Geography  of  Macedonia — River  Galliko,  Echi- 
dorus — Doiran,  Tauriana —  Gallicum — Stobi — Stena  of  the 
Axius — Idomene — Invasion  of  Sitalces — Mount  Cercine — Gor- 
tynia — E  uropus — A  Imopia — Em  a  I  h  ia — Mcedi  — Amphaxia — 
Anthemus — Mygdonia  —  Crosscea  — Mount  Cissus — Boltiatoe 
— Chalcidenses — Apollonia  of  Chalcidice — Olynthns — Apol- 
lonia of  Mygdonia — Lete — Pceonia —  Strumitza,  Astrceum 
—  Roman  roads  from  Stobi  —  Velesa,  Bylazora  — Almana, 
Desudaba,  Mcedica — Ivorina,  Jamphorina — Mount  Scomius — 
Dentheletce,  Bessi  —  Istip,  Astajms — Ghiustench'l,  Pautalia — 
Theranda,  Ulpiana — Towns  on  the  Malhis — Skopia,  Scupi — 
Edict  of  Amphipolis  after  the  conquest  by  Paullus — Limits 
of  the  four  regions — Coins  of  the  Telrarchy. 


Having  been  prevented  by  the  occurrence  of  hos- 
tilities between  England  and  the  Porte  from  pro- 
secuting my  travels  in  Macedonia,  I  can  here  only 
offer  a  few  remarks  on  the  comparative  geography 
of  those  parts  of  that  celebrated  province  of  Greece 
which  I  have  not  visited,  illustrated  by  such  an  im- 
perfect delineation  as  oral  information  can  supply. 
I  have  already  remarked,  that  between  Saloniki 
and  the  Vardhari  a  river  called  Galliko  crosses  the 
road.  This  is  evidently  the  Echidorus  of  Hero- 
dotus, and  as  in  the  Tabular  Itinerary,  Gallicum 
is   the   name   of  a   place   situated    16  m.  p.    from 


440 


MACEDONIA. 


[CHAP. 


Thessalonica,  on  the  Roman  road  to  Stobi '  ;  it 
would  seem  that  in  this,  as  in  some  other  in- 
stances which  might  be  mentioned,  the  ancient 
name  of  the  river  had  fallen  into  disuse,  and  had 
been  replaced  by  that  of  a  town' which  stood  upon 
its  banks.  Hence  also  we  perceive  that  the  road 
to  Stobi  followed  the  valley  of  the  Echidorus,  and 
not  that  of  the  Axius.  Next  to  Gallicum  on  this 
route  occurred  Tauriana,  to  which  the  modern 
Doghiran,  or  Do'iran,  corresponds  so  nearly  in 
name  that  we  can  hardly  doubt  of  the  identity, 
the  more  so  as  the  road  thither  from  Saloniki  led 
in  the  direction  of  the  course  of  the  Galliko.  Nor 
is  the  distance  of  Do'iran  from  Saloniki  very  dif- 
ferent from  the  33  m.  p.  which  the  Table  places 
between  Thessalonica  and  Tauriana.  Do'iran  has 
been  described  to  me  as  a  town  situated  on  a 
small  lake  which  discharges  itself  into  another 
lake,  and  that  into  the  Axius.  Kilkitj  being 
nearly  midway  from  Saloniki  to  Do'iran,  seems  to 
occupy  the  site  of  Gallicum. 

Stobi,  upon  which  the  road  was  directed  as 
being  a  Roman  colony  and  municipium 2,  and 
consequently  the  capital,  in  those  ages,  of  the 
north-western  part  of  Macedonia,  appears  to  have 
been  already  a  place  of  some  importance  under  the 
Macedonian  kings,  though  probably  it  had  been 
greatly  reduced  by  the  incursions  of  the  Dardani, 
when  Philip  had  an  intention  of  founding  a  new 


2  Tab.  Peutinger  Segm.  v. 
2  Plin.  H.  N.  1.  4,  c.  10. 
Ulpian.  dig.  de  Cons,  lex  ult. 


Some  of  the  coins  of  Stobi  are 
inscribed  Munic.  Stobensium. 


XXXI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


441 


city  near  it,  in  memory  of  a  victory  over  those 
troublesome  neighbours,  and  which  he  proposed 
to  call  Perseis,  in  honour  of  his  son.  At  the 
Roman  conquest,  Stobi  was  made  the  place  of 
deposit  of  salt  for  the  supply  of  the  Dardani,  the 
monopoly  of  which  was  given  to  the  third  Mace- 
donia1. Some  vestiges  probably  still  exist  to 
prove  its  exact  site,  although  I  have  not  been 
able  to  obtain  any  account  of  them.  According 
to  the  Tabular  Itinerary,  it  stood  47  m.  p.  from 
Heracleia  of  Lyncus,  which  was  in  the  Via  Egnatia, 
and  55  m.  p.  from  Tauriana ;  and  as  the  sum  of 
the  Tabular  distances  from  Heracleia  to  Stobi, 
and  from  Stobi  to  Serdica,  now  Sofia,  is  not  greater 
than  the  real  distance  from  the  site  of  Heracleia 
near  Filurina  to  Sofia,  we  may  infer  that  Stobi 
was  in  the  direct  road  from  Heracleia  to  Serdica. 
Hence  its  position  appears  to  have  been  on  the 
Erigon,  ten  or  twelve  miles  above  the  junction  of 
that  river  with  the  Axius,  a  situation  which  agrees 
with  Livy,  inasmuch  as  he  describes  Stobi  as  a 
town  of  Pseonia,  in  the  district  Deuriopus,  which 
was  watered  by  the  Erigon.  Strabo,  indeed, 
who  names  three  towns  of  Deuriopus,  and  adds 
that  they  were  all  situated  on  the  Erigon,  has 
not  noticed  Stobi 2,  but  possibly  he  may  have 
considered  the  lower  part  of  that  river  as  in  Pela- 
gonia,  for  the  respective  confines  of  these  districts 
were  very  uncertain,  especially  after  the  Roman 
conquest. 


1  Liv.  1.   33,   c.  19;   1.  39,  2  Strabo,  p.  327. 

c.  53  ;  1.  45,  c.  29. 


442 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


On  the  road  in  the  Tabular  Itinerary  from 
Tauriana  to  Stobi  occur  the  following  distances 
and  names  : — 20  m.  p.  Idomene,  12  m.  p.  Stena, 
11  m.  p.  Antigoneia,  12  m.  p.  Stobi1;  where  the 
Stena  or  Straits  are  evidently  the  pass  now  called 
Demirkapi,  or  Iron  gate,  where  the  river  Vardhari 
is  closely  bordered  by  perpendicular  rocks,  which 
in  one  place  have  been  excavated  for  the  road. 
Idomene  consequently  stood  on  the  Vardhari,  12 
Roman  miles  below  the  Demirkapi,  and  probably 
on  the  right  bank,  as  it  is  included  by  Ptolemy  in 
Emathia,  a  province  bounded  eastward  by  the 
Axius,  which  river  may  be  supposed  to  have  formed 
in  remote  times  a  protection  to  the  Emathian  towns 
from  the  barbarians  of  Paeonia  and  Thrace.  These 
evidences  as  to  the  situation  of  Idomene,  although 
not  yet  confirmed  by  the  discovery  of  any  ancient 
remains,  already  furnish  a  valuable  illustration 
of  Thucydides,  whose  narrative  of  the  invasion  of 
Macedonia  by  the  Thracians,  under  Sitalces  king 
of  the  Odrysse,  in  the  third  year  of  the  Pelopon- 
nesian  war2,  contains  some  incidental  remarks  on 
the  geography  of  Macedonia,  which  are  among 
the  most  useful  to  be  found  in  the  ancient  au- 
thorities. 

The  expedition  of  Sitalces  having  been  under- 
taken   in   concert   with   the  Athenians,    who   had 


1  The  names  in  the  Table 
are  Idomenia,  Stonas,  Stopis, 
which  there  can  be  no  difficulty 
in  correcting  as  above.  As  to 
Stonas,  the  most  important  of 
these  corrections,  we  find  that 

12 


Tempe  is  noticed  in  the  Table 
by  the  word  Stenas,  one  letter 
nearer  to  Stena,   the  real  word 
belonging  to  both  places. 
8  Thucyd.  1.  2,  c.  95. 


XXXI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


443 


several  subject  cities  on  the  Thracian  coast,  the 
king  was  accompanied  by  Agnon  of  Athens,  as 
well  as  by  a  pretender  to  the  Macedonian  throne, 
in  the  person  of  Amyntas,  a  nephew  of  Perdiccas 
the  reigning  monarch.  As  the  authority  of  Sitalces 
extended  from  the  shores  of  the  Euxine  and  Pro- 
pontis  to  the  frontiers  of  Macedonia,  where  even 
the  Pseonian  tribes  to  the  left  of  the  Strymon  were 
subject  to  him,  he  was  enabled  to  enter  Macedonia 
with  no  less  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  men, 
one  third  of  whom  were  cavalry.  His  route  from 
Thrace  into  Macedonia  crossed  Mount  Cercine, 
leaving  the  Pseones  on  his  right,  the  Sinti  and 
Masdi  on  his  left,  and  descended  upon  the  Axius 
at  Idomene ;  from  thence  he  moved  by  Gortynia, 
Atalanta,  and  Europus,  into  the  maritime  plain, 
but  instead  of  proceeding  to  Cyrrhus  and  Pella, 
he  turned  to  the  left  and  ravaged  Mygdonia,  Cres- 
tonia,  and  Anthemus,  without  entering  Bottisea, 
still  less  Pieria,  both  of  which  were  within  Cyrrhus 
and  Pella  \ 

From  a  previous  knowledge  of  the  relative  situ- 
ations of  Sintice,  Idomene,  and  Pella,  it  may  con- 
fidently be  inferred,  that  the  Thracians  invaded 
Macedonia  from  the  plain  of  Serres,  then  con- 
sidered a  part  of  Thrace,  and  that  crossing  the 
mountains  which  close  that  plain  to  the  westward, 
and  separate  it  from  the  valley  of  the  Axius,  they 


1  'iiriiTa  Ze  kcu  Iq  rr)v  dWijv  taw  $e  tovtwv  eg  rr^v  BorrtQiiau 
^laKECovlav  Trpovyjopti  ri)v  tv  koX  Jlieptav  ovk  dtyiKOVTO.  — 
npittTtpq     YleWrjg     Kill    Kvppov'       C.  100. 


444 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


entered  the  latter  not  far  below  the  straits  of  De- 
mirkapi  passing  near  Do'iran.  Hence  the  moun- 
tains at  the  extremity  of  the  Sirrhcean  plain  are 
identified  with  Cercine,  and  Doberus  appears  to 
have  been  not  far  from  Do'iran.  This  is  in  some 
measure  confirmed  by  Hierocles,  who  names  Dio- 
borus  next  to  Idomene  among  the  towns  of  the 
Consular  Macedonia  under  the  Byzantine  empire  \ 
From  Idomene  the  Thracians  evidently  descended 
the  valley  of  the  Axius,  until  arriving  in  the  great 
maritime  plain,  a  little  to  the  eastward  of  Pella, 
they  turned  from  thence  to  the  left  towards  Sa- 
lonika 

As  Gortynia  and  Europus,  which  occurred  be- 
tween Idomene  and  the  plains  of  Cyrrhus  and 
Pella,  are  placed  by  Ptolemy  together  with  Ido- 
mene in  Emathia,  it  is  probable  that  like  Idomene 
they  stood  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Axius  below 
that'city.  Not  far  above  the  entrance  of  the  great 
maritime  plain,  the  site  of  Europus  may  perhaps 
hereafter  be  recognized  by  that  strength  of  position 
which  enabled  it  to  resist  the  invaders.  We  have 
the  concurring  testimony  of  Ptolemy  and  Pliny, 
that  this  Europus  of  Emathia  was  different  from 
Europus  of  Almopia,  which  latter  town  seems 
from  Hierocles,  who  names  Europus  as  well  as 
Almopia  among  the  towns  of  the  consular  Mace- 
donia, a  provincial  division  containing  both  Thes- 
salonica  and  Pella,  to  have  been  known  in  his  time 
by  the  name  of  Almopia  only ;  and  hence  we  may 


1  Hierocl.  p.  G38.  Wess. 


XXXI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


445 


infer  that  it  was  the  chief  town  of  the  ancient  dis- 
trict Almopia.  As  Almopia  was  one  of  the  earliest 
acquisitions  of  the  Temenidae  \  it  was  evidently 
contiguous  to  the  original  seat  of  the  Macedo- 
nian monarchy  about  Berrhcea  and  Edessa.  The 
other  districts  were  Pieria  on  the  south,  Bottisea 
on  the  east,  and  Eordaea  on  the  west.  Almopia, 
therefore,  was  on  the  north  ;  being  the  same  coun- 
try now  called  Moglena,  which  borders  immedi- 
ately upon  the  ancient  capital  of  Macedonia  to  the 
N.E.  And  this  accords  sufficiently  with  the  inti- 
mation given  by  Thucydides,  that  the  next  con- 
quests of  the  kings  were  in  Anthemus,  Crestonia, 
and  Bisaltia:  that  is  to  say,  after  having*  obtained  all 
the  country  to  the  right  of  the  Axius,  they  crossed 
that  river,  and  increased  their  dominions  as  far  as 
the  Pseones  and  Sinti ;  though  they  were  still  ex- 
cluded from  the  greater  part  of  the  sea  coast  by 
the  Greek  colonies  of  Pieria  and  Mygdonia,  and 
those  which  occupied  the  whole  of  the  Chalcidic 
peninsula.  Homer,  whose  writings  are  long  ante- 
rior to  the  Argive  colony  of  the  Temenidee  2, 
alludes  only  to  two  provinces  beyond  the  Greek 


1  Thucyd.  1.  2,  c.  99. 

2  There  is  nothing  to  im- 
peach the  general  truth  of  the 
early  history  of  Macedonia, 
though  that  of  its  kings  be- 
fore Amyntas  I.  is  obscure. 
Alexander,  son  of  Amyntas, 
who  reigned  at  the  Persian 
invasion  made  out  his  Greek 
genealogy  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the   judges     at     the    Olympic 


games,  when  appearing  there 
as  a  competitor  for  the  prize. 
— Herodot.  I.  5,  c.  22.  Justin. 
1.  7,  c.  2. — But  the  origin  of 
the  name  Macedonia  it  seems 
impossible  to  ascertain,  amidst 
conflicting  testimony  of  almost 
equal  weight. — Herodot.  1.  1, 
c.  56;  1.  8,  c.  43.— Hesiod 
Hellanicus  et  Clidemus  ap. 
Constant.  Porph.  Them.  2. 


446 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


cities  of  Thessaly ;  lying  between  them  and  Pse- 
onia  and  Thrace — -namely,  Pieria  and  Emathia1. 
By  the  first  he  probably  intended  the  country  be- 
tween the  Peneius  and  Haliacmon,  or  as  Hesiod 
describes  Pieria,  around  Mount  Olympus 2 ;  by 
the  latter  that  beautiful  region  beyond  the  latter 
river,  and  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Olympene 
ridge,  which  protected  on  all  sides  by  mountains 
or  marshes,  at  a  secure  but  not  inconvenient  dis- 
tance from  the  sea,  gifted  with  three  magnificent 
positions  for  cities  or  fortresses  in  Verria,  Niausta, 
and  Vodhena,  blessed  with  every  variety  of  eleva- 
tion and  aspect,  of  mountain,  wood,  fertile  plain, 
running  water,  and  lake,  was  admirably  adapted 
to  be  the  nursery  of  the  giant  monarchy  of  Mace- 
donia, where  its  wealth  and  power  might  thrive, 
and  increase,  until  the  time  came  for  the  aug- 
mentation of  its  territory  on  every  side. 

I  have  already  observed  that  Niausta,  the  mid- 
dle of  the  three  towns  just  alluded  to,  stands 
probably  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  Citium,  a  very 
remarkable  name,  as,  like  the  Citium  of  Cyprus, 
it  is  of  Phoenician  origin  3,  and  may  warrant  the 
belief  that  a  colony  of  that  nation  occupied  at  a 
remote  period  this  most  desirable  of  all  the  districts 

"'   Iheplrjv  c'  tirifiaaa  teal  'lif.iad'ir)y  t.pa.Ttivi)V. 

II.  SB},  v.  22G. 
2  Ot  Kept  Ylifpirfp  Kul'OXvfXTrov  ^wyuar'  ivaiov. 

Ap.  Const.  Porph.  ubi  sup. 
3  The  Citienses  of    Cyprus      The  Sacred  Writers  appear  by 
used  the  Phoenician  language  to      the  word  Kittim   to  have  in- 
a  late  period. — See   Pococke's      tended  Greece,  and  sometimes 
Travels,  vol.  ii.  pi.  33.  Boeckh.      Macedonia  in  particular. 
Inscr.  Graec.  vol.  i.  p.  523. — 


XXXT.] 


MACEDONIA. 


447 


at  the  head  of  the  Thermaic  Gulf  for  a  colony, 
which  could  not  venture  to  establish  itself  in  a 
maritime  site.  It  appears  from  Justin,  that  a  por- 
tion of  Emathia  was  occupied  by  the  Bryges  l,  who 
were  expelled  from  thence  by  the  Temenidae  ;  and 
Herodotus,  in  stating  that  the  gardens  of  Midas, 
who  was  their  king,  were  situated  at  the  foot  of 
Mount  Bermium 2,  seems  to  show  that  their  situa- 
tion was  around  Berrhcea. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  Emathia  in  later  times 
should  have  had  more  extensive  boundaries  than 
those  which  Homer  may  have  understood,  or  that 
Ptolemy  should  have  advanced  its  limits  to  the  right 
bank  of  the  Axius.  Polybius,  indeed,  and  Livy,  his 
transcriber  in  this  place,  assert,  contrary  to  the  ten- 
dency of  Homer's  notice  of  Emathia  and  Pseonia, 
that  Emathia  was  formerly  called  Pseonia3 ;  but  this 
may  be  reconciled  by  supposing  that  Emathia,  be- 
fore its  colonization,  was  inhabited  by  the  Pseonian 
race  ;  whereas  Pieria,  the  other  province  mentioned 
by  Homer,  is  acknowledged  to  have  been  occupied 
by  a  Thracian  people  before  its  conquest  by  the 
Temenidaj,  whence  Orpheus  was  called  a  Thracian, 
and  Pydna  and  Methone  in  Pieria  were  described 
as  Greek  colonies  on  the  coast  of  Thrace. 

It  is  not  easy  to  reconcile  the  situation  of  the 
Msedi,  as  indicated  in  the  passage  of  Thucydides 
descriptive  of  the  march  of  Sitalces,  with  other 
testimonies  as  to  that  people.  They  there  appear 
to  have  dwelt,  together  with  the  Sinti,   to  the  left 


1  The  same  people  as  the 
Phryges  of  Asia.  The  initial 
B  in  the  place  of  0  was  a  Ma- 
cedonian -Wor. 


2  Herodot.  1.  8,  c.  138. 

3  Polyb.  1.  24,  c.  8.— Liv. 
1.  40,  c.  3. 


448 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


of  the  route  of  the  Thracians  over  Mount  Cercine 
into  Macedonia  ;  whereas,  according  to  other 
authors,  as  will  be  seen  more  fully  hereafter,  the 
Msedi  occupied  the  country  at  the  sources  of  the 
Axius  and  Margus  (now  Vardhari  and  Morava)  as 
well  in  the  reign  of  Philip,  son  of  Demetrius,  as 
under  the  Roman  emperors ;  nor  does  any  author 
but  Thucydides  notice  any  Msedi  near  Lower  Ma- 
cedonia. Possibly  they  had  become  extinct  in  the 
course  of  the  two  centuries  intervening  between  the 
reigns  of  Perdiccas  and  Philip,  or  had  migrated  to 
Mount  Scomius,  like  the  Pieres  to  Mount  Pan- 
gseum,  and  the  Bottigei  into  the  Chalcidic  penin- 
sula. It  is  clear,  at  least,  that  the  Ma?di  could 
not  have  occupied  any  great  extent  of  territory  to 
the  south  of  the  route  of  Sitalces  ;  for  in  the  coun- 
try which  is  bounded  northward  by  that  line, 
southward  by  the  ridge  of  Mount  Khortiatzi,  east- 
ward by  the  Strymonic  plain,  and  westward  by 
that  of  the  Axius,  and  which  is  a  space  not  more 
than  equal  to  a  square  of  forty  geographical  miles 
the  side,  we  have  to  place  Mygdonia,  Crcstonia, 
Anthemus,  and  Bisaltia. 

Mygdonia  comprehended  the  plains  around  Sa- 
lonika, together  with  the  valleys  of  Klisali  and 
Besjkia,  extending  westward  to  the  Axius1,  and 
comprehending  the  lake  Bolbe  to  the  east2.  Cres- 
tonia  adjoined  Mygdonia  to  the  northward  ;  for  the 
Echidorus,  which  flowed  through  Mygdonia  into  the 
gulf  near  the  marsh  of  the  Axius,  had  its  sources  in 
Crestonia3.     The  pass  of  Aulon,  or  Arethusa,  was 


1  Herodot.  1.  7,  c.  123. 

2  Thucyd,  1.  1.  o.  58. 


3  Herodot.  1.  7,  c.  124. 


XXXI.] 


MACEDONIA 


449 


probably  the  boundary  of  Mygdonia  towards  Bisal- 
tia,  which  latter  extended  to  the  Sintice  north- 
ward, and  eastward  to  the  Strymon,  on  the  right 
bank  of  which  it  included  Euporia1. 

The  maritime  part  of  Mygdonia  formed  a  dis- 
trict called  Amphaxitis,  a  chorographical  distinc- 
tion first  occurring  in  Polybius,  who  seems  to 
divide  all  the  great  plain  at  the  head  of  the  Ther- 
maic  Gulf  into  Amphaxitis  and  Bottisea2,  and 
which  is  found  three  centuries  later  in  Ptolemy3. 
The  Amphaxii  coined  their  own  money ;  but  as 
no  mention  of  a  town  of  Amphaxia  occurs  in  his- 
tory, and  the  silence  of  Ptolemy  is  adverse  to  the 
supposition,  those  coins  were  probably  struck  at 
Thessalonica 4. 


1  Ptolem.  1.  3,  c.  13. 

2  Polyb.  1.  5,  c.  98. 

3  Ptolemy  introduces  Am- 
phaxitis twice  among  the  sub- 
divisions of  Macedonia,  in  one 
instance  placing  under  that 
name  the  mouths  of  the  Echi- 
dorus  and  Axius,  with  Thessa- 
lonica as  the  only  town,  which 
accords  generally  with  Poly- 
bius, and  particularly  with 
Strabo,  who  says,  6  "Aijioe  li- 
aipu>v  t!)v  re  JioTTiaiav  Kai  Tr/v 
Afj.tpatl.Tiv  yfjf.     In  the  other 

place,  Ptolemy  includes  Sta- 
geira  and  Arethusa  in  Am- 
phaxitis, which  if  it  were  cor- 
rect, would  indicate  that  a 
portion  of  Amphaxitis,  very 
distant  from  the  Axius,  was 
VOL.  III.  G 


separated  from  the  remainder 
by  a  part  of  Mygdonia,  for 
Ptolemy  himself  names  Apol- 
lonia  among  the  towns  of  Myg- 
donia, which  we  know  to  have 
been  exactly  interposed  be- 
tween Thessalonica  and  Are- 
thusa. But  it  is  not  probable 
that  any  places  so  far  from  the 
Axius  as  Arethusa  and  Sta- 
geira  were  ever  considered  in 
the  Amphaxitis  ;  the  word  is 
perhaps  a  textual  error 

4  Mr.  Millingen  has  lately 
published  a  silver  tetradrachm, 
inscribed  MaKeduvtov  'A/xcba- 
frW,  exactly  resembling  some 
other  coins  of  the  Macedonians, 
after  the  fall  of  the  monarchy. 


g 


450 


MACEDONfA. 


THAI'. 


Anthemus  appears  to  have  been  a  city  of  some 
importance,  as  well  from  the  mention  made  of  it 
in  ancient  history1,  as  from  its  having  given  name, 
like  some  of  the  other  chief  cities  of  Macedonia, 
to  a  town  in  Asia2.  As  Thucydides  shows  its  ter- 
ritory to  have  bordered  upon  Bisaltia,  Crestonia, 
and  Mygdonia3,  there  seems  no  situation  in  which 
it  can  be  placed  but  to  the  south-east  of  Crestonia. 
Probably  it  comprehended,  therefore,  the  vale  of 
Langaza,  with  the  surrounding  heights. 

As  to  the  towns  of  Mygdonia,  which  possessed 
the  fertile  plain  included  between  Mount  Khorti- 
atzi  and  the  Vardhari,  their  population  was  un- 
doubtedly absorbed  in  great  measure  by  Thessalo- 
nica  on  its  foundation  by  Cassander,  and  it  cannot 
be  expected,  therefore,  that  many  remains  of  them 
should  now  exist.  Nor  are  the  ancient  references 
sufficient  to  fix  their  sites.  One  of  them  would 
seem  from  the  inscriptions  which  I  found  at  Khai- 
vat  to  have  stood  in  that  situation,  and  others  pro- 
bably occupied  similar  positions  on  the  last  falls  of 
the  heights  which  extend  from  Khaivat  nearly  to 
the  Vardhari.  One  in  particular  is  indicated  ap- 
parently by  some  large  tumuli,  or  barrows,  situ- 
ated at  two-thirds  of  that  distance.  Sindus,  ac- 
cording to  Herodotus,  was  a  maritime  town  be- 
tween Therme  and  Chalastra,  which  latter  stood 
to  the  right  of  the  mouth  of  the  Axius  4.     Altus 


1  Herodot.  1.  5,  c.  94.— De- 
mosth.  Philip.  2.—  vEschin.  de 
falsa  legat. 

2  Stephan.  in  'AvQcftovq. 


3  Thucyd.  1.  2,  c.  99,  100. 

4  Herodot.   1.   7,   c    123- 
Strabo,  (Epit.  1.  7)  p.  330. 


XXXI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


451 


was  a  place  near  Thessalonica  ',  and  Philerus  and 
Strepsa  appear  to  have  occupied  inland  situations 
in  the  same  part  of  the  country  2. 

The  Crosssea,  Crusasa,  or  Crusis,  was  sometimes 
considered  a  portion  of  Mygdonia  3,  but  is  distin- 
guished from  it  by  Herodotus,  who  describes  the 
Crossaea  as  comprehending  all  the  maritime  coun- 
try on  the  Thermaic  Gulf,  from  Potidsea  to  the 
bay  of  Therma,  where  Mygdonia  commenced  4. 
The  cities  of  Crosssea  were  Lipaxus,  Combreia, 
Lisaea,  Gigonus,  Campsa,  Smila,  and  iEneia.  Of 
these,  Gigonus  and  iEneia  alone  are  noticed  by 
later  writers  :  of  iEneia,  coins  are  still  extant  with 
a  type  referring  to  the  reputed  foundation  of  the 
city  by  iEneias  after  the  Trojan  war5.  The  situa- 
tions both  of  iEneia  and  Gigonus  may  be  presumed 
from  their  having  been  situated  near  two  capes  6, 
and  from  there  being  no  promontories  worthy  of 


4  eg    avrov  re   tov  Qep/xaloy 
<6Xirov  ....  Kal  yfjy  ri]v  Mvy- 


Bovltjv. — Herodot.  1,  7,  c.  123. 

•'  Lycophr.  v.  1236,  etSchol. 
— Liv.  1.  40,  c.  4. —  Dionys. 
Hal.  ubi  sup. — Virg.  iEn.  1.  3, 
v.  16. — Stephan.  in  Aheia. — 
Scylax  in  Mou'tcWm. 


1  Theagen.  ap.  Stephan.  in 
'AA-of. 

2  Plin.  1.4,  c.  10.— ^Eschin. 
de    fals.    legat.  —  Stephan.    in 

3  Strabo  ap.  Stephan.  in 
Kpovcric. — Dionysius  of  Hali- 
camassus  (1.  1,  c.  49)  names  the 
inhabitants  Kpovaaloi. 

6  Scymn.  Ch.  v.  627.  -Dionys.  Hal.  ubi  sup. 
'Oc  (iEneias  sc.)  irputTa  jxiv  'YaiKijXov  oikijitei  fxoXiov 
K:'«t(tov  7rap'  alirvv  irpon'n      .... 

Lycophr.  v.  1236. 
Sch.     'PaiKrjXoc     MaKscovwv       ciXwaiv    rfjg    TpolciQ    wKrjae    Kal 
ttoXiq'    Kt<T(Toc  ce  opoc;  MokeSo-      a<py  iavTov   Ali'ov   TrpotrayopEv- 
I'UtQ,   tpOa  b  Aiveiag  fiEra  r»)»'      gev. —  The    Scholiast    appears 

G  g  2  to 


452 


MACEDONIA. 


fCHAP. 


notice  on  this  coast,  except  the  little  Karaburnu, 
the  great  Karaburnu,  and  the  cape  of  Apanomi, 
the  first  of  which  is  so  near  to  Thessalonica,  and 
so  inconsiderable  compared  with  the  great  Kara- 
burnu, that  it  can  hardly  enter  into  the  question. 
Of  the  two  others,  the  great  Karaburnu  being  about 
10  g.m.  in  direct  distance  from  Thessalonica,  seems 
to  be  sufficiently  identified  by  this  circumstance 
with  the  Cape  iEneium  of  Scymnus,  as  we  learn 
from  Livy,  that  the  town  of  iEneia  was  fifteen  Ro- 
man miles  from  Thessalonica  \  He  adds,  indeed, 
that  it  was  opposite  to  Pydna,  which,  if  it  were 
correct,  would  imply  an  error  in  the  distance  just 
stated,  as  the  two  conditions  are  incompatible,  and 
would  lead  us  to  place  JEneia  and  Cape  JEneium 
at  Apanomi,  which  is  nearly  opposite  to  the  site  of 
Pydna.  It  is  evident,  however,  from  the  order  of 
names  in  Herodotus,  that  Gigonus  was  the  more 
southern  of  the  two  capes,  and  from  another  fact 
which  occurs  in  history,  that  its  situation  was 
nearly  that  of  Apanomi.  We  learn  from  Thucy- 
dides,  that  in  the  year  before  the  beginning  of  the 
Peloponnesian  War,  an  Athenian  force  which  had 
been  employed  against  Perdiccas  marched  in  three 
days  from  Berrhcea  to  Gigonus,  from  whence  they 
proceeded  against  Potidaea  '\  Gigonus,  therefore, 
was  not  more  than  an  ordinary  day's  march  from 
Potidcea,  which  can  hardly  be  said  of  Karaburnu  ; 


to  have  confounded  vEnus  of 
Thrace,  and  iEneia  of  Mace- 
donia. 

YiytoviQ,  uKpa  fiera^v  MaKe- 
coviue  Kul  UeX\tii'T]Q. — Etymol. 


Mag.  in  voce — Ptolemy  (1.  3, 
c.  13)  notices  the  same  cape, 
but  under  the  name  Egonis. 

1  Liv.  1.  44,  c.  10. 

2  Thucyd.  1.  1.  c.  61. 


XXXI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


453 


whereas,  placing  Gigonus  at  Apanomi,  we  have 
four  days'  march  of  about  twenty  miles  each,  the 
second  to  Saloniki,  and  the  third  to  Apanomi. 
Stephanus  also  favours  the  more  southerly  situa- 
tion of  Gigonus  by  intimating  that  its  territory  con- 
fined upon  that  of  Pallene1,  which  was  probably 
true  in  later  times,  when  the  intermediate  places 
mentioned  by  Herodotus  having  fallen  to  decay, 
the  maritime  country  was  divided  between  Thes- 
salonica,  iEneia,  Gigonus,  and  Cassandreia.  Still, 
however,  I  am  inclined  to  defer  to  Livy's  words 
adversus  Pydnam,  so  far  as  to  look  for  ^neia  on 
the  southern  rather  than  the  eastern  side  of  Cape 
Karaburnu,  the  former  better  answering  moreover 
to  the  same  author's  15  m.  p.  from  Thessalonica. 

In  illustration  of  the  great  number  of  towns 
which  in  the  time  of  Herodotus  occupied  Pallene 
and  Crossaea,  it  may  be  worthy  of  remark  that  this 
is  now  considered  the  most  fertile  and  best  cul- 
tivated part  of  Macedonia,  and  the  advantage  of 
the  harbour  of  Apanomi,  added  to  that  of  a  rich 
surrounding  territory,  will  equally  account  for  that 
place  having  retained  its  pre-eminence  both  in 
ancient  and  modern  times. 

Cissus  was  a  mountain  (with  a  town  of  the  same 
name)  which  a  comparison  of  Xenophon  and  Lyco- 
phron  seems  to  identify  with  Khortiatzi,  the  former 
by  mentioning  it  among  the  mountains  which  pro- 
duced beasts  of  prey,  the  latter  by  describing  it 
as  a  lofty  summit  not  far  from  Rhaecelus,  which 
appears  from  Lycophron  to  have  been  the  name 

1   Tiyiovoc,   7toXic  Op(fKr]g,   Trpoffe^rjQ    rrj    IIaA\//v»/. — Steplian. 
in  voce: 


454 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


of  the  promontory  where  iEneias  founded  his  city  l. 
I  cannot  learn,  indeed,  that  the  Frank  merchants 
or  consuls,  many  of  whose  country  houses  are  on 
or  near  Mount  Khortiatzi,  or  that  the  villages  near 
it,  are  ever  disturhed  by  the  formidable  inhabitants 
of  Mount  Cissus  enumerated  by  Xenophon,  such 
as  the  lion,  ounce2,  lynx,  panther,  and  bear;  but 
Khortiatzi  is  the  only  high  mountain  within  a  mo- 
derate distance  of  the  site  of  JILnevi  which  we  can 
conceive  to  have  been  the  haunt  of  those  animals. 
That  the  town  Cissusw&s  not  far  from  Saloniki,  seems 
evident  from  its  having  contributed,  together  with 
iEneia  and  Chalastra,  to  people  Thessalonica  3. 

Although  it  has  been  generally  found  convenient 
to  apply  the  name  Chalcidice  to  the  whole  of  the 
great  peninsula  lying  southward  of  the  ridge  of 
Mount  Khortiatzi,  in  consequence  of  the  influence 
which  the  XaA/aSi/cov  yhog,  or  people  of  Chalcidic 
race,  enjoyed  in  that  country  in  the  meridian  period 
of  Greek  history,  the  original  Chalcidice  did  not 
comprehend  Crussea  nor  the  districts  of  Acanthus 
and  Stageirus,  which  were  colonies  of  Andrus ; 
nor  that  of  Potidaea,  a  colony  of  Corinth 4  ;  nor 
even  Olynthus,  or  the  territory  around  it  to  the 
northward,  which  was  occupied  by  a  people  who 
had  been  driven  out  of  Bottiseis,  westward  of  the 
Lydias,  in  the  early  times  of  the  Macedonian 
monarchy5,  and  who,  as  it  appears  from  their  coins, 


1  Xenoph.  de  Venat.  c.  11. 
— Lycoplir.  v.  123G,  v.  sup. 

2  irdpSaXic. 

3  Strabo  (Epit.  1.  7)  p.  330. 
— Dionys.  Hal.  1.  1,  c.  49. 


4  Thucyd.     1.    1,    c.   66.- 
Scymn.  ch.  v,  628. 

5  Herodot.   1.  8,  c.  127.- 
Thucyd.  1.  2,  c.  99. 


XXXI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


455 


were  in  subsequent  times  written  Bornatot,  and  their 
country  Bottikt),  to  distinguish  them  from  the  Bor- 
Tiarai,  or  inhabitants  of  Boi-rem,  or  BorTta,  a  district 
and  town  to  the  westward  of  the  Axius1.  The  prin- 
cipal possession  of  the  Chalcidenses,  in  the  earliest 
time  of  their  migration,  seems  to  have  been  the 
peninsula  of  Sithonia,  and  their  port  and  fortress 
to  have  been  Torone  ;  from  thence  they  extended 
their  power  inland,  until  at  length  they  occupied 
all  the  part  of  Mygdonia  to  the  southward  of  the 
ridges  which  stretch  westward  from  Nizvoro,  toge- 
ther with  the  Cruscea. 

The  Chalcidenses  were  indebted  to  the  Persians 
for  the  acquisition  of  Olynthus.  Artabazus,  on  his 
return  from  the  Hellespont,  whither  he  had  escorted 
Xerxes  after  his  defeat  at  Salamis,  having  reduced 
Olynthus  together  with  some  other  places  in  this 
quarter  which  had  revolted  from  his  master,  slew 
all  the  Bottiaei,  who  had  garrisoned  Olynthus,  and 
gave  up  the  place  to  the  Chalcidenses  \  The  Bot- 
tiaei after  this  period  seem  to  have  been  the  humble 
allies  of  the  Chalcidenses,  with  whom  we  find 
them  joined  on  two  occasions  3.     Spartolus,  which 


1  Compare  Thucyd.  1.  1,  c. 
57,  65,  1.  2,  c.  79,  101,  and 
Etymol.  Mag.  in  Bon-em,  where 
Bottim),  »/  XaXddinri  yi)  ought 
obviously  to  be  Bottikt)  // 
XaXKidiKi)  yrj.  That  Borrta'rqc, 
the  gentile  of  Botte ia,  belonged 
to  the  western  Bottiasis  is  con- 
firmed by  the  coins,  inscribed 
BoTTedrwv,  which  resemble 
those  of  Pella.  On  the  other 
hand,  one  of  the  silver  coins, 

VOL.   III. 


