Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 1.djvu/721

ORESSA. Aplo^ha hf the Greeks, and Porto CaifaUere hj the Italians ; and on its western shore are the rains of an Hellenic fortress and town, which are undoubt- edly thoee of Locyma." [G. L.} CRESSA. [CmasA.] GRESTON. [Gbestohia.] GRESTO'NIA (Kpriorwytoj KfniffTmnKii: EUl ]C/ny<rr«0»tuot, Kpi}<rr«0yc^^5: A^. Kfniarwuc6s)f a district of Kaoadonia, which adjoined Mjgdonia to the K.; for the Echidoroa, which flowed throngh Mjgdonia into the golf near the marsh of the Axins, had its sonrces in Grestonia. (Herod. viL 127.) It was chiefly occupied by a renuiant of Pelasgi, who spoke a diflerent language from their ndghboors. (Herod, i. 57 ; camp. Thuc. iy. 109.) In Thncy- dides (ii. 99) the name shoold not be written Tfnh crw¥la^ but Kpfi^rruvia. Grestonia contained the town of Creston or Grostone (Kp4<rrw, Kpnar^rri^ Steph. B.), and Gallicum {KUkitj)^ a place situated 16 M. P. from Thessalonica, on the Roman road to Stobi (Pad, Tab.). (Leake, North. Greece, vol. iii. p. 440.) [E.B.J.] GRETA (Kf»frni: Eth. and adf. K/ri^r, Kp^o-tn}, KfTfreuoSf Kpiyrc^, Kfnrrqtor, Kfnfr^Sj Kprrreu^vSf Kp^io9, KfiiJTtSj Kfr/laUf Kff4iTueoSt Steph. B. ; Gre- tMOS, Gretanus, Gretends, Greticns, Gretis: KriH; the common European name Candia is unknown in the island; the Saracenic ** Khandax " Meg&la-Kdttron became with the Venetian writers Ccmdia} the word for a long time denoted only the principal city of the island, which retained its ancient name in the chro- nicters, and in Dante, Inferno, xiv. 94). L SUua^on and Extent. — Grete, an ishmd situated in the Aegean basin of the Mediterranean sea, is described by Strabo (x. p. 474) as lying between Gyrenaica and that part of Hellas which extends from Sunium to Laconia, and parallel in its length from W. to £. to these two points. The words fiixP^ AoKuvudis may be understood either of Malea or Taenarum; it is probable th&t this geographer ex- tended Grete as fSeir as Taenarum, as from other passages in his work (iL p. 124, viii. p. 863), it would appear that he considered it and the W. points of Grete as under the same meridian. It is still more difficult to understand the position assigned to Grete with regard to Gyienaica (xviL p. 838). Strabo is fitr nearer the toruth, though contradicting his former statements, where he makes Gimarus the NW. promontory of Grete 700 stadia from Malea (x. p. 174), and Gape Sammonium 1000 stadia from Rhodes (ii.p. 106), which was one of the best-ascer- tained points in audent geography. The whole circumference of the island was esti- mated by Artemidorus at 4100 stadia; but Sosicrates, whoee description was most accurate, computed the length at more than 2300 stadia, and the circimi- ference at more than 5000 stadia (Strab. x. p. 476). Hieronymus ({. c.) in reckoning the length alone at 2000 stadia fiur exceeded Artemidorus. In Pliny (ir. 20) the extent of Grete in length was about 270 M. P. and nearly 539 M. P. in circuit The broadest part (400 stadia) was in the middle, between the promontories of Dium and Matalum ; the narrowest (60 stadia) further £., between Minoa and Hiere- pytna. The W. coast was 200 stadia broad, but towards the E. between Amphimalla and Phoenix contracted to 100 stadia. (Gomp. Strab. p. 475.) IL Simciure and Natural Features. — The in- terior was very mountainous, woody, and intersected by fertile valleys. The whole island may be consi- idered aa a prolongation of that mountain chain GRETA. 703 which breasts the waters at Gape Malea, with the island of Gythera interposed. The geological forma- tion resembles that of the Hellenic peninsula; frxnn the traces of the action of the sea upon the cliffs, especially at the W. end, it seems that the island has been pushed up from its foundations by powerful subterranean forces, which were in operation at veiy remote times. (Joum. Geog. Soc. toL xxii. p. 277.) A continuous mass of high-land runs through its whole length, about the middle of which Mt. Ida, composed of a congeries of hills, terminating in three lofty peaks, rises to the height of 7674 feet: the base occupied a ciroumference of nearly 600 stadia; to the W. it was connected with a chain called A«vica ^fny, or the MThite Mountains, whose snow-clad summits and bold and beautiful outlines extend over a range of 300 stadia (Strab. p. 475). The prolongation to the £. formed the ridge <^ Dicte (Afucrti, Strab. p. 478). It is curious that, though tradition spoke of those ancient wOTkers in iron and bronze — the Idaean Dactyls, no traces of mining operations have been found. The island had but one lake {lityan Ko^cfa); the drainage is carried off by several rivers, mostly summer torrents, which are dried up during the summer season; but the number and copiousness of the springs give the country a very different aspect to the parched tracts of continental Greece. Mt. Ida, connected in ancient story with metal- lurgy, was, as its name implied, covered with wood, which was extensively used in forging and smelting. The forests could boast of the fruit-bearing poplar (Theophrast. H. P. iii. 5); the evergreen pktane (H. p. i. 15; Varr. de Re Rtut. i. 7; Plin. xii. 1) trees, which it need hardly be said can no longer be found; the cypress (Theophrast. H. P. ii. 2), palm {H. P. ii. 8; Plin. xiiL 4), and cedar (Plin. xvi. 39; Vitruv. ii. 9). According to Pliny (xxv. 8 ; comp. Theophrast H. P. ix. 16), everything grew better in Grete than elsewhere; among the medicinal herbs for which it was famed was the " dictamnon " so odebrated among physicians, naturalists (Theophrast L c; Plin. 2.C.), and poets (Virg. ^en. xii. 412; comp. TasBO, Genuakm. Lib. xi 72). The ancients frequently speak of the Gretan wines (Aelian. V. H. xiL 31; Athen. x. p. 440; Plin. xiv. 9). Among these the *' passum," or rusin wine, was the most highly prized (Mart xiii. 106; Juv. xiv. 270). Its honey played a conspicuous part in the myths con- cerning Zeus (Died. v. 70; Gallim. Eym. inJov. 50). The island was free from all wild beasts and noxious animals (Aelian, N. ^. iii. 32 ; Plin. viii. 83), a blessing which it owed to Heracles (Died. iv. 1 7); but the Gretan dogs could vie with the hounds of Sparta(Aelian. N.A. m. 2) ; and the Gretan "Agrimi," or real wild goat, is the supposed origin of all our domestic varieties. I II. History. — The cycle of myths connected with Minos and his family threw a splendour over Grete, to which its estrangement firom the rest of Greece during the historic period presents a great contrast ^ The "l yingC retyis ^ dared to show, not only the • ' birthplace, l)ut also tho tomb of the ** &ther of gods ^j and men** (Gallim. Hym in Jov. 8), and the Dwian .^ invadera made Grete the head-quartera of the worahip of Apollo (MUller, Dor. vol. i. p. 226, trans.). Since ihe Grecian islands formed, flrom the earliest times, stepjnng stones by which the migratory population of Europe and Asia have crossed over to either con- tinent, it has been assumed that Aegypt, Phoenicia, and Phiygia founded cities in Grete, and contributed ' -/ >K/^ r- ffii > ft .> ,V// /i. . 1