Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 2.djvu/230

222 STRABO. CASAUB. 494. 6. Next to the village Achilleium, 1 where is the temple of Achilles, are 20 stadia. Here is the narrowest passage, 20 stadia or more, across the mouth of the Mseotis ; on the op- posite continent is Myrmecium, a village. Near are Hera- cleium and Parthenium. 7. Thence to the monument of Satyrus are 90 stadia ; this is a mound raised on a promontory, 2 in memory of one of the illustrious princes of the Bosporus. 8. Near it is Patraeus, 3 a village, from which to Corocon- dame, 4 a village, are 130 stadia. This is the termination of the Cimmerian Bosporus, as it is called. The narrow pass- age at the mouth of the Maeotis derives its name from the straits opposite the Achilleium, and the- Myrmecium ; it ex- tends as far as Corocondame and a small village opposite to it in the territory of the Panticapaeans, called Acra, 5 and separated by a channel of 70 stadia in width. The ice reaches even to this place, for the Maeotis is frozen during severe frost so as to become passable on foot. The whole of this narrow passage has good harbours. 9. Beyond Corocondame is a large lake 6 which is called from the place Corocondametis. It discharges itself into the sea at the distance of 10 stadia from the village. A branch 7 of the river Anticeites empties itself into the lake, and forms an island, which is surrounded by the waters of the lake, of the Mseotis, and of the river. Some persons give this river the name of Hypanis, 8 as well as to that 9 near the Jftrrys- thenes. 10 10. Upon sailing n into the Corocondametis, we meet with 1 According to La Motraye, Achilleum corresponds to Adasbournout, but Du Theil quotes also the following passage from Peyssonel. Ac- cording to Strabo, Achilleum must have been situated opposite Casau-dip, the ancient Parthenium on the point Tchochekha-Bournou (the pig's head). But perhaps the ancients placed Achilleum near the entrance of the Euxine into the Palus Maeotis. Is not the fort of Achou, which is 8 leagues more to the east on the Palus Macotis, the true Achilleum, the name being corrupted and abridged by the Tartars ? 2 The point Rubanova. 3 Ada. * Taman. 5 C. Takli. 6 Ak Tengis. " Another branch of the Kuban. 9 The Kuban, anciently also the Vardanus. 9 The Bog. 10 The Dnieper. 11 It is probable that the Kuban Lake is here confounded with, or con- sidered a portion of, the Lake Ak Tengis. Considering the intricacy of all this coast, the changes that have taken place, and the absence of ac-