(. 


inscribed  BottiuLiov,  is  pre- 
cisely similar  both  in  type  and 
fabric  to  those  of  the  Chalci- 
denses, impressed  with  the 
head  of  Apollo  and  his  lyre. 

2  T))y  ce  ttvXiv  7rapadico~i 
KpiTofiovXh)  Topwimio)  ETrirpo- 
ttevelv  Kai  rw  XaXKihitcui  jeveI 
icai  ovrio  "QXvydov  XoXkiCeec 
egxov- — Herod.  1.  8,  c.  127. 

3  Thucyd.  1.  1,  c.  65;  1.  2, 
c.  70. 

4  -$- 


456 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


was  at  no  great  distance  from  Olynthus '  to  the 
northward,  belonged  to  them,  and  was  perhaps 
their  capital.  Scolus,  another  town  near  Olyn- 
thus2, was  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  mentioned, 
together  with  Spartolus,  in  the  treaty  between 
Sparta  and  Athens,  in  the  tenth  year  of  the  Pelo- 
ponnesian  War 3.  Angeia  *  and  Miacorus,  or  Mil- 
corus  5,  are  two  other  names  which  may  be  assigned 
to  the  interior  of  Chalcidice. 

Proof  is  wanting  of  there  having  been  a  town  of 
Chalcis  in  any  part  of  the  country  occupied  by  the 
colonists  of  Eubcea.  Stephanus,  who  enumerates 
five  cities  of  that  name,  is  silent  as  to  any  such  in 
the  Thracian  Chalcidice,  and  Eudoxus,  whom  he 
cites,  merely  describes  Chalcis  as  the  coast  lying 
between  Athos  and  Pallene6.  Aristotle  also,  who 
knew  Macedonia  well,  employs  Chalcis  or  Chalci- 
dice of  Thrace,  as  the  name  of  a  district,  not  a 
town  7.  Nevertheless,  it  can  scarcely  be  doubted 
that  before  the  time  when  Olynthus  became  subject 
to  the  Chalcidenses,  and  at  length  obtained  the 
supremacy  over  their  other  towns,  there  was  a  chief 
city  of  the  Chalcidenses  where  the  most  ancient 
of  those  beautiful  coins  were  struck  which   have 


1  Isaei  Orat.  de  Dicaeogen. 
haer. 

2  Strabo,  p.  408. 

3  Thucyd.  1.  5,  c.  18. 
1  Ptolem.  1.  3,  c.  13. 

5  Theopomp.  ap.  Stephan.  in 
Mia'/cwpoc,  MtXicwpog. 

6  jxtTa  £e  tov  "AOoj  fJ-kxP1 
IIoAXj/j'JH,  V  t^1  Onrtpa  ire- 
TroirjKE  KuXnov  fiadvv   cat  7rXa- 


tvv,  XaXk/oa  kixovo[ia'C,6\xwov . 
— Stephan.  in  XaXdc 

7  kv  rr\  XaXic/oi  kwl  Qp^Tjc. 
— Aristot.  de  Mirab.  auscult. 

kv  rrj  XaXKiditcrj  kn\  Opq.Kr]c, 
de  Hist.  Anim.  1.  3,  c.  12. 

In  like  manner,  ol  XctXucitTe 
£7ri  Qpq.KT)Q  is  the  common  ex- 
pression of  the  historians  for  the 
people  of  the  Chalcidic  league. 


xxxr.] 


MACEDONIA, 


457 


the  head  of  Apollo  on  one  side,  and  on  the  reverse 
his  lyre  with  the  legend  XaX/a&wv ;  for  that  these 
were  the  coins  of  the  Thracian  Chalcidenses,  and 
not  of  the  Eubcean,  I  can  have  no  doubt,  having 
found  several  of  them  in  or  near  the  country  of  the 
former  people,  and  not  one  in  any  other  part  of 
Greece,  while  those  of  Chalcis  in  Eubcea  bearing 
the  eagle  and  serpent  on  one  side,  and  a  female 
head  on  the  other,  are  everywhere  extremely  nu- 
merous. The  coins  of  the  Chalcidenses  of  Thrace 
were  the  produce  perhaps  of  the  mines  of  Sidhero- 
kapsa,  to  the  possession  of  which  the  colony  may 
have  been  in  great  measure  indebted  for  its  pros- 
perity. The  Acanthii  may  have  derived  the  silver 
of  their  fine  coins  from  the  same  source. 

The  name  of  the  ancient  capital  of  Chalcis  I 
conceive  to  have  been  Apollonia,  in  conformity 
with  that  worship  of  Apollo  which  is  recorded  on 
the  coins;  for  that  there  was  an  Apollonia  of  Chal- 
cidice  different  from  Apollonia  of  Mygdonia,  is 
clearly  shown  by  Athenseus  and  Xenophon  :  an 
author  cited  by  the  former  remarks  that  two  rivers 
flowed  from  Apollonia  into  the  lagoon  Bolyca,  near 
Olynthus x ;  from  the  latter  we  learn  that  Apollonia 
was  only  ten  or  twelve  miles  from  Olynthus2 ;  whence 


1  Hegesandrus  ap.  A  then.  1. 
8,  c.  3. 

2  Xenoph.  Hellen.  1.  5,  c. 
3.  The  circumstances  related 
by  Xenophon  show  that  there 
is  no  numerical  error  in  this 
distance  :  six  hundred  Olyn- 
thian  cavalry  ravaged  the  lands 
of  the  Apolloniatae,  and  ad- 
vanced   about  midday    to   the 


walls  of  Apollonia,  when  Der- 
das,  prince  of  Elimeia,  who 
happened  to  be  in  the  city  with 
his  horsemen,  suddenly  issuing 
from  the  gates,  put  them  to 
flight,  and  pursued  them  90 
stades,  slaying  many,  until  they 
were  driven  quite  to  the  walls 
of  Olynthus. 


458 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


it  is  evident  that  the  Apollonia  intended  by  these 
two  authors  was  on  the  southern  side  of  the  ridges 
which  intersect  the  Chalcidic  peninsula  from  east 
to  west.  Apollonia  of  Mygdonia,  on  the  other 
hand,  as  the  indubitable  testimony  of  St.  Luke 
and  the  Itineraries  demonstrate,  stood  to  the  north- 
ward of  the  same  mountains,  on  the  direct  road 
from  Thessalonica  to  Amphipolis,  by  the  pass  of 
Arethusa l.  In  fact,  the  ruins  of  this  Apollonia 
are  still  to  be  seen  exactly  in  that  line  to  the 
south  of  Pazarudhi,  at  a  place  preserving  the 
ancient  name  in  a  corrupted  form,  and  nearly  at 
the  proportionate  distance  between  Thessalonica 
and    Amphipolis    indicated     by    the    Itineraries 2. 


1  Act.  Apost.  c.  17.  v.  1. 
Thessalonica  —  Melissurgin 

m.  p.  20  Apollonia,  m.  p.  17 
Amphipoli  m.  p.  30. — Anton. 
It.  ed.  Wessel.  p.  320. 

Thessalonica — Apollonia  m, 
p.  3G  Amphipoli  m.  p.  32. — 
Anton.  It.  p.  330. 

Thessalonica  20  (m.p.)  Mc* 
lissuvgi  18.  Apollonia  30. 
Amphipoli.  —  Tab.  Peuting. 
Segm.  5. 

Civitas  Amphipolim  —  Mu- 
tatio  Pennana  m.  10.  Mutatio 
Peripidis  (Arethusa)  M.  10. 
Mansio  Apollonia  m.  1 1 .  Mu- 
tatio Heraeleustibus  m.  11. 
Mutatio  Duodea  m.  14.  Civi- 
tas Thessalonica  m.  13. — Itin. 
Hierosol.  p.  G05. 

2  Besides  the  Apolloniae  of 
Chalcis   and  Mygdonia,  and  a 


third  in  the  peninsula  of  Acte, 
which  I  have  before  noticed,  it 
appears  from  Pomponius  Mela 
and  the  epitomizer  of  Strabo, 
that  there  was  a  fourth  at  no 
great  distance.  It  was  not  so 
near,  however,  as  might  be 
supposed  from  those  two  wri- 
ters, for  the  better  authority  of 
Livy  (1.  38,  c.  41)  manifestly 
shows  that  they  have  incorrect- 
ly described  it  as  having  been 
situated  westward  of  the  Nestus, 
and  that  it  was  between  Maronea 
and  Abdera,  or  not  less  than  20 
miles  to  the  eastward  of  that 
river.  Nor  is  the  evidence  of  the 
Latin  historian  on  this  question 
without  support,  for  Stephanus 
evidently  alludes  to  the  same 
Apollonia,  when  referring  to  its 
mention  by  Demosthenes  he  de- 


XXXI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


459 


The  distance  of  the  Chalcidic  Apollonia  from 
Olynthus,  stated  by  Xenophon,  and  the  circum- 
stance of  its  not  being  in  the  direction  of  Acan- 
thus, which  his  narrative  also  indicates,  combine 
to  place  it  at  or  near  Polighero,  which,  like  Apol- 
lonia of  old,  is  now  the  chief  town  of  the  Chalci- 
dice. Spartolus  would  seem  from  the  transactions 
related  by  Thucydides  not  to  have  been  so  far  from 
Olynthus  as  Apollonia  was,  which  is  somewhat 
confirmed  by  Iseeus,  who  describes  it  as  Spartolus 
of  the  Olysia  l,  or  territory  of  Olynthus.  It  was  in 
consequence  of  the  complaints  of  the  Apollonians 
of  Chalcidice  and  of  the  Acanthii,  that  the  Lace- 
daemonians sent  an  army  against  Olynthus,  which, 
after  losing  two  of  its  commanders,  succeeded  in 
the  fourth  campaign,  B.C.  379,  in  reducing  the  city 
to  submission2. 

When  Olynthus  became  a  part  of  Chalcidice,  it 
is  not  surprising  that  its  maritime  situation  should 
have  caused  it  gradually  to  eclipse  the  ancient 
capital.  It  was  particularly  after  the  Peloponnc- 
sian  War,  that  it  became  one  of  the  greatest  cities 
in  Greece,  made  successful  war  with  Macedonia, 
took  Pella  from  Amyntas 3,  and  was  of  such  im- 
portance to  the  league  which  it  headed,  that  when 


scribes  it  as  the  "  Apollonia  of 
the  Ionians  of  Thrace,"  (£<\octt>) 
devrepr],  tuiv  tVt  QpaKrjg  'Iwvuv, 
f/v  ^rjfxoadtprfQ  (j>T]<Tii'.  —  Ste- 
phan.  in  'A7ro\Xwvta.)  The 
Ionians  of  Thrace  were  so  cal- 
led because  Abdera  was  a  colo- 
ny of  Clazomenae  and  Teus, 
and  Maronea  a  colony  of  Chius, 


(Herodot.  1.  1,  c.  1(38.  Scymn. 
ch.  v.  66o,  675). 

1  Isaei  orat.  ubi  supra. 

2  Xenoph.  Hellen.  1.  5,  c.  3. 
£7ri   Qpq.Kr)Q   fxeylarr)   noXig 

"OXwdog. — Xen.  Hellen.   1.  5, 
c.  2. 

'  OXwdog    iroXig   fivpiaydpog. 
— Diodor.  excerpt.  Ex.  1.  32. 


460 


MACEDONIA, 


[CHAP. 


reduced  by  Philip,  it  was  followed  in  its  submis- 
sion by  thirty-two  other  towns  l. 

Nor  can  there  be  any  difficulty  in  conceiving,  that 
when  Chalcidice  had  been  between  three  and  four 
centuries  subject  to  Rome,  the  received  chorography 
of  the  country  should  have  been  different  from  that 
which  prevailed  in  the  time  of  its  freedom.  Pto- 
lemy appears  to  have  divided  the  whole  peninsula 
into  two  parts,  Chalcidice  and  Paralia ;  for  thus  I 
read  the  word  which  in  all  the  printed  copies  of  his 
works  is  Paraxia 2.  Paralia  contained  all  the  mari- 
time country  between  the  bay  of  Thessalonica  and 
Derrhis  the  Cape  of  Sithonia  :  thus  the  western 
coast  of  Sithonia  was  at  that  time  included  in  Pa- 
ralia, and  the  eastern  in  Chalcidice,  together  with 
Acanthus,  the  entire  peninsula  of  Acte,  and  all  the 
maritime  country  adjacent  to  the  Strymonic  Gulf, 
as  far  north  as  Bromiscus,  with  the  exception  of 
Stageira. 

Livy  mentions  an  Antigoneia  of  Crusis  between 
iEneia  and  Pallene  3 :  it  was  perhaps  one  of  the 
towns  of  that  coast  noticed  by  Herodotus,  which 
had  been  repaired  by  one  of  the  Antigoni.  By 
Ptolemy  it  is  surnamed  Psaphara,  probably  in 
order  to  distinguish  it  by  this  adjunct  from  ano- 
ther Macedonian  Antigoneia  on  the  road  from  the 
Stena  of  the  Axius  to  Stobi.  As  Chsetae  and 
Moryllus    are    placed   by  Ptolemy  together   with 


1  Demosth.  Philip.  3. — Mr. 
Millingen  has  lately  engraved 
a  coin  of  the  Chalcidences  of 
Thrace,  on  which  the  letters 
OAYNO  surround  the  head  of 


Apollo,    and  the   word    XAA- 
XIAEQN  his  lyre. 

2  Ptolem.  1.  3,  c.  13. 

3  Liv.  1.  44,  c.  10. 


XXXI. 


MACEDONIA. 


461 


Antigoneia  Psaphara  in  Paralia,  and  their  names 
do  not  occur  in  the  periplus  of  the  fleet  of  Xerxes, 
they  were  places  perhaps  in  the  bay  of  Thessa- 
lonica,  between  the  city  and  Cape  JEneium,  or 
Karaburnu.  Ptolemy  has  not  noticed  either  this 
cape  or  the  city  iEneia. 

On  the  road  from  Thessalonica  to  Apollonia  of 
Mygdonia,  a  Melissurgi  occurs  in  two  of  the  Itine- 
raries :  this  place  still  preserves  its  ancient  name 
in  the  usual  Romaic  form  of  Melissurgiis,  and  is 
inhabited  by  honey-makers,  as  the  word  implies. 
It  was  20  or  21  m.  p.  from  Thessalonica.  The 
third,  or  Jerusalem  Itinerary,  seems  to  have  fol- 
lowed a  different  line  from  Apollonia  to  Thessalo- 
nica, leaving  probably  the  summit  of  Khortiatzi  to 
the  right,  whereas  the  two  others  seem  to  have 
passed  on  the  opposite  side  of  it.  But  both  roads 
evidently  crossed  that  mountain,  the  Romans  hav- 
ing seldom  allowed  such  an  obstacle  to  divert  them 
from  their  direction.  The  modern  barbarians,  on 
the  contrary,  have  found  a  circuit  by  the  pass  of 
Khaivat,  which  avoids  the  ridge  entirely,  more 
convenient  for  the  caravan  route  to  Constanti- 
nople ;  and  in  consequence  of  this  change,  they 
follow  the  northern  shore  of  the  lakes,  instead  of 
the  heights  on  the  southern  side  of  them,  which 
was  the  direction  of  the  ancient  road.  These 
routes  reunite  in  the  pass  of  Arethusa,  now  called 
that  of  Besikia,  and  by  the  Turks  the  Rumili  Bog- 
hazi,  as  being  one  of  the  most  important  defiles  on 
this  great  line  of  communication. 

In  the  list  of  Greek  bishoprics  as  arranged  by  the 
emperor  Leo  the  philosopher,  Lete,  conjointly  with 


462 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


Rendina,  was  the  see  of  a  bishop  subordinate  to  the 
metropolitan  of  Thessalonica,  and  styled  o  Atjt»/c 
Kal  'Pevtivtjc.  Rendina  having  been  at  or  near  the 
pass  of  Besikia,  it  would  seem  that  Lete  was  not 
far  from  thence,  which  agrees  with  the  intima- 
tions derived  from  the  ancients  as  to  the  position 
of  Lete,  the  lake  of  Besikia  having  been  in  Myg- 
donia\  and  Lete  being  named  by  Ptolemy  next 
to  Apollonia  of  Mygdonia  2.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  seems  difficult  to  find  a  place  for  Lete  in  the 
Mygdonian  valley,  if  Stephanus  is  right  in  assert- 
ing the  existence  of  a  town  Bolbe,  since  in  that 
case  this  valley  seems  sufficiently  occupied  by 
Bolbe,  Apollonia,  and  Anthemus.  Possibly  Mav- 
rovo  may  be  the  site  of  Lete,  or  Sokho,  if  we  place 
Ossa  at  Lakhana. 

I  shall  now  offer  a  few  remarks  on  Pseonia,  a 
geographical  denomination,  which  prior  to  the 
Argolic  colonization  of  Emathia,  appears  to  have 
comprehended  the  entire  country  afterwards  called 
Macedonia,  with  the  exception  of  that  portion  of 
it  which  was  considered  a  part  of  Thrace.  As 
the  Macedonian  kingdom  increased,  Paeonia  was 
curtailed  of  its  dimensions  on  every  side,  though 
the  name  still  continued  to  be  applied  in  a  general 
sense  to  the  great  belt  of  interior  country  which 
covered  Upper  and  Lower  Macedonia  to  the  N. 
and  N.  E.,  and  a  portion  of  which  was  a  monarchy 
nominally  independent  of  Macedonia  until  fifty 
years  after  the  death  of  Alexander  the  Great. 

The  banks  of  the  Axius  seem  to  have  been  the 


Thucyd.  1.  1,  c.  58. 


2  Ftolem.  1.  3,  c.  13. 


XXXT.] 


MACEDONIA. 


463 


centre  of  the  Paeonian  power,  from  the  time  when 
Pyraechmes  and  Asteropaeus  led  the  Peeonians  to 
the  assistance  of  Priam  l,  down  to  the  latest  exist- 
ence of  the  monarchy.  When  the  Temenidae  had 
acquired  Emathia,  Almopia,  Crestonia,  and  Myg- 
donia,  the  kings  of  Pseonia  still  continued  to  rule 
over  the  country  beyond  the  straits  of  the  Axius, 
until  Philip,  son  of  Amyntas,  twice  reduced  them 
to  terms,  and  they  were  at  length  subdued  by 
Alexander2,  after  which  they  were  probably  sub- 
missive to  the  Macedonian  sovereigns 3.  The 
coins  of  Audoleon,  who  reigned  at  that  time,  and 
who  adopted  after  the  death  of  Alexander  the 
common  types  of  that  prince  and  his  successors  4, 
prove  the  civilization  of  Pseonia  under  its  kings. 
Diodorus  informs  us  that  Cassander  assisted  Au- 
doleon against  the  Autariatae,  an  Illyrian  people, 
and  that  having  conquered  them,  he  transported 
20,000  men,  women,  and  children,  to  Mount  Or- 
belus 5,  whence  we  may  infer  that  regal  Pseonia 
lay  between  the  Autariatae  and  Mount  Orbelus. 


1  II.  B.  v.  848,  $.  v.  154. 
—V.  et  Thucyd.  1.  2,  c.  99. 

2  Diodor.  1.  19,  c.  2.  4.  22  ; 
].  17,  c.  8. 

3  An  inscribed  marble  re- 
cently discovered  in  the  acro- 
polis of  Athens  records  an  in- 
terchange of  good  offices  be- 
tween the  Athenians  and  Au- 
doleon in  the  archonship  of 
Diotimus,  b.  c.  354,  or  a  few 
years  after  the  succession  of 
Philip,   son   of  Amyntas,   and 

12 


Audoleon,  to  their  respective 
thrones,  and  two  years  after 
Philip  is  stated  by  Diodorus 
to  have  reduced  the  king  of 
Paeonia  to  submission.  If  this 
Audoleon  was  the  same  as  the 
cotemporary  of  Cassander,  he 
reigned  at  least  fifty  years. 

4  The  head  of  Alexander  in 
the  character  of  young  Hercu- 
les, and  on  the  obverse,  the 
figure  of  Jupiter  Aetophorus. 

5  Diodor.  1.  20,  c.  19. 


464 


MACEDONIA 


[chap. 


From  a  comparison  of  Appian  and  Strabo,  as  well 
as  from  an  incident  in  the  life  of  Alexander  the 
Great,  to  which  I  before  adverted  \  it  is  evident 
that  the  Autariatse  bordered  to  the  eastward  upon 
the  Agrianes  and  Bessi,  to  the  south  upon  the 
Maidi  and  Dardani,  and  in  the  other  directions  on 
the  Ardisei  and  Scordisci.  Upon  the  whole,  there- 
fore, it  is  consistent  with  history  and  the  general 
chorography  of  the  countries  to  the  northward  of 
Macedonia,  to  conclude  that  regal  Paeonia  com- 
prehended all  the  central  and  most  fertile  part  of 
the  more  extended  Pseonia,  and  that  it  was  situ- 
ated above  the  straits  of  the  Axius,  occupying  all 
the  countries  on  the  upper  branches  of  that  river, 
with  the  exception  of  those  districts  towards  the 
sources  of  the  Erigon,  which  had  been  united  with 
Upper  Macedonia.  Bylazora,  although  described 
by  Polybius  as  the  chief  city  of  Paeonia,  was  not 
the  capital  of  the  kingdom,  perhaps  on  account  of 
the  inconvenience  of  its  proximity  to  the  Dardani. 
The  royal  residence,  as  we  learn  from  Polyaenus, 
was  situated  on  the  river  Astycus 2,   evidently  the 


1  Appian.  Illyr.  c.  2,  et  seq. 
—Strabo,  p.  315.— See  p.  323 
of  this  volume. 

2  Ariston,  who  was  probably 
son  of  Audoleon,  after  having 
distinguished  himself  in  the 
command  of  the  Paeones  under 
Alexander  in  Asia,  (Arrian.  1. 
2,  c.  9  ;  1.  3,  c.  12.  Q.  Curt. 
1.  4,  c.  9.  Plutarch,  in  Alex.) 
was  conducted  into  Paeonia  by 
Lysimachus,  who  pretended  to 


establish  him  in  his  kingdom, 
but  intended  to  seize  it  for  him- 
self. Ariston  fled  to  the  Sctpckelc 
(Serdica?)  on  discovering  the 
treachery  of  Lysimachus,  who 
while  Ariston  was  bathing  in 
the  Astycus,  previously  to  the 
royal  feast,  according  to  an- 
cient custom,  suddenly  armed 
his  followers,  and  thus,  adds 
Polyaenus,  obtained  possession 
of  Paeonia. — Polyaen.  1.4,  c.  12. 


xxxr.j 


MACEDONIA. 


465 


Vravnitza,  or  river  of  Istib,  which,  next  to  the 
Erigon,  is  the  greatest  of  the  tributaries  of  the 
Axius. 

Of  the  tribes  on  the  Thracian  frontier  of  Pseonia 
which  were  subject  to  Macedonia,  as  early  at 
least  as  the  reign  of  Philip,  son  of  Amyntas, 
I  have  already  shown  reasons  for  believing  that 
the  Odomanti  occupied  the  whole  of  Mount  Orbe- 
lirs  from  above  the  Stena  of  the  Strymon  near  the 
modern  Demirissar  to  Zikhna  inclusive,  where 
they  confined  on  Mount  Pangceum.  Thus  their 
north-western  portion  lay  to  the  right  of  Sitalces  as 
he  crossed  Mount  Cercine  :  and  their  general  situ- 
ation accords  with  the  description  of  Thucydides, 
according  to  whom  they  dwelt  beyond  the  Strymon 
to  the  north  ' ;  that  is  to  say,  to  the  northward  of  the 
Lower  Strymon,  where  alone  the  river  has  such  an 
easterly  course  as  can  justify  the  historian's  expres- 
sion. It  is  observable,  that  the  Panaei,  whom  Thu- 
cydides couples  with  the  Odomanti,  are  stated  by 
Stephanus  to  have  been  a  tribe  of  the  Edones2. 
These  authorities  agree,  therefore,  in  confirming 
the  situation  of  the  Odomanti  just  indicated. 

Between  Meleniko  and  Petritzi,  above  Demiris- 
sar and  the  Strymonic  straits,  the  main  branch  of 
the  Struma,  or  Strymon,  is  joined  by  a  large  tri- 
butary named  Strumitza,  upon  which  stands  a  town 
of  the  same  name,  situated  a  day's  journey  beyond 
Petritzi,  in  the  road  from  Serres  to  Velesa.     Strii- 


Thucyd.  1.2,  c.  101;  1.5, 


Stephan.  in  Havaloi. 


,-.  0. 


VOL.    III. 


II    ll 


466 


MACEDONIA 


[chap. 


mitza  I  am  disposed  to  identify  with  the  ancient 
Astraeum,  to  which  Philip  sent  his  son  Demetrius, 
when  he  gave  directions  for  his  death  to  Didas, 
governor  of  Paeonia  \  though  it  was  not  there  that 
Didas  executed  his  orders,  but  at  Heracleia  (Sin- 
tica)  having  invited  Demetrius  thither  on  the  oc- 
casion of  a  festival  during  which  poison  was  admi- 
nistered to  the  prince.  Didas,  in  return  for  his 
services,  was  favoured  by  Perseus  when  he  came 
to  the  throne ;  and  hence  we  find  Didas,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Persic  war,  commanding  a  body 
of  3000  men,  who  consisted  of  Paeones,  Paroraei, 
Parstrymonii,  and  Agrianes  2.  The  Paeonian  mo- 
narchy was  then  extinct,  and  its  territory,  with 
the  exception  probably  of  a  part  occupied  by 
the  Dardani,  had  been  united  to  the  Macedonian 
kingdom  ;  from  which  fact,  and  the  names  of  the 
people  who  were  governed  by  Didas,  it  seems  evi- 
dent that  the  Paeonian  province,  at  that  period  of 
the  Macedonian  monarchy,  comprehended  the  val- 
leys of  the  Upper  Strymon  and  Upper  Axius,  with 
the  intermediate  mountains,  and  including  the 
country  of  the  Agrianes,  who  dwelt  near  the  sources 
of  the  Strymon 3.  Astraeum  seems  to  have  been  a 
central  position  in  this  country,  and  the  provincial 
seat  of  government.  The  site  of  Strumitza.  was  well 
adapted  to  be  the  chief  fortress  of  such  hardy  tribes : 
its  strength  is  particularly  attested  by  Nicephorus 
Gregoras,  when  he  was  sent  in  a.  d.  1326  to  Skopia 


1  Liv.  1.  40,  c.  24. 

2  Liv.  1.  42,  c.  51. 


!    Strabon. 
p.  331. 


(Epit.     1.     7) 


XXXI. J 


MACEDONIA. 


467 


on  a  mission  to  the  Krai  of  Servia  from  the  Em- 
peror Andronicus  the  elder  :  he  relates,  that  after 
having  travelled  half  a  night  and  one  day  from  a 
ferry  of  the  Strymon,  he  arrived  at  Strumitza,  a 
fortress  so  lofty  that  the  men  on  the  walls  looked 
from  the  plain  like  birds '. 

Ptolemy,  in  assigning  to  the  iEstraei  Doberus  as 
well  as  iEstrseum,  shows  those  two  places  to  have 
been  at  no  great  distance  from  one  another;  which 
is  true,  on  the  supposition  that  Mstrceum  or  As- 
trceum,  was  at  Strumitza,  and  Doberus  near  Dog- 
hiran2.  Strymon,  Struma,  Astraeus,  and  Stru- 
mitza,   seem  to  be   all  dialectic   modifications  of 


1  Nicephor.  Greg.  1.  8,  c. 
11.  Grcgoras  had  been  pre- 
ceptor of  the  children  of  Meto- 
chita,  for  which  reason  he  was 
chosen  by  the  Emperor  for  a 
mission,  one  of  the  objects  of 
which  was  to  persuade  the 
widow  of  John  Palaeologus, 
who  was  the  Krai's  mother-  in- 
law and  the  daughter  of  Meto- 
chita,  to  return  to  Constanti- 
nople. Gregoras  was  accom- 
panied by  one  of  the  lady's 
brothers.  Of  his  journey  as 
far  as  the  Strymon  he  relates 
only  that  the  country  was  at 
that  moment  deserted  in  con- 
sequence of  an  expected  inva- 
sion of  Scythians.  And  it 
seems  in  general  to  have  been 
nearly  in  its  present  state.  At 
the  Strymon,  for  instance,  he 

II  h 


found  only  a  single  ferry-boat, 
which  required  the  greater  part 
of  the  day  to  carry  over  his 
150  beasts  of  burthen.  His 
place  of  crossing  was  probably 
near  Demirissar,  for  had  it 
been  lower  he  could  not  have 
reached  Strumitza  at  the  end 
of  the  next  day.  The  timidity 
and  inexperience  of  the  peda- 
gogue magnified  the  alarms 
and  difficulties  which  he  met 
with  in  prosecuting  his  journey 
during  the  greater  part  of  the 
night  through  the  forest  beyond 
the  Strymon,  and  which  afford- 
ed him  an  opportunity  of 
showing  his  learning  by  com- 
paring the  darkness  to  the 
caverns  of  Taenarus  and  Tro- 
phonius. 

2    Stephanus     in    'Atrrpalt 

2 


468 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


some  original  word  of  Macedonia,  meaning  river. 
The  name  Astrceus,  as  I  have  already  remarked, 
was  applied  to  the  lower  part  of  the  Haliacmon, 
and  Vistritza  seems  to  be  nothing  more  than  the 
corruption,  or  modern  Bulgaric  form  of  Astrcens. 
The  town  of  Strumitza,  therefore,  as  well  as  its 
predecessor  Astraeum,  I  conceive  to  have  taken  its 
name  from  the  river  on  which  it  stood,  as  being 
the  position  of  greatest  importance  upon  that 
great  branch  of  the  Strymon,  and  the  natural 
capital  of  its  valley.  The  name  implies  the  lesser 
Strymon. 

In  the  north-western  part  of  Pseonia,  the  prin- 
cipal place  under  the  Romans,  as  I  before  hinted, 
was  Stobi.  From  this  point  four  roads  are  drawn 
in  the  Tabular  Itinerary  ]  One  proceeded  north- 
west to  Scupi,  and  from  thence  north  to  Naissus, 
a  position  on  the  great  south-eastern  route  from 
Viminacium  on  the  Danube  to  Byzantium, — the 
second  north-eastward  to  Serdica  100  m.  p.  south- 
east of  Naissus,  on   the  same  route  2, — the   third 


evidently  intended  the  same  verse  of  the  Alexandrias  of 
Macedonian  town  mentioned  Adrianus  which  couples  it  with 
by  Livy  ;  for  he  cites  part  of  a      Dobera — 

Of  $  i~)(ov  'AtTTpaiav  te  Aofiypav  re     ... 


Stephanus,  it  is  true,  de- 
scribes Dobera  as  a  tvi'Aiq 
'IkXvpUiQ  ;  but  this  may 
be  explained  from  Hierocles, 
a  writer  of  the  same  age  as 
Stephanus,  from  whom  we 
loam   that   the   first,    or   Con- 


sular, as  well  as  the  second,  or 
Ducal  Macedonia,  were  only 
subdivisions  of  the  lirapyja,  or 
province  of  Illyricum. 

1  Tab.  Peutinger,  Segm.  5. 

2  Ant.     It.     p.     134.       It. 
Hierosol.  p.  566. 


XXXI.] 


MACEDONIA, 


469 


south- eastward  to  Thessalonica,  and  the  fourth 
south-westward  to  Heraclcia ;  the  last  forming  a 
communication  with  that  central  point  on  the  Via 
Egnatia,  or  great  Roman  road  from  Apollonia  to 
Thessalonica,  leading  through  Stohi  from  all  the 
places  on  the  three  former  routes. 

In  the  valleys  which  are  watered  by  the  conflu- 
ents of  the  Upper  Axius,  and  which  were  traversed 
by  the  two  roads  branching  northward  from  Stobi, 
there  are  three  considerable  towns,  of  which  the 
modern  names  sufficiently  resemble  the  ancient,  to 
lead  at  once  to  a  presumption  of  identity.  These 
are  Skopia,  Velesa,  and  Istip.  In  regard  to  the 
first  there  can  be  no  question,  as  the  name  which 
in  Ptolemy  and  Hierocles  is  Ikovwoi,  is  still  found 
in  the  same  form  in  the  history  of  Nicephorus 
Brj'ennius  at  the  beginning  of  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury, though  Skopia,  the  present  Greek  form,  is 
used  by  Anna  Comnena  at  an  earlier  period,  and 
at  a  later  by  Nicephorus  Gregoras,  who  has  ex- 
actly described  Skopia  as  situated  on  the  banks 
of  the  Axius,  which  was  then,  as  it  is  now,  called 
BapSapiov  \  It  may  be  objected,  perhaps,  that  the 
number  of  m.  p.  between  this  place  and  Stobi  is 
much  greater  in  the  Table  than  the  real  distance 
from  Skopia  to  the  supposed  site  of  Stobi;  but  as 
the  Table  often  fails  in  the  accuracy  of  its  num- 
bers, particularly  in  excess  ;  and  as  there  can  be 
no  doubt  as  to  Scupi,  we  are  fully  authorized  in 
this   instance  in  preferring  to  that  authority  the 


1  Nicephor.  (Jre»\  1.  8,  c.  1-1,  1.  3,  c.  2. 


470 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


evidence  derived  from  the  agreement  of  the  sup- 
posed site  of  Stobi  with  all  the  other  requisites 
derived  from  ancient  testimony. 

The  identity  of  Velesa,  or  Velesso  ',  with  Byla- 
zora, besides  the  similarity  of  sound  in  modern  Greek 
pronunciation,  is  supported  by  the  circumstantial 
evidence  of  history.  Advantageously  placed  on  the 
Upper  Axius,  in  the  midst  of  the  fertile  country 
watered  by  that  river  and  its  branches,  and  on  the 
edge  of  the  mountains  which  here  separated  Paeonia 
from  Illyria,  Bylazora  was  well  qualified  by  situa- 
tion to  become  "the  greatest  city  of  Paeonia," 
while  the  situation  of  Velesa  exactly  illustrates  the 
further  remark  of  Polybius,  that  Bylazora  was  near 
the  passes  leading  from  the  Dardanice  into  Mace- 
donia 2 ;  that  is  to  say,  through  Paeonia,  for  which 
reason  it  was  taken  and  fortified  by  Philip,  son  of 
Demetrius,  as  a  barrier  against  the  Dardani,  pre- 
viously to  his  descent  into  Greece  in  the  last  year 
of  the  Social  War.  As  the  Paeonian  power  was 
then  extinct,  it  was  probably  from  the  Dardani 
that  Philip  took  the  city,  and  it  may  have  been 
upon  the  ground  of  their  temporary  possession  of 
the  western  part  of  Paeonia  that  the  Dardani,  on 
the  division  of  Macedonia  into  four  regions  at  the 
Roman  conquest,  claimed  Paeonia  of  the  Senate 
of  Rome,  as  having  formerly  belonged  to  them 3. 


BeXeca,  TSeXecraog.  fioXag  rag  airo   rrjg  AapSayticfjc 

2   BvXafapa,  \x,iyLaTt)v  ovaav  elg   Maicedoyiay. — Polyb.   1.  5, 

iroXtv  rfjg    Tlaiuyyiag    Ktu    Xiay  c.  97. 
tvKciiixog  KEijj.ivt)i>  irpog  Tag  eia-  3  Liv.  1.  45,  C.  39. 


XXXI.] 


MACEDONIA 


471 


It  may  be  thought,  perhaps,  an  objection  to  this 
position  of  Bylazora,  that  the  name  is  not  found  in 
the  Tabular  Itinerary  on  the  road  from  Stobi  to 
Scupi,  although  Velesa  lies  exactly  in  that  line  : 
I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  it  does  occur  under 
the  very  corrupted  form  of  Anausara. 

