A cavern of this sort was at Lacedæmon, with a building over it; of which in aftertimes they made use to confine malefactors. It was called Καιαδης, or as the Spartans expressed it, Καιαδας, the house of death. [421]Καιαδας δεσμωτηριον--το παρα Λακεδαιμονιοις. Cai signified a cavern: Adas, which is subjoined, was the Deity, to whom it was sacred, esteemed the God of the infernal regions. He was by the Ionians, &c. expressed Ades, and Hades; and by other nations Ait, and Atis. Hence these caverns were also styled Καιετες, and Καιετοι. The author above quoted gives us the terms variously exhibited: [422]Καιετοι.--Ὁι απο των σεισμων ῥωχμοι Καιετοι λεγονται. Και Καιαδας το δεσμωτηριον εντευθεν, το παρα Λακεδαιμονιοις, σπηλαιον. Hesychius renders it in the plural, and as a neuter: καιατα, ορυγματα. Whether it be compounded Cai-Ait, Cai-Atis, or Cai-Ades, the purport is the same. The den of Cacus was properly a sacred cave, where Chus was worshipped, and the rites of fire were [423]practised. Cacus is the same name as Cuscha in Ethiopia, only reversed. The history of it was obsolete in the days of Virgil; yet some traces of it still remained. Strabo says that many people called these caves Κωοι. [424]Ενιοι κωους μαλλον τα τοιαυτα κοιλωματα λεγεσθαι φασιν. Hence he very truly explains a passage in Homer. The poet, speaking of Theseus, Dryas, Polyphemus, and other heroes of the Mythic age, mentions their encountering with the mountaineers of Thessaly, whom he styles φηρες ορεσχωοι: [425]Καρτιστοι δη κεινοι επιχθονιων τραφεν ανδρων, Καρτιστοι μεν εσαν, και καρτιστοις εμαχοντο Φηρσιν ορεσχωοισι---- Ορεσχωος signified a person, who lived in a mountain habitation; whose retreat was a house in a mountain. Co, and Coa, was the name of such house. Strabo says that this term is alluded to by Homer, when he styles Lacedæmon [426]Λακεδαιμονα κητωεσσαν, _for it was by many thought to have been so called on account of their caverns._ From hence we may fairly conclude, that κητωεσσα was a mistake, or at least a variation, for [427]καιεταεσσα, from Cai-Atis; and that Co, [428]Coa, Caia, were of the same purport.