called Myrmidona, and Hellenes, and Achaeans. (ll. ii. 684.) This district continued to retain the name of Achaia in the time of Herodotus (vii. 173, 197), and the inhabitants of Phthia were called Phthian Achaeans till a still later period. (Thuc. viii. 3.) An account of this part of Thessaly is given under Thessalia. 2. Originally called Aegialus or Aegialeia (A«YHAJf, AtytdXtta, Ham. Il. ii. 575; Paus. vii. 1. § 1; Strab. p. 383), that is, "the Coast," a province in the N. of Peloponnesus, extended along the Corinthian gulf from the river Larissus, a little S. of the promontory Araxus, which separated it from Elis, to the river Sythas, which separated it from Sicyonia. On the S. it was bordered by Arcadia, and on the SW. by Elis. Its greatest length along the coast is about 65 English miles: its breadth from about 12 to 20 miles. Its area was probably about 650 square miles. Achaia is thus only a narrow slip of country, lying upon the slope of the northern range of Arcadia, through which are deep and narrow gorges, by which alone Achaia can be invaded from the south. From this mountain range descend numerous ridges running down into the sea, or separated from it by narrow levels. The plains on the coast at the foot of these mountains and the vallies between them are generally very fertile. At the present day cultivation ends with the plains of Patra, and the whole of the western part of Achaia is forest or pasture. The plains are drained by numerous streams; but in consequence to the proximity of the mountains to the sea the course of these torrents is necessarily short, and most of them are dry in summer. The coast is generally low, and deficient in good harbours. Colonel Leake remarks, that the level along the coast of Achaia "appears to have been formed in the coarse of ages by the soil deposited by the torrents which descend from the lofty mountains that rise immediately at the back of the plains. Wherever the rims are largest, the plains are most extensive, and each river has its correspondent promontory proportioned in like manner to its volume. These promontories are in general nearly opposite to the springs at which the rivers emerge from the Mountains." (Peloponneiaca, p. 390.) The highest mountain in Achaia is situated behind Patrae; it is called Mons Panachaicus by Polybius, and is, perhaps, the same as the Sciosa of Pliny (rh TlearaxcuKhy 6pos^ Pol. v. 30; Plin/ iv. 6: Voidhid). It is 6322 English feet in height (Leake, Travels in Morea, vol. ii. p. 138, Peolponneiaca, p. 204.) There are three conspicuous promontories on the coast. 1. Drepanum (Apnaror: C. Dkrepano), the most northerly point in Poloponnesus, is confounded by Strabo with the neighbouring promontory of Rhium, but it is the low sandy point 4 miles eastward of the latter. Its name is connected by Pansanias with the sickle of Croons; but we know that this name was often applied by the ancients to low sandy promontories, which assume the form of a hpiravav, or sickle. (Strab. p. 335; Paus. vii. 23. §. 4 ; Leake, Morea. vol. iii. p. 415.) 2. Rhium (^Plov. Castle of the Morea), 4 miles westward of Drepanum, as mentioned above, is opposite the promontory of Antirrhium, sometimes also called Rhium (^kmi^iov: Castle of Rumils), on the borders of Aetolia and Laeris. In order to distinguish them from each other the former was called rh 'Ax«u>r^y, and the latter ri MoAwk^oc^, from its vicinity to the town |
of Molycreium. These two promontories formed the entrance of the Corinthian gulf. The breadth of the strait is stated both by Dodwell and Leake to be about a mile and a half; but the ancient writers make the distance less. Thucydides makes it 7 stadia, Strabo 5 stadia, and Pliny nearly a Roman mile. On the promontory of Rhium there was a temple of Poseidon. (Thuc ii. 86 ; Strab. pp. 335, 336; Plin. iv. 6; Steph. B. s. v.; Dodwell, Classical Tour, vol. i. p. 126; Leake, Morea. vol. ii. p. 147.) 3. Araxus (Άραξος: Kalogria W. of Dyme, formerly the boundary between Achaia and Elis, but the confines were afterwards extended to the river Larissus. (Pol. iv. 65 ; Strab. pp. 335, 336; Paus. vi. 26. § 10.) The following is a list of the rivers of Achaia from E. to W. Of these the only two of any importance are the Crathis (No. 3) and the Peirus (No. 14). 1. Sythas, or Sys (Σνθας, Σνς), forming the boundary between Achaia and Sicyonia. We may infer that this river was at no great distance from Sicyon, from the statement of Pausanias, that at the festival of Apollo there was a procession of children from Sicyon to the Sythas, and back again to the city. (Paus. ii. 7. § 8, ii. 12. § 2, vii. 27. § 12; Ptol. iiL 16. § 4; comp. Leake, Morea. vol. iii. p. 383, Peloponnesiaca, p. 403.) 2. Crius (Κριός) rising in the mountains above Pellene, and flowing into the sea a little W. of Aegcira. (Paus. vii. 27. § 11.) 3. Crathis (Κράθίς: Akrata) rising in a mountain of the same name in Arcadia, and falling into the sea near Aegae. It is described as άένναος to distinguish it from the other streams in Achiua, which were mostly dry in summer, as stated above. The Styx, which rises in the Arcadian mountain of Aroania, is a tributary of the Crathis. (Herod, i. 145 ; Callim. in Jov. 26; Strab. p. 386; Paus. vii. 25. § 11, viii. 15. §§ 8, 9, viii. 18. § 4; Leake, Morea, vol. iii. pp. 894, 407.) 4. Buraicus (Ποταμός Βονραίκός: river of Kalavrta, or river of Bura), rising in Arcadia, and falling into tho sea E. of Bura. It appears from Strabo that its proper name was Erasmus. (Paus. vii. 25. § 10; Strab. p. 371; Leake, l. c.) 5. Cerynites (Κερυνίτης: Bokhusia), flowing from the mountain Ceryneia, in Arcadia, and flowing into the sea probably E. of Helice. (Paus. vii. 25. § 5; Leake, l. c.) 6. Selinus (Σελινούς: river of Vostitza), flowing into the sea between Helice and Aegium. Strabo erroneously describes it as flowing through Aegium. (Paus. vii. 24. § 5; Strab. p. 387; Leake, l. c.) 7, 8. Meganitas (Μεζανίτας) and Phoenix (Φοίνιξ), both falling into the sea W. of Aegium. (Paus. vii. 23. § 5.) 9. Bolinaeus (Βολιναίος), flowing into the sea a little E. of the promontory Drepanum, so called from an ancient town Bolina, which had disappeared in the time of Pausanias. (Paus. vii. 24. § 4.) 10. Selemnus (Σελεμνος), flowing into the sea between the promontories Drepanum and Rhium, a little E. of Argyra. (Paus. vii. 23. § 1.) 11, 12. Charadrus (Χάραδρος: river of Velvitzi)and Meilichus (Μείλιχος: river of Sykena), both falling into the sea between the promontory Rhium and Patrae. (Paus. vii. 22. § 11, vii. 19. § 9, 20. § 1.) 13. Glaucus (Γλαύκος: Lefka, or Lafka), falling into the sea, a little S. of Patrae. (Paus. vii. 18. § 2; Leake, vol. ii. p. 123.) 14. Peirus (Πείρος: Kamenitza), also called Achelous, falling into the sea near Olenus. This river was mentioned by Hesiod |
Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 1.djvu/29
This page needs to be proofread.