Bylazora  is  again  mentioned  in  the  history  of 
that  eventful  year,  b.c.  168,  when  Perseus,  not 
long  before  the  battle  of  Pydna,  endeavoured  to 
obtain  the  mercenary  services  of  20,000  Gauls, 
who  in  the  expectation  of  being  employed  by  him, 
had  advanced  in  equal  numbers  of  horse  and  foot 
as  far  as  Desudaba  in  Maedica.  Perseus  with  the 
view  of  drawing  them  into  Macedonia,  moved  with 
half  his  army  from  the  river  Enipeus  in  Pieria  to 
Alinana  on  the  Axius,  which  was  75  miles  distant 
from  Desudaba.  Having  ordered  supplies  to  be 
in  readiness  on  the  intended  route  of  the  Gauls, 
he  sent  a  messenger  to  Desudaba,  requiring  the 
Gallic  army  to  advance  to  Bylazora,  and  inviting 
their  chiefs  to  visit  him  at  Almana,  where  he  gave 
them  to  understand  by  the  messenger  that  he  had 
prepared  some  rich  presents  for  them,  by  these 
means  hoping  to  obtain  the  services  of  the  Gauls 
without  farther  expence.  But  they  were  not  a 
people  to  be  so  duped  :  they  refused  to  move 
beyond  Desudaba  until  they  should  receive  the 
stipulated  present  of  ten  pieces  of  gold  for  each 
horseman,  five  for  each  foot  soldier,  and  1000  for 
each  chief,  and  such  an  advance  of  treasure  being 
more  than  the  avaricious  monarch  could  consent 
to  advance,   the  Gauls  returned   to  the  Danube, 


472 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


ravaging  the  parts  of  Thrace  through  which  they 
passed '. 

As  Perseus  had  left  a  most  formidable  enemy 
in  Perrhagbia  and  Pieria  on  this  occasion,  we  can- 
not suppose  that  he  advanced  farther  up  the  Axius 
than  was  absolutely  necessary.  Almana,  there- 
fore, was  probably  below  the  straits  of  Demirkapi, 
between  the  Stena  and  Idomene,  and  Desudaba 
having  been  75  m.p.  distant  from  thence,  on  the 
direct  route  to  the  Danube  by  the  valley  of  the 
Margus,  will  fall  at  or  near  Kumanovo,  on  one  of 
the  confluents  of  the  Upper  Axius.  This  indeed 
is  nearly  the  greatest  southern  extent  that  can  be 
given  to  Maedica  towards  Paeonia  and  the  respec- 
tive situations  of  Desudaba,  Bylazora  and  Almana, 
as  just  indicated,  will  then  perfectly  agree  with 
the  circumstances  stated  by  the  historian,  and 
the  more  so  as  Perseus  had  undertaken  to  fur- 
nish the  Gauls  with  provisions,  and  as  Bylazora, 
the  intermediate  station,  was  in  the  middle  of  the 
most  fertile  part  of  Pasonia.  Maedica  thus  placed 
accords  also  with  the  remark  of  Strabo,  that 
the  Maedi  bordered  eastward  on  the  Thunatae  of 
Dardania2,   for  the  Dardani  extended  to  Skopia, 


1  Liv.  1.  44,  c.  27.  If  the 
aurei  here  mentioned  were  the 
regale  numisma  Philippi,  one 
can  hardly  wonder  at  the  hesi- 
tation of  Perseus,  for  the 
amount  of  this  marching  mo- 
ney alone,  would  have  been 
almost  equal  in  weight,  with- 
out   considering    the    relative 


value,  to  a  quarter  of  a  mil- 
lion of  sovereigns.  But  Livy 
thought  that  the  fate  of  Perseus 
depended  upen  it,  and  that  if 
the  Gauls  had  marched  into 
Thessaly,  there  would  have 
been  no  escape  for  the  Romans. 
2  Strabo,  p.  316. 


XXXI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


473 


tuid  the  Thunatce  therefore  we  may  suppose  to 
have  been  a  tribe  of  the  Dardani,  possessing  the 
modern  Katzaniki.  If  the  southern  boundary  of 
the  Maidi  was  near  Kumanovo  that  people  must 
have  possessed  the  sources  of  the  eastern  branch 
of  the  Morava,  or  Margus,  and  its  upper  valleys, 
in  one  of  which  Vrania,  or  Ivorina,  has  very  much 
the  sound  of  Jamphorina,  the  capital  of  the  Mcedi, 
which  was  taken  by  Philip,  son  of  Demetrius,  in 
the  year  b.  c.  211.  On  this  occasion  the  king, 
whose  design  it  was  by  previous  intimidation  to 
keep  his  troublesome  neighbours  quiet,  while  he 
should  be  employed  in  Greece  against  the  iEto- 
lians,  had  first  assaulted  Oricus  and  Apollonia, 
from  whence  he  marched  into  Pelagonia,  took  a 
city  of  the  Dardani !,  which  had  facilitated  the 
entrance  of  that  people  into  Macedonia  on  the 
side  of  Pelagonia,  and  then  passed  through  Pela- 
gonia, Lyncus,  and  Bottiaea,  into  Thessaly  2.  The 
situation  of  the  Msedi  is  farther  illustrated  by  the 
fruitless  excursion  of  the  same  king  of  Macedonia 
to  the  summit  of  Mount  Haamus  in  the  vain  ex- 
pectation of  beholding  from  thence  at  once  the 
Adriatic  and  Black  Sea,  the  Danube  and  the  Alps. 
He  arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  in  seven 
days  from  Stobi,  passing  through  the  country  of  the 
Maedi ;  after  a  laborious  ascent  of  three  days,  and  a 


1  The  name  of  this  city  may 
perhaps  have  been  mentioned 
by  Polybius,  from  whom  Livy 
borrowed  his  narrative,  and 
may  have  been  lost  cither  by 
the  Latin  historian  or  his  tran- 


scribers. It  stood  probably 
to  the  northward  of  Stobi  or 
Stymbara,  a  country  yet  un- 
explored by  modern  travellers. 
2  Liv.  1.  26,  c.  25, 


474 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


descent  on  his  return  of  two,  he  rejoined  his  camp 
in  Msedica  ' ;  thence  made  an  incursion  into  the 
country  of  the   Dentheletse  for  the   sake   of  pro- 
vision, re-entered  that  of  the  Maedi,  where  he  re- 
ceived the  momentary  submission  of  a  place  named 
Petra,   and  from  thence  returned  into  Macedonia. 
It  seems  evident  from  the  number  of  days'  inarch, 
that  the  mountain  visited  by  Philip,  and  named 
Haemus  by  the  historian,  could  have  been  no  other 
than  that  which  by  two  of  the  best  authorities  is 
denominated  Scomius,   or  Scombrus2,   being  that 
cluster  of  great  summits  between  Ghiustendil  and 
Sofia,  which  sends  tributaries  to  all  the  great  rivers 
of  the   northern   part  of   European   Turkey  ;   for 
this,  in  fact  is  the  most  central  point  of  the  conti- 
nent, and  nearly  equidistant  from  the  Euxine,  the 
iEgoean,  the  Adriatic,  and  the  Danube.    The  Den- 
theletse would  seem  from  the  circumstance  men- 
tioned by  the  historian  to  have  bordered  on  the 
Maedi  towards  the  south-east.     Haemus  itself  was 
chiefly   occupied   by   the  Bessi 8,  who  from  their 
fastnesses  defied  the  power  of  Rome  until  the  reign 
of  Augustus 4,   and  according  to   Pliny  extended 
as   far    to    the    southward    and    eastward    as    the 
Nestus 5. 


1  Philip  and  his  companions 
told  a  traveller's  tale  on  their 
return,  hut  it  did  not  impose 
upon  Livy,  who  remarks,  fol- 
lowing perhaps  Polyhius :  "  Ni- 
hil vulgatae  opinionis  digressi 
inde  detraxcrunt :  magis,  credo, 
ne  vanitas  itincris  ludibrioesset, 
quam  quod  diversa  inter  se  nia- 


ria  montesque  et  amnes  ex  uno 
loco  conspici  potuerint. 

2  Thucyd.    1.  2,     c.    96.— 
Aristot.  Meteor.  1,  1,  c.  13. 

3  Strabo,  p.  318. 

4  Dion.  Cass.  1.54,  c.34.— 
Flor.  1.  4,  c.  12. 

5  Plin.  H.  N.  1.4,  c.  11. 


XXXI. j 


MACEDONIA. 


475 


Astibon,  the  third  of  the  ancient  towns  of 
Paeonia,  the  names  of  which  still  subsist  in  a 
corrupted  form,  was  on  the  road  from  Stobi  to 
Serdica.  It  is  now  by  the  Turks  called  Istib, 
and  stands  exactly  on  that  line,  at  a  distance 
from  each  of  those  ancient  sites  which,  as  well  as 
our  present  imperfect  geographical  materials  ad- 
mit of  judging,  sufficiently  corresponds  with  the 
numbers  in  the  Table.  It  occupies  probably  the 
site  of  the  capital  of  the  kings  of  Paeonia,  which 
appears  from  Polyoenus  to  have  been  situated  on  a 
river  named  Astycus  l.  The  modern  Djustendil  or 
Ghiustendil  equally  accords  with  the  Pautalia  of 
the  Table,  and  the  situation  of  Ghiustendil  at  the 
sources  of  the  Strymon  is  remarkably  in  accord- 
ance with  the  figure  of  a  river  god,  accompanied 
by  the  legend  ^Tpvpuiv  on  some  of  the  autonomous 
coins  of  Pautalia,  as  well  as  with  the  letters 
ENIIAIQ,  which  on  other  coins  show  that  the 
Pautaliotse  considered  themselves  to  be  Pseonians, 
like  the  other  inhabitants  of  the  banks  of  that 
river.  On  another  coin  of  Pautalia  the  produc- 
tions of  its  territory  are  alluded  to,  namely,  gold, 
silver,  wine,  and  corn 2,  which  accords  with  Ghius- 
tendil.    In  the  reign  of  Hadrian,  the  people  both 


1  So  incorrect  are  the  gene- 
rality of  the  names  in  the  Table, 
that  Astibon  is  liable  to  sus- 
picion. If  the  town  and  river 
bore  the  same  name,  as  seems 
likely,  it  was  perhaps  neither 
Astycus  nor  Astibon,  but  As- 
tapus,  for  Astapus  was  .applied 
by  the  Macedonian   Greeks  to 


one  of  the  branches  of  the  Nile, 
while  Astaboras  and  Astasobas, 
names  equally  of  Macedonic 
formation,  were  attached  to  two 
other  tributaries  of  the  same 
great  river. 

2  Eckhel.  num.  vet.  vol.  ii. 
p.  38. 


12 


476 


ILLYRIA. 


[chap. 


of  Pautalia  and  the  neighbouring  Serdica  added 
Ulpia  to  the  name  of  their  town,  probably  in 
consequence  of  some  benefit  received  from  that 
emperor.  This  title  in  the  case  of  Pautalia  would 
seem  at  first  sight  to  warrant  the  supposition,  that 
it  was  the  same  place  as  Ulpiana,  which,  ac- 
cording to  Procopius,  was  rebuilt  by  Justinian, 
with  the  name  of  Justiniana  Secunda1,  and  the 
modern  name  Ghiustendil  lends  an  appearance  of 
confirmation  to  this  hypothesis  by  its  resemblance 
to  Justiniana.  But  there  is  an  insurmountable 
objection  to  this  hypothesis.  Both  Procopius  and 
Hierocles  notice  Ulpiana  and  Pautalia  as  distinct 
places,  to  which  we  may  add,  that  Ptolemy  as  well 
as  Hierocles  ascribes  Ulpiana  to  Dardania,  which 
seems  never  to  have  extended  far  to  the  eastward 
of  Scupi,  or  Skopia.  A  further  argument  against 
the  identity  arises  from  a  comparison  of  the  Tabu- 
lar Itinerary  with  a  passage  in  Jornandes,  who 
relates  that  Theodemir  being  at  Naissus,  sent  a 
body  of  troops,  under  his  son  Theodoric,  through 
Castrum  Herculis  to  Ulpiana 2,  where  Castrum 
Herculis  is  evidently  the  same  as  the  Ad  Hercu- 
lem  of  the  Table,  which  was  on  the  road  from 
JYaissus  to  Scupi,  and  consequently  very  far  to 
the  westward  of  Ghi  listen  dil.  Ulpiana,  or  the 
Second  Justiniana,  therefore,  was  probably  situ- 
ated in  one  of  the  valleys  of  the  branches  of  the 
Morava,  northward  of  Skopia,  but  not  in  the 
route  from  Scupi  to  Naissus,  as  it  is  not  mentioned 
in  the  Table. 


1   Procop.    de    JEcLif.     1.    4,  -  Jornandes    de    Reb.    Get. 

c.  1 .  c.  56. 


XXXI.] 


ILLYRIA. 


477 


From  a  place  named  Hammeno,  which  was  in 
that  road,  at  an  uncertain  distance  from  Scupi, 
but  evidently  in  a  N.W.  direction,  and  probably 
not  very  far  from  it,  there  was  a  branch  to  the 
westward  leading  to  Lissus,  now  Lesh,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Drilon.  Of  the  ancient  places  on 
this  route,  Theranda  bears  some  similitude  in 
sound  to  the  modern  Prisrend,  though  it  must  be 
admitted  that  the  proportion  of  distances  on  the 
route,  even  without  any  addition  for  the  interval 
between  Scupi  and  Hammeno,  would  place  The- 
randa farther  westward.  As  Ulpiana  does  not 
occur  either  on  this  road  nor  on  that  from  Scupi 
to  JVaissus,  it  lay  probably  between  them  in  the 
country  to  the  northward  of  Prisrend,  which  is 
watered  by  the  western  branch  of  the  Morava, 
perhaps  at  the  modern  Pristina.  Beyond  The- 
randa the  route  to  Lissus  seems  to  have  fallen 
into  the  valley  of  the  Mathis,  where  I  should  be 
disposed  to  look  for  Gabuleus,  Crevenia,  and  the 
other  names  in  the  route  of  the  Table ;  for  on  the 
more  direct  line  occurred  the  "  solitudes  of  Scor- 
dus,"  which  mountain  being  described  incident- 
ally by  Livy  as  lying  in  the  way  from  Stymbara 
to  Scodra,  and  again  as  giving  rise  to  the  Oriuns 
which  flowed  through  the  lake  Labeatis  to  Sco- 
dra1, seems  clearly  to  have  comprehended  the  great 
summits  on  either  side  of  the  Drilon,  where  its 
course  is  from  east  to  west. 

The  important  position  of  Scupi  at  the  debouche 
from  the  Illyrian  mountains  into  the  plains  of 
Paeonia   and  the   Upper  Axius,   caused   it  in   all 

1   Liv.  1.  43,  c.  20;   1.  44,  c.  31. 


478 


ILLYRIA. 


[chap. 


ages  to  be  the  frontier  town  of  Illyria  towards 
Macedonia.  There  is  no  evidence  of  its  ever 
having  been  possessed  by  the  kings  of  Macedonia 
or  of  Paeonia.  Under  the  Romans  it  was  ascribed 
to  Dardania,  as  well  in  the  time  of  Ptolemy  \  as 
in  the  fifth  century,  when  it  was  the  capital  of 
ducal  Dardania2.  The  position  "  ad  fines,"  which 
in  the  Tabular  Itinerary  stands  at  35  m.  p.  beyond 
Anausara  (Bylazora)  on  the  road  from  Scupi  to 
Stobi,  would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  Romans 
had  there  fixed  the  boundaries  of  Dardania  and 
Macedonia,  and  consequently  that  they  had  given 
Bylazora  to  Dardania,  thus  yielding  in  part  to 
the  demand  which  the  Dardani  had  made,  on  the 
establishment  of  the  tetrarchy  of  Macedonia  after 
the  conquest  by  iEmilius. 

Scupi  was  probably  seldom  under  the  complete 
authority  of  Constantinople.  In  the  reign  of 
Michael  Paleeologus  it  was  wrested  from  the  Em- 
peror by  the  Servians,  and  became  the  resi- 
dence of  the  Krai 3.  Here  Nicephorus  Gregoras 
met  the  court  of  the  ap^u>v  rwv  Tpi|3aAXwv,  as  he 
learnedly  denominates  the  Krai,  whose  successor 
(in  1342)  afforded  protection  and  hospitality 
to  John  Cantacuzenus  when  he  retired  before 
Apocauchus.  By  the  treaty  afterwards  made  be- 
tween Cantacuzenus  and  the  king  of  Servia,  the 
latter  obtained  a  temporary  authority  over  a  great 
part  of  Macedonia,  the  Romans,  as  they  called 
themselves,    giving    up    to    him    Zikhna,     Pherae 


1  Ptolem.  1.  3,  c.  9. 

2  Hierocl.  p.  G55. — Wessel. 


3  KpuXrjg     "BaaiXsKt. 
tacuz.  1.  4,  c.  19. 


-Can- 


xxxr.j 


MACEDONIA. 


479 


(Serres  *),  Meleniko,  Striimitza,  and  Kastoria,  and 
retaining  Servia  (the  town),  Bcrrhoca,  Edessa 2, 
Gynsecocastrum  3,  Mygdonia,  and  the  towns  on  the 
Strymon,  as  far  as  the  district  of  Serres  and  the 
mountains  of  Tandessano4.  Tt  may  be  not  un- 
worthy of  remark,  that  in  the  histories  of  Anna 
Comnena,  Gregoras,  and  Cantacuzenus 5,  several 
other  existing  names  occur,  as  : — on  the  Illyrian 
frontiers,  Dibra  (Aeuprj),  Velesso  (BiXeaaog),  Pril- 
lapo  (ITpiXXaTroc),  Morava  (Mopoj3o),  and  Pristino 
(Upiarrtvog),  which  last  Cantacuzenus  describes  as 

a    Small    town     without    walls    (kwjujj    aTiiyjOTOq)  :  — 

towards  Thessaly,  Servia  (2£p/3ia),  Kastri  (Kaa- 
rp'iov) G,   Lykostomi  (AvKoaropuov),   and   Platamona 

(Yl\a.Ta/j.wv    TroXig    7rapaQa\aaaia)  : — to  the    eastward, 

Rendina  (Pevnva)  and  Dhrama  (Apaua),  besides 
Zikhna  (Zlyva)  and  Meleniko  (MsXtviKog)  ; — and 
near  Edessa  and  Berrhoaa,  'Ostrovo  ("0<rrpoj3oc), 
Notia  (Nona),  and  Staridhola  {Irapi^oXa),  with 
some  others  which  might  probably  be  found  by 


1  Cantacuzenus,  contrary  to 
all  other  writers,  always  gives 
this  place  the  name  of  $>epal  ; 
but  in  fact,  Siris,  Sirrae,  Serrae, 
and  Pheroe,  as  well  as  Bercea, 
seem  to  be  merely  dialectic  va- 
riations of  the  same  name. 

2  Anna  Comnena,  an  older 
author,  uses  the  modern  name 
Vodhena. 

3  TvvaiKoKaoTpov,  Turc. 
Avrethissar. 

4  TCI      opri     TOV      TaVTEfftTlU'OV 

KaXovpeva  :      apparently     the 


great  mountain  on  the  northern 
side  of  the  plain  of  Serres,  the 
ancient  Orbelus. 

5  See  Anna  Comnena,  1.  5, 
6,  12.  Niceph.  Gregor.  ubi 
sup.  Cantacuz.  1.  1,  3,  4, 
but  particularly  1.  3. 

6  This  is  so  common  a  name, 
that  the  Kastri  alluded  to  can- 
not easily  be  identified.  It 
may  either  have  been  the  Kas- 
tri near  Tvtrnavo,  or  that  to 
theS.W.  of  Aghia. 


480 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


a  diligent  search.  Soskos  (2w<tkoc)  appears  from 
Anna  Comnena  to  have  been  between  the  lake 
of 'Ostrovo  and  Servia1. 

1  shall  here  subjoin,  as  containing  a  compen- 
dious view  of  Macedonian  geography,  the  edict 
for  the  division  of  Macedonia  into  four  regions, 
issued  by  the  authority  of  the  Roman  Senate  b.  c. 
167,  the  year  after  the  conquest 2.  It  was  read  at 
Amphipolis  to  the  assembled  Macedonians  by 
L.  iEmilius  Paullus,  and  then  explained  to  them 
in  Greek  by  Cn.  Octavius  the  praetor  : — 

Unam  fore  et  primam  partem  quod  agri  inter 
Strymonem  et  Nestum  amnem  sit :  accessurum 
huic  parti  trans  Nestum  ad  orientem  versum  qua 
Perseus  tenuisset  vicos,  castella,  oppida,  praeter 
iEnum  et  Maroneam  et  Abdera  :  trans  Strymonem 
autem  vergentia  ad  occasum,  Bisalticam  omnem 
cum  Heraclea  quam  Sinticen  adpellant.  Seeun- 
dam  fore  regionem,  quam  ab  ortu  Strymo  am- 
plecteretur  amnis  praeter  Sinticen  Heracleam  et 
Bisaltas ;  ab  occasu  qua  Axius  terminaret  fluvius, 
additis  Paeonibus  qui  prope  Axium  flumen  ad  re- 
gionem orientis  colerent.  Tertia  pars  facta,  quam 
Axius  ab  oriente,  Peneus  amnis  ab  occasu  cingunt : 
ad  Septentrionem  Bora  mons  objicitur  :  adject  a 
huic  parti  regio  Paeoniae,  qua  ab  occasu  praeter 
Axium  amnem  porrigitur  :  Edessa  quoque  et 
Bercea  eodem  concesserunt.     Quarta  regio  trans 


1  The  Macedonic  termina- 
tion of  Soscus  gives  some  rea- 
son to  suspect  that  it  was  an 
ancient  name. 


Liv.  1.  45,  c.  29. 


XXXI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


481 


Boram  montem,  una  parte  confinis  Illyrico,  altera 
Epiro.  Capita,  regionum  ubi  concilia  fierent, 
prima?  regionis  Amphipolim,  secunda?  Thessaloni- 
cen,  tertiae  Pellam,  quartae  Pelagoniam  fecit.  Eo 
concilia  suae  cujusque  regionis  indici,  pecuniam 
conferri,  ibi  magistratus  creari  jussit  *  *  *  *. 
Regionibus  quae  adfines  barbaris  essent  (excepta 
enim  tertia  omnes  erant)  permisit  ut  praesidia 
armata  in  finibus  extremis  haberent. 

By  this  celebrated  decree  the  Macedonians  were 
called  free,  each  city  was  to  govern  itself  by  magis- 
trates annually  chosen,  and  the  Romans  were  to 
receive  half  the  amount  of  tribute  formerly  paid 
to  the  king's,  the  distribution  and  collection  of 
which  was  probably  the  principal  business  of  the 
councils  of  the  four  regions ;  for  none  but  the 
people  of  the  extreme  frontiers  towards  the  barba- 
rians were  allowed  to  defend  themselves  by  arms, 
so  that  the  military  power  was  entirely  Roman. 
In  order  to  break  up  more  effectually  the  national 
union,  no  person  was  allowed  to  contract  marriage, 
or  to  purchase  land  or  buildings,  but  within  his  own 
region.  They  were  permitted  to  smelt  copper  and 
iron  on  paying  half  the  tax  which  the  kings  had 
received  ;  but  the  Romans  reserved  to  themselves 
the  right  of  working  the  mines  of  gold  and  silver, 
and  of  felling  naval  timber,  as  well  as  the  importa- 
tion of  salt,  which,  as  the  Third  Region  only  was 
to  have  the  right  of  selling  it  to  the  Dardani,  was 
probably  made  for  the  profit  of  the  conquerors  on 
the  shore  of  the  Thermaic  Gulf.  No  wonder  that 
the  Macedonians  compared  this  division  of  their 
country  and  interruption  of  the  mutual  intercourse 


VOL.    HI. 


i  1 


482 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


between  the  several  parts  of  it  to  the  laceration 
and  disjointing  of  an  animal  body1,  or  that  they 
should  have  been  ready  to  join  a  few  years  after- 
wards in  the  revolt  of  Andriscus 2.  The  historian 
then  remarks  : — 

Pars  prima  Bisaltas  habet  fortissimos  viros  (trans 
Nestum  amnem  incolunt  et  circa  Strymonem)  et 
multas  frugum  proprietates  et  metalla  et  opportu- 
nitatem  Amphipolis,  quae  objecta  claudit  omnes  ab 
oriente  sole  in  Macedoniam  aditus.  Secunda  pars 
celeberrimas  urbes,  Thessalonicam  et  Cassandriam 
habet ;  ad  hoc  Pallenen  fertilem  et  frugiferam 
terram  :  maritimas  quoque  opportunitates  ei  prse- 
bent  portus  ad  Toronen  ac  montem  Atho  (vEneae 
vocant  hunc)  alii  ad  insulam  Eubceam,  alii  ad 
Hellespontum  opportune  versi.  Tertia  regio  no- 
biles  urbes  Edessam  et  Beroeam  et  Pellam  habet 
et  Vettiorum  bellicosam  gentem  :  incolas  quoque 
permultos  Gallos  et  Illyrios  impigros  cultores. 
Quartam  regionem  Eordsei  et  Lyncestae  et  Pela- 
gones  incolunt :  juncta  his  Atintania  et  Stympha- 
lis  et  Elimiotis ;  frigida  haec  omnis  duraque  cultu 
et  aspera  plaga  est ;  cultorum  quoque  ingenia 
terrae  similia  habet ;  ferociores  eos  et  adcolae  bar- 
bari  faciunt,  nunc  bello  exercentes  nunc  in  pace 
miscentes  ritus  suos. 

After  all  that  has  been  offered  on  the  situation 
of  the  districts  and  places  here  mentioned,  scarcely 
any  explanation  is  necessary  beyond  a  reference 


1  Regionatim  commerces  in- 
terruptis,    ita   videri    lacerata, 

2  Liv.  Epit.  1.  49. 


tanquam  animalia  in  artus. — 
Liv.  1.  45,  c.  30. 


XXXI. ] 


MACEDONIA. 


483 


to  the  Map  at  the  end  of  this  volume.  Macedonia 
Prima  comprehended  all  the  former  possessions  of 
Perseus  in  Thrace  to  the  eastward  of  the  Nestus, 
with  the  exception  of  the  three  principal  maritime 
cities  between  that  river  and  the  Chersonese  ;  and 
it  contained  all  the  country  between  the  Nestus 
and  Strymon  probably  as  far  as  the  sources  of 
those  rivers,  together  with  Sintice  and  Bisaltia,  to 
the  right  of  the  Strymon.  Amphipolis,  the  capi- 
tal of  this  region,  is  justly  described  as  the  great 
defence  of  Macedonia  from  the  eastward  ;  and 
we  have  an  illustration  of  the  allusion  made  by  the 
historian  to  the  mines  of  Mount  Pangseum,  which 
Amphipolis  commanded,  in  the  numerous  existing 
silver  coins  of  the  time  of  the  tetrarchy  bearing 
the  head  of  the  Amphipolitan  deity  Diana  Tauro- 
polus ',  with  an  obverse  representing  the  club  of 
Hercules  within  a  garland  of  oak,  and  the  legend 
Ma/ctSovwv  7T(0WTr)c :  these  coins  were  evidently  struck 
at  Amphipolis. 

The  second  Macedonia  comprehended  all  the 
country  between  the  Strymon  and  Axius,  except 
the  Sintice  and  Bisaltia,  and  extended  as  far 
towards  the  sources  of  both  rivers  as  the  boundary 
of  the  Macedonian  kinoxlom  had  reached.  The 
eastern  turn  of  the  Strymon  below  Serres  shows  at 
once  why  the  Sintice  and  Bisaltia  were  excepted 
from  the  countries  between  the  Strymon  and  Axius, 

1  Amphipolim  ....  in  tem-      the  temple  of  Minerva,  alluded 
plum  Dianae  quam  Tauropolon 
vocant  .  .  .  . — Liv.  1.  44,  c.  44. 

The  types  of  the  coins  of 
Amphipolis  often  refer  to  this 
deity,  whence  it  would  seem  that 

vol,  111.  i  i  2 


to  by  Thucydides  as  standing 
on  the  acropolis  of  Amphipolis, 
was  not  the  principal  temple  of 
the  Amphipolitae. 


484 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


and  placed  in  the  first  instead  of  the  second  Mace- 
donia. The  second  region  was  the  richest  and 
most  populous  of  the  four,  no  part  of  Macedonia 
being  comparable  in  fertility  and  other  advan- 
tages to  Mygdonia,  Chalcidice,  and  the  three  con- 
tiguous peninsulas,  where  the  historian  especially 
notices  the  productive  Pallene,  and  the  convenient 
havens  of  Torone  and  Athos.  The  name  iEneia, 
which  Livy  attaches  to  the  harbour  of  Athos,  is 
not  found  I  believe  in  any  other  author,  nor  is  it 
certain  to  which  of  the  ports  of  Acte  it  applies. 

The  third  region  is  very  clearly  described  as 
bounded  by  the  sea,  by  the  Axius,  and  by  the 
Peneius,  on  three  sides — as  containing  the  cities 
Pella,  Edessa,  and  Berrhcea,  and  as  extending 
northward  to  Mount  Bora,  where  its  limits  were 
such  that  it  was  the  only  one  of  the  three  pro- 
vinces not  in  contact  with  the  Barbarians,  the  nearest 
of  whom  were  the  Dardani.  Hence  Mount  Bora, 
which  is  not  noticed  by  any  other  author,  appears 
to  have  been  the  summit  northward  of  Vodhena, 
now  called  Nitje,  one  of  the  chief  links  in  the 
Olympene  or  eastern  chain,  of  which  the  others  are 
Bermius,  Pierus,  Olympus,  Ossa,  and  Pelium. 
This  great  ridge  terminates  in  a  northerly  direction 
at  the  fork  of  the  Erigon  and  Axius.  Here,  there- 
fore, the  Third  Region  terminated,  and  thus  Peeo- 
nia  was  interposed  between  the  northern  extremity 
of  the  Third  Region  and  the  lllyrians.  The  Paao- 
nians  to  the  westward  of  the  Axius,  were  an  ex- 
ception to  the  definition  otherwise  given  of  the 
extent  of  the  Third  Region,  as  they  lay  beyond 
Mount  Bora  to  the   N.W.  ;  and  hence  the  parti- 


XXXI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


cular  mention  of  the  Paeonians  in  the  edict,  which 
refers  undoubtedly,  like  History  at  this  period  in 
general,  not  to  the  original  Paeonia  in  its  fnllest 
extent,  but  to  the  limited  portion  of  it  which  had 
formed  a  monarchy,  until,  about  a  century  before 
the  Roman  conquest,  it  was  incorporated  with  Ma- 
cedonia. The  portion  of  Paeonia  separated  from 
the  rest  of  that  country,  and  attributed  to  the 
Third  Macedonia,  while  the  remainder  of  it  was 
attached  to  the  Second,  was  situated  on  the  lower 
Erigon  around  Stobi,  and  this  city  was  decreed  to 
be  the  place  of  deposit  for  the  salt,  sold  to  the 
Dardani,  the  monopoly  of  which  was  given  to  the 
Third  Macedonia. 

To  the  fourth  division  remained  every  thing  be- 
yond the  district  of  Stobi  to  the  west  and  south- 
west, as  well  as  all  the  country  beyond  the  crest  of 
the  Olympene  range,  as  far  as  lllyria  and  Epirus. 
The  historian  enumerates  the  following  districts  as 
composing  it :  namely,  Pelagonia,  Lyncestis,  Eor- 
dsea,  Elimiotis,  and  Atintania,  where  he  has  obvi- 
ously omitted  Orestis,  which  lay  between  Atintania 
and  the  rest  of  Upper  Macedonia.  Thus  it  appears 
that  the  Fourth  Macedonia  extended  nearly  to 
Berat  and  Tepeleni,  and  included  Konitza.  To 
the  southward  its  limits  were  nearly  those  of  the 
modern  districts  of  Grevena  and  Trikkala,  where 
Upper  Macedonia  confined  upon  Upper  Thes- 
saly  1. 

The  warlike  nation  of  the  Vettii,  mentioned  to- 
gether with  Pella,  Edessa,  and  Berrhcea,  as  forming 


1  Strabo,  p.  430.  437. 


486 


MACEDONIA. 


[chap. 


part  of  the  third  region,  are  evidently  the  Bottiaei, 
and  this  allusion  to  them,  showing  that  they  were 
still  of  some  importance,  accords  with  the  apparent 
date  of  their  coins.  The  Chalcidic  Bottiatae  had 
probably  been  long  extinct.  Numismatic  evidence, 
therefore,  concurs  with  Polybius  and  Strabo,  in 
showing  that  the  great  maritime  plains  after  the 
Roman  conquest  were  divided  between  the  Bottiaei 
and  Amphaxii.  The  chief  place  of  the  latter,  as 
we  learn  from  Ptolemy,  was  Thessalonica,  that  of 
the  former  probably  Alorus.  The  strength  of  the 
"  bellicosa  gens"  of  Bottiaea  was  derived  from  the 
intersection  of  rivers  and  marshes,  natural  defences 
which  have  maintained  in  the  same  position  some 
unmixed  Greeks  to  the  present  day  in  the  midst 
of  surrounding  Bulgarians  and  Turks. 

There  exists  a  silver  tetradrachm  with  the  le- 
gend Ma/ceSovwv  Sevrapaq,  coined  probably  at  Thes- 
salonica, of  which  city  no  money  bearing  its  name 
has  been  found  more  ancient  than  the  Roman 
empire.  The  silver  of  the  mines  of  Nizvoro  may 
have  supplied  the  coinage  of  the  Second  Macedonia. 
No  silver  money  of  the  Third  and  Fourth  Mace- 
donia has  been  discovered,  nor  is  it  known  that 
either  of  those  regions  possessed  mines.  The  only 
other  coin  bearing  an  allusion  to  the  tetrarchy, 
besides  those  I  have  mentioned,  is  a  small  one  in 
bronze,  so  rare  that  I  met  with  only  one.  It  is 
inscribed  M.  nra^T^Q,  and  presents  on  one  side  the 
Dioscuri  on  horseback,  on  the  other  the  head  of 
Minerva.  But  there  is  another  coin  of  the  Fourth 
Macedonia  in  the  Caesarian  Museum,  bearing  a 
head  of  Jupiter,  and  on  the  obverse  the  common 


XXXI.] 


MACEDONIA. 


487 


Macedonian  type  of  a  club  within  a  garland  of 
oak,  with  the  legend  MokeSovwv  rei-aprr^.  We  are 
to  infer  from  Livy  that  these  were  struck  at  Pe- 
lagonia. 

The  rarity  of  all  the  money  of  the  Macedonian 
tetrarchy,  except  that  which  was  coined  at  Am- 
phipolis,  is  to  be  attributed  to  the  shortness  of  its 
duration.  Only  18  years  after  the  edict  of  Am- 
phipolis,  Andriscus,  calling  himself  Philip,  son  of 
Perseus,  reconquered  all  Macedonia  *,  but  was 
defeated  and  taken  in  the  following  year,  by  Q. 
Csecilius  Metellus,  after  which  the  Macedonians 
were  made  tributary  2,  and  the  country  was  pro- 
bably governed  by  a  praetor,  like  Achaia  after  the 
destruction  of  Corinth,  which  occurred  two  years 
afterwards,  b.c.  146.  From  that  time  to  the  reign 
of  Augustus,  the  Romans  had  the  troublesome 
duty  of  defending  Macedonia  against  the  people 
of  Illyria  and  Thrace,  and  during  that  time  they 
established  colonies  at  Philippi,  Pella,  Stobi,  and 
Dium. 


1  Totam  Macedoniam  aut 
voluntate  incolentium  aut  armis 
occupavit. — Liv.  Epit.  1.  49. 


Porpliyr.   ap.  Euseb.     p. 


178. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


FOURTH  JOURNEY. 


EPIRUS,    ACARNANIA,    jETOLIA. 

Prevyza — Aios  Petros,  Anaclorium — Vonitza — Ruga — Nisi — 
Balimbey  —  Lutraki  —  Katuna  —  Hellenic  city  —  Makhala  — 
Expedition  of  Agesilaus  into  Acarnania — Skortiis — Lygovitzi 
— Prodhromo — Agriculture  and  productions  of  Acarnania — 
Forest  of  Manina — Podholovitza — Guria — Hellenic  ruin  cal- 
led Palea  Mani — Return  to  Guria — Mastu — Anatoliko  — 
Mesolonghi. 

Prevyza,  March  1809. — Since  my  visit  to  this 
place  in  1805,  the  Porte  having  found  that  very 
little  accrued  to  it  from  Prevyza  and  the  other 
ex-Venetian  places,  after  paying  the  expences  of 
the  residents  and  their  little  garrisons,  was  tempted 
to  sell  them  to  Aly  Pasha,  as  a  malikiane  or  farm 
for  life,  for  the  sum  of  800  pnrses  !,  thus  virtually 
violating  the  treaty  of  1800,  by  which  the  Sultan 
engaged  to  maintain  these  places  in  their  Venetian 
laws  and  privileges,  and  liable  only  to  a  fixed 
duty  on  commerce  and  land,  to  be  paid  to  a 
resident   Bey  ;    instead  of  which,   he   now  gives 


1  The   exchange  at  present      pound  sterling,  the  purse  of  500 
being  17  or  18  piastres  to  the      piastres  is  worth  from  28  to  30/. 


CHAP.   XXXII.] 


EPIRUS. 


489 


them  over  to  a  man  whom  he  cannot  control, 
and  who  has  already  treated  them  with  every 
kind  of  vexation.  Prevyza  has  been  the  principal 
sufferer.  Its  alliance  with  the  French  when  the 
place  was  taken  by  assault  in  1798,  furnished  the 
Vezir  with  an  excuse  for  extortion  and  cruelty, 
which  has  lasted  ever  since,  and  the  population  is 
now  reduced  to  less  than  half  its  number  at  that 
period.  In  1807,  when  the  war  broke  out  be- 
tween Russia  and  the  Porte,  the  Prevyzans  were 
obliged  to  labour  at  an  entrenchment  across  the 
peninsula  near  two  miles  in  length,  to  construct 
which  the  Pasha,  sent  for  men  from  all  parts  of  his 
territory,  as  far  as  Katerina  beyond  Mount  Olym- 
pus, and  gave  them  nothing  but  a  ration  of  koro- 
mana,  or  black  bread.  In  this  light  soil,  with  few 
palisades  to  support  it,  this  entrenchment  is  already 
falling  to  ruin.  Afterwards  his  new  fortress  and 
serai  were  constructed  in  the  same  manner,  by  an 
angaria  or  compulsory  labour. 

Since  his  bargain  with  the  Porte,  Aly  considers 
himself  absolved  from  the  necessity  of  keeping  any 
measures  with  the  Prevyzans,  giving  away  their 
land  to  his  Albanians,  sending  whole  families  to 
people  new  tjiftliks  in  unhealthy  situations,  and 
quartering  his  soldiers  upon  those  whom  he  has 
allowed  to  remain.  But  notwithstanding  the  forced 
labour,  which  has  given  him  materials  as  well  as 
construction  at  little  cost,  Prevyza  has  been  very 
expensive  to  the  Vezir  :  Albanian  soldiers  must  be 
paid,  the  fortress  armed,  and  the  palace  furnished 
from  his  own  pocket,  and  the  maritime  situation 
has  required  the  aid  of  some  small  vessels,  which 


490 


EPIRUS. 


[chap. 


could  only  be  obtained  by  purchase.  Parga, 
moreover,  though  he  has  paid  for  it,  he  has  not 
much  prospect  of  obtaining.  Nevertheless,  his 
bargain  is  an  excellent  one,  on  account  of  the 
military  importance  of  the  places,  and  the  facili- 
ties which  they  give  him  in  making  further  acqui- 
sitions in  Tzamuria. 

The  only  part  of  the  ancient  privileges  of  Prevyza 
now  remaining,  is  its  system  of  taxation.  The 
present  revenue  of  the  Crown  is  as  follows  : — 


Livaria  (fisheries) 

Dhekatia  (tithe  of  produce  of  land) 
Dogana  (custom-house)       .     .     . 

Monopoly  of  bread 

of  tobacco      .... 

of  butchers'  meat    . 

of  raki  (brandy) 

of  playing  cards      .     . 

of  to  Trtpapa  (the  ferry 

to  Punta) 

— of  sealing  tanned  leather 

of  gunpowder 

of    statiri,    the     public 

weighing 
■         of  the  retail  of  oil 


ro  Nop<TTpov,  a  capitation  tax  upon 
cattle  fed  in  the  pastures  of 
Prevyza      


PIASTRES. 

22,000 

10,000 

15,000 

2000 

5000 

3000 

6000 

500 

1500 

800 

1000 

800 
1200 


600 


Total 69,400 


XXXII.] 


EPIRUS. 


491 


All  the  articles  are  farmed  except  the  dogana, 
which  is  collected  by  a  person  named  by  the 
Vezir.  Under  the  Venetians  the  same  practice 
obtained,  and  the  different  heads  of  revenue  were 
sold  by  auction  every  six  years.  The  amount  was 
then  about  18,000  or  20,000  piastres  a  year.  The 
increase  has  been  chiefly  owing  to  the  debasement 
of  the  coin,  and  to  the  great  increase  of  late  years 
in  the  produce  of  the  fisheries.  For  the  same  rea- 
son, the  livari  of  Vutzintro,  which,  united  with 
some  other  branches  of  revenue,  produced,  in  1805, 
only  fifty-five  purses,  is  now  alone  let  to  the  same 
(jwrpoQia,  of  which  the  bishop  of  Ioannina  is  the 
head,  for  eighty  purses. 

The  revenue  of  Vonitza  consists  of  the  same  arti- 
cles, and  amounts  in  value  to  20,000  piastres  a 
year.  That  of  Parga  to  10,000.  So  that  deduct- 
ing the  latter,  the  Vezir  has  given  800  purses  for 
a  life  annuity  of  200  at  the  age  of  sixty,  and 
having  as  good  a  prospect  of  keeping  his  head 
upon  his  shoulders  as  any  man  in  his  station  in 
Turkey. 

The  excavations  which  have  been  made  at  Nico- 
polis  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  materials  for  the 
fortress  and  palace  of  the  Vezir  at  Prevyza,  have 
not  led  to  any  interesting  discoveries,  partly  it 
seems  because  the  city  having  been  hastily  built, 
more  in  the  Roman  than  Greek  manner,  little 
more  was  found  than  fragments  of  walls  formed  of 
tiles,  mortar,  and  broken  stones,  unfit  for  the  pur- 
pose of  the  masons,  and  which  did  not  much  encou- 
rage them  to  persevere.  By  order  of  the  Vezir, 
the  sculptured  pieces  were  set  apart,  but  the  only 


492 


EPIRUS. 


[CHAP. 


result  has  been  two  inscriptions,  which  have  been 
placed  at  the  gate  of  the  Serai.  One  of  these  !  is 
a  dedication  to  Augustus  by  the  Mallotae,  or 
people  of  Mallus,  a  great  maritime  city  of  Cilicia  ; 
the  other2,  which  from  the  form  of  the  letters 
seems  to  be  of  a  later  period  of  the  Empire,  was 
in  honour  of  a  praetorian  praefect  of  Macedonia, 
who  was  tribune  of  the  first  legion  surnamed  the 
Minervia  Pia  Fidelis,  procurator  of  the  corn  of 
Epirus,  procurator  of  the  province  of  Pontus  and 
Bithynia,  and  procurator  of  the  dismissions  of  the 
Emperor  3.  The  monument  was  raised  agreeably 
to  a  decree  of  the  council  (of  Nicopolis)  by  Mnes- 
ter,  a  freedman  of  the  Emperor,  in  token  of  his 
gratitude  to  the  prefect,  of  whom  he  was  the 
assistant4.  Several  of  the  letters  in  the  inscrip- 
tion require  to  be  supplied,  particularly  in  the 
prefect's  name,  which  seems  to  have  been  Lucius 
Ofellius  Maius. 

March  15. — At  3  p.  m.  we  make  sail  for  Vonitza 
in  a  large  sakkoleva  belonging  to  the  Vczir,  which 
has  a  covered  deck  and  cabin,  and  is  riffgred  with 
two  high  latin e  sails  and  a  small  sail  aft.  A  fresh 
inaestrale  soon  carries  us  past  Punta ;  and  along 
the  side  of  a  woody  plain,  on  the  southern  shore  of 


1  AvTOKparopt  Kattrapi  Oeov 
v\f  2e/3aorw  MaXXwrai. — V. 
Inscription,  No.  159. 

2  AovkLu  'CtyeW/w  Mai'w, 
MaKECOvictQ  ETrdp-^o),  tvl  Kal  ek 
rijg  Trpaircjpiag,  ^iXiap^u)  \e"/e- 
Cjvog  a  MivEpfiiag,  ev(te(3ov£, 
TTKTrijc,  EiriTpoirtj)  GiTov  'Wirtipov, 
ETTirpoTTb)   ETrap^iag   Uovtov  kuI 


THidvviac,  EiriTpotry  and  rwv 
anoKvaEwv  Se/3aoroi/,  Mvtjarijp 
~2iEfiaoTov  c'itteXevBepoq  fiojjdug 
avrov  Kara  to  ^(piojia  rijg 
fiovXrjg  tuv  "iZwv  EVEpyErrjy. — 
V.  Inscription,  No.  100. 

3  Procurator  a  dimissionibus 
imperatoris. 

4  Adjutor. 


XXXII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


493 


the  Gulf  of  Prevyza,  beyond  which  towards  the 
lake  of  Vulkaria  are  heights  clothed  with  larger 
trees  \  On  the  northern  side  of  the  gulf  the  coast 
is  higher,  and  forms  a  peninsula  in  which  is  a 
hamlet  of  five  or  six  houses,  called  Skafidlniki, 
and  below  it  a  lagoon,  communicating,  by  a  small 
opening,  with  the  sea,  and  having  a  fishery  which 
belongs  to  Arta. 

Having  crossed  the  Gulf  of  Prevyza  to  its  south- 
eastern extremity,  I  land  at  the  ruins  of  Anacto- 
riiuu,  for  such  I  shall  venture  to  denominate  a  cir- 
cuit of  Hellenic  foundations,  surrounding  a  rocky 
promontory  between  two  bays,  and  following  the 
crest  of  some  heights  which  embrace  a  little  plain 
on  the  shore  of  the  smaller  or  southern  bay,  where 
a  small  church  of  'Aios  Petros  gives  name  to  the 
place.  The  distance  of  these  ruins  from  Punta 
accords  exactly  with  the  forty  stades  placed  by 
Strabo  between  Actium  and  Anactorium. 


\  A.NACTORIVM 

\ 


gate. 


The  circumference  of  the  town  was  less  than  two 


See  the  route  through  this  country  in  Vol.  I.  p.  17-3. 


494 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap 


miles.  In  most  parts  foundations  only  are  trace- 
able ;  but  to  the  southward  there  are  remains  of 
several  towers  :  the  interior  wall  of  the  acropolis 
in  part  subsists  also,  and  between  it  and  a  marsh 
in  the  middle  of  the  plain  are  some  foundations, 
apparently  those  of  the  peribolus  of  a  temple. 
From  the  vestiges  of  a  gate  at  the  eastern  angle  of 
the  town,  a  walk  of  an  hour  across  the  heights 
which  fall  north-eastward  to  the  commodious  little 
harbour  of  St.  Mark,  leads  me  in  a  south-easterly 
direction  to  the  limeni,  or  limni  of  Vonitza,  from 
whence  there  are  two  roads  to  the  town ;  that  to 
the  right  by  a  stone  causeway  along  the  southern 
side  of  the  limni,  at  the  foot  of  a  steep  hill  covered 
with  brushwood,  from  the  foot  of  which  issues  a 
body  of  water  so  large  as  to  render  the  limni 
almost  fresh.  I  follow  the  northern  shore,  passing 
for  a  mile  through  a  wood  of  bramble,  myrtle, 
mastic,  dwarf  oleaster,  and  ilex,  to  Myrtari,  at 
the  entrance  of  the  limni,  from  whence  I  cross  in 
the  ferry-boat  to  Vonitza,  to  the  house  of  Kyr  K., 
witli  whom  1  lodged  on  my  former  visit  to  this 
place.  My  host,  in  conjunction  with  Kyr  G.  of 
Prevyza,  has  lately  purchased  of  the  Vezir  for  one 
year,  for  95,000  piastres,  the  farm  of  the  salt 
works  and  fisheries  of  Arta,  in  which  is  included 
the  sole  right  of  fishing  throughout  the  gulf,  ex- 
cept within  the  district  of  Prevyza. 

March  1G. — A  strong  easterly  wind  prevents 
me  from  leaving  Vonitza  until  3.30  p.  m.,  when, 
embarking  in  the  sakkoleva  with  Messrs.  K. 
and  G.  and  our  vice-consul  of  Prevyza,  we 
follow  the  coast  for  two  hours  as  far  as  a  bay 
between  the  capes  Volimi  and   Khaliki,   where  a 


XXXII.J 


ACARNANIA. 


495 


paleokastro  called  Ruga  induces  me  to  laud.  It 
is  a  Hellenic  fortress,  about  half  a  mile  in  cir- 
cumference, surrounded  on  three  sides  by  a  lake 
about  500  yards  wide,  beyond  which  are  heights 
covered  with  thick  woods.  The  lake  communi- 
cates at  its  two  extremities  with  the  sea  in  sea- 
sons of  rain,  but  at  present  is  separated  by  a 
narrow  beach.  The  walls  are  more  or  less  pre- 
served in  the  whole  circuit ;  and  in  one  or  two 
places  there  are  some  foundations  of  rectangular 
towers  of  the  ordinary  kind.  Near  one  of  them  a 
piece  of  wall,  which  is  standing  to  the  height  of 
twelve  feet,  is  a  complete  specimen  of  the  second  or 
polygonal  kind  of  Greek  masonry  :  the  stones  being 
of  various  shapes,  accurately  fitted  to  one  another 
without  cement,  and  none  of  them  rectangular. 
On  the  summit  of  this  wall  are  a  few  other  masses 
which  seem  to  show  that  the  upper  courses  of  the 
walls  were  of  more  regular  masonry.  Perhaps 
these,  as  well  as  the  towers,  were  repairs  or  addi- 
tions to  the  original  work.  The  inclosed  space, 
which  is  one  of  the  very  few  ploughed  spots  on 
this  woody  shore,  is  not  much  above  the  level  of 
the  sea. 

From  Ruga  we  follow  the  coast,  with  a  favour- 
able breeze,  and  soon  pass  Cape  Khaliki,  which  is 
a  sandy  point  projecting  from  a  low  woody  cape. 
The  wind  falls  as  we  approach  Nisi,  and  in  conse- 
quence of  the  turn  of  the  coast  becomes  contrary. 
So  that  it  is  eight  in  the  evening  before  we  anchor 
opposite  to  this  tjiftlik  of  the  Vezir,  which  is  built 
in  the  usual  manner  of  this  part  of  the  country  ; — 
that  is  to  say,  the  dwellings  inclose  a  quadrangle 


496 


ACARNANIA. 


[CHAP. 


into  which  all  the  doors  and  windows  open  ; 
thus  the  outside  presents  only  bare  walls,  and 
serves  as  a  fortress  against  the  robbers  of  Xero- 
mero  and  Valto.  Whenever  there  is  any  suspicion 
of  danger,  the  cattle  and  other  stock  are  collected 
at  night  within  the  square,  the  only  entrance 
into  which  is  a  large  strong  gate.  Some  boats  of 
Kyr  K.  of  Vonitza  having  been  very  successful 
in  spearing  in  the  bay  of  Nisi,  we  have  a  plentiful 
supper  of  fish,  and  keep  out  the  cold  with  a  large 
fire,  though  not  without  some  inconvenience  from 
smoke,  as  there  is  no  chimney.  My  companions 
sleep  upon  a  carpet  by  the  fire  ;  I  spread  my  mat- 
tress in  the  further  part  of  the  cottage  where  is  a 
raised  floor  made  of  a  few  planks. 

The  tjiftlik  of  Nisi  possesses  some  cornfields 
among  the  velani  oaks  which  cover  the  heights 
between  it  and  Cape  Khaliki ;  in  the  other  direc- 
tion there  is  a  marshy  bottom,  grown  with  ashes, 
oaks,  and  other  trees,  and  frequented  by  wild 
hogs  \  Those  who  hunt  them  say  that  the  animal 
generally  makes  directly  at  the  man  who  wounds 
him,  and  if  the  hunter  is  not  very  alert,  the  hog 
by  his  strength  and. quickness  seldom  fails  to  in- 
flict a  most  severe  wound  with  his  short  thick 
reverted  tusk.  No  wonder  the  ancients  without 
fire-arms  held  these  animals  in  so  much  respect. 
The  forests  extend  from  hence,  with  a  few  inter- 
vals only  of  cultivated  country,  as  far  as  Lefkadha, 
and  besides  swine,  abound  with  three  species  of 
deer,  the  tXatyi,  irXaruvi,  and  lapicah,  which  by  the 


uypiu-^oipoi. 


XX 


XII. 1 


ACARNANIA. 


497 


description  of  them  are  the  red  deer,  the  fallow 
deer,  and  roe. 

March  17. — The  wind  being  contrary  for  Lu- 
traki,  and  the  passage  round  the  inner  curve  of 
the  bay  of  Nisi  being  muddy  for  loaded  horses, 
we  cross  the  bay  in  boats,  and  ride  up  to  Palim, 
or  Balim  Bey.  This  operation,  as  we  have  an 
escort  of  thirty  Albanians  besides  our  own  bag- 
gage, takes  us  till  10.30.  Palim-bey  is  another 
farm  of  the  Vezir,  having  a  few  kalambokki  and 
corn-fields  and  flocks  belonging  to  it,  in  the  midst 
of  the  woods.  It  differs  only  from  Nisi  in  having 
a  larger  house,  by  way  of  a  serai  or  pyrgo,  and  a 
garden  of  fine  lemon  and  cypress  trees  attached  to 
the  house,  with  a  few  kalyvia  on  the  outside  of  the 
quadrangle.  We  had  intended  to  pass  the  last 
night  here  had  the  wind  been  more  favourable. 
The  level  which  separates  the  farm  from  the  sea 
is  covered  with  large  plane  trees,  together  with 
some  oaks,  both  common  and  velani,  wild  pears, 
paliuria,  and  other  shrubs.  In  the  most  marshy 
parts  ashes  are  numerous ;  this  tree,  which  is  not 
very  common  in  Greece,  is  generally  called  by 
its  ancient  name  Melia,  but  is  here  known  by 
that  of  Fraxo,  an  abbreviation  of  the  Latin  Frax- 
inus.  The  hills  behind  the  tjiftlik  are  clothed 
with  oaks,  velanidhies,  and  pirnaria ;  beyond 
them,  three  miles  from  Palim-bey,  formerly  stood 
Aghius  Saranda,  and  beyond  it  Tersova  and  Vus- 
tri.  Beyond  a  peaked  snowy  summit,  2  hours 
to  the  southward  of  the  summit  of  the  mountain  of 
Pergandi,  was  the  monastery  Robo,  reckoned  4  hours 
from  Palim-bey.     These  and  twenty  other  villages 

vol.    in.  k  k 


498 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap. 


or  monasteries  in  this  part  of  Acarnania  are  now 
deserted  and  ruined.  On  the  western  side  of  the 
mountains  were  Zaverdha,  Sklavena,  Runisi,  Sy- 
nodhi,  and  Bogonia,  formerly  all  large  villages,  but 
now  reduced  to  insignificance,  or  totally  deserted. 
Having  remained  at  Palim-bey  until  our  Al- 
banians have  dined,  we  leave  it  at  12.20,  and  at 
1  cross  a  stream  shaded  by  large  planes,  and 
flowing  from  the  southern  side  of  the  summit  of 
the  mountain  of  Varnaka.  After  passing  over  a 
root  of  the  same  hills,  we  proceed  along  the  side 
of  them  until,  at  1.20,  they  slope  into  the  narrow 
harbour  of  Lutraki,  where  on  its  western  side  are 
a  Dogana  and  Kula  surrounded  with  a  wall ;  from 
the  head  of  the  harbour  we  proceed  through  a 
narrow  gorge,  called  Dhafnies  l,  from  the  nume- 
rous bay  trees  which  grow  here,  and  which  are 
mixed  with  bushes  of  Paliuri  and  wild  Kharub  2 ; 
the  hills  on  either  side  are  covered  with  thick 
underwood.  This  is  a  strong  pass,  and  like  those 
of  Amvrakia  and  Kekhrenia,  may  be  considered 
one  of  the  gates  of  Acarnania.  At  Lutraki,  and 
in  a  halt  for  our  Albanian  infantry  by  the  way, 
we  lost  15  minutes.  Having  entered  the  valley, 
we  begin  at  2.20  to  skirt  the  marsh,  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  which  I  passed  when  coming  from 
Amvrakia  to  Lutraki,  on  June  the  19th,  1805. 
Little  streams  ooze  from  the  foot  of  the  hills  on 
our  right,  and  flow  into  the  marsh.  At  2.45 
we  are  opposite  to  the  end  of  the  marsh,  and 
to  the  hollow  on  the  slope  of  the  opposite  moun- 


1    An(pi'ialc. 


'Aypialg  Kovr^nrlnic- 


XXXII. 


ACARNANIA. 


499 


tain,  through  which  leads  the  road  to  Amvrakia. 
Leaving  this  to  the  left,  we  mount  the  hills  through 
ravines  shaded  with  olives,  and  at  3.55  arrive  at 
Katuna,  at  the  house  of  Mr.  George  Mavromati. 
Katun  a  is  situated  on  a  fertile  range  of  hills,  which 
are  divided  by  an  elevated  valley  from  Mount 
Bumisto  ;  on  one  side  of  this  valley,  beyond  a  hill, 
is  the  river  which,  taking  its  rise  near  Komboti, 
joins  the  sea  between  Palim-bey  and  Lutraki. 
The  heights  of  Katuna  extend  southward,  with  a 
little  inclination  to  the  east,  for  a  distance  of  about 
12  miles.  This  ridge  consists  of  hard  limestone, 
covered  with  a  stratum  of  fertile  soil,  which  feeds 
numerous  sheep  and  oxen,  and  has  some  intervals 
cultivated  with  wheat  and  barley.  These  and  the 
produce  of  the  velanidhies  scattered  in  the  woods, 
once  supported  a  considerable  population  in  the 
towns  of  Katuna  and  Makhala,  which  are  now 
mere  villages,  and  in  several  subordinate  places 
now  abandoned.  The  JEtolian  plains,  though  still 
cultivated  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  better 
peopled  than  Acarnania,  have  declined  nearly  in 
the  same  proportion,  and  among  the  Beys  of 
Vrakhori,  some  of  whom  formerly  derived  3000/. 
a  year  from  their  landed  property,  not  one  has 
now  a  third  of  that  income. 

In  Katuna  there  remain  not  more  than  forty 
inhabited  houses  ;  seventy  were  abandoned  in  the 
course  of  the  last  year,  chiefly  in  consequence  of 
the  excessive  expence  attending  the  quartering  of 
Albanians,  who  all  pass  through  this  derveni  in 
their  way  to  or  from  JEtolia,  or  the  south-western 
parts  of  Acarnania.     This  grievance  has  particu- 

k  k  2 


500 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap. 


larly  pressed  upon  them  since  the  death  of  Yusuf 
Aga,  the  Valide  Kiayassy,  when  Aly  obtained 
the  Mukata  of  Karlili,  and  immediately  sent  his 
Albanians  into  the  country.  He  is  now  making 
his  first  visit  in  person.  His  chief  object  is  to 
substitute  his  own  Albanians  for  the  Greek  arma- 
toli,  who  under  the  command  of  their  captains 
were  in  the  service  and  pay  of  the  villages.  As 
soon  as  his  intentions  were  known,  many  of  the 
armatoli  fled  into  the  islands,  and  returned  from 
thence  as  robbers.  The  individual  among  them 
whose  enterprize  and  knowledge  of  the  country 
renders  him  at  present  most  formidable,  is  named 
Dhrako  Griva  !,  first  cousin  of  the  Katziko-Iannis, 
two  celebrated  characters  of  the  same  stamp, 
whom  the  Vezir  succeeded  in  destroying. 

Griva  began  his  career  at  an  early  age,  like 
most  of  these  heroes,  by  entering  into  a  band  of 
robbers,  to  whom  he  recommended  himself  by  his 
activity,  hardiness,  and  cruelty.  It  wras  his  prac- 
tice to  tie  every  Musulman  who  fell  into  his  hands, 
or  any  unfortunate  Christian  who  had  given  him 
offence,  to  a  tree,  to  be  fired  at  by  his  followers  as 
a  mark.  Having  rendered  himself  the  terror  of 
the  villages  of  Karlili,  and  long  defied  the  efforts 
of  the  Vezir  as  Dervent  Aga,  he  was  at  length,  at 
the  Pasha's  suggestion,  taken  into  the  service 
and  pay  of  the  district  as  captain  of  armatoli,  to 
keep  the  country  clear  of  thieves.  He  was  after- 
wards disgraced  by  the  same  influence,  and  super- 
seded by  Katziko  Ianni,  because  he  could  not,  or 

1  Dhrako  is  an  addition  to  his  real  name,  meaning  any  thing 
monstrous. 


XXXII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


501 


would  not  (as  it  is  said),  murder  Mitjo '  Mavro- 
mati  of  Katuna  for  His  Highness.  Griva  had  then 
no  other  resource  than  to  enter  into  the  Russian 
service  in  the  Islands,  from  which  he  passed  into 
that  of  the  French,  and  in  both  has  succeeded  in 
tormenting  the  Vezir  by  continual  depredations  on 
his  territories2.  Varnaka,  a  village  once  of  400 
families,  but  now  deserted,  is  at  present  the  prin- 
cipal resort  of  the.  thieves.  To  the  spoliation  of 
the  kleftes  is  to  be  added  that  of  the  Albanians 
sent  against  them ;  these,  together  with  the  simi- 
lar effects  of  the  collection  of  troops  in  1807 
against  the  Russians  at  Lefkadha,  and  of  those 
now  assembled  to  observe  the  French,  have  almost 
depopulated  the  entire  country  around  Mount 
Bumisto,  or  between  the  Ambracian  gulf  and  Leu- 
cadian  sea. 

The  Vezir,  when  he  halted  here  the  day  before 
yesterday,  lodged  at  the  house  of  the  son  of  the 
very  Mavromati  whom  he  had  formerly  put  to 
death.  Mitjo  was  a  man  of  considerable  property, 
and  much  beloved  in  Acarnania,  where  he  long 
acted  as  agent  of  Kurt  Pasha  in  the  management 
of  the  armatoli  and  police  of  this  province.     His 


1  M/r£o£,  familiariter,  or 
^a'iSevTiica,  as  the  modern 
Greeks   say,  for  Ajj/xZ/rpjoc. 

2  In  October  1809,  he  be- 
came our  prisoner  at  the  cap- 
ture of  Zante,  together  with  his 
comrades  in  the  French  service. 
The  greater  part  of  them  en- 
tered into  the  Greek  regiments 
which  were  then  formed.    Griva 


did  not  like  the  terms  of  ser- 
vice, which  rendered  him  liable 
to  be  sent  to  any  part  of  the 
Mediterranean,  and  preferred 
trusting  to  Aly,  who  accepted 
his  offer  of  services,  taking  care 
to  retain  a  part  of  his  family  as 
a  pledge  of  his  fidelity,  and 
made  him  koledji  of  Vonitza 
and  Plaghia. 


502 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap. 


friendship  with  Kurt  was  a  crime  in  the  eyes  of 
Aly,  which  Mitjo's  riches  rendered  unpardonable. 
Conscious  of  the  injury  he  had  done  to  the  family, 
the  Vezir  ordered  the  house  to  be  searched  before 
he  entered  it,  though  when  he  announced  to  Mav- 
romati  at  Prevyza  that  he  intended  to  lodge  with 
him  in  passing  through  Katuna,  he  pretended 
never  to  have  heard  that  his  old  friend  Mitjo, 
as  he  called  him,  was  dead.  After  dining  at 
Katuna  he  went  forward  to  Makhala,  accompanied 
by  1500  Albanians,  whose  pay  is  four  months  in 
arrear.  Scarcely  any  chieftain  but  Aly  could 
take  such  a  liberty  with  these  men,  as  there  is 
nothing  on  which  Albanians  are  so  sensitive.  In 
the  meantime,  rovg  icvfiepvau,  he  quarters  them  on 
the  places  which  he  passes  through,  and  thus  they 
can  live  without  pay,  which  they  have  no  doubt  of 
receiving  in  the  end,  that  being  a  point  in  which 
Aly  dares  not  deceive  them. 

March  18. — The  view  from  Katuna,  though 
confined  by  the  mountains  to  the  west  and  east, 
commands  some  distant  objects  through  the  open- 
ings to  the  north  and  south — namely,  Mounts 
Olytzika  and  Tzumerka  in  the  former  direction, 
with  the  mill  above  Arta,  which  was  one  of  my 
former  stations.  To  the  southward  beyond  JEtulia 
appear  the  great  summits  of  Voidhia  and  'Olono  in 
the  Morea. 

Our  escort  of  thirty  Albanians  from  Prevyza  is 
joined  by  ten  more  from  Vonitza  by  direction  of 
Kyr  K.,  who,  as  Hodja-bashi  of  that  place,  has 
the  direction  of  these  troops  within  his  own  dis- 
trict.    The  necessity  of  this  reinforcement  shows 


XXXII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


503 


how  insecure  the  country  is  supposed  to  be  beyond 
the  range  of  the  Albanian  muskets. 

Half  a  mile  below  the  lowest  houses  of  Katuna, 
a  little  on  the  left  of  the  road  to  Makhala,  is  the 
upper  extremity  of  a  Hellenic  fortress  which  occu- 
pies the  slope  of  the  ridge  of  Katuna  on  its  east- 
ern side.  The  valley  into  which  it  descends  is  a 
continuation  of  that  which  we  followed  yesterday 
coming  from  Lutraki,  being  the  same  as  that  I 
described  on  the  18th  of  June,  1805,  as  included 
between  the  parallel  ridges  of  Amvrakia  and  Ka- 
tuna. The  existing  remains  consist  of  foundations 
of  regular  masonry  belonging  to  an  acropolis  which 
surrounded  a  theatre-shaped  piece  of  ground  at  the 
head  of  a  water-course  :  vestiges  of  the  town  walls 
are  seen  also  on  the  descent  towards  the  valley, 
and  I  am  told  there  are  others  quite  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountain.  The  city,  therefore,  was  large 
as  well  as  important  by  its  position,  which  com- 
manded the  principal  passage  from  Epirus  through 
Acarnania  into  JEtolia.  It  is  supposed  by  the 
learned  of  this  part  of  the  country  to  be  Conope, 
because  there  is  a  small  village,  situated  a  few 
miles  to  the  south-west,  named  Konopitza.  Co- 
nope, however,  was  certainly  beyond  the  Achelous, 
in  JEtolia ;  and  Konopitza  no  more  indicates  the 
position  of  Conope  than  Amvrakia  does  that  of 
Ambracia. 

Our  road  continues  to  follow  the  crest  of  the 
ridge  over  heights  remarkable  for  their  variety 
of  form,  and  for  many  immense  circular  cavities, 
covered  within  with  trees,  and  at  the  bottom  of 
some   of  which   are  deep   pools   of  water.      The 


504 


ACARNANIA. 


TCHAP. 


trees  are  chiefly  pirnaria,  and  the  rocks,  as  gene- 
rally in  this  part  of  Acarnania,  a  hard  yellow 
limestone,  or  marble,  which  is  very  handsome 
when  polished.  The  heights  are  uncultivated, 
but  produce  a  fine  herbage,  affording  an  excel- 
lent pasture  for  sheep.  At  3  p.m.,  after  hav- 
ing ridden  50  minutes  from  the  Paleokastro,  the 
monastery  of  Agrilio  is  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the 
left,  on  a  point  of  land  on  the  western  side  of 
the  lake  of  Valto  or  Amvrakia,  opposite  to  that 
part  of  the  mountain  of  Kekhrenia  which  I  de- 
scended on  the  way  from  that  village  to  Amvrakia. 
The  projection  on  which  Agrilio  stands,  is  an 
abrupt  termination  of  the  ridge  beginning  on  the 
eastern  side  of  Lutraki,  and  upon  which  stand 
the  villages  Sparto,  Amvrakia,  and  Stanu.  Below 
Agrilio  is  the  narrowest  and  deepest  part  of  the 
lake.  In  dry  summers  nothing  remains  but  a  cir- 
cular pool  in  that  part,  all  the  rest  being  dry  or 
muddy.  It  is  the  opinion  at  Katuna,  that  by 
means  of  a  few  canals  of  drainage,  and  at  the  ex- 
pence  of  about  60  purses,  all  but  the  pool  near 
Agrilio  might  be  made  capable  of  bearing  maize 
or  any  other  kind  of  grain  in  abundance.  Some 
parts  of  the  edges  of  the  lake  when  dry  are  now 
cultivated  in  that  manner,  as  I  witnessed  below 
Amvrakia  on  my  former  journey. 

We  now  leave  the  few  dispersed  houses  which 
form  the  village  of  Konopitza,  or  Konopina,  two 
miles  on  the  right,  and  at  3.35  pass  through  the 
ruins  of  the  village  of  Anino,  from  whence  came 
the  family  of  that  name  which  is  now  one  of  the 
principal  in  Cefalonia.     On  the  opposite  slope  of 


XXXII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


505 


the  mountain  of  Kekhrenia  were  formerly  Alpitza 
and  Makri,  from  which  latter  came  the  Makris  of 
Zante.  At  3.50  we  halt  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
at  a  large  well  of  ancient  construction  resembling 
another  which  I  observed  close  to  the  walls  of  the 
Paleokastro  of  Katuna.  Several  others,  all  pro- 
bably works  of  the  ancient  Greeks,  are  said  to 
exist  in  this  ridge,  which  is  totally  deficient  in 
superficial  sources.  All  the  larger  houses  at 
Katuna  and  Makhala  are  provided  with  cisterns 
for  collecting  rain  water.  At  4.45  we  pass  Papad- 
hates,  or  Papalates,  standing  on  the  crest  of  the 
ridge,  and  now  containing  only  a  few  cottages,  and 
there  arrive  in  sight  of  a  valley  to  the  westward, 
included  on  one  side  by  the  mountains  which  pro- 
trude from  Bumisto  towards  Tragamesti,  and  on 
the  other  by  the  ridge  which,  trending  westerly 
from  that  of  Makhala,  borders  the  great  plain  of  the 
Achelous  to  the  north-west.  In  an  opening  between 
the  two  ranges  the  sea  appears.  On  the  opposite 
side  of  the  valley,  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  towards 
Tragamesti,  are  the  villages  of  Babini,  Makhera, 
and  Khrysovitzi,  lying  in  that  order  from  south- 
east to  north-west.  At  5.15  we  arrive  at  the 
highest  point  of  the  ridge,  where  stands  a  ruined 
windmill,  visible  from  Katuna,  and  which  is  a  con- 
spicuous object  to  all  the  surrounding  country. 
Immediately  below  it  begin  the  houses  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Makhala,  which  are  dispersed  over  a  slope 
falling  towards  the  plain  of  the  Achelous. 

It  may  be  a  question,  whether  the  lake  of  Agrilio, 
or  the  marsh  between  Katuna  and  Lutraki,  was  the 


506 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap. 


scene  of  a  transaction  of  the  year  b.  c.  391,  which 
is  related  by  Xenophon1.  The  Achaeans,  who 
were  in  possession  of  Calydon,  finding  themselves 
greatly  annoyed  by  the  Acarnanians,  who  were 
assisted  by  some  Athenians  and  Boeotians,  craved 
the  succour  of  the  Lacedaemonians,  who  sent  Age- 
silaus,  with  two  morse  and  some  allies,  to  join  the 
Achaeans.  Agesilaus,  previously  to  entering  the 
hostile  territory,  sent  a  message  to  Stratus,  threat- 
ening to  destroy  the  whole  country  unless  the 
Acarnanians  quitted  their  alliance  and  joined  that 
of  Sparta ;  but  they  disregarded  his  menaces,  re- 
tired into  their  cities,  and  drove  their  cattle  to  a 
distant  part  of  the  country  Agesilaus  then  en- 
tered Acarnania,  and  destroyed  every  thing  within 
his  reach  ;  but  marched  not  more  than  ten  or  twelve 
stades  each  day,  by  which  mode  of  proceeding,  at 
the  end  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  days,  he  had  thrown 
the  Acarnanians  so  much  off  their  guard,  that  many 
of  them  resumed  their  rural  employments.  He  then 
made  a  sudden  march  of  160  stades  in  one  day  to 
a  lake  surrounded  by  mountains,  where  the  greater 
part  of  the  cattle  of  the  Acarnanians  was  collected 2, 
and  thus  captured  a  great  quantity  of  horses,  oxen, 
and  sheep,  besides  men,  all  which  he  sold  the 
next  day.  In  the  evening  he  was  attacked  by  the 
Acarnanians  and  forced  to  descend  from  his  po- 
sition on  the  heights,  into  a  plain  and  meadow  on 
the  bank  of  the  lake,  from  whence  there  was  only 


1  Xenoph.  Hellen.  1.  4,  c.  6.      /3o<7K>//ia7-a      tCjv     'AKapvuvojv 
3  tin  ri]v  XifxvTjv,  irepl  r\v  ra      a\tS6y  wavTa  i)v. 


XXXII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


507 


a  narrow  and  difficult  outlet  across  the  mountains  \ 
By  this  pass  Agesilaus  attempted  to  retreat  on  the 
following  day,  but  the  Acarnanians  had  occupied 
the  mountains  on  either  side  of  it,  from  whence 
their  light  armed  annoyed  their  opponents  by 
missiles,  easily  escaping  into  shelter  when  pur- 
sued by  the  cavalry  or  hoplitae.  The  Acarnanian 
hoplitse,  with  the  greater  part  of  their  peltastae, 
were  posted  on  the  summit  of  the  mountain  to  the 
left  of  the  enemy's  line  of  march  ;  and  this  moun- 
tain happened  to  be  the  more  accessible  of  the 
two  to  horsemen  and  hoplitae.  Agesilaus,  there- 
fore, after  sacrificing,  during  which  operation 
many  of  his  troops  were  wounded,  ordered  an 
advance  upon  the  height  to  his  left.  All  the 
hoplitae  who  had  arrived  at  15  years  beyond  the 
age  of  puberty  ran  forward,  preceded  by  the  ca- 
valry, and  followed  by  Agesilaus  himself  with  the 
remainder  of  the  forces.  In  this  manner  they 
reached,  and  slew  or  put  to  flight  the  Acarnanians 
on  the  declivity  of  the  mountain,  by  whom  they 
had  been  annoyed.  Nor  did  those  on  the  summit 
of  the  ridge  wait  for  the  encounter,  though  the 
peltastae  had  slain  some  of  the  horsemen  and 
horses  of  the  enemy  in  the  ascent.  The  loss  of 
the  Acarnanians  on  this  day  was  about  300. 
Agesilaus  then  continued  to  ravage  the  country, 
and  even  presented  himself  at  the  request  of  the 
Achaeans  before  some  of  the  cities,  but  none  sur- 


1   i)v  [itv  7/  i&doc  tK  tov  7T£(h       irepti-^ovTa   opt)'    Kara\a(i6vTi(; 
n)v    Xifivrjv    XiifitHvoQ    re    Kal      C£  vl  'AKapvaveg,  &c. 
ntdiov     artvi),     Cia    rd     kvkX^ 


508 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap 


rendered  to  him  ;  and  as  the  autumn  was  advanc- 
ing, he  decided  upon  retiring  from  Acarnania, 
replying  to  the  Achaeans,  who  requested  him  to 
remain,  so  long  at  least  as  to  prevent  the  Acar- 
nanians  from  sowing  their  corn,  that  the  more 
they  sowed  the  more  inclined  they  would  be  to 
peace.  His  retreat  through  yEtolia,  adds  the 
historian,  was  by  passes  through  which  it  would 
have  been  impossible  for  any  numbers  to  have 
found  their  way,  had  the  .ZEtolians,  who  hoped  for 
his  assistance  in  the  recovery  of  Naupactus,  been 
desirous  of  preventing  him  *. 

Although  the  Valto,  or  lake  of  Agrilio,  may 
seem  better  to  deserve  the  description  of  a  A/juvr? 
in  the  present  time  of  the  year  than  that  between 
Katuna  and  Lutraki,  there  is  probably  little  dif- 
ference in  their  dimensions  in  the  season  of  the 
expedition  of  Agesilaus.  Both  are  surrounded  by 
mountains,  that  of  Valto  more  closely ;  but  for 
that  reason  it  was  less  adapted  to  the  assemblage 
of  the  Acarnanian  cattle  than  the  lake  of  Lutraki, 
which  has  at  all  times  a  greater  extent  of  pasture 
around  it.  The  latter  had  also  the  advantage  of 
being  farther  removed  from  the  frontier  of  JEtolia, 
whereas  the  southern  extremity  of  the  lake  of 
Agrilio  is  not  many  miles  from  Stratus  and  the 
Achelous.  The  ravine  therefore  by  which  I  as- 
cended from  the  marsh  of  Lutraki  to  Katuna 
seems  to  have  been  the  defile  in  which  the  Acar- 
nanians  opposed  the  Spartans.     In  this  case  the 


1   roiavrag     bdovg,    ag    ovte    woWoi    ovre     tiXiyoi     cvvaur    av 
aKovrior  AirwXwv  TropevtaOai. 


XXXII. j 


ACARNANIA. 


509 


hill  of  Katuna  itself  was  the  position  of  the  Acar- 
nanian  hoplitae  and  peltastaB,  which  was  taken  by 
the  bold  charge  of  the  Spartans.  There  is  indeed 
another  opening  conducting  from  the  marsh  of 
Lutraki,  which  leads  towards  Amvrakia ;  but  as 
this  would  have  carried  Agesilaus  farther  from  the 
frontier,  and  would  have  obliged  him  to  march 
along  one  side  or  the  other  of  the  lake  of  Agrilio, 
both  difficult  routes,  and  that  to  the  westward 
defended  by  the  fortified  town  near  Katuna,  it  is 
not  probable  that  he  should  have  ventured  into 
so  hazardous  a  situation.  It  seems  evident,  more- 
over, that  he  retreated  by  the  same  route  by 
which  he  had  arrived,  that  is  to  say,  into  the 
plain  of  Aetos  ;  for  on  this  side  of  the  ridge  of 
Katuna  lay  the  principal  extent  and  the  more 
fertile  parts  of  Acarnania,  through  which  he  had 
made  his  fifteen  marches,  probably  in  various 
directions,  as  convenience  or  plunder  prompted. 
The  last  day's  march  of  160  stades,  by  which 
he  surprised  the  Acarnanians,  would  seem  from 
the  distance  to  have  been  begun  from  a  position 
on  the  Achelous.  It  is  almost  unnecessary  to 
point  out  how  perfectly  the  geography  of  Mtolia 
justifies  the  remark  of  Xenophon,  as  to  the  diffi- 
culty which  Agesilaus  would  have  found  in  re- 
treating through  that  country  to  Calydon,  had  the 
iEtolians  been  adverse  to  him,  his  only  routes 
being  along  one  side  or  other  of  the  lake  of 
Apokuro,  or  through  the  passes  of  Zygos,  or  if 
he  entered  the  maritime  plains  from  Acarnania, 
along  the  borders  of  the  lagoons  of  Anatoliko  and 
Mesolonghi. 


510 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap. 


March  19. — The  ruined  windmill  behind  Mak- 
hala commands  a  magnificent  prospect.  As  at 
Katiina,  I  recognize  to  the  north  Mount  Olytzika, 
near  Ioannina,  and  to  the  south-east  the  mountains 
Voidhia  and  'Olono,  in  the  Morea,  to  which  are 
here  added,  the  Sandameriotiko  of  Elis  and  the 
Mavra  Vuna  near  Dyme.  But  the  principal  ob- 
jects are  the  Mtolian  plains,  with  their  noble  river 
and  lakes,  the  positions  of  Stratus,  Thermus,  and 
Conope,  the  great  summits  called  Arakhova  and 
Viena,  and  Mount  Rigani,  near  Naupactus.  In 
the  midst  of  the  basin  which  lies  to  the  westward 
of  the  ridge  of  Makhala,  and  which  is  surrounded 
on  the  other  sides  by  Mount  Bumisto,  by  the  moun- 
tains towards  the  sea  coast,  and  by  that  which 
slopes  on  the  opposite  side  to  the  right  bank  of  the 
Achelous,  rises  an  insulated  height,  surrounded 
by  Hellenic  walls,  on  the  western  point  of  which 
stands  a  monastery,  called  Porta,  properly  -h  Ua- 
vayia  cxtt)v  Uoprav.  In  the  lower  part  of  the  in- 
closure  a  ruined  tower  is  conspicuous,  having  eight 
courses  of  regular  masonry  still  standing,  and  on 
either  side  of  it  some  walls  of  polygonal  masonry, 
which  have  an  appearance  of  a  more  remote  an- 
tiquity than  the  tower. 

Makhala,  to  judge  by  the  ruins  dispersed  over 
the  hill  on  which  it  stands,  was  once  a  con- 
siderable town  ;  there  are  now  not  more  than  50 
families.  It  is  said  to  be  the  healthiest  position 
in  the  interior  of  Karlili.  Katuna,  although  nearly 
as  high,  does  not  enjoy  such  good  air  in  summer, 
because  the  day  breeze  which  draws  through  the 
opening  of  Lutraki  passes  over  the  marshes.    In  the 


XXXII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


511 


winter  and  spring  it  suffers  from  cold,  and  in  the 
end  of  the  summer  and  autumn  from  the  vicinity 
of  the  Valto  of  Agrilio  and  the  effluvia  of  the  mud 
which  is  continually  stirred  up  by  the  wild  hogs. 

Makhala,  Katuna,  Zavitza,  Tragamesti,  Katokhi 
and  Stamna,  now  reduced  to  inconsiderable  vil- 
lages, were  all  flourishing  towns  in  the  time  of 
Kurt  Pasha.  Katuna  was  considered  the  richest 
and  most  polished.  Many  families  have  migrated 
from  these  places  to  the  islands. 

From  Makhala  to  Skortus  takes  us  an  hour  and 
twenty  minutes,  with  our  Albanians  on  foot.  At 
Skortus  there  are  only  two  families  left.  The 
ruins  of  the  village  stand  at  the  foot  of  a  small 
height,  surrounded  with  an  ancient  Greek  wall,  of 
which  there  remain  in  some  places  two  or  three 
courses  of  regular  masonry.  From  hence  I  pro- 
ceed to  the  summit  of  the  hill  of  Lygovitzi,  which 
rises  immediately  above  Skortus,  in  search  of  some 
ruins  which  a  woman  of  the  latter  place,  probably 
for  the  sake  of  getting  rid  of  us,  described  as  a 
/ucya  Kaorpov,  but  where  I  find  nothing,  after  an 
ascent  through  a  thick  wood  of  velanidhi  oaks, 
and  over  difficult  rocky  paths,  but  the  ruins  of 
four  or  five  churches  among  the  trees,  and  on  the 
summit  some  remains  of  a  small  castle,  apparently 
of  the  same  date  as  the  churches.  I  have  since 
been  informed,  however,  that  among  the  woods  on 
the  south-eastern  face  of  the  hill,  the  walls  are 
traceable  of  an  ancient  Hellenic  city,  which,  by  its 
position  relatively  to  Conope  at  Anghelo-Kastro, 
would  seem  to  have  been  Metropolis. 

The  persons  left  in  charge  of  the  monastery,  on 

12 


512 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap. 


perceiving  our  approach,  locked  it  up  and  fled 
into  the  woods,  taking  us  for  thieves.  My  Alba- 
nian Palikaria  had  not  only  climbed  up  the  hill 
on  foot,  but  found  their  way  into  the  building 
before  I  could  reach  the  summit  on  horseback. 
The  monks  have  not  occupied  the  house  since 
the  country  has  been  tormented  by  the  frequent 
incursions  of  robbers  from  the  islands :  its  landed 
property  is  considerable,  but  not  so  large  as  that  of 
Vlokho.  There  is  a  neat  small  church,  a  cistern, 
and  several  cells. 

The  prospect  from  the  monastery,  which  stands 
just  below  the  summit,  repays  the  trouble  of  ascend- 
ing the  hill.  To  the  south  are  seen  Kastro  Tor- 
nese,  and  the  plains  of  Elis  and  Achaia ;  to  the 
north-eastward  the  mountains  of  'Agrafa,  from 
whence  extends  the  hilly  country  which  terminates 
in  the  plain  of  Vrakhori,  bounded  on  the  S.E.  by 
the  lake  and  hills  of  Apokuro,  and  the  great  ridge 
of  Zygos  or  Aracynthus.  Beyond  the  mountains 
of  Apokuro  are  seen  those  of  Kravari,  ending  to 
the  south  in  Mount  Rigani  over  'Epakto.  The 
great  mountain  Viena,  which  hides  Velukhi,  has 
its  whole  range  extended  before  us.  As  well  from 
its  vicinity  to  the  capital  lliermus,  as  from  its  be- 
ing the  most  extensive  and  central  summit  01 
JEtolia,  this  mountain  seems  exactly  suited  to  the 
Panaetolium,  which  Pliny  names  as  one  of  the 
mountains  of  iEtolia.  No  other  author,  I  believe, 
has  alluded  to  it,  although  one  of  the  highest  and 
greatest  of  the  ridges  of  Greece. 

At  the  foot  of  the  steep  woody  descent  of  the 
mountain  is  a  large  deep  perennial  lake,  abound- 


XXXII.] 


ACAUNANIA. 


513 


ing  in  fish  and  wild  fowl,  and  discharging  a  copi- 
ous stream  into  the  Achelous,  the  broad  bed  of 
which  is  separated  only  from  the  lake  by  a  narrow 
plain.  The  junction  of  this  discharge  of  the  lake 
with  the  Achelous  occurs  a  little  below  that  of  the 
river  anciently  called  Cyathus,  which  flows  from 
the  lake  of  Vrakhori  and  joins  the  main  river  op- 
posite to  Anghelokastro.  Two  miles  below  the 
union  of  the  discharge  from  the  lake  of  Lygovitzi, 
the  Achelous  is  joined  by  a  second  tributary  on  the 
right  bank  proceeding  from  a  marsh,  and  between 
them  on  the  same  side  by  a  third  smaller  stream. 
The  broad  white  bed  of  the  Achelous,  from  which 
it  derives  the  modern  name  Aspro,  is  widest  be- 
tween the  site  of  Stratus  at  Surovigli  and  the  lake 
of  Lygovitzi.  On  the  right  bank,  between  Suro- 
vigli, the  extremity  of  the  mountain  of  Kekhrenia 
and  the  northern  side  of  the  lake  of  Lygovitzi,  is  a 
triangular  plain,  once  the  chief  support  of  Stratus, 
but  now  almost  entirely  uncultivated,  as  it  always 
has  been  in  the  memory  of  the  present  Acarna- 
nians,  though  nothing  inferior  in  natural  fertility 
to  that  of  Vrakhori. 

Having  dined  upon  some  provisions  brought 
with  us  from  Makhala,  very  much  in  the  manner  of 
the  kleftes,  whom  we  are  taken  for,  we  descend 
through  woods  of  velanidhi,  among  which  are  a 
few  corn-fields,  and  some  horses  belonging  to  the 
monastery,  into  the  direct  road  from  Skortus  to 
Prodhromo, — pass  through  some  large  flocks  of 
sheep,  which  are  attended  by  Vlakhiote  Karagu- 
nidhes  of  Mount  Pindus,  and  arrive  at  Prodhromo 

VOL.   III.  l  1 


514 


ACARNANIA 


[chap. 


at  half-past  4  p.  m.  The  distance  from  Skortus  is 
an  hour  and  a  quarter. 

Prodhromo  '  stands  exactly  opposite  to  Khryso- 
vitzi  as  Skortus  does  to  Babini.  In  the  valley 
between  the  two  former,  and  about  a  mile  in  a 
direct  line  from  Prodhromo,  rises  an  insulated 
hill,  the  summit  and  one  side  of  which  are  enclosed 
with  the  remains  of  Hellenic  walls,  the  summit 
forming  a  separate  inclosure.  It  appears  to  have 
been  nothing  more  than  a  small  fortified  kw/*ij,  like 
that  at  Skortus,  and  very  inferior  in  importance 
to  the  cities  which  stood  at  Porta  and  near  Katuna. 
Anciently  it  would  seem  that  every  village  in 
Acarnania  was  walled,  whence  we  may  infer  that 
their  insecurity  was  almost  as  great  as  it  is  now. 
It  may  easily  be  conceived,  indeed,  that  between 
the  sea  pirates  of  the  adjacent  islands,  who  were 
at  all  times  XriioroptQ  avowee2,  and  the  semi-bar- 
barous tribes  of  the  Epirotic  and  iEtolian  moun- 
tains, their  position  was  one  of  continued  vigilance. 
Its  effects,  however,  had  not  injured  their  cha- 
racter ;  for  Thucydides  speaks  favourably  of  the 
Acarnanians,  and  they  seem  not  to  have  altogether 
degenerated  when  compared  with  other  Greeks. 

The  Proestos  of  Prodhromo,  who  is  upwards  of 
seventy  years  of  age,  remembers  when  there  were 
60  or  70  houses  in  his  village  :  there  are  now  only 
six.  It  is  situated  just  on  the  skirt  of  the  woods 
which  occupy  all  the  range  of  hills  from  Lygovitzi 
to  where  they  terminate  in  the  plains  towards  the 
mouth  of  the  Aspro.     The  air  is  said  to  be  very 

1  Upo^pofioc  2  Homer,  Od.  O.  420,  II.  426. 


XXXII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


515 


healthy.  In  the  valley,  and  on  the  slopes  adja- 
cent to  this  side  of  it,  the  Prodhromites  cultivate 
wheat  and  barley,  and  they  gather  vallonea1,  gall- 
nuts2,  and  a  seed  or  berry  used  in  dyeing,  called 
/unploairopog,  on  the  hills.  The  soil  is  a  dark- 
coloured  friable  mould,  like  that  of  the  greater 
part  of  Acarnania.  The  grinia  wheat,  is  sown 
from  November  to  January,  whenever  there  is  an 
interval  of  dry  weather  favourable  to  it : — the 
dhiminio  from  the  10th  of  February  to  the  25th 
of  March  (old  style.)  If  the  spring  be  very  dry 
this  yields  no  more  than  3,  4,  or  5,  to  1  ;  but  it 
usually  gives  10,  while  the  grinia  never  more  than 
6  or  7.  The  latter  would  perhaps  yield  as  much 
as  the  dhiminio  if  it  were  carefully  cleared  of 
weeds,  but  this  is  seldom  done  in  Greece.  Barley 
is  sown  in  the  same  season  as  grinia  :  the  harvest 
is  in  the  middle  of  June  (old  style.)  Upon  the 
kind  of  weather  which  leads  to  a  good  harvest 
they  have  this  proverb — 

Xapa  ora  ^joioroyEva  areyva, 

Ta  (jnorn  viovKJutva, 
Me  ttiv  \afX7rpi)v  (Sptyovpsvrjv, 

Ta  /uwapia  yto/Luapeva. 

"Joy  to  a  dry  Christmas,  a  snowy  Epiphany, 
and  a  rainy  Easter,  then  the  barns  will  be  filled." 

The  Sicilians  say — Gennaro  sicco  borghese  ricco. 

Prodhromo,  like  all  the  smaller  villages  of  Kar- 
lili,  is  a  Spahilik,  and  pays  two  fifteenths  of  the 
crop  to  the  Spahi.  The  rest  belongs  to  the  Pro- 
dhromite  s,  who  is  his  own  labourer,  and  pays  all 
the  expences  of  cultivation.      His  condition,  which 


1  lu\ai 


KtJKlCt. 

L  1   2 


Tlpodpof.tlT)]r. 


516 


ACARNANIA. 


[CHAP. 


from  this  statement  would  seem  to  be  independent, 
is  quite  the  reverse.  The  Hodja-bashi,  or  Proestos 
of  Tragamesti,  or  of  any  other  place  upon  the  coast 
where  the  Prodhromite  carries  his  corn  or  other 
produce  for  sale,  prevents  him  from  communicat- 
ing with  the  islanders,  who  would  give  him  a  good 
price,  and  forces  himself  in  as  an  intermediate 
purchaser,  at  a  much  lower  :  hence  the  current 
price  of  wheat  here  at  present  is  not  more  that  31 
piastres  the  kilo  of  22  okes,  which  is  equivalent  to 
about  3s.  6d.  the  bushel.  The  velamdhi,  which 
being  procured  for  the  trouble  of  gathering  would 
be  a  great  advantage  to  the  peasant,  is  monopo- 
lized in  the  same  manner  by  the  Proesti,  who  give 
him  for  the  small  sort,  called  ya/iaSa,  20  piastres 
the  milliaja  of  1000  lire  grosse  Venete.  One  of 
my  companions  tells  me  that  he  has  himself  lately 
bought  a  quantity  from  the  primates  of  Karlili  for 
37  piastres  and  sold  it  for  50.  The  large  inferior 
kind  of  velanidhi,  called  Kay\a,  sells  at  12  piastres 
the  milliaja.  Kikidhi,  or  gall-nuts,  are  sold  by 
the  gatherers  for  1 5  paras  the  oke,  and  merzosporo 
the  same.  The  surrounding  hills  upon  which  these 
productions  are  gathered  abound  in  stags,  deer, 
roebucks,  and  wild  boars,  as  well  as  in  jackals, 
which  make  a  dismal  howling  at  night. 

Another  disadvantage  of  which  the  Prodhro- 
mites,  in  common  with  the  other  small  villagers  of 
Acarnania,  complain  is,  that  although  surrounded 
with  pasture,  they  are  unable  to  have  any  flocks, 
which  all  belong  to  the  Vezir  and  his  sons,  or  to 
rich  Turks,  or  to  other  persons  who  pay  the  Vezir 
for  permission  to  feed  their  flocks  in  this  part  of 


XXXII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


517 


the  country,  all  which  are  in  the  care  of  Vlakhi- 
otes,  or  of  Albanians  from  Mount  Pindus.  But  even 
this  oppression,  or  that  which  prevents  the  indus- 
trious man  from  employing  his  means  in  the  most 
advantageous  manner,  or  from  carrying  the  fruits 
of  his  labour  to  the  best  market,  is  less  grievous 
than  the  direct  taxes  and  extortions  which  often 
deprive  him  at  one  blow  of  his  scanty  earnings. 
The  kefaliatiko,  or  kharatj,  is  7  piastres  for  every 
male  above  ten  years  old,  in  which  is  included 
half  a  piastre  for  the  expences  of  the  Proestos  of 
Tragamesti,  the  chief  town  of  the  district,  or  of 
the  persons  whom  he  sends  here  to  collect  it. 
The  vostina,  which  is  paid  to  the  Spahi,  is  a  capi- 
tation tax  of  60  paras  for  every  married,  and  of  30 
paras  for  every  unmarried  man.  Ta  xpr?,  or  the 
dues,  as  the  taxes  are  denominated  collectively, 
amount  at  Prodhromo  to  near  500  piastres  a  year 
for  each  family,  a  large  part  of  which  consists  of 
the  share  of  an  arbitrary  imposition  laid  upon  the 
village  by  the  Proestos  of  Tragamesti  in  acquit- 
tance of  the  demand  which  the  Vezir  makes  upon 
Karlili,  to  defray  the  expence  of  troops,  or  jour- 
neys, or  wars,  or  upon  any  other  pretence,  and  for 
the  amount  of  which  he  is  supposed  to  be  account- 
able to  the  Porte,  but  does  not  account  to  any  one. 
The  Hodja-bashis  assemble  and  divide  the  bur- 
then among  the  different  districts,  according  to 
their  population.  Each  of  them  afterwards  adds 
to  the  sum  the  expences  which  he  himself  incurs, 
or  pretends  to  have  incurred,  in  journeys  to  attend 
the  Vezir,  or  for  entertaining  and  lodging  Turks 
and  soldiers,  or  for  horses  in  the   public  service, 


518 


ACARNANIA, 


[chap. 


or  upon  any  other  plausible  pretext.  The  impo- 
sition upon  the  village  being  as  arbitrary  as  that 
of  the  Vezir  upon  the  district,  the  Proestos  en- 
riches himself  quickly,  unless  he  should  happen 
to  be  a  man  of  extraordinary  humanity,  of  whom 
there  cannot  be  many  in  a  country  where  honour 
and  honesty  are  so  little  encouraged.  In  the  ter- 
ritory of  the  Vezir  they  are  particularly  rare  ;  for 
it  is  his  usual  policy  to  appoint  the  worst  men  to 
be  primates,  that  he  may  make  them  disgorge 
when  they  are  full  of  plunder ;  after  which  he 
often  allows  them  to  begin  their  extortions  anew. 
In  the  smaller  villages  where  the  chief  is  styled 
protoghero,  or  chief  alderman,  he  arranges  in  like 
manner  the  mode  of  payment  of  the  khrei  among 
the  families,  and  generally  in  the  Vezir's  terri- 
tories, or  at  least  in  those  where  his  authority  is 
firmly  established,  one  person  is  charged  with  this 
office,  or  at  most  two  in  the  large  towns,  whereas, 
in  the  Elefthero-khoria  of  Greece,  it  is  the  com- 
mon custom  for  all  the  primati,  or  arkhondes, 
to  meet  and  allot  the  taxes.  If  there  be  jealousy 
among  them,  as  frequently  occurs,  so  much  the 
better  for  the  great  body  of  contributors,  unless, 
which  too  often  happens,  one  party  complains 
to   the  Turkish   authorities,   and 


prouaoiy 


ribi 


them  for  the  sake  of  the  delightful  advantage  of 
triumphing  over  some  hated  opponent,  and  of 
acting  the  Turk  over  his  fellow  Christians. 

But  the  most  dreadful  of  all  evils  to  the  Acar- 
nanian  peasant  is  the  konakia ',  or  lodgings  which 


TU    Kvl'dKlU. 


XXXII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


519 


he  is  obliged  to  give  to  the  Albanian  soldiers, 
although  it  is  only  upon  such  extraordinary 
occasions  as  the  present  progress  of  the  Vezir 
that  small  villages  situated  so  far  out  of  the 
route  as  Prodhromo  feel  the  inconvenience  in  its 
highest  degree  by  the  actual  presence  of  the  de- 
tested palikaria.  Musta  Bey,  of  Konitza,  who  was 
quartered  upon  Makhala,  after  having  been  sup- 
plied with  provision  and  forage  for  himself  and  250 
followers,  insisted  upon  a  present  of  100  piastres  at 
departure,  but  was  contented  with  45.  This  was 
an  unpardonable  extortion,  even  by  the  laws  of  the 
Aly  code,  and  would  meet  with  punishment  if  it 
were  made  known  to  him,  as  he  only  allows  the 
chief  armatolos  to  demand  presents  in  this  man- 
ner. The  poor  Makhaliotes,  however,  stand  pro- 
bably too  much  in  awe  of  the  resentment  of  the 
Albanians  to  complain  of  the  injury. 

March  20. — From  Prodhromo  to  Bodholovitza  !, 
distance  4  hours  7  minutes,  with  Albanians  on 
foot.  We  set  out  at  9.25,  ascend  the  pass  which 
lies  immediately  at  the  back  of  Prodhromo,  and 
in  less  than  half  an  hour  arrive  at  the  summit  of 
the  ridge,  when  there  appears  before  us  a  vast 
extent  of  velanidhi  woods,  frequented  only  by 
robbers,  or  by  Karagunidhes  with  their  flocks, 
and  traversed  by  winding  paths  difficult  for  a 
horse,  and  much  more  so  for  baggage.  This  is 
called  the  forest  of  Manina.  I  had  taken  a  path 
to  the  left  of  the  direct  road,  with  a  view  of  finding 
my  way  to  some  ruins  on  the  bank  of  the  Aspro, 


1    fIoc>oAo/3«r£tt. 


520 


ACARNANIA. 


[CHAP. 


called  Palea  Mani,  but  now  perceive  that  it  can- 
not be  effected  with  the  baggage  horses.  As  the 
bolu-bashi  of  our  Albanian  escort  declares  at  the 
same  time  that  we  are  too  few  to  be  separated  in 
these  perilous  times  and  places,  we  regain  the 
common  route  from  Prodhromo,  having  lost  about 
8  minutes  by  the  detour.  Our  guide  from  Pro- 
dhromo points  out  a  place  where  three  Turks  were 
murdered  two  years  ago,  by  robbers  who  came 
from  the  Islands,  then  occupied  by  the  Russians. 
During  a  halt  which  we  make,  from  11.40  to 
12.30,  to  dine  at  a  well  in  a  little  opening  in  the 
midst  of  the  forest,  some  families  of  Karagunidhes 
pass  us ;  they  consist  chiefly  of  women  and  chil- 
dren, walking  by  the  side  of  the  horses,  which 
carry  the  tents,  maize,  barley,  and  all  the  do- 
mestic furniture.  The  infants  are  in  baskets  slung 
over  the  shoulders  of  the  women,  who  with  their 
bodies  bent  forward  and  a  hurried  step,  drag 
along  a  horse,  or  a  string  of  two  or  three  horses, 
and  are  employed  at  the  same  time  in  spinning 
wool.  These  persons  are  Vlakhiotes  from  the 
mountains  of  Kalarytes,  and  are  on  their  way  to 
the  plains  of  Katokhi,  where  the  men  have  pre- 
ceded them  with  their  flocks.  The  forest  consists 
entirely  of  the  velani  oak,  which  never  grows  to  a 
great  height,  but  is  sometimes  broad  and  spreads 
into  a  great  number  of  branches.  The  little  under- 
wood there  is,  consists  chiefly  of  the  paliuri  and 
wild  kharub.  The  khrysoxylo  (Cotinus)  used  as 
a  yellow  dye,  is  also  found  here.  Half  an  hour 
from  Podholovitza,  we  emerge  from  the  forest  and 
enter  on  the  plain  which  extends  along  the  banks 


XXXII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


521 


of  the  Aspro  to  the  sea.  Though  generally  inun- 
dated in  winter,  it  is  now  dry.  The  soil,  consist- 
ing of  a  stiff  white  clay,  is  now  under  the  plough 
for  the  reception  of  kalambokki,  which  they  have 
not  the  means  here  of  irrigating  artificially. 

Podholovitza  consists  only  of  a  tower  and  a  qua- 
drangular inclosure  of  cottages  surrounded  by  some 
wicker  kalyvia  :  it  is  situated  at  the  foot  of  a  small 
height,  surmounted  by  a  church,  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Aspro,  which  being  now  collected  into  a 
narrower  bed  than  in  the  plain  of  Vrakhori,  and 
augmented  by  the  tributaries  which  join  it  near 
Anghelokastro,  may  be  compared  to  the  Thames 
at  Staines.  In  summer  it  is  very  shallow,  and 
may  be  crossed  on  foot  at  Podholovitza ;  but  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  lower  down,  where  a  projecting 
rocky  bank  on  the  opposite  side  narrows  the  river 
to  fifty  yards,  it  is  never  fordable.  Here  is  the 
ordinary  ferry,  and  the  only  one  except  that  of 
Katokhi. 

We  are  informed  by  the  people  of  Podholovitza 
that  an  epidemic  disorder  now  reigning  in  Karlili 
has  lately  carried  off  six  persons  in  the  village. 
We  therefore  cross  to  Guria,  which  is  situated 
about  the  same  distance  below  the  ferry  that  Pod- 
holovitza is  above  it.  Here  I  find  that  the  Xoi/uacrj, 
as  they  call  the  sickness,  was  much  exaggerated 
at  Podholovitza,  in  order  to  frighten  us  away  from 
thence,  and  that  it  has  been  worse  here,  though  in 
neither  place  does  it  appear  to  be  of  a  very  malig- 
nant nature  ;  for  though  hardly  a  Greek  house  in 
this  village  out  of  30  or  40  has  escaped  it,  two  or 
three  persons  only  have  died.     It  is  said  to  begin 


522 


ACARNANIA. 


[CHAP. 


with  head-ache  and  fever  ;  but  if  the  patient  is 
blooded,  which  is  almost  their  only  remedy,  he 
generally  recovers  in  fifteen  days.  There  are  a 
few  Turkish  families  at  Guria,  and  a  little  mosque 
without  a  minaret.  Below  Guria  the  river  spreads 
over  a  large  space,  and  has  some  sandy  islands  in 
it.  It  then  takes  a  long  bend  to  the  left  towards 
the  extreme  point  of  the  hills  which  slope  from 
Stamna  into  the  plain.  In  the  opening  between 
this  point  and  some  heights  towards  the  mouth  of 
the  river,  appears  the  village  of  Magula,  on  a 
small  eminence  in  the  plain,  and  Palea  Katiina  at 
the  foot  of  the  hills  to  the  right.  Katokhi  is  hid 
by  a  projection  of  them. 

Our  Albanian  escort  consists  partly  of  Maho- 
metans and  partly  of  Christians,  who  are  all  from 
the  country  near  Berat  and  Kolonia.  Since  we 
got  rid  at  Makhala  of  a  bolubashi  who  had  per- 
suaded some  of  the  Mussulmans  that  it  was  be- 
neath their  dignity  to  inarch  before  ghiaurs,  we 
have  had  no  difficulties  with  any  of  them,  and 
have  kept  them  in  perfect  good  humour  by  pre- 
senting them  with  a  sheep  or  two  every  evening 
for  their  supper.  Unlike  the  lazy,  proud  Turk,  or 
the  poor  Greek  peasant  often  deprived  of  all  energy 


by  the  effects  of  continued  misery  and  oppression, 
these  Albanians  are  remarkable  for  their  inde- 
fatigable activity.  Every  commanding  height 
near  the  road  I  find  occupied  by  one  or  more  of 
them,  by  the  time  I  come  in  sight  of  it,  and  it 
seems  to  be  an  object  of  emulation  who  shall 
arrive  first.  They  answer  all  questions  upon  the 
topography  with  remarkable  intelligence  and   ac- 

12 


XXXII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


523 


curacy,  and  permission  to  look  through  my  teles- 
cope is  an  ample  reward. 

Nothing  can  be  more  dissimilar  than  the  Alba- 
nian manners  and  those  of  the  Osmanlis,  the  most 
indolent  and  phlegmatic  of  human  beings,  unless 
when  roused  by  some  extraordinary  excitement. 
In  one  respect,  however,  the  two  people  accord, — 
namely,  the  love  of  gaming,  though  it  is  forbidden 
by  the  religion  of  Mahomet.  As  the  Albanian 
soldier  seldom  burthens  himself  with  provisions, 
he  commonly  solaces  himself  at  a  halt  upon  the 
road  with  a  pinch  of  snuff  and  a  draught  of  water. 
On  arriving  at  a  village,  the  first  thing  they  gene- 
rally do  is  to  form  a  party  at  cards  with  heaps  of 
paras,  while  those  who  do  not  play  look  on.  A 
young  man,  who  particularly  distinguishes  himself 
by  his  activity,  named  Alius,  informs  me,  that  in 
his  younger  days,  like  many  of  the  Albanian  sol- 
diers, he  attended  cattle  in  his  native  mountains, 
and  that  at  Arza,  a  place  on  Mount  Trebusin,  two 
hours  from  Klisura  to  the  north-eastward,  five 
hours  from  Tepeleni,  and  eight  from  Premedi,  he 
was  often  in  the  habit  of  finding  ancient  coins  of 
silver  and  copper. 

March  21. — Having  procured  some  horses  at 
Guria  for  some  of  the  escort,  and  mounted  others 
on  the  post-horses  which  we  brought  for  the  bag- 
gage from  Prevyza,  I  cross  the  ferry  with  twelve 
of  the  palikaria,  and  proceed  in  an  hour  and  a  half 
to  Palea  Mani.  The  road  is  a  horse-path,  which, 
after  crossing  the  little  plain  of  Podholovitza,  fol- 
lows a  narrow  level  on  the  bank  of  the  Achelous, 
along  the  edge  of  the  forest  at  the  foot  of  the  lowest 


524 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap. 


slopes  of  the  hills  of  Manina.  Palea  Maui  is  the 
modern  name  of  a  Hellenic  fortress  standing  upon 
one  of  the  points  of  these  hills,  in  the  thickest  part 
of  the  woods.  As  in  the  ruins  of  Stratus,  one  of  the 
gates  stood  very  near  an  arm  of  the  Achelous,  which 
is  separated  from  the  main  stream  by  a  portion  of 
its  broad  gravelly  bed.  This  gate  is  eight  feet  wide, 
diminishing  towards  the  top,  which  is  formed  by 
two  opposite  stones  hollowed  into  a  curve,  but  not 
quite  meeting,  and  covered  in  the  middle  with  a 
single  quadrangular  stone  ten  feet  in  length,  three 
feet  and  a  quarter  in  height,  and  two  feet  and  a 
quarter  in  the  lower  dimension  or  soffit.  I  re- 
marked the  same  kind  of  construction  in  a  small 
gate  at  Kamarina.  Beams  similar  to  the  upper 
stone  of  the  gate  covered  the  passage  in  its  whole 
length  of  eighteen  feet ;  but  of  these  only  two  re- 
main in  their  places.  This  gateway  leads  into  a 
small  court  of  an  irregular  pentagonal  form,  which 
was  defended  externally  on  the  side  to  the  right  in 
entering  by  a  tower  open  to  the  court.  Nearly 
opposite  to  the  tower,  a  small  gate  leads  from  the 
court  into  the  principal  inclosure  of  the  town  or 
fortress.  This  inner  gate  standing  on  a  slope,  the 
beams  of  stone  above  the  door  project  beyond  one 
another  like  steps,  and  there  are  probably  some 
corresponding  steps  below,  which  are  now  buried 
in  the  ruins  and  earth.  The  natives  call  the  outer 
gate  the  Avloporta  \  being  in  fact  the  entrance  of 
a  sort  of  aif\n,  or  ante-chamber,  of  the  fortress, 
which  formed  a  good  protection  to  the  inner  gate. 


!   Au\o-Tro!>Tu. 


XXXII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


525 


I  have  never  seen  any  similar  example  of  this  kind 
of  outwork. 

From  the  inner  gate  the  two  walls  of  the  prin- 
cipal inclosure  mount  the  height  to  a  small  qua- 
drangular acropolis  at  the  summit  of  the  hill,  the 
wall  to  the  right  more  directly,  that  to  the  left  em- 
bracing a  larger  portion  of  the  height,  but  both  in 
curved  lines,  and  that  to  the  left  in  the  upper  part, 
forminc;  a  second  curve,  concave  towards  the  exte- 
rior.  The  acropolis  has  an  outer  inclosure  flanked 
by  towers  :  both  this  and  the  Avloporta  are  obvi- 
ously posterior  additions  to  the  original  work,  being 
of  more  regular  masonry,  while  that  of  the  body  of 
the  place  was  entirely  polygonal,  without  towers, 
and  of  an  irregular  plan,  bearing  strongly  the 
character  of  a  rude  people,  who  possessed  little  of 
the  science  of  military  architecture  as  it  existed  in 
the  more  civilized  parts  of  Greece.  Such,  in  fact, 
was  the  condition  of  Acarnania  before  the  age  of 
Alexander.  The  original  walls  are  in  some  parts 
near  eleven  feet  in  thickness,  but  are  formed  in 
the  middle  of  rubble  and  are  faced  only  with  large 
uncemented  masses.  Among  the  posterior  addi- 
tions are  the  remains  of  a  tower  at  the  lower  part 
of  the  citadel,  of  which  ten  or  twelve  courses  of 
regular  masonry  remain  on  one  side,  and  a  small 
part  of  the  adjacent  side.  The  thickness  of  the 
wall  here  consists  of  single  stones,  not  more  than 
two  feet  and  a  half  or  three  feet  thick.  In  the 
mid-height  of  the  remaining  courses  there  is  a 
loop-hole,  or  window,  with  a  course  of  masonry 
narrower   than   the    rest,    and    projecting   a    few 


526 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap. 


inches ;  there  is  a  similar  projection  also  at  the 
foot  of  the  wall. 

The  defence  of  the  acropolis  on  the  lower  side 
towards  the  town  is  partly  formed  by  a  perpendi- 
cular excavation  of  the  rock,  upon  which  a  wall 
has  been  built  consisting  of  irregular  blocks  ex- 
actly fitted  to  the  rock  and  to  one  another.  The 
ruins  are  in  no  part  more  than  eight  or  ten  feet 
high,  except  at  the  Avlo-porta.  The  inclosed 
space  is  so  extremely  rugged  that  one  is  surprised 
how  such  a  place  could  ever  have  been  inhabited, 
nor  is  there  a  single  excavated  foundation  to  be 
found.  The  greatest  length,  which  is  from  the 
Acropolis  to  the  Avloporta,  is  about  600  yards. 

In  position  this  ruin  seems  to  accord  perfectly 
with  Old  (Enia,  which  Strabo  describes  as  a  de- 
serted place  situated  on  the  Achelous,  midway 
between  Stratus  and  the  sea.  It  is  not  to  be  in- 
ferred, however,  that  the  Old  GEnia  *,  so  called  in 
the  time  of  Strabo,  was  the  same  city  which  was 
founded  by  Alcmseon  after  the  Trojan  war,  and 
named  (Eneia  in  honour  of  (Eneus ;  for  Thucy- 
dides  clearly  indicates  that  place  as  identical  with 


1  Kai  ?/  Ah'la  (lege  Olvia) 
£e  kai  avrj;  etti  tu>  7rora/iw  (rw 
'A^tAww),  j'/  fxtv  TraXatd  oi>  ko.t- 
oiKovfiivi),  'iffov  diriyovaa  tTiq 
rt  6a\aTTT)Q  Kai  rrjc  ^rpdrov,  ?/ 
Be  vvv  oaov  t^doji^Kovra  ora- 
hiovQ  virep  rfJQ  ic/SoX^e  Sti^ov- 
<ra. — Strabo,  p.  450. 

It  is  surprising  that  the  word 
Alvia  is  still  retained  in  all  the 


editions  of  Strabo,  since  it  is 
clear,  from  //  vvv  in  contradis- 
tinction to  11  traXaid,  that  Strabo 
meant  Olvia,  or  the  city  of  the 
CEniadse,  the  orthography  of 
which  is  certain,  from  various 
authors,  from  its  coins,  and 
from    the    derivation    of    the 


XXXII. j 


ACARNANIA. 


527 


the  famous  city  of  the  (Eniadae  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Achelous  \  It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  the 
ruins  at  Palea  Mani  are  those  of  a  small  and  very 
ancient  city  of  the  Acarnanes,  which,  having  been 
deserted  long  before  the  age  of  Strabo,  and  its  his- 
tory forgotten,  had  improperly  received  in  his  time 
the  name  of  Old  QSneia,  as  often  occurs  in  the 
instance  of  ruins  and  deserted  sites.  It  may  pos- 
sibly have  been  Erysiche,  mentioned  by  the  poet 
Alcman,  which  Stephanus  improperly  confounds 
with  the  city  of  CEniadse,  as  seems  evident  from 
Apollodorus,  whom  Strabo  cites  to  show  that  the 
Erysichsei  were  an  inland  people  of  Acarnania 2. 
In  later  times,  in  consequence  of  the  commanding 
situation  in  the  pass  leading  along  the  right  bank 
of  the  Achelous  from  the  upper  to  the  maritime 
plain,  the  original  work  may  have  been  repaired 
and  furnished  with  towers  to  serve  as  a  fortress. 
Some  part  of  the  remains  at  the  acropolis  con- 
sists of  Roman  tiles,  mixed  with  small  stones  and 
mortar,  built  on  the  Hellenic  wall.  As  the  pass 
naturally  divided  the  territory  of  the  CEniada?  from 
that  of  the  Metropolitan,  to  one  of  those  two  people 
probably  the  fortress  belonged.  At  present  there 
is  no  road  to  the  northward  beyond  Palea  Mani ; 
the  wide  branching  bed  of  the  Achelous,  the 
marshes  and  lake  at  the  foot  of  the  steep  woody 
mountain  of  Lygovitzi,   and   the   thick   forest   be- 


1  Thucyd.  1.  2,  c.  102.  rua'c  ^jjgtj'   'A7ro\\o£wpoe   \i- 

2  Stephan.       in       'Epuff/x7?*  yeardui,  ale  'AX/^iaV  /jiifivrjTat. 
Oiveiadai.  Owe'    ^Rpvai^alog     KaXv^ojyioc 

Tfjg   ce   fxeaoycuaq  Kara    /xey  ovce    TrotfiriP,     'AXXa     SapcJiwj/ 

ri]v   'Aicapvavlav    ^pvai^aiovc  dir  &Kpag. — Strabo,  p.  460. 


528 


/ETOLIA. 


[chap. 


tween  the  latter  and  Palea  Mani,  being  impass- 
able, except  to  the  shepherds  and  peasants  of  the 
neighbourhood.  The  woods  around  the  ruin  con- 
sist of  oak,  ilex,  maple,  and  various  kinds  of  un- 
derwood, festooned  with  wild  grapes. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  stands  a  small 
tjiftlik  and  pyrgo  called  St.  Elias,  around  which 
the  lower  falls  of  Zygos  reach  to  the  river  side, 
and  are  covered  with  the  cultivated  fields  belong- 
ing to  Stamna.  This  village,  distant  three  or  four 
miles  to  the  south-eastward,  is  situated  upon  a 
ridge,  sloping  on  one  side  into  a  narrow  plain  on 
the  bank  of  the  Aspro,  and  on  the  other  to  the 
lagoon  of  Anatoliko,  on  the  border  of  which 
Stamna  has  a  skala  and  some  magazines.  At 
Anghelokastro,  which  is  two  or  three  miles  to  the 
north-eastward  of  St.  Elias,  is  a  ruined  castle  of 
middle  times,  standing  upon  the  lowest  heights  of 
Zygos,  with  a  small  village  below  it  in  the  corner 
of  the  JEtolian  plain.  The  mountain  above  An- 
ghelokastro and  Stamna  is  separated  from  the 
highest  woody  summit  of  Zygos,  upon  which 
stands  Khierasova,  by  the  pass  of  Klisura,  already 
described  as  leading  directly  through  the  lofty 
ridge  of  Aracy?ithus,  by  a  narrow  rocky  cleft 
forming  a  natural  gate  of  communication  between 
maritime  iEtolia  and  the  great  interior  plain  '. 

Having  returned  from  Palea  Mani  to  Guria,  we 
proceed  in  the  afternoon  to  Anatoliko,  over  a  plain 
of  the  same  clayey  white  soil  before  remarked, 
and  producing  maize,  wheat,  barley,  and  flax.     It 


1  See  Vol.  I.  pp.  119.  154. 


XXXII. J 


/UTOUA. 


520 


is  marshy  in  some  places,  and  near  Anatoliko  is 
artificially  drained.  In  the  parts  most  distant 
from  the  mountains  dhiminio  is  not  sown,  as  little 
rain  falls  in  the  spring,  and  they  have  not  the 
means  of  irrigation.  The  distance  from  Guria  to 
the  ferry  of  Anatoliko  is  two  hours  menzil  pace ; 
but  in  a  direct  line  much  less,  because  the  road 
makes  a  great  turn  to  avoid  the  ridge,  which, 
sloping  from  Stamna,  ends  in  a  point  at  which 
stands  a  hamlet  called  Mastu,  where  we  arrived  in 
forty  minutes  from  Guria.  In  approaching  Ana- 
toliko we  pass  through  some  of  its  gardens  and 
olive  plantations,  at  the  foot  of  a  hill  which  is 
quite  unconnected  with  the  heights  of  Stamna, 
and  borders  the  lagoon  on  the  west  almost  as  far 
as  the  outer  sea.  Having  crossed  the  lagoon  in  a 
monoxylo,  we  proceed  to  the  house  of  an  iatros, 
who  is  brother-in-law  of  my  travelling  companion 

K .     The  island  of  Anatoliko  is  about  three 

miles  distant  from  the  northern  extremity  of  the 
lagoon  at  the  foot  of  the  ridge  of  Stamna,  and  a 
mile  distant  from  the  bank  on  either  side  to  the 
east  and  west.  The  island  is  so  small  as  to  be 
entirely  covered  with  the  town,  which  contains 
about  400  houses.  Though  some  of  these  are 
large,  the  place  is  not  at  present  in  a  flourishing 
state.  Being,  like  Mesolonghi,  supported  chiefly 
by  the  profits  of  its  ships  and  maritime  commerce, 
it  has  suffered  by  the  war,  and  many  of  the  lower 
orders  are  deprived  of  their  employment  as  sailors. 
The  territory  extends  three  or  four  miles  along 
either  shore  of  the  lagoon,  and  produces  corn  for 
about  two  months'  consumption,  wine  rather  more 
vol.  in.  m  m 


530 


VETO  LI  A 


[CHAP. 


than  sufficient  for  the  place,  with  a  quantity  of 
oil  which  admits  of  an  export  to  the  value  of 
40,000  piastres  in  the  alternate  years,  when  the 
full  olive  crop  occurs.  The  fresh  and  salted  fish 
from  the  lake  furnish  a  traffic  with  Zakytho  and 
other  neighbouring  places.  The  Vezir  takes  46 
purses  a  year  for  the  fishery  and  other  revenues  of 
the  crown  from  the  proesti  of  Anatoliko,  who  share 
the  farm  with  other  principal  persons  of  the  place. 
These  23,000  piastres  include  700  kharatjes,  toge- 
ther with  the  imposts  of  the  two  villages  of  Magula 
and  Neo-khorio,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Aspro. 

My  host  the  Iatros  says,  that  during  the  six 
years  he  has  lived  here  he  has  been  five  years  ill ; 
while  the  natives  have  not  such  bad  health — a 
melancholy  state  of  affairs  for  the  doctor,  but  which 
would  be  much  more  so  were  it  not  that  according 
to  the  common  custom  in  Greece  he  receives  a 
fixed  stipend.  From  the  looks  of  the  inhabitants 
I  should  not  have  supposed  the  place  healthy  : 
indeed,  the  narrowness  of  the  lagoon  in  this  part 
and  the  woody  mountains  which  inclose  it  on  three 
sides,  seem  far  less  favourable  to  health  than  the 
open  and  well- ventilated  situation  of  Mesolonghi, 
where  the  people  in  every  sense  of  the  word  are  a 
well-looking  race.  The  small  quantity  of  salt  held 
in  solution  by  the  water  at  Anatoliko,  as  I  was 
surprised  to  find  on  tasting  it,  may  also  affect  the 
quality  of  the  air  :  the  lagoon  towards  Mesolonghi, 
on  the  contrary,  is  as  salt  as  the  sea.  This  shows 
that  all  the  northern  part  of  the  lake  is  chiefly 
formed  by  springs  from  the  surrounding  moun- 
tains, of  which  indeed  there  are  several  to  be  seen 
12 


XXXII. 


iETOLIA. 


531 


on  the  neighbouring  shore,  particularly  one  near 
Klisura,  and  another  near  a  fresh-water  marsh 
opposite  to  the  town  to  the  eastward.  Though 
the  water  of  the  former  is  considered  much  the 
better,  the  monoxyla  are  more  frequently  sent 
to  the  latter  because  it  is  nearer.  In  the  town 
there  are  only  cisterns  for  rain  water. 

March  22. — From  Anatoliko  the  ruined  mill 
above  Makhala  is  visible  to  the  N.N.W.  ;  and  a 
little  to  the  left  of  it  is  seen  the  hill  of  Lygovitzi, 
then  Mount  Bumisto  in  a  line  with  Stamna,  and 
a  pointed  height  to  the  southward  of  that  village 
on  the  same  ridge,  called  St.  Elias.  In  all  other 
directions  the  view  is  much  circumscribed  by  the 
neighbouring  part  of  Mount  Zygos  and  by  the 
height  on  the  western  side  of  the  lagoon. 

The  distance  in  a  direct  line  from  Anatoliko  to 
Mesolonghi  is  about  6  g.  m.  With  a  monoxylo  it 
is  almost  double  the  distance,  on  account  of  a  long 
low  cape  which  separates  the  lagoon  of  Anatoliko 
from  that  of  Mesolonghi,  leaving  only  a  communi- 
cation between  them  half  a  mile  broad,  between 
the  extremity  of  the  cape  and  the  ramma  or  thread 
of  land  which  separates  all  the  lagoons  from  the 
open  sea.  Having  landed  on  the  eastern  shore  at 
3  p.m.  we  proceed  to  Mesolonghi  by  land.  Al- 
ready have  the  post-meridian  thunder-showers, 
which  characterize  the  Grecian  spring,  com- 
menced. Both  yesterday  and  to-day  the  clouds 
collected  on  the  mountains  about  noon,  and  fell 
afterwards  in  rain  accompanied  with  lightning. 
After  an  hour's  ride,  we  are  obliged  to  take  shelter 
from  one  of  these  storms  in  a  tower  at  the  Aliki, 

m  m  2 


532 


^TOLTA. 


[CHAP.    XXXII. 


or  salt-works,  which  are  situated  to  the  right  of 
the  road,  on  the  narrow  point  of  land.  These 
salt-works  belong  to  Mesolonghi,  and  produce 
28000  piastres  a  year.  Instead  of  repeated  sup- 
plies of  water  being  let  into  the  salt-pans,  as  at 
Lefkadha,  by  which  each  pan  produces  a  thick- 
ness of  a  foot  or  two  of  salt,  and  only  the  lower 
part  of  the  salt  is  impure,  it  is  here  gathered  as 
fast  as  each  admission  of  water  is  evaporated  ;  the 
consequence  of  which  is,  that  a  great  quantity  of 
earth  is  mixed  with  the  salt,  and  only  small  por- 
tions of  it  are  white  and  pure.  There  is  another 
salt-work  in  the  lagoon  of  Bokhori.  As  soon  as 
the  weather  clears  we  proceed,  and  soon  enter 
the  olive-grounds,  gardens,  and  marshy  ditches 
of  Mesolonghi.  In  the  town  I  find  the  Vezir 
Aly  and  all  his  court. 


CHAPTER  XXXIIJ. 


.ETOLIA,      ACARNANIA. 


Kurt-aga,  Calydon — Temple  of  Diana  Laphria — River  Evenus 
— Mount  Chalcis — To  Aia  Triadha — Neokhori — Stamna — 
(Etolo-Acarnanian  agriculture  —  Return  to  Neokhori  —  Ma- 
giila  —  Kurtzolari — Katokhi — Trikardho-kastro,  (Eniadce — 
March  of  Philip  from  Limncea  to  (Eniadce — Phceteice — Medeon 
— Metropolis — Conope,  Ithoria,  Pceanium — Elceus — Artemita 
— Oxeice — Lakes  Melite,  Cynia,  Uria — Lake  of  Calydon — 
Course  of  the  Achelous  below  (Eniadce. 


March  25. — Kurt-aga,  the  site  of  Calydon,  is  a 
ride  of  1  hour  and  35  minutes  from  Mesolonghi. 
Midway,  opposite  to  the  eastern  termination  of  the 
lagoon  of  Mesolonghi,  at  a  fcuyaAan,  or  farm  be- 
longing to  Stathaki,  one  of  the  proesti  of  Meso- 
longhi, are  some  remains  of  ancient  buildings, 
resembling  Roman  baths.  Two  chambers  subsist 
which  have  curved  and  arched  niches  in  the  walls, 
and  on  the  outside  several  holes,  one  of  which  is 
partly  filled  with  indurated  sediment  formed  by 
a  long;  continued  course  of  water.  These  remains 
mark,  perhaps,  the  position  of  Halicyrna,  which 
Pliny    states    to    have    been    near    Pleuron,    and 


534 


JETOLIA. 


[chap. 


Strabo    describes    as    a   kwjutj    situated    30    stades 
below  Calydon  towards  the  sea1. 

The  first  object  which  arrests  the  attention  on 
approaching  the  remains  of  Calydon,  is  a  wall  of 
regular  masonry  formed  of  quadrangular  blocks 
about  three  feet  in  their  longest  dimension,  and 
standing  on  the  side  of  a  projecting  hill,   from 
which  many  of  the  stones  have  rolled  down  into 
the  bed  of  a  small  torrent.     This  wall  formed  part 
of  an  oblong  quadrangular  building,  inclosing  all 
the    summit   of  the   height,    which   being   much 
steeper  towards  the  torrent  than  on  the  other  sides, 
required  in  that  part  the  support  of  a  strong  but- 
tress, or  projection  from  the  quadrangle ;  this  is 
the  portion  of  the  building  which  is  now  so  con- 
spicuous ;    its  height  is  about  18  feet.     As  this 
ruin  is  entirely  separate   from    the    enclosure   of 
the  city,  it  is  probably  the  remains  of  the  peri- 
bolus  of  a  temple,  such  edifices  having  often  been 
placed    on  the    outside    of  Greek   cities,    where, 
protected  by  their  sanctity,   they  were  left  open 
to    the   use   of   the    surrounding    country.      Al- 
though  not   a   vestige   of    the   temple   itself  re- 
mains aboveground,    the  magnitude  of  the  peri- 
bolus,  with  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  the  posi- 
tion, give  the  greatest  reason  to  believe  that  here 
stood  the  temple  of  Apollo  Laphraeus,  which,  ac- 
cording to  the  words  of  Strabo,  would  seem  to 
have  been  not  within  but  near  the  town  of  Caly- 


1  Strabo,  p.  460.     For  AUvpva  read  'AXlicvpva. — Plin.  H.  N. 
1.  4,_c.  3. — Stephan.  in  'AXtVupva. 


XXXIII.] 


iETOLlA. 


535 


don  \  Diana  Laphroea,  or  Laphria,  was  another 
of  the  protecting  deities  of  the  Calydonii,  and  was 
worshipped  perhaps  in  the  same  temple,  or  in  an 
adjoining  sanctuary.  When  Augustus  founded  Pa- 
tree,  and  peopled  it  in  part  with  the  inhabitants  of 
Calydon,  he  directed  the  statue  of  Diana  Laphrsea 
to  be  given  to  the  new  colony,  where  it  was  placed 
in  the  acropolis,  in  a  temple  dedicated  to  the  god- 
dess, who  was  honoured  with  an  annual  festival,  a 
procession,  and  a  very  cruel  sacrifice2.  The  re- 
mains of  the  walls  of  Calydon  are  traceable  in  their 
whole  circuit  of  near  two  miles  and  a  half;  they 
subsist  in  most  parts  to  the  height  of  three  or  four 
feet,  and  are  formed  of  the  same  kind  of  masonry 
as  the  peribolus  of  the  temple.  They  included 
the  last  falls  of  Mount  Zygos  towards  the  river 
Fidhari  or  Evenus,  with  the  exception  of  the  ex- 
treme point,  which  was  excluded.  On  the  western 
side  the  wall  descends  along  the  left  bank  of  the 
torrent  before-mentioned,  until,  after  receiving  the 
waters  from  the  slopes  of  the  city  itself,  through 
an  opening  made  in  the  wall  to  admit  their  pas- 
sage, the  torrent  changes  its  course  from  south 
to  west,  and  flows  parallel  to  the  longer  side  of 
the  peribolus  into  the  plain.  Between  the  peri- 
bolus and  the  part  of  the  city  wall  opposite  to  it 
are  several  foundations.  The  breadth  of  the  city 
was  very  much  diminished  at  the  southern  ex- 
tremity, so  as  to  present  a  small  front  towards  the 
Evenus.     On  the  east  the  walls  ascended  the  crest 


1  nepl  £e  ri]v  KaXvEaiva  ttrri 
to  row  Aa<f>paiov  'A7ro\\wroc 
iepov. — Strabo,  p.  459. 


2  Pausan.  Achaic.  c.  18. — 
See  Travels  in  the  Morea, 
vol.  11.  p.  127. 


536 


iETOLIA. 


[CHAP 


of  a  narrow  ridge  to  the  acropolis,  in  a  convex 
form,  and  were  protected  in  the  steepest  part  to- 
wards the  citadel  by  some  short  flanks. 

The  northern  front  of  the  city  crossed  a  ridge 
which  connects  the  heights  occupied  by  the  city 
with  the  neighbouring  part  of  Mount  Zygos ;  in 
the  middle  of  this  side,  on  the  highest  part  of  the 
ridge,  was  the  acropolis,  which  was  wrell  protected 
with  towers  without,  and  within  consisted  of  a 
rectangular  inclosure  unequally  subdivided  by  a 
cross  wall.  Many  parts  of  the  inclosure  of  the 
lower  town  are  flanked  by  towers,  and  foundations 
of  terraces  are  observable  on  the  slope  of  the  hill 
within  the  inclosure.  There  was  a  large  gate  on 
the  south-eastern  side  of  the  town,  and  small  ones 
in  other  places.  I  searched  in  vain  for  any  vestiges 
of  a  theatre,  or  for  any  remains  of  civil  architec- 
ture. At  the  foot  of  the  ridge,  the  crest  of  which 
is  occupied  by  the  eastern  walls,  flows  a  small 
branch  of  the  Evenus,  and  another  waters  the 
similar  parallel  valley  of  Potamula,  which  village 
is  only  half  an  hour  to  the  north-eastward,  but  not 
in  sight. 

I  have  taken  it  for  granted  that  these  are  the 
ruins  of  Calydon,  though  it  must  be  admitted  that 
the  writer  wTho  indicates  their  situation  most  pre- 
cisely is  not  among  the  best  of  geographical  au- 
thorities. I  allude  to  Pliny,  who  says  that  Calydon 
was  near  the  Evenus,  about  1\  miles  from  the 
sea ',  which  accords  exactly  with  this  position. 
But  he  is  strongly  supported  by  probability.     It  is 


1  Plin.  H.N.  1.  I,  c.  2. 


xxxm.j 


/ETOLIA. 


537 


evident  that  the  fertile  plain  of  Calydon,  over- 
against  the  land  of  Pelops,  in  which  fifty  fields  of 
vineyards  and  arable  were  offered  to  Meleager ', 
could  have  been  no  other  than  that  which  lies 
between  Mount  Varassova  and  the  lagoon  of 
Mesolonghi,  nor  is  it  easy  to  conceive  that  the 
extensive  remains  at  Kurt-aga  are  those  of  any 
less  important  city,  placed  as  they  are  so  centrally 
with  regard  to  that  plain,  and  in  so  commanding 
a  situation  at  the  entrance  of  the  vale  of  the 
Evenus,  where  that  river  issues  from  the  interior 
valleys  into  the  maritime  plain.  As  to  the  epi- 
thets which  Homer  gives  to  Calydon,  it  must  be 
confessed  that  tpawrj  seems  more  suitable  to  this 
site  than  either  Trsrpritcraa  or  a'nreivrj,  both  of  which 
would  be  better  applied  to  that  immense  mass  of 


1  KovprJTtg  t  t/ucf)(ovTO  Kal  AtrwXoi  liiviylipfiai, 
'AfMpi  tcqXlv  KaXutSwva  Kal  aXXyXovg  lvdpi(ov' 
AlrwXol  fitv,  a/Jivvofxevoi  KaXvduivoQ  Epavvrjg' 
liovprjrig  ce,  Siairpadhty  fiEfiawrec  "Aprj'i. 

II.  I.  v.  525. 

'Oirirudt  ttwtutov  iriciov  KaXvddivog  epavvfjg 
"Eyda  fxiv  i'li'ojyov  TC^iEvog  7reptKaXXeg  kXiadai 

HtVTT}Kovr6yvoV  to  [iev  ij/xiav  olroirihoio, 
"llfiiov  $t  4'iX?/*'  apoaiv  tteSioio  rafiiadat. 

II.  I.  v.  577. 

RaXi/c^wy  fiev  rjSe  ya'ia  JleXoiretaQ  ^dovog 
'Ev  avrnropdfiolg  7riSi  i^ovtr   evEaifXoya. 

Eurip.  Meleag.  ap.  Lucian.  Synip. 

XaXk't^a  r  dyyjiaXov  KaXvcuiya  re  iriTpiitaoav. 

II.  B.  v.  640. 

"Of  Trdarr)  HXsvpuivi  Kal  airreivji  Kuhvdwvi 
AhioXo'itTiv  avaooE      .... 

II.  N.  v.  217. 


538 


iETOLIA. 


[chap. 


rock  anciently  named  Chalcis,  and  now  Varas- 
sova,  which  rises  directly  in  face  of  the  ruins,  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  In  truth,  the  situa- 
tion is  as  low  as  it  could  have  been,  not  to  be  in 
the  plain ;  Strabo,  indeed,  seems  to  have  been 
sensible  that  the  epithets  ntTpwacrri  and  a'uruvr)  were 
not  very  well  adapted  to  Calydon,  since  he  re- 
marks that  they  are  to  be  applied  to  the  district. 

From  the  summit  which  rises  above  the  ruins, 
the  ridge  of  Zygos  branches  westward  to  the  Aspro, 
and  that  of  Apokuro  northward  to  its  union  with 
Mount  Viena,  having  the  lake  of  Apokuro  on  its 
western  side,  and  the  valley  of  the  Fidhari  on  its 
eastern.  From  Mount  Varassova  branch  the  great 
ridges  of  Kravari,  which  though  like  Apokuro, 
covered  in  the  higher  parts  with  forests,  was  well 
cultivated  by  the  inhabitants  of  numerous  Elef- 
therokhoria,  until  the  country  fell  into  the  hands 
of  Aly  Pasha,  since  which  event  the  population 
has  greatly  diminished,  and  some  of  the  largest 
villages  are  now  almost  deserted.  Not  long  ago 
some  person  informed  the  Pasha  that  the  daughter 
of  the  Proestos  of  Megadhendhro,  a  village  in  the 
vale  of  the  Evenus,  5  or  6  hours  above  Calydon, 
was  a  girl  of  extraordinary  beauty  ;  he  demanded 
her  accordingly  of  the  father,  who  thought  it  bet- 
ter to  comply  than  to  fly  from  the  country,  and 
abandon  all  his  property :  a  few  days  before  I 
arrived  at  Prevyza  she  was  received  into  the 
Pasha's  harem  there,  and  was  sent  to  Ioannina 
on  the  Vezir's  departure. 

In  a  valley  at  the  back  of  Mount  Varassova, 
where  stood  the  village  of  Perthori,  now  deserted, 


XXXIII.] 


^ETOLIA. 


539 


and  below  it  Mavromati,  are  said  to  be  some 
well  preserved  remains  of  an  ancient  Greek  for- 
tress. It  was  probably  only  a  subordinate  castle, 
as  the  towns  of  Chalets  and  Macyneia  were  very 
near  the  sea  shore.  Admitting  the  ruins  at  Kurt- 
aga.  to  be  those  of  Calydon,  there  can  be  little 
hesitation  in  considering  the  Pleuronia,  which  as 
I  have  before  shown  was  the  territory  next  to  the 
Calydonia  in  a  westerly  direction,  to  have  been 
that  which  is  now  attached  to  Mesolonghi.  Hav- 
ing again  examined  the  remains  at  Ghyftokastro, 
behind  Mesolonghi,  I  find  that  a  low  rocky 
height,  separated  by  a  branch  of  the  plain  of 
Mesolonghi  from  the  foot  of  the  mountain  of  Ky- 
ria  Irini,  was  entirely  surrounded  by  walls.  Some 
parts  of  the  masonry  are  constructed  in  the  most 
regular  Hellenic  manner,  and  others  are  of  narrow 
stones  laid  carelessly  without  cement,  among 
which  are  seen  some  very  large  wrought  blocks, 
the  work  apparently  of  a  remote  age.  The  walls 
seem  not  only  to  have  surrounded  the  summit, 
but  to  have  extended  also  over  a  lower  height 
which  is  connected  with  the  mountain  of  Kyria 
Irini,  and  which  advances  farther  into  the  plain. 
I  observe  also  the  foundations  of  a  tower  or  other 
quadrangular  building  at  the  foot  of  the  height  in 
the  plain.  I  have  before  remarked  that  these  are 
probably  the  ruins  of  the  Pleuron  of  Homer !, 
and  that  Kyria  Irini  was  the  city  which  the  Pleu- 
ronii  built  on  Mount  Aracynthus,  after  the  de- 
struction of  the  former  by  Demetrius  iEtolicus  2. 


1  11.  B.  v.  639;  N.  v.  217; 
S.  v.  116. 


2  Strabo,  p  451. 
See  Vol.  I.  p.  118. 


540 


JETOLIA. 


[chap. 


It  is  remarkable,  that  among  the  numerous  Meso- 
longhites,  by  whom  I  have  been  visited,  one  only 
has  ever  been  at  the  Castle  of  Kyria  Irini,  and  he 
probably  would  never  have  gone  there,  had  he  not 
accompanied  an  Englishman. 

March  26. — The  Greeks  of  Karlili,  particularly 
of  that  part  of  it  which  constituted  the  ancient 
Acarnania,  enjoyed,  until  the  time  of  Aly  Pasha, 
a  considerable  share  of  security  and  prosperity. 
They  had  a  profitable  traffic  in  cattle  and  provi- 
sions with  the  Islands ;  and  although  the  country 
was  often  infested  by  robbers  and  pirates  who 
had  a  secure  refuge  in  some  of  the  smaller 
islands,  the  armatoli  kept  them  in  check  :  there 
was  generally  a  good  understanding  between  the 
chief  Greeks  of  Acarnania  and  the  Dervent-aga, 
and  they  received  some  advantage  from  Karlili 
having  been  an  imperial  appanage.  They  speak 
with  great  respect  and  regret  of  Kurt  Pasha,  the 
guardian  of  the  Dervenia  to  whom  Aly  succeeded. 
In  consequence  of  the  easy  circumstances  of  many 
of  the  Acarnanian  families,  education  received  a 
little  encouragement,  and  some  remains  of  its 
effects  are  still  apparent  in  the  manners  and  con- 
versation of  the  natives,  even  in  the  present  deso- 
late state  to  which  the  northern  part  01  tiie  country 
is  reduced.  But  conscious  of  this  advantage,  they 
affect,  in  the  true  spirit  of  Greek  Xenelasia,  to  un- 
dervalue most  of  their  neighbours.  The  Korfiates 
and  Zakythini  they  qualify  as  ayjpuoi  and  illiterate, 
in  which  they  are  certainly  right,  considering  the 
advantages  which  those  people  have  had  in  a 
Christian  government.  The  Kefalonites  they  ad- 
mire  for   irvtvfxu  kcu   (f)i\o'£tvia — for  wit  and   hospi- 


XXXIII. J 


;etolia. 


541 


tality,  but  do  not  speak  very  favourably  of  their 
honesty  or  regard  to  truth.  The  people  of  Meso- 
longhi and  Anatoliko  are  regarded  as  xpapopvaXol, 
or  fish-brained,  and  Bia/coc,  an  Ithacan,  seems  to 
be  a  common  term  of  contempt.  The  Leucadians, 
as  a  part  of  their  own  nation,  are  well  spoken  of, 
and  I  believe  not  undeservedly. 

The  Mesolonghites  are  agreed  in  commenda- 
tion of  the  conduct  of  Tahir  Aga.  of  Konispoli,  who 
for  the  last  year  has  been  their  governor.  Nobody 
understands  better  than  an  Albanian  how  to  con- 
duct himself  in  office  when  there  exists  a  control 
over  the  avaricious  disposition  which  invariably 
obtains  the  ascendency  when  there  is  nothing  to 
prevent  it.  The  Vezir,  wishing  to  act  with  mode- 
ration towards  Mesolonghi  at  the  beginning  of  his 
government  of  this  place,  sent  purposely  a  person 
as  his  deputy  who  was  suited  to  execute  that  in- 
tention, and  he  is  now  about  to  employ  Tahir  Aga, 
with  the  advantage  of  the  reputation  which  he  has 
gained  at  Mesolonghi  in  a  similar  mission  in  Kra- 
vari.  Aly's  authority  over  Mesolonghi  and  Anato- 
liko is  derived  solely  from  his  office  of  Dervent  Aga, 
and  his  farm  of  the  miri,  six-sevenths  of  which  he 
underrents  yearly  from  some  Turks  at  Constanti- 
nople, and  has  purchased  the  other  seventh  from  one 
Saly  Aga  of  Mesolonghi,  who  possessed  it  for  life. 

The  plain  extending  from  Mesolonghi  to  Bok- 
hori  and  the  sea,  although  clayey  is  fertile  and 
tolerably  cultivated.  Near  the  shore  is  a  chain  of 
lagoons,  of  which  the  eastern,  belonging  to  Bok- 
hori,  is  much  the  largest.  It  is  valuable  for  its 
salt-work  and  fisheries.  The  greater  part  of  the 
labour    in    the    plain    is    performed    by    men    of 


542 


jCTOLIA, 


[chap. 


Kefalonia  and  Zakytho.  The  Kefalonites,  who 
work  in  the  vineyards,  earn  from  40  to  45  paras 
a  day,  with  wine.  The  Zakythini  are  reckoned 
the  best  reapers.  The  chief  produce  of  the  Islands 
being  grapes  and  currants,  the  principal  harvest 
occurs  there  later  than  on  the  continent ;  while 
their  small  quantity  of  corn  is  reaped  earlier,  and 
thus  their  labourers  obtain  employment  on  the 
continent  without  losing  any  at  home,  and  pay 
for  a  part  of  the  provisions  with  which  the  conti- 
nent supplies  the  Islands.  In  the  territory  of  Bok- 
hori  the  land  belongs  to  Turks  :  the  Greek  farmers 
receive  the  seed  from  the  landlord  and  pay  him 
half  the  crop  after  the  deduction  of  the  dhekatia. 

March  27. — After  36  hours  of  a  southerly  wind, 
with  rain,  the  weather  improving,  I  embark  to-day 
in  a  monoxylo,  accompanied  by  six  others,  to  con- 
vey the  servants,  baggage,  and  Albanian  escort, 
and  in  two  hours  cross  the  lagoon  to  Aia  Triadha, 
a  small  monastery  situated  on  the  extreme  point  of 
the  ridge  which  borders  the  western  shore  of  the 
lagoon  of  Anatoliko.  Our  monoxyla  move  about 
three  miles  an  hour :  they  have  large  square  sails, 
but  these  add  very  little  to  the  velocity  unless  the 
boat  is  lightly  laden.  That  in  which  I  am  em- 
barked moves  as  quick  with  a  single  pole,  as  ano- 
ther full  of  Albanians  with  the  sail  set  and  two 
men  punting  :  the  pole,  by  which  a  man  at  the 
stern  gives  the  motion,  is  about  ten  feet  long,  with 
three  prongs  at  the  end.  The  water  varies  in 
depth  from  one  foot  to  four.  Fish  are  taken,  as  in 
the  livaria  of  Arta,  by  kalamotes  *,  or  chambers 


>«Xoi 


XXXIII.] 


-ETOLIA. 


i43 


made  of  reeds  fixed  at  the  passages  by  which  the 
fish  pass  from  the  lake  into  the  sea.  The  kala- 
motes  are  left  open  from  January  till  May  15,  old 
style,  when  the  water  of  the  lagoon  becoming  hot 
or  the  breeding  being  complete,  the  fish  begin  to 
return  to  the  sea,  and  each  sort  of  fish  having  its 
season  for  returning,  they  are  caught  in  this  man- 
ner all  the  summer  and  autumn.  The  weather 
still  continues  showery  and  disagreeable.  At  2.50 
we  leave  Aia  Triadha,  and  proceed  along  the  foot 
of  the  height,  on  the  other  side  of  which,  to  the 
right,  is  the  lagoon  of  Anatoliko.  The  hill  is 
covered  with  olives,  and  adorned  with  all  the 
flowers  and  verdure  of  an  advanced  spring,  al- 
though scarcely  a  leaf  was  to  be  seen  in  the  inte- 
rior. To  the  left  a  watery  bog  extends  for  five  or 
six  miles  in  the  direction  of  the  sea  and  the  mouth 
of  the  Aspro.  Opposite  to  the  opening  which  leads 
to  Anatoliko,  between  Mastu  and  the  northern  ex- 
tremity of  the  ridge  which  we  have  been  following, 
we  leave  the  road  to  Mastu  and  Guria  on  the 
right,  and  cross  the  plain  over  swamps,  ditches, 
and  marshy  grounds,  among  which  are  many  vine- 
yards, to  Neo  Khori,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Aspro 
— a  village  containing  80  families,  of  which  30  are 
Turks.  A  portion  of  it  is  a  tjiftlik  of  Mukhtar 
Pasha.  Magula  is  a  mile  lower  down  the  river, 
standing  on  a  small  eminence  in  the  plain  :  op- 
posite to  it,  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  is 
Katokhi,  on  a  similar  height  at  the  extremity  of 
the  hills  which  begin  about  Palea  Katuna  and 
end  near  Katokhi.  These  hills  are  entirely  sepa- 
rated from  those  of  Manina  by  a  plain  which 
begins  from  the   bank  of  the   Aspro  opposite  to 


544 


.'ETC  LI  A. 


[CHAP. 


Guria,  and  ends  in  a  great  marsh  extending  to  the 
foot  of  a  rocky  height  called  Khalkitza,  near  Pe- 
tala.  The  complexion  of  the  inhabitants  of  Neo- 
khori  shows  the  badness  of  the  air ;  nor  can  it  be 
otherwise,  surrounded  as  the  place  is,  in  so  many 
directions,  by  extensive  marshes. 

March   28. — The    Vezir   having    carried    away 
the  two  7TEpaT£|piaic,  or  ferry-boats  of  Katokhi  and 
Guria,  to  convey  his  Albanians  across  the  river  at 
some  place  in  the  plain  of  Vrakhori,   because  the 
late  rains  have  rendered  the  fords  there  imprac- 
ticable, I  proceed  to  Stamna,  there  to  remain  in  a 
better  lodging  and  pleasanter  situation   until  we 
can    devise    some    mode    of    crossing    the    river. 
Leaving  Neokhori  at  8.30,  we  follow  the  bank  of 
the  Aspro,  and  in  a  little  more  than  an  hour  arrive 
at  Guria,   from   whence,   ascending  the  ridge  of 
Stamna  by  a  rugged  path,   we  pass  at  10.15  the 
hamlet  of  St.  Elias,  at  the  foot  of  a  peaked  height 
which  is  very  remarkable  in  all  directions  around, 
and  at   10.45  arrive  at  Stamna,  where  I  occupy 
the  house  of  the  Hodja-bashi,   Demetrius  Tzimbu- 
raki,  who  is  now  at  Vrakhori,  with  the  other  Proesli 
of  Karlili  assembled  at  that  place  to  meet  the  Vezir, 
who  left  Stamna  on  the  25th  and  travelled  to  Vra- 
khori, ail  the  way  in  his  kot£i,  a  clumsy  German 
four  wheeled  carriage.     Several  of  these  primates 
are  in  great  trepidation,  fearful  of  the  effects  of  the 
part  which  they  necessarily  took  against  the  Vezir, 
when  the  deputy  of  Yusuf,   the  Valide  Kiayassy, 
governed  this  province. 

Stamna,  once  a  considerable  town,  now  contains 
only  80  families ;  and  not  a  fifth  part  of  its  lands, 
which   belong   entirely   to  Greeks,    is   cultivated, 


XXX  III.] 


/ETOLIA. 


545 


although  it  has  suffered  less  in  proportion  than 
many  places  in  Acarnania,  from  not  being  in  the 
line  of  the  most  frequented  communications.  Its 
decline  dates  from  the  first  Russian  war,  when 
Orloff  sent  hither  a  Kefalonite  to  originate  a  re- 
bellion  in  aid  of  Catherine's  war  with  Turkey. 
Flags  were  made,  under  which  men,  women,  and 
children  assembled,  to  establish  their  liberty  and 
independence  ;  very  soon,  however,  some  Albanians 
marched  against  them  from  Vrakhori,  slaughtered 
the  men,  made  slaves  of  the  women  and  children, 
and  pillaged  the  houses  ;  and  thus  ended  the 
epanastasis  of  Stamna. 

The  lands  of  the  larger  Greek  proprietors  in  the 
surrounding  parts  of  Acarnania  andJEtolia  are  gene- 
rally worked  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Turkish 
tjiftliks,  by  a  metayer,  the  terms  varying  according 
to  the  nature  of  the  produce  and  quality  of  the  land. 
The  land-owner  makes  a  yearly  commutation  with 
the  Turkish  farmer  of  the  miri,  and  on  bad  lands 
sometimes  derives  no  advantage,  but  that  of  taking 
the  dhekatia  in  kind,  which  is  one  eighth  or  two 
fifteenths  of  the  crop.  In  this  case  the  cultivator  is 
at  all  the  expences.  Where  the  land  is  particularly 
good,  it  is  common  for  the  owner  to  furnish  the 
seed,  and  for  the  cultivator,  after  bearing  all  the 
other  expences,  to  account  for  half  the  crop,  de- 
ducting the  dhekatia.  In  ordinary  kinds  of  arable 
a  third  is  received  by  the  proprietor  upon  the 
same  conditions,  or  he  supplies  seed  and  stock 
and  pays  all  the  expences,  the  farmer  contributing 
only  his  labour,  and  receiving  a  fifth  of  the  crop 
after  the  dhekatia  is  deducted.      In  the  culture  of 


VOL.  III. 


n  n 


546 


.ETOLIA. 


[CHAP. 


maize  this  mode  is  general  in  Western  Greece, 
except  that  the  peasant  receives  a  fourth  instead 
of  a  fifth,  because  the  labour  and  attention  required 
is  greater,  and  the  expence  of  seed  for  maize  is  small 
compared  to  the  produce,  which  is  generally  fifty 
to  one  in  the  gross.  The  seeds  on  an  ear  of  maize 
are  from  three  to  five  hundred,  and  there  are  often 
three  heads  on  one  stem.  A  measure  of  15  okes 
is  the  common  proportion  of  seed  for  a  strema  (a 
square  of'l  12  feet)  of  wheat,  or  for  five  stremata  of 
rokka,  as  maize  is  here  called.  The  only  expence 
imposed  upon  the  Acarnanian  metayer  in  ordinary 
cases,  is  half  the  expence  of  threshing,  called  alo- 
nistiko  in  wheat  and  barley,  and  stumbistiko  in 
rokka ;  the  first  being  performed  by  horses  on  an 
aloni  or  threshing-floor,  the  latter  by  a  stick. 

When  maize  is  irrigated,  the  crop  is  seldom  so 
good  as  when  it  is  watered  only  by  the  spring 
rains ;  but  it  is  in  particular  situations  only  on  the 
mountains  that  these  can  be  depended  upon.  The 
irrigated  fields  of  rokka  are  chiefly  near  the  river. 
The  crop  of  this  grain  is  usually  followed  by  one 
of  wheat,  and  the  farmer  takes  the  land  for  two 
years.  For  wheat  and  barley  the  land  is  ploughed 
twice ;  for  rokka  three  or  four  times.  Guinea- 
corn,  or  small  kalambokki,  is  almost  out  of  use  in 
Western  Greece ;  a  little  is  sown  in  Lamari  and 
Luro. 

Around  Stamna  the  wheat  is  all  grinia,  giving 
a  return  of  about  seven  to  one ;  those  who  can, 
turn  in  sheep,  and  with  that  assistance,  if  the 
land  is  good,  they  have  a  second  year  of  wheat, 
then  barley,  then  oats,   which  last  is  considered 


XXX1II.J 


^ETOLIA. 


547 


nearly  as  good  as  fallow.  It  seems,  however,  that 
the  two  successive  crops  of  wheat  generally  occur  on 
land  which  has  lain  some  time  fallow  ;  an  advan- 
tage which  the  cultivator  in  Greece  can  generally 
obtain,  as  land  is  more  plentiful  than  labour.  By 
the  same  means  they  often  change  the  position  of 
their  plantations  of  rokka  on  the  river  side,  and 
obtain  crops  of  wheat  and  rokka  alternately  with- 
out any  manure.  It  is  even  doubted  whether  the 
change  of  ground  be  necessary,  as  the  torrents 
from  the  mountains,  and  the  inundation  of  the 
river,  deposit  fresh  soil  every  year.  Dhiminio 
wheat  is  not  sown  in  the  plains,  but  higher  up  the 
river  where  it  can  be  irrigated,  and  in  some  parts 
of  the  mountains,  where  they  are  sure  of  rain  in 
the  spring,  it  gives  fifteen  to  one.  This  grain  is 
not  thought  fit  for  use  until  the  January  after  the 
crop,  but  will  keep  three  years  :  the  grinia  is  not 
good  beyond  the  year. 

There  is  a  mode  of  preparing  the  land  for  wheat, 
barley,  flax,  and  beans,  with  the  hoe,  as  in  Sicily, 
without  ploughing.  The  hoers  come  from  Kefa- 
lonia,  provisions  are  furnished  by  the  master,  and 
are  paid  for  by  the  labourer  out  of  his  share  of 
the  crop,  which  is  half,  after  the  dhekatia  has 
been  deducted.  The  produce  with  the  hoe  is 
more  plentiful,  the  plough  being  too  light  for  the 
soil,  and  often  weighing  not  more  than  the  yoke. 
The  corn  measures  used  here  are  the  KaBog  and 
KaSapa  ;  the  former  is  a  fifth  greater  than  the 
koIXov  of  Constantinople,  and  is  generally  reckoned 
to  contain  26  okes  ;  the  kadhara  15  okes.  The 
more  opulent  cultivators  have  four  or  five  oxen  to 

n  n  2 


548 


/ETOLIA. 


[chap. 


each  zevgari  or  plough-yoke,  and  consider  that 
they  can  plough  60  stremata  with  them.  The 
subjoined  figure  will  show  the  form  and  construc- 
tion of  the  plough  (aporpov,  aptrpt,  or  ciAtrpt). 


The  zygos,  or  yoke !,  furnished  at  either  end 
with  zevles,  or  collars 2,  is  fastened  in  the  middle 
by  means  of  a  lashing  and  a  peg,  called  the 
klidhi3,  or  key  to  a  piece  named  sivalma4,  the 
other  end  of  which  embraces  that  of  the  stovari, 
or  beam 5,  and  is  tied  to  it  by  cords.  The  stovari 
at  the  other  end  enters  the  aletropodha,  or  plough- 
foot  G,  which  at  the  upper  end  is  embraced  by  and 
lashed  to  the  khiroladhi,  or  handle  7.  The  stovari 
forms  an  angle  in  the  middle,  where  it  is  pierced 
by  the  spathi,  or  sheath  8,  which  is  steadied  by  a 
sfina,  or  peg9,  and  at  the  lower  end  enters  the 
aletropodha  through  the  middle  of  a  trifurcated 
piece,  one  end  of  which  is  tenoned  into  the  lower 
end  of  the  aletropodha,  and  covered  with  the  yni, 
or  share 10 ;  the  two  other  branches,  called  the 
ftera,   or  wings  u,  serve  to  throw  out  the  clods  on 


C,vy<)£. 

4     OtfictXfia. 

7  ^eipoXact. 
10  bvi. 


2  at  £ifi\aig. 

5  /I    i 

aropapi. 
8   (nrddi. 
11   (prepd. 


3   icXeth'. 

6   ciXtrpoiroda. 

9     ff(j)ll'U. 


XXXIII.] 


vETOLIA. 


549 


either  side  as  the  plough  advances.  The  zygos  is 
6  feet  8  inches  long,  and  11  inches  in  circum- 
ference ;  the  aletropodha  4  feet  1  inch  following 
the  bend,  and  I  foot  4  inches  in  circumference  at 
the  head  ;  the  stovari  7  feet  2  inches  long,  and 
1  foot  2  inches  in  circumference  at  the  sfina ;  the 
sivalma  3  feet  long;  the  khiroladhi  1  foot  10  inches; 
the  ftera  and  spathi  each  2  feet  1  inch  ;  the  yni 
weighs  3  okes.  This  is  the  plough  drawn  by 
oxen,  for  buffalos  the  dimensions  are  larger,  or  at 
least  the  share  is  heavier,  weighing  5  okes.  The 
construction  is  the  same  in  every  part  of  Acarnania 
and  JEtolia,  or  at  least  with  little  variation.  At 
Makhala  the  wings  are  two  separate  pieces  of  iron 
inserted  into  the  sides  of  the  aletropodha.  The 
vukendro  l  is  a  pointed  stick,  near  seven  feet  in 
length,  to  goad  the  oxen. 

My  absent  host,  who  has  the  reputation  of  being 
one  of  the  few  Proesti  in  Karlili  that  do  not 
plunder  their  districts,  has  in  consequence  of  his 
moderation  no  more  than  500/.  a  year  out  of  a 
considerable  landed  property,  which  income  is 
farther  diminished  by  the  Vezir's  demands  upon 
him.  He  keeps  only  two  men  and  two  women 
servants,  has  no  glass  to  his  windows,  and  only 
one  room  tolerably  furnished. 

The  mode  in  which  the  Vezir  put  to  death  the 
two  brothers  Katziko-Ianni,  who  lived  at  Plaghia, 
opposite  to  Lefkadha,  furnishes  a  good  example 
of  Albanian  policy.  He  had  long  been  on  ap- 
parent terms  of  friendly  intercourse  with  them, 


1    poVKtVTpOV. 


550 


^ETOLIA. 


[chap. 


but  amidst  which  there  was  strong  mistrust  on 
their  part.  One  brother  at  a  time  had  often 
visited  him  when  he  came  to  Mytika ;  he  was  con- 
vinced that  little  would  be  gained  by  destroying 
only  one  of  them,  and  they  were  aware  of  the 
danger  there  would  be  in  both  placing  themselves 
in  his  power.  At  length  by  bribery  and  promises 
he  persuaded  them  to  carry  off  from  Lef  kadha  the 
family  of  a  Greek  captain  of  armatoli,  who  was  a 
refugee  with  the  Russians,  and  to  deliver  these  cap- 
tives to  him.  By  this  action  they  lost  their  credit 
with  the  Russians.  The  Vezir  then  called  Bekir 
Aga,  the  commander  of  my  Albanian  escort,  who 
relates  the  story  to  me,  and  who  is  usually  called 
from  his  love  of  gaming  Bekir  Giocator.  Bekir  is 
of  Berat,  and  left  the  service  of  Ibrahim  Pasha  for 
that  of  Aljr,  bringing  with  him  200  men,  half  from 
Berat  and  the  rest  from  Kolonia  and  other  places. 
The  Vezir  suddenly  ordered  Bekir  to  Karlili,  tel- 
ling him,  that  if  he  did  not  succeed  in  destroying 
the  Katziko-Iannis,  he  had  better  drown  himself 
in  one  of  the  lakes.  Upon  receiving  this  com- 
mand, Bekir  sent  a  messenger  to  Plaghia,  inform- 
ing the  Katziko-Iannis  that  he  had  a  commission 
from  the  Vezir  against  one  Captain  Ghiorgaki,  an 
enemy  of  theirs,  and  requesting  them  to  meet  him 
and  concert  measures  accordingly.  Kitzo  (Khris- 
tos)  the  elder  of  the  brothers,  fell  into  the  snare, 
but  not  without  having  taken  the  precaution  to 
write  to  his  brother,  desiring  him  to  remain  at 
some  distance,  that  they  might  not  both  meet 
Bekir  Aga  together.  Bekir,  who  had  foreseen 
this,  laid  his  plan  so  well  that  he  intercepted  the 


xxxnr.] 


iETOLIA. 


551 


letter.  Kitzo,  as  soon  as  he  saw  his  brother,  ex- 
claimed, "Why  did  you  neglect  what  I  said? 
we  are  both  lost !"  and  so  it  turned  out.  The 
Vezir  immediately  wrote  to  the  Russians,  making 
a  merit  of  his  having  chastised  the  men  who  had 
had  the  audacity  to  carry  off  the  family  of  a 
person  under  their  protection,  and  who  had  often 
committed  depredations  on  travellers  passing 
through  the  channel  of  Lef  kadha ;  which  in  fact 
they  had  done. 

Two  years  ago  the  Vezir  took  a  famous  Vlak- 
hiote  captain  of  robbers,  Katz-Andonio,  one  of  the 
greatest  of  the  Kleftic  heroes,  and  the  subject  of 
many  a  song.  He  ordered  him  to  name  the  per- 
sons from  whom  he  had  received  encouragement 
and  presents.  Andonio  very  coolly  named  all 
the  Vezir's  enemies,  including  the  Russians,  with 
whom  the  Turks  were  then  at  war.  The  Vezir 
knew  that  the  robber  was  rich,  and  offered  to 
spare  his  life  for  a  share  of  his  wealth,  but  without 
any  effect  upon  him,  as  he  knew  Aly  too  well  to 
trust  to  his  promises.  The  Vezir  then  ordered  his 
legs  to  be  broken,  which-  was  done  in  the  most 
cruel  manner,  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd  of  Turks, 
whom  Andonio  abused  all  the  while,  saying  they 
would  not  dare  stand  so  near  him  if  his  legs  were 
still  whole,  and  joking  with  a  relative  who  was 
suffering  the  same  torture  close  by. 

Bekir  lately  accompanied  a  Frenchman,  by 
order  of  the  Vezir,  to  collect  cattle  from  the  vil- 
lages, in  payment  of  a  debt  due  by  the  Pasha  for 
jewels,  which  having  been  assigned  to  the  govern- 
ment, or  commissary  of  provisions .  at  Corfu,  the 


552 


iETOLIA. 


[chap. 


garrison  was  to  be  supplied  in  this  manner  with 
beef.  The  Vezir  obliged  the  Proest'i  to  guarantee 
his  payment  of  the  cattle  to  the  owners,  allowing 
the  former  to  deduct  the  amount  from  their  ac- 
counts with  him.  Between  the  two,  the  poor 
owners  of  course  are  in  a  bad  way. 

St.  Elias,  two  miles  to  the  southward  of  Stamna, 
is  distinguished  from  the  tjiftlik  of  the  same  name 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Aspro,  opposite  to  Palea. 
Mani,  by  the  name  of  St.  Elias  at  the  Almond- 
trees  \  Here  I  find  an  ancient  cistern,  shaped  as 
below  in  the  vertical  section,  and  covered  within 
with  a  coat  of  stucco. 

The  pointed  height  which 
rises  above  St.  Elias  commands 
an  extensive  and  interesting 
prospect.  The  mountain  of 
Tragamesti,  and  Mount  Bumisto  terminate  the 
view  to  the  northward  ;  to  the  right  of  the  latter 
appears  Lygovitzi,  the  ruined  mill  above  Makhala, 
and  the  whole  course  of  the  Aspro  upwards  to  the 
site  of  Stratus.  From  Petala.  to  Mesolonghi  are 
spread  the  maritime  plains,  marshes,  and  lagoons, 
beyond  which  appear  Kefalonia,  Zakytho,  and 
Elis.  To  the  eastward  the  mountains  of  Zygos 
impede  the  prospect,  and  particularly  the  height 
of  the  Panaghia,  which  rises  from  the  plain  at  the 
head  of  the  lagoon  of  Anatoliko,  leaving  nothing 
seen  of  the  interior  of  lEtolia,  except  the  summits 
of  Mount  Viena.  All  on  this  side  of  the  height 
of  Panaghia  is  named  Kato-Zygos,  on  the  other 
Apano-Zygos. 

1  "Ayioc  'HXiiar  orate,  MvyhaXtaic. 


XXXIII.] 


iETOLIA. 


553 


On  a  projecting  point  of  the  Stamna  ridge, 
half-way  between  Mastii  and  the  Aspro,  are  the 
foundations  of  a  fortified  jcw^m,  nearly  of  the  same 
size  as  those  at  Skortus  and  Prodhromo. 

April  1. — Return  to  Neokhori,  and  from  thence 
visit  Magula,  a  name  often  attached,  as  in  the 
present  instance,  to  a  small  height  in  a  plain,  and 
therefore  wherever  it  occurs  a  likely  place  to  find 
antiquities.  But  there  are  no  such  appearances 
at  this  Magula.  It  is  a  village  of  30  houses,  be- 
longing to  Yakub  Bey,  of  Vrakhori,  who  takes  a 
third  of  the  crop,  and  makes  an  allowance  for  the 
seed,  all  the  other  expences  being  borne  by  the 
cultivators.  Wheat  and  rokka  are  the  only  pro- 
duce of  the  lands.  The  eminence  upon  which  the 
village  stands  is  half  a  mile  distant  from  the  left 
bank  of  the  Aspro  and  commands  a  view  of  the 
plains  and  marshes  towards  the  mouth  of  the 
river. 

Kurtzolari  and  Oxia1  are  conspicuous  in  that 
direction,  the  latter  immediately  to  the  left  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Aspro,  the  former  a  little  farther  to 
the  left ;  Mesolonghi,  the  castle  of  Patra,  and 
Mount  Varassova,  are  also  seen  from  Magula. 
Kurtzolari  is  a  high  peaked  mountain  falling  into 
small  hills  which  form  a  promontory  opposite  to 
Oxia,  and  which  on  the  land  side  border  the 
Acheloian  plain.  To  the  north-west,  the  heights 
reach  nearly  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  ;  at  the 
opposite  end  are  some  marshes  and  lagoons  which 
extend  with  small  intervals  of  plain  to  the  western 


1   Kovpr^oXdfH.  —  '0£c<a. 


554 


iETOLIA. 


[chap. 


extremity  of  the  great  lagoons  of  Anatoliko  and 
Mesolonghi.  Cattle  feed  upon  the  mountain,  but 
with  the  exception  of  two  or  three  kalyvia  there 
are  no  habitations  nearer  to  it  than  Magula.  In 
the  plain  near  its  eastern  extremity  is  a  deserted 
convent  of  St.  John.  The  Kaloghero  who  ma- 
nages its  property  resides  at  Magula.  The  Proto- 
ghero  points  out  to  me  a  place  on  the  last  slope  of 
the  nearest  part  of  Mount  Kurtzolari,  where  stands 
a  quadrangular  Hellenic  ruin,  about  the  size  of 
one  of  the  houses  in  his  village  :  the  wall  remains 
in  some  parts  to  the  height  of  six  feet.  He  knows 
of  no  other  Paleo-kastro  in  that  direction. 

The  plain  around  Kurtzolari  and  Magula,  as 
well  as  that  of  Katokhi,  on  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  river,  furnishes  pasture  to  a  great  number  of 
cattle  ;  5000  might  easily  be  purchased  here  at  a 
short  notice  :  they  fatten  especially  on  the  young- 
shoots  of  the  reeds  in  the  marshes  of  Katokhi  and 
Trikardho.  It  is  the  custom  to  set  fire  to  these 
reeds  in  the  summer,  which  causes  a  plentiful 
supply  of  young  shoots  soon  afterwards.  Young- 
oxen  are  broken  in  for  the  plough  by  tying  them 
by  the  horn  to  the  old  oxen  when  two  years  old, 
and  thus  allowing  them  to  range  about :  whenever 
the  young  one  is  inclined  to  be  frisky  the  old  one 
corrects  him  with  his  horn.  When  fit  for  labour 
he  is  worth  a  hundred  piastres ;  the  expence  of  his 
board  and  education  is  about  20  piastres.  A  cow 
or  ox  for  slaughter  is  sold  from  the  pasture  to  the 
Islanders  for  35  piastres.  The  cow  yields  six  or 
seven  okes  of  butter  a  year,  only  producing  it  for 
about  three  months  :   a  buffalo  cow  yields  30  okes 

12 


XXXIII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


555 


of  butter,  and  sells  for  80  piastres ;  a  buffalo  for 
labour  150  piastres ;  a  buffalo  skin  for  40  or  50 
piastres  ;  the  skin  of  a  large  full-grown  ox  15 
piastres.  Butter  100  paras  the  oke.  The  people 
of  Magula  have  the  care  of  the  greater  part  of  the 
cattle  to  the  left  of  the  river,  those  of  Katokhi  to 
the  right :  the  monastery  of  Ai  Ianni  possesses 
70  oxen. 

A  Maguliote,  describing  to  me  the  bad  air  of 
the  place  in  summer,  said,  "When  you  wake  in 
the  morning  your  head  is  so  large  l :"  holding  his 
hands  at  some  distance  from  his  ears,  as  a  poetical 
mode  of  describing  the  waker's  sensations.  They 
believe  that  Katokhi  and  Neo-khori,  especially 
when  the  wind  is  southerly,  are  less  unhealthy, 
and  that  the  excessive  heat  of  Magula  is  caused 
by  the  hill  being  of  gypsum,  but  of  which  I  saw- 
no  appearance. 

April  2. — The  Skaloma  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Achelous  is  known  by  the  name  of  Salitza,  or  Great 
Salitza2.  A  boat  which  I  had  sent  for  to  Meso- 
longhi  had  advanced  so  far  on  its  way  to  Katokhi, 
when  a  quarrel  ensued  among  the  boatmen,  and 
they  returned  to  Mesolonghi.  I  had  just  sent  some 
persons  to  drag  up  to  Neokhori  another  boat  which 
had  arrived  at  Salitza ;  when  the  regular  ferry- 
boat unexpectedly  made  its  appearance,  having 
been  sent  down  by  the  Vezir,  as  soon  as  he  had 
crossed  the  river  yesterday  at  Lepenu.  At  length, 
therefore,  we  are  enabled  to  pass  over  to  Katokhi, 


1  Sray  S,r)fxepu)veiQ,  to  Ki(j)a\i 
uvai  Tonov  -^ovtoov. 


Tpavi]  2a'Atr£a. 


556 


ACARNANIA. 


[CHAP. 


where  we  lodge  in  the  house  of  the  Proestos, 
which  commands  a  view  down  a  long  reach  of 
the  Achelous.  The  bed  of  the  river  is  here  400 
yards  in  breadth,  and  now  quite  full  of  water, 
though  there  has  not  been  any  rain  even  in  the 
mountains  since  the  27th,  and  the  sky  has  been 
without  a  cloud,  with  land  and  sea  breezes  in 
regular  alternation,  as  usual  near  the  coast  in 
summer. 

Katokhi '  contains  100  families,  and  was  once 
undoubtedly  a  place  of  greater  importance,  having 
a  large  ancient  church  of  St.  Pandeleemon 2,  which 
is  said  to  have  been  built  by  Theodora,  wife  of 
Justinian.  On  a  rock  in  the  middle  of  the  village 
stands  a  tower  with  very  thick  walls,  apparently  of 
the  same  age  as  the  church.  A  sepulchral  stone, 
forming  part  of  the  altar  in  the  church,  is  inscribed 
with  the  name  of  Phormion,  the  son  of  Thuion,  in 
characters  of  the  best  Hellenic  times  3. 

April  3. — Four  miles  to  the  westward  of  Ka- 
tokhi is  Trikardho,  or  Trigardhokastro  4,  the  mo- 
dern name  of  the  ruins  of  a  large  Hellenic  city, 
which  was  undoubtedly  (Enia,  or  the  city  of  the 
(Eniadre,  that  place  having  been  situated  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Achelous,  on  the  frontier  of  Acar- 
nania  towards  iEtolia,  opposite  to  the  promontory 
Araxus 5,  and  to  that  part  of  the  Peloponnesus 
which   was    inhabited  by  the  Dymaei,   all   which 


1  Karwx*;.  5  Thucyd.  ].  1,  c.  11 1  ;   1.  3, 

2  "Aytoc  UayreXeri/jKov.  c.  7. 

3  V.  Inscription,  No.  163.  rove     yap    OlridEag    Ktlcrdai 

4  TpiKapSov,     TpiKctpdo-Kciff-  avfifiaivei   irnpa    OdXarrav   iirl 
Tpov,1piyapcu-Kaorpov.  rqi  irtpan  TtJQ  'Axapyavlag,   rw 


IbI 


^H 


>$.r. 


XXXIII.] 


ACARNANIA, 


557 


data  will  agree  with  Trikardho.  The  city  occu- 
pied an  extensive  insulated  hill,  in  no  part  very 
high,  now  covered  with  a  forest  of  velani  oaks, 
and  which  is  half  surrounded  on  the  northern  and 
eastern,  which  are  the  highest  sides,  by  a  great 
marshy  lake,  called  the  lake  of  Lesini,  or  Katokhi. 
In  the  opposite  direction  the  height  throws  out  a 
low  projection  towards  the  Achelous,  which,  mak- 
ing a  long  semi-circular  sweep  round  it,  approaches 
nearest  to  the  height  on  the  western  side.  As  at 
Cali/don  the  lowest  point  of  the  hill  was  excluded 
from  the  walls,  which  formed  a  narrow  inclosure 
at  that  extremity,  and  presented  a  very  short  front 
towards  the  river.  The  entire  circuit  of  the  forti- 
fication still  exists,  following  the  crest  of  the 
height  on  the  eastern  and  northern  side,  where 
it  falls  abruptly  to  the  marsh,  but  to  the  westward 
leaving  a  considerable  slope  on  the  outside.  At 
the  highest  or  north-eastern  point  of  the  inclosure, 
a  piece  of  wall  with  an  adjoining  tower  subsist  to 
the  height  of  20  feet.  The  former  has  not  a  single 
rectangular  stone  in  it ;  most  of  the  polygons  are 
equal  to  cubes  of  2\  and  3  feet,   and  the  beauty 


TrpoQ  AlrwXovg  (rvvdirrovTi  irepl 
r>)i>  up-^riv  rov  KoptvdiaKOv  koX- 
ttov'  Trjg  Be  neXoTrovviiarov  ri- 
TaKTai  fiey  y  7r6Xig  KarapriKpv 
Ttjg  trapuXiag  rfjg  tuv  AvfiaitoV 
iyyterra  &  avrfjg  birdp\Ei  toIq 
Kara  tov" Apa£,ov  tuttoiq'  diri-^ei 
yap  ov  ttXeTov  iKarbv  ora&'wv. 
— Polyb.  1.  4,  c.  65. 

The  distance  is  greater  than 


100  stades,  even  in  a  right  line. 
Strabo  is  still  wider  of  the  truth, 
as  he  measures  100  stades  from 
Araxus  to  the  island  Doliche, 
probably  the  modern  Makri. 

■>l  fiiv  A.oXt%a  Ktlrai  Kara 
OlvidSag  kcl\  rrjv  ek(3oXi)v  tov 
'A^eX^'ou  hii-^ovaa  'Apdfyv  ri/C 

TWV      'HXeIUJV       UKpClQ      OToZlOVQ 

ekutov. — Strabo.  p.  458. 


558 


ACARNANIA. 


[CHAP. 


and  accuracy  of  the  workmanship  are  admirable. 
Westward  of  this  point,  the  inclosure  falls  towards 
the  marsh,  which  extends  from  hence  5  or  6  miles 
north-westward  to  Mount  Khalkitza,  a  rocky,  steep, 
and  woody  mountain,  which  separates  these  plains 
from  the  valley  of  Tragamesti.  Next  occurs,  pro- 
ceeding in  the  same  direction,  a  small  gate  in  a 
retired  angle  of  the  walls,  leading  to  a  large  cavern 
in  the  rocks  at  the  foot  of  the  walls  full  of  water, 
very  clear  and  deep,  but  which,  the  sides  of  the 
cavern  being  perpendicular,  is  inaccessible.  My 
guide  from  Katokhi  shows  it  to  me  as  one  of  the 
cisterns  of  the  ancient  city,  and  adds  that  there  is 
another  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  hill.  An  in- 
exhaustible cistern  it  certainly  is,  but  entirely  the 
work  of  nature.  From  hence  the  great  marsh  is 
seen  extending  for  ten  miles  in  the  direction  of 
Khrysovitzi,  where  it  reaches  the  hills,  which  are 
a  continuation  of  the  mountain  of  Lygovitzi,  and 
which  unite  westward  with  Khalkhitza,  the  moun- 
tain already  mentioned.  About  two  thirds  of  the 
distance  from  Trikardho  to  the  eastern  end  of 
Khalkitza  rises  a  rocky  island  resembling  the  hill 
of  Trikardho,  and  equally  covered  with  trees  and 
bushes.  On  another  insulated  hill  near  the  north- 
eastern extremity  of  the  marsh,  two  or  three  miles 
from  Palea  Katuna,  stands  the  monastery  Lesini, 
which  gives  name  to  the  lake.  This  island  con- 
tains vineyards,  and  the  monastery  has  monoxyla 
for  communicating  with  the  shore,  where  are  its 
herds,  flocks,  and  cornfields. 

The  marsh  is  so  full  of  reeds  that  the  water  is 
scarcely  anywhere  apparent  from  Trikardho,  ex- 


XXXIII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


559 


cept  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  itself,  where  from  some 
large  deep  pools  issue  several  streams,  which,  joined 
by  others  from  the  northern  part  of  the  marsh,  form 
a  large  river  flowing  into  the  sea  at  Petala,  and 
which  thus  supplied  a  most  convenient  water  com- 
munication from  the  excellent  port  of  Petala  up  to 
the  very  walls  of  the  city.  Beyond  the  cistern  the 
walls  are  extant  only  a  few  feet  above  the  ground, 
and  the  heights  are  not  much  above  the  level  of 
the  marsh.  Having  followed  them  for  a  short  dis- 
tance, we  arrive  at  what  is  called,  and  I  believe 
justly,  to  \ipavi,  or  the  port,  the  deep  water  reach- 
ing from  hence  to  the  sea  at  Petala.  The  annexed 
delineation  represents  the  form  of  the  walls  in  this 


part.  Those  marked  a  a  a  are  of  polygonal 
masonry ;  but  the  towers  b  b  are  more  regular, 
particularly  the  larger,  of  which  the  outer  face  is 
26  feet  long,  and  still  subsists  at  one  angle  to  the 
height  of  35  feet.  It  consists  of  nine  regular  and 
equal  courses  of  masonry  of  two  feet  and  a  half 
each,  between  the  ground,  and  a  narrow  projecting 


560 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap 


course,  which  was  perhaps  -at  half  the  height  of 
the  tower  when  it  was  complete.  In  the  middle  of 
the  face  of  the  tower  all  above  the  projection  has 
fallen,  but  towards  the  angle  the  courses  which 
completed  the  tower  above  the  projection  remain. 
These  courses  are  not  so  regular  or  equal,  as  those 
below  the  projection.  But  the  most  remarkable 
part  of  these  works  is  the  gate  at  c,  which  led  from 
the  port  to  the  city,  and  terminated  an  oblique  pas- 
sage through  the  wall  eight  feet  long,  at  the  end 
of  which  there  was  a  further  length  of  one  foot 
ten  inches,  where  a  projection  on  one  side  of  the 
passage  corresponded  to  a  retiring  on  the  other. 
Though  the  passage  is  ruined,  and  the  gate  half 
buried,  the  elevation  of  the  upper  part  of  the  latter 
is  perfectly  preserved,  and  is  one  of  the  most  curious 
ruins  in  Greece,  as  it  shows  that  the  Greeks  com- 
bined the  use  of  the  arch  with  that  of  polygonal 
masonry.  The  opening  is  ten  feet  six  inches  in 
width ;  the  arch  semicircular,  or  nearly  so,  and  coin- 
posed  of  nine  stones  one  foot  ten  inches  in  thick- 
ness, of  unequal  breadth,  but  having  concentric 
junctions.  There  is  not  the  least  reason  for  sup- 
posing this  arch  a  posterior  addition  or  repair  to  the 
surrounding  walls.  The  upper  and  under  sides  of 
the  stones  on  either  side  of  the  opening  below  the 
arch  are  indeed  horizontal,  which  gives  the  gate 
a  less  ancient  appearance  than  the  rest  of  the 
work ;  but  in  polygonal  masonry,  the  angles  of 
the  towers,  when  they  occur,  which  is  not  fre- 
quently, as  well  as  the  passages,  are  generally  so 
constructed  :  with  this  exception,  all  the  stones  in 
the  gate  or  near  it  are  either  trapezoidal,  or  have 


XXXIII.] 


ACAHNANIA. 


56 


five  or  a  greater  number  of  unequal  sides.  About 
five  feet  above  the  top  of  the  arch  a  quadrangular 
window,  formed  by  three  stones,  crowns  the  ruin, 
the  wall  on  either  side  of  it  having  fallen.  As  this 
window  seems  to  have  been  made  to  give  light  to 
the  passage,  there  was  probably  another  similar 
gate  and  window  at  the  other  end,  and  the  passage 
perhaps  was  arched  throughout,  the  soffit  of  the 
existing  arch  being  oblique  conformably  to  the 
direction  of  the  passage.  At  d  the  rock  is  cut 
perpendicularly.  In  one  place  above  this  natural 
substruction,  which  is  ten  feet  high,  a  part  of  the 
constructed  wall  remains,  formed  of  five  or  six- 
sided  stones  mixed  with  irregular  quadrangles, 
fitted  to  the  rock  and  to  one  another,  with  so 
uniform  a  surface,  and  a  junction  so  perfect,  that 
at  a  little  distance  it  is  difficult  to  perceive  where 
the  wall  ends  and  the  rock  begins.  In  another 
place  where  the  excavated  rock  is  higher,  several 
parallel  constructed  masses  of  masonry  project  from 
the  rock,  having  the  appearance  of  buttresses ;  but 
as  no  support  could  have  been  wanted  to  such  a 
substruction,  the  intervening  spaces  were  perhaps 
receptacles  for  boats.  One  of  these  masses  has 
detached  itself  bodily  from  the  rock,  against 
which  it  was  built,  and  lies  upon  the  ground 
below. 

Having  quitted  the  port,  my  guide  conducts 
me  through  the  woods  of  velani  to  the  remains 
of  a  theatre  which  stood  near  the  middle  of  the 
ancient  city,  and  commanded  a  view  towards 
Kurtzolari  and  the  mouth  of  the  Achdous.  It  is 
difficult  to  determine  its  exact  dimensions  or  the 


VOL.  III. 


o  o 


562 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap. 


original  number  of  seats,  but  the  diameter  at  the 
orchestra  appears  to  have  been  about  eighty  feet ; 
there  are  some  foundations  of  a  proscenium  pro- 
jecting forty-five  feet,  and  twenty -five  rows  of  seats 
still  exist  cut  out  of  the  rock.  The  ruins  and 
woods  of  Trikardho  are  singularly  picturesque, 
and  the  fine  figures  and  dresses  of  the  Albanians, 
as  they  scramble  over  the  ruins  or  wind  through 
the  woods,  furnish  most  appropriate  accompani- 
ments to  the  scenery.  The  subjoined  sketch  will 
give  some  idea  of  the  situation  if  not  of  the  exact 
form  of  the  city,  of  which  it  is  impossible  to  obtain 
a  general  view  in  consequence  of  the  continual 
obstruction  of  the  trees  and  broken  ground. 


At  a  there  is  a  small  door  crowned  with  a  semi- 
circular arch  formed  of  five  stones,  and  still  lower 


fv'H.v>^3 


XXXIII. J 


ACARNANIA. 


563 


towards  the  plain  I  remarked  another  door,  which, 
although  formed  equally  on  the  principle  of  the 
arch,  has  the  curve  on  one  side  flatter  than  on  the 
other.  Near  it  is  another  door,  the  top  of  which 
is  formed  in  the  common  Hellenic  manner,  witli 
straight  converging  sides  crowned  with  a  single 
stone. 

The  walls  in  general  are  from  eight  to  ten  or 
eleven  feet  thick,  filled  up  in  the  middle  with 
rough  materials  and  an  abundance  of  mortar. 
In  many  parts  they  form  curved  instead  of  right 
lines,  having  few  towers,  but  many  short  flanks ; 
peculiarities  which  prove  the  great  antiquity  of 
those  parts  of  the  work,  and  lead  to  the  belief 
that  the  towers  where  they  exist  have  been  a 
subsequent  addition  to  the  original  fortification  : 
an  opinion  which  is  also  supported  by  the  regu- 
lar masonry  of  the  towers,  and  in  some  places  by 
the  mode  in  which  they  are  connected  with  the 
walls.  The  general  use  of  towers  would  naturally 
be  accompanied  with  straight  and  with  longer  lines 
of  wall,  and  evidently  belonged  to  a  more  advanced 
stage  of  the  art  of  defence  than  that  in  which  curves, 
or  broken  lines,  or  short  flanks  were  used.  All  the 
towers  which  I  observed  are  closed  at  the  back,  and 
project  a  little  from  the  line  of  wall  within.  The 
lower  part  of  the  inclosure  towards  the  Achelous 
seems  in  general  of  a  later  date  than  the  walls  on 
the  upper  parts  of  the  hill.  The  circuit  appears  to 
me  about  equal  to  that  of  Calydon,  and  not  quite 
so  great  as  that  of  Stratus. 

CEneia  is  one  of  those  cities  the  name  of  which 
o  o  2 


564 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap. 


always  occurs  in  history  under  that  of  the  people, 
or  (Eniadae.  Their  coins  of  copper,  which  bear 
the  head  of  the  tauriform  Achelous,  and  the  le- 
gend OINIAAAN,  in  the  Doric  dialect,  are  found 
in  great  numbers  in  the  surrounding  parts  of 
Greece.  The  position  of  (Eniadae  comprehended 
the  chief  requisites  of  a  Greek  city :  a  plain 
and  lake  abounding  in  the  necessaries  and  lux- 
uries of  life  ;  with  a  height  strengthened  by 
that  lake,  by  marshes,  and  by  two  rivers,  whicii 
afforded  an  easy  communication  with  two  points 
of  the  coast,  at  a  distance  sufficient  to  leave  no 
fears  of  surprise  from  the  sea.  Compared  with 
such  advantages,  insalubrity  was  a  consideration 
of  little  weight  with  the  Greeks,  as  many  of  their 
ancient  sites  attest  in  Asia,  Greece,  and  Italy.  In 
some  instances,  undoubtedly,  the  abandonment  of 
the  soil  has  caused  the  malaria,  to  which  drainage 
and  cultivation  were  anciently  a  remedy.  But  it 
seems  impossible  that  the  marshes  of  (Eniadae 
could  have  been  drained  to  any  great  extent, 
such  is  their  depth  and  magnitude.  Placed 
on  the  right  flank  of  the  great  line  of  defence 
which  the  Achelous  afforded  to  the  Acarnanes 
against  their  formidable  neighbours  of  iEtolia,  and 
of  which  Stratus  protected  in  like  manner  the  left, 
(Eniadae  was  of  immense  importance  to  the  Acar- 
nanian  koivov,  though  its  situation  at  the  extremity 
of  that  province,  in  an  angle  of  the  maritime  plain 
the  greater  part  of  which  belonged  to  iEtolia,  and 
possibly  the  influence  of  some  possessions  on  the 
iEtolian  side  of  the  river  caused   it  sometimes  to 


xxxiri.] 


ACARNANTA. 


565 


be  politically  dissevered  from  Acarnania  or  even 
in  alliance  with  the  iEtolians. 

Twenty-three  years  prior  to  the  Peloponnesian 
war,  (Eniadae  resisted  Pericles,  who  attempted  to 
reduce  it  with  a  small  Athenian  squadron  from 
Pagse  in  the  Megaris,  and  who  appears  to  have 
been  induced  to  attack  it  as  being  the  only  city  in 
Acarnania  which  was  adverse  to  the  alliance  formed 
soon  afterwards  between  Athens  and  Acarnania !. 
Its  policy  was  the  same  in  the  third  year  of  the 
Peloponnesian  war,  when  Phormion  with  the  Athe- 
nian fleet  from  Naupactus,  made  an  incursion  into 
Acarnania  for  the  purpose  of  ejecting  the  adverse 
party  from  Astacus,  Stratus,  and  some  other 
towns,  but  was  deterred  by  the  season  from  making 
any  attempt  upon  (Eniadse,  which  in  winter  was 
too  well  protected  by  its  marshes  and  inundations. 
In  the  following  year,  his  son  Asopius,  having 
summoned  all  the  Acarnanes  to  his  assistance, 
sailed  up  the  Achelous  towards  (Eniadse  with 
twelve  ships  from  Naupactus  ;  but  his  expedition 
had  no  other  result  than  that  of  laying  waste  the 
territory.  It  was  not  until  the  eighth  year  of  the 
war  that  the  city  was  compelled  by  the  other 
Acarnanes,  assisted  by  the  strong  fleet  which 
Demosthenes  then  commanded  at  Naupactus,  to 
join  the  Athenian  alliance  2. 

When  the  /Etolians  had  increased  their  power 
by  the  addition  of  the  country  afterwards  called 
iEtolia  Epictetus,  they  became  too  powerful  for  the 


1  Thucyd.l.  1,  c.  Ill;  1.2, 

c.  08.     Diodor.   1.    11,   c.  85; 
I.  12,  c.  47. 


2    Thucyd.    I.    2,    c.    102 

1.  3,  c.  7  ;  1.  4,  c.  77. 


r>66 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap, 


Acarnanes,  and  having  taken  (Eniadae  they  ex- 
pelled the  inhabitants,  and  treated  them  with  such 
cruelty  that  they  were  threatened  with  the  ven- 
geance of  Alexander  the  Great,  who  was  diverted 
however  by  more  important  affairs  from  ever  exe- 
cuting his  menace  \  Under  his  successors  (Eniadae 
continued  to  be  weak  ;  for  Diodorus  informs  us 
that  in  the  year  b.c.  314,  when  Cassander  marched 
into  iEtolia  to  the  assistance  of  the  Acarnanes,  and 
held  a  council  with  them  on  the  river  Campylus, 
in  which  he  recommended  them  to  abandon  their 
minor  fortresses  and  retire  into  Agrinium,  Stratus, 
and  Ithoria,  the  (Eniadae  took  refuge  in  the  last  of 
these  places2. 

In  process  of  time  the  iEtolians  obtained  posses- 
sion of  all  the  frontier  towns  of  Acarnania,  and  re- 
tained them  until  they  were  liberated  by  Philip 
son  of  Demetrius,  in  the  first  year  of  the  Social 
War3  b.  c.  219.  At  that  time  Stratus,  Phceteiae, 
Metropolis,  and  (Eniadae,  were  all  in  the  hands  of 
the  iEtolians.  Philip,  after  having  taken  Ambra- 
cus  in  the  marshes  of  Ambracia,  marched  by  Cha- 
radra  to  the  Strait  of  Actium,  which  he  crossed  at 
Prevyza.  Continuing  his  march  through  Acarna- 
nia. during-  which  he  was  joined  by  2000  Acarna- 
nian  infantry  and  200  cavalry,  he  took  the  city  of 
Phceteiae  by  capitulation  after  a  siege  of  two  days. 
On  the  following  night  he  captured  or  slew  500 
TEtolians,  who  were  marching  to  the  relief  of  the 
place  in  ignorance  of  its  having  fallen,  and  then 


1  Diodor.  1.  18,  c.  8.— Plu- 
tarch, in  Alexancl. 


2  Diodor.  1.  19,  c.  67. 
Vol.  I.  p.  156. 

3  Polyb.  1.  4,  c.  63. 


-See 


XXXIII. J 


ACARNANIA. 


567 


moved  into  the  Stratice,  where,  encamping  upon 
the  Achelous  at  a  distance  of  ten  stades  from 
Stratus,  he  laid  waste  the  country,  without  meet- 
ing with  any  resistance.  From  thence  he  marched 
to  Metropolis,  and  having  burnt  that  city,  which 
the  iEtolians  abandoned  on  his  approach,  retiring 
into  the  citadel,  he  then  crossed  the  Achelous,  at 
a  distance  of  twenty  stades  from  Conope,  in  the 
face  of  a  body  of  iEtolian  cavalry,  who  retreated 
into  that  city  as  soon  as  his  infantry  had  forded  the 
river.  The  king  next  attacked  Ithoria,  a  fortress 
strong  both  by  art  and  nature,  and  which  stood 
exactly  in  his  road.  The  garrison  deserted  the 
place  as  he  approached,  upon  which  he  levelled  it 
with  the  ground,  giving  direction  also  for  all  the 
other  castles '  in  the  neighbourhood  to  be  de- 
stroyed. 

Having  passed  the  Straits2,  he  met  with  no 
further  opposition,  and  could  permit  his  army  to 
supply  itself  at  leisure  with  every  thing  which  the 
country  afforded.  In  approaching  (Eniadae  he 
took  Pseanium  which  was  well  built,  but  only 
seven  stades  in  circuit ;  and  having  totally  de- 
stroyed it,  floated  down  the  materials  to  CEniadae. 
On  his  approach  the  .ZEtolians  retired  into  the 
citadel  but  soon  deserted  it,  upon  which  Philip 
took  possession  of  the  place,  and  from  thence 
marched  into  the  Calydonia,  where  he  reduced  a 
certain  fortress  named  Elgeus,  which  Attalus  had 


1  7rvpyovQ. — c.  64.  Xonrbv  i'lct]    fiahjy  Kid   7rprie7av 

2  AttXQwv   De    tci    Sr£>'a,    to       ettoifato  tt)v  nope'iav. —  c.  (if). 


568 


ACARNAN1A, 


[chap. 


recently  strengthened  and  stored  for  the  use  of  the 
iEtolians.  After  having  ravaged  the  Calydonia, 
Philip  returned  to  (Eniadse,  where  he  made  use  of 
the  materials  which  he  had  brought  from  Pseanium 
to  fortify  the  citadel  and  arsenal,  and  to  unite 
the  whole  in  one  inclosure.  But  before  he  had 
completed  this  work,  intelligence  of  a  threatened 
irruption  of  the  Dardani  into  Macedonia  induced 
him  to  return  home. 

In  the  year  b.c.  211,  (EniadaB  was  taken  by  the 
Romans,  under  M.  Valerius  Laevinus !,  and  given 
up,  together  with  JVasas  (perhaps  Petala),  to  the 
iEtolians,  who  were  then  their  allies,  but  it  was 
taken  from  them  and  restored  to  the  Acarnanians 
22  years  afterwards,  by  the  conditions  of  peace, 
which  were  dictated  by  the  senate  of  Rome  at  the 
close  of  the  iEtolian  war  2. 

From  the  slight  resistance  made  by  the  yEtolians 
to  Philip,  and  his  subsequent  fortifying  of  the  city, 
it  would  seem  either  that  the  old  Acarnanian  for- 
tress had  not  been  very  strong,  or  that  the  iEtolians 
had  very  much  neglected  its  repairs.  The  harbour 
which  Philip  undertook  to  join  to  the  city  when 
he  was  interrupted  by  the  news  from  Macedonia, 
was  probably  on  the  Achclous,  near  the  metokhi 
of  Panaghula,  for  the  narrow  inclosure  of  this 
part  of  the  town  advancing  towards  the  river, 
seems  to  indicate  that  the  CEniadae  had  a  navale 
in  that  situation.     It  is  scarcely  possible  to  con- 


1  Liv.  1.  26,  c.  24.     Polyb.  2  Liv.  1.  38,  c.  11.      Polyb. 

1.  9,  c.  P9,  1.  22,  c.  1'). 


XXXIII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


>69 


ceive  that  that  which  is  now  called  the  limani, 
although  it  had  a  water  communication  with  the 
harbour  of  Petala,  could  have  been  the  place 
intended  by  the  historian,  as  it  is  immediately 
under  one  of  the  strongest  parts  of  the  height, 
which  could  not  have  been  excluded  from  the 
original  fortress,  and  where  the  work  bears  evidence 
of  a  remote  antiquity. 

Thucydides  in  asserting  that  (Eniadae  could  not 
be  besieged  in  winter  on  account  of  the  marshes, 
caused  by  the  inundation  of  the  Achelous,  seems 
to  afford  support  to  his  own  opinion  as  to  the 
rapid  accumulation  of  soil  at  the  mouth  of  this 
river1,  since  although  the  present  season  is  nearly 
that  in  which  the  waters  are  at  the  highest,  there 
is  nothing  to  prevent  an  army  from  marching  from 
Katokhi,  and  investing  the  walls  in  more  than 
half  the  circumference,  whence  it  would  appear 
that  the  surrounding  plain  is  more  elevated  now 
than   it  was  in   ancient  times.     The   increase   of 


1  'O  ydp  'A^tXwoc  7rorojuoc 
piwv  tc  Hivdov  opovq  did  AoXo- 
■jviaQ  cat  'Aypawv  cat  'A/xftXo- 
\(t)y  cat  did  tov  'AKapvaviKov 
irtdiov,  dvwQtv  ftev  napd  Srpd- 
tuv  irvXiv,  ££  QdXaaaav  dit^ttiq 
irap"  Qlviadoq  cat  Tt)v  iroXiv 
avroiQ  7repiXifji}'d£ii)v,  dizopov 
iroul  vttv  tov  vcarog  ev  yti\iQvi 
(TTpareveiy.  Ketj/rat  di  cat  ruiy 
j'»'/(rwi'  rijjv  'E^ii'a'^wj/  at  7roXXat 

KClTUiTlKpV  OtJ'taOWV,  TOV 

'A^eXw'ou    TiHv    tc/3oXwr    ovdev 
diriypvffcii'     wtrre    /Jtyae    wr    a 


irorcifxoQ,  irpoffxpi  aei,  cat  euri 
rdii'  v'k\amv  at  yneipwyrai'  iXirig 
de  cat  Trdaag  ovK  iy.noXXo)  tivi 
ay  yjpuvio  tovto  Tvudtiv'  to  re 
ydp  ptv/xd  EffTi  fiiya  cat  ttoXv 
cat  doXepoy,  at  re  yrjtroi  irvKval 
cat  aXXjjXatf  ttjc  irpocr^ojaewg, 
rw  fit)  aKiddvvvadat,  avydeafiot 
yiyvovrai,  7rapaXXa£  cat  ov 
Kara  oTo~tyov  cetuemt  obd' 
i-^ovaat  evdelag  diodovg  tov 
vijqtoc;  ec  ro  TrlXayog'  'ipr/fioi  o' 
elai  cat  ov  fxeydXat. — Thucyd. 
1.  2,  c.  102. 


570 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap. 


soil,  however,  cannot  be  so  rapid  as  the  ancients 
imagined ;  indeed,  it  is  obviously  slower  than  at 
the  mouths  of  many  other  rivers  of  Greece.  Strabo 
describes  GEniadse  as  70  stades  above  the  mouth 
of  the  river1,  which  is  more  than  the  distance  of 
Trikardho  from  thence  in  a  direct  line  ;  and  Pau- 
sanias,  who  wrote  six  centuries  after  the  Athenian 
historian,  shows  the  failure  of  the  earlier  predictions 
as  to  the  Echinades,  by  his  remark  that  they  were 
not  yet  joined  to  the  continent,  which  he  absurdly 
endeavours  to  account  for  by  the  desolation  of 
iEtolia2.  But  it  is  evident  that  Thucydides  was 
not  very  well  acquainted  with  the  locality.  He 
supposed  the  marshes  around  the  city  to  have 
been  caused  by  the  Achelous  alone,  and  takes  no 
other  notice  of  the  great  expanse  of  lake  or  marsh 
on  the  northern  side  of  CEniada,  which  is  per- 
manent, which  afforded  a  much  greater  protection 
to  the  city  than  the  Achelous,  and  which  has  no 
connection  with  that  river,  being  formed  entirely 
by  subterraneous  springs,  and  by  superficial  tor- 
rents from  the  hills,  and  having  an  outlet  to  the 
sea  by  a  river  totally  separate  from  the  Achelous. 

Herodotus  goes  so  far  as  to  state,  that  half  the 
Echinades  had  been  united  to  the  mainland  by 
the  Achelous 3.  The  only  heights  however  near 
the  coast,  which  have  any  strong  appearance  of 
having  undergone  this  change   are,  one  which  is 


1  Strabo,    p.   459,     v.    sup.  iiitiQ  eg  QdXaaanv  t&v  'E%ivd- 
p.  526.  (iwv    vi)<T())v    rag     iffiioeag     i)Br) 

2  Pausan.  Arcad.  c.  24.  yTrupov     ttettoiiikc.  —  Herodot. 

3  teat    ovk    iJKHrra  'A^eXw'ou'  1.  2,  c.  10. 
0£    petoiv    (V    'AKapvaviag,    kciI 


XXXIII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


571 


separated  by  a  narrow  harbour  from  the  island  of 
Petala,  and  that  of  Kurtzolari,  similarly  situated 
with  respect  to  Oxia,  between  which  and  the 
southern  foot  of  Kurtzolari  is  the  port  of  Skrofes, 
so  named  from  three  rocks  near  the  shore,  and 
which  is  well  sheltered  from  the  west  by  Oxia. 
There  cannot  be  much  doubt  that  Kurtzolari  is  the 
ancient  Artemita,  which  the  poet  Rhianus  couples 
with  the  islands  Oxeise,  and  which  Artemidorus, 
Demetrius  of  Scepsis,  and  Pliny,  attest  to  have  been 
a  peninsula  in  their  time  \  During  two  thousand 
years,  therefore,  the  coast  has  undergone  little 
change,  for  Artemita  is  a  peninsula  as  it  was  then, 
and  Oxeia,  though  separated  only  from  the  shore  by 
a  strait  of  half  a  mile,  is  still  an  island.  The  plural 
form  of  Those  in  Homer,  and  that  of  Oxeia?,  which 


1   o  <)£  'AprefxiSwpoc,  (prjfTiv  OTi  ion    koX   irXrjoiov  TUJV    'O^eitiiv 

\Epp6vi]aoq    7Tfpi    ti)i>     E^fioXrjv  vr](TU)p  vijaoq  'Aprifiira.     'Pia- 

tov    'A^eXw'ou    Trorafxov,    \tyo-  voq  ?/  QEaaaXuaZv, 

\iivr\   'Aprifiira' 

N/y«rotc  'Ofc/jjo-t  kui  'Aprefjlrr]  EirEj3aXXoy. 

Stephan.  in  Apre'/ztra. 


But  notwithstanding  the  dis- 
tinction of  Stcphanus,  the  poet 
prohahly  alludes  to  the  penin- 
sula Artemita,  which  tradition 
recorded  to  have  been  once  an 
island. 

Kut  j/  Trporepov  e)e  'Aprifiira 
XsyofiEvr],  fita  rwv  'E^ird^wr 
viiauv,  ijwEipog  yiyovE.  Kcti 
uXXag  Ee  tuv  TTEpi  rby'AyEX^ov 
vrjoi^wv    to     avrb    irddoc;    <pr)<rl 


(Demetrius  Scepsius,  sc.)  ira- 

Qe~IV,     EK     Tfjg     VTTO     TOV    TTOTUflOV 

7rf)0<7X(*"T£we     T°v    TTEXdyove. — 
Strabo,  p.  59. 

Amnis  Achelous  e  Pindo 
fluens,  atque  Acarnaniam  ab 
iEtolia  dirimcns,  et  Artemitam 
insulam  assiduo  terrae  invectu 
continenti  annectens.  —  Plin. 
II.  N.  1,  4,  c.  2. 


572 


ACARNAN1A. 


[chap. 


continued  to  the  latest  period  of  antiquity,  and  is 
even  now  employed  to  comprehend  Vromona  and 
Makri  as  well  as  Oxia,  may  possibly  have  had  its 
origin  in  the  fact  of  Kurtzolari  having  once  been 
an  island,  though  it  so  much  resembles  an  island 
from  the  offing,  and  is  so  exactly  of  the  same  form 
and  nature  as  the  neighbouring  Oxia,  that  they 
were  naturally  coupled  together  in  the  nomen- 
clature of  mariners,  and  the  expression  vijaot  '0£aat 
may  easily  have  obtained,  although  one  of  them 
was  a  peninsula. 

Strabo  in  stating,  without  any  accompanying 
remark,  the  conflicting  opinions  of  Artemidorus 
and  Apollodorus,  who  wrote  about  a  century  be- 
fore him,  as  to  some  of  the  places  on  the  iEtolian 
coast,  leaves  great  reason  for  supposing  that  he 
had  not  himself  seen  this  part  of  the  country.  It 
is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  although  he  may 
have  been  generally  well  informed  as  to  the  names 
and  order  of  the  places  on  or  near  the  shores  of 
Acarnania  and  iEtolia,  he  has  failed  in  a  more 
precise  description  of  them.  This  in  particular 
is  observable  with  regard  to  the  lakes  which  form 
so  remarkable  a  feature  of  the  coast  near  the 
mouths  of  the  Achelous  and  JSvenus1.     Of  these 


1 dr'   OivtdSiu 

Kal  6  ,A^e\u>0£.  Etra  Xtf-nrj 
tQv  Olvtactov  MeXtr??  KaXov- 
fj.Evrj,  jxrJKOQ  ^.iv  e^ovcra  rptd- 
kovtci  (Tradicov,  ttXcltoq  £e  e'ikooi' 
kcu  dXXq  Kui'i'a  ^nrXaaia  rau- 
r»;G  Kal  jxiikoq  kcu  ttXcltov,  rpirr) 
c    Ovpla   7ro\Xw   Tov-ior  fiiKno- 


ripa.  'H  fxiv  ovv  Kvrta  Kal 
tKdihwaiv  tig  n)v  duXaTTav'  at 
Xonral  c  virioKeivTat  oaov 
ilfxtoTacioi'. — Strabo,  p.  459. 

'Eort  o(  Ttq  Kal  irpoc  rfj  Ku- 
XvCuiyt  Xlfxj'ri  /.uydXr)  Kal  evoifmg, 
fjv  'iyovoiv  ot  iv  ndrpatr  'Pw- 
fxaiot. — Id.  p.  4(J0. 


XXXIII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


573 


lakes  he  distinguishes  four: — 1.  Melite,  or  the 
lake  of  (Eniadae,  which  was  30  stades  long  and 
20  broad.  2.  Cynia,  which  was  twice  as  much 
both  in  length  and  breadth.  3.  Uria,  which  was 
considerably  smaller  than  either.  4.  A  large  lake 
near  Calydon,  belonging  to  the  Romans  of  Patrse. 
He  adds,  that  Cynia  communicated  with  the  sea, 
but  that  Melite  and  Uria  were  separated  from  it 
by  land  half  a  stadium  in  breadth.  There  are 
many  difficulties  in  applying  this  description.  In 
the  first  place,  Melite,  or  the  lake  of  (Eniadce, 
which  we  cannot  suppose  to  be  any  other  than 
that  of  Trikardho,  or  Katokhi,  is  much  larger  than 
Strabo  asserts,  and  in  his  order  of  places  from 
west  to  east,  it  ought  to  have  occurred  before 
instead  of  after  the  Achelous.  Again,  if  we 
suppose  "  the  large  lake  near  Calydon "  to  have 
been  that  of  Bokhori,  and  consequently  the  lagoon 
of  Anatoli ko  to  have  been  Cynia,  and  that  of 
Mesolonghi  Uria,  the  dimensions  which  Strabo 
assigns  to  Cynia  will  indeed  be  tolerably  correct, 
but  Uria  ought  to  have  been  described  as  much 
larger  instead  of  smaller  than  Cynia.  Or  if  we 
suppose  the  lagoons  of  Anatoliko  and  Mesolonghi, 
which  in  fact  are  but  one  lake,  to  have  been  the 
Cynia,  and  Uria  to  have  been  the  lagoon  of  Bo- 
khori, Strabo's  dimensions  of  Cynia  will  then 
be  not  half  the  reality ;  and  where  in  that  case 
are  we  to  look  for  the  lake  of  Calydon  ?  Upon 
the  whole,  setting  aside  the  numbers  as  being 
always  the  most  questionable  part  of  the  ancient 
texts,  and  as  relating  in  this  instance  to  dimen- 
sions which  may  possibly  have  changed  since  the 


574 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap. 


time  of  Strabo,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  the 
marsh  of  Trikardho  was  Melite,  the  lagoon  of 
Anatoliko  Cynia,  that  of  Mesolonghi  Uria,  and 
that  of  Bokhori  the  lake  of  Calydon,  which  be- 
longed to  the  Romans  of  Patrae,  and  which  is  men- 
tioned by  the  gastronomic  poet  Archestratus  as 
producing  the  labrax  in  great  perfection  !.  It  was 
the  same  perhaps  as  the  Onthis  which  Nicander 
connects  with  Naupactus  Rhypseum  and  a  lofty 
mountain2.  The  island  of  Doliche,  which  Strabo 
supposed  to  be  the  Dulichium  of  Homer,  appears 
to  be  the  same  which  now  bears  the  synonymous 
appellation  of  Makri,  or  Makry,  derived  from  its 
long  narrow  form ;  for  it  lies  exactly  as  Strabo 
describes  Dolicha,  opposite  to  (Eniadce  and  the 
mouth  of  the  Achelous,  though  its  distance  from 
the  promontory  Araxus  is  almost  the  double  of 
that  which  he  states. 

The  march  of  Philip  to  (Eniadae  throws  some 
light  on  the  relative  situation  of  several  Acar- 
nanian  towns.  Phceteise,  the  first  which  he  took, 
seems  evidently  to  be  the  same  place  which  in 
the  text  of  Thucydides  is  written  Phytia.  When 
Eurylochus,  the  Spartan,  whose  movements  from 
Delphi  through  Locris  to  Proschium  in  iEtolia  I 
have  before  had  occasion  to  refer  to 3,  moved 
from   the   latter   place    towards  Amphilochia,   he 


1  Ap.  Athen.  1.  7,  c.  17. 

AiwEivriv  rt  Ko\u>vr]r  olwvoii  re  'PvTraiov 

'OvSt'cla  t  av  \i/j.vr]v  aTtiypv-EQ  iaav  Na.vTra.Krov. 

Nicand.  ap.  Schol  Nicand.  Theriac.  v.  214. 

3  See  vol.  II.  p.  61.';. 


XXXIII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


575 


crossed  the  Achelous  to  the  left  of  Stratus,  pas- 
sed from  the  territory  of  Stratus  into  that  of 
Phytia,  then  by  the  frontier  of  Medeonia  into  the 
district  of  Limnaea,  from  whence  he  entered  the 
Agrais '.  As  Stratus  was  the  only  city  which 
the  Acarnanes  had  not  abandoned,  it  is  highly 
probable  that  Eurylochus  left  it  as  far  on  his 
right  as  he  conveniently  could  ;  in  this  case  his 
route  would  exactly  lie  through  the  valley  in 
which  the  ruins  at  Porta  are  situated.  Suppos- 
ing, therefore,  Limncea  to  have  been  at  Kerva- 
sara,  we  may  infer  from  this  passage  of  Thu- 
cydides,  that  the  city  which  stood  at  Porta  was 
Phytia  (Phceteice),  and  the  ruins  near  Katuna 
those  of  Medeon. 

And  this  situation  of  Medeon  accords  with  the 
occurrence  of  its  name  in  history  on  two  other 
occasions.     In  the  year   b.  c.  231,  the  /Etolians 


3  kv  hE^icJ  pep  £\ovTeg  Ti]V 
Srpartwi'  ttoXlv  kcu  rt)v  <f>pov- 
pdv  avruiv,  kv  dpioTEpa  hk  rfjv 
uXXtjv  'Aicapvaviav'  kcu  hu\- 
Bovtec  ri)v  Srpar/wv  yijy,  kyw- 
povv  hid  Ttjg  <f>vria£  KCU  aiidig 
MEheaJvoc  7rap'  toward*  EirEira 
hid  AijxvaiaQ  kcu  £TT£fir)oav  rtjg 
'Aypat'wJ',  ovketi  'Atcapvavlae, 
(piXiaQ  hi  cr(j>i(Ti. — Thucyd.  1.  3, 
c.  106. 

Stephanus  (in  $>oi-ici)  shows 
that  the  name  is  correct  in  the 
text  of  Polybius,  for  he  adds, 
that  it  was  derived  from  Phce- 
tius,  son  of  Alcmaeon.     It  is 

12 


further  confirmed  by  an  inscrip- 
tion which  I  copied  at  Punta, 
but  from  which  we  learn  also 
that  the  gentile  was  not  $>oi- 
tievq,  as  Stephanus  and  Poly- 
bius make  it,  but  <boiridv,  like 
Acarnan.  Phcetiae  is  not  to  be 
confounded  with  Phytaeum, 
which,  as  I  have  already  re- 
marked (Vol.  I.  p.  155.)  was 
an  iEtolian  city,  not  far  from 
Thermus,  lying  on  the  right  of 
the  road  which  led  to  that  city 
from  the  ford  of  the  Achelous, 
near  Stratus. 


576 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap. 


having  subdued  several  towns  in  Acarnania,  but 
having  failed  in  persuading  the  Medeonii  to  join 
them,  laid  siege  to  Medeon,  and  had  reduced  it 
to  great  distress,  when  they  were  suddenly  at- 
tacked by  5000  Illyrians,  sent  in  ships  to  the 
coast  near  Medeon  by  Agron,  king  of  lllyria,  from 
whom  they  had  been  hired  by  Demetrius  II.  king 
of  Macedonia,  for  this  purpose.  Landing  at  break 
of  day,  either  at  Lutraki  or  at  Kervasara,  they 
attacked  the  iEtoIians,  and  assisted  by  the  Me- 
deonii, defeated  them  with  great  slaughter,  taking 
their  camp,  arms,  and  baggage  \  The  other  oc- 
currence which  illustrates  the  position  of  Medeon 
has  been  already  referred  to 2.  It  happened  in  the 
year  b.  c.  191,  when  Antiochus  marching  from 
Naupactus  by  Calydon  and  Lysimachia  to  Stratus, 
there  met  the  iEtolians  as  well  as  his  own  army, 
which  had  crossed  iEtolia  from  the  Maliac  gulf. 
He  then  proceeded  to  bring  over  the  Acarnanes, 
and  to  attack  those  who  refused  to  join  him.  He 
surprised  Medeon,  and  from  thence  moved  forward 
to  Thyrium,  but  retired  upon  hearing  of  the  ar- 
rival of  the  Roman  fleet  at  Leucas 3. 

It  is  probable  that  Metropolis  occupied  the  hill 
of  Lygovitzi,  for  the  march  of  Philip  seems  clearly 
to  show  that  Metropolis  was  to  the  right  of  the 
Achelous,  nearly  opposite  to  Conope.  This  situ- 
ation of  Metropolis,  therefore,  accords  with  those 
of  Phosteiri'  at  Porta,  of  Stratus  at  Surovigli,  and 
of  Conope  at  Anghelokastro.     The  steepness  and 


1  Polyb.  1.  2,  c.  2. 

2  See  Vol.  I.  p.  153. 


Liv.  1.  36,  c.  11. 


XXXIII.] 


ACARNANIA. 


577 


altitude  of  the  hill  of  Lygovitzi  explains  the 
king's  disinclination  to  lose  any  time  in  attack- 
ing the  JEtolians,  when  they  retired  into  the 
citadel  after  having  abandoned  the  town,  and  the 
ordinary  ford  of  the  Achelous  was  exactly  in  his 
way  from  thence  to  Conope. 

Ithoria  having  stood  below  Conope  in  the  ortva, 
or  straits  of  the  Achelous,  which  were  formed  on 
one  side  by  the  extremity  of  Mount  Zygos,  and 
on  the  other  by  the  heights  and  forest  of  Manina, 
probably  stood  at  or  near  St.  Elias,  nearly  oppo- 
site to  the  ruined  town  at  Palea  Mani ;  1  have 
been  informed,  indeed,  that  some  vestiges  of  a 
Hellenic  fortress  actually  exist  at  St.  Elias.  Pce- 
anium  I  conceive  to  have  been  the  ancient  site 
between  Mastu  and  the  Aspro.  Although  Poly- 
bius  does  not  remark  that  Philip  recrossed  the 
Achelous  between  Conope  and  GEniadse,  it  is 
evident  that  he  must  have  done  so,  QEniadae 
having  been  upon  the  right  or  Acarnanian  bank 
of  the  river,  and  the  Macedonians  having,  as 
Polybius  distinctly  asserts,  crossed  it  between  Me- 
tropolis and  Conope.  But  the  historian  is  equally 
silent  as  to  a  third  passage  of  the  river,  which 
was  unavoidable  when  Philip  proceeded  from 
CEniadae  to  the  Calydonia. 

The  Achelous  below  Katokhi  flows  for  the  dis- 
tance of  two  miles  in  the  direction  of  Kurtzolari, 
and  then  takes  the  turn  towards  Petala,  in  which 
it  approaches  Trikardho ;  from  thence  it  again 
bends  towards  Kurtzolari,  and  joins  the  sea  about 
two  miles  to  the  north  of  Oxia  and  the  entrance 


VOL.  III. 


pp 


578 


ACARNANIA. 


[chap. 


XXXIII. 


of  the  channel  between  that  island  and  Kurtzolari. 
The  plain  which  extends  from  Trikardho  to  the 
sea,  consists  of  fertile  soil,  and  though  not  marshy, 
except  in  some  places  near  the  shore,  is  very 
little  cultivated. 


END  OF  VOL.    III. 


gilbert  and  rivington,  printers, 

st.  john's  square,  London. 


I:nd,.l\iH..III 


k 


Artfastititi 


ITHACA 

vulgo 

THIAKI 


Geographical    Miles 


WML  m  .1  ,1 


VubUshxL  In,  ill,-  .Iniluir  In,  I  Rmhxrll  .)',.„  Band. Sim; '., 


J.ScCWalher.SaJp. 


£nd  of  VOL. HI. 


•^^^/jkfrtiiii'iti  The  Roads  are  from  the  Roman.  Itinera, 

-ries.  Ant.  impb'ss  from  the  Antonzne.  .ler. 
from  the  Jerusalem.  Tab.  tromthe  Theo- 
-dosian   or  T'cutinjjer  Table . 

8         * 


J S-  CJfcilkcJ-  Sculp1 


rublished  for  the  Author    by  £.  BttdteeU  .Sen-  Horn!  Street  1836. 


.r.FtlhercU/f  Ltthof. 


2>L.  XXIV. 


JV°  Jo#..AfJifo-  ItAac*, 


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PL. XXX. 


N"  14-2  .  At  Verruis  _  in* a/TwACsA  Cemetery, 
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