Lectures on ancient ethnography and geography, volume 1 (of 2) : $b comprising Greece and her colonies, Epirus, Macedonia, Illyricum, Italy, Gaul, Spain, Britain, the north of Africa, etc.Niebuhr, Barthold Georg
History
Lectures on ancient ethnography and geography, volume 1 (of 2) : $b comprising Greece and her colonies, Epirus, Macedonia, Illyricum, Italy, Gaul, Spain, Britain, the north of Africa, etc.
Niebuhr, Barthold Georg
Ethnology; Geography, Ancient; History, Ancient
history, even at so late a period: some say that Brennus did not enter
Delphi at all, while other historians state that he was at Delphi and
plundered it, but that he found little to take. However, the Phocians
showed great valour; they withdrew into the highest mountains, and thence
made great havoc among the formidable host of Gauls, especially during
their retreat. For this reason it was resolved to make amends for what
had been done: they were again admitted into the Amphictyony, and allowed
to restore their towns; but, like the Locrians, Chalcis, and Corinth,
they remained under the supremacy of Macedonia, and when the Romans
appeared, they did not belong to Greece, but were Macedonian subjects.
Afterwards, they also shared the last two calamities of Greece: the
flight of Critolaus from Thermopylae led the Romans through Phocis, and
on that occasion the country was ravaged by the conquerors, and Elatea
had to suffer severely; lastly, the campaign of Archelaus, who had his
head-quarters at Chaeronea, also extended to Phocis, which for this
reason was then completely devastated by Sulla.
DORIS.
Doris was that district where the highest parts of Parnassus extend
towards Pindus. Its towns formed the Doric tetrapolis, or rather
tripolis, for the names of only three places are certain, viz., BOION,
CYTINION, and ERINEOS, and they are described by the Greeks themselves
as very small places (πολίχνια). The general Greek tradition is, that
the Dorians who conquered Peloponnesus came from these three towns;
but this is impossible. It is true no traveller has yet visited that
district, but we are able to determine at least its extent, which is not
as large as that of the Swiss canton of Uri; and as the latter has about
12,000 inhabitants, we may be sure that Doris had not by far as many,
for the country in those parts of Parnassus is extremely mountainous,
and contains only few valleys that are inhabitable to Alpine shepherds.
The Dorians must at one time have occupied a far more extensive country:
the little district of Doris stands in the same relation to the former
seats of the Dorians, as the present district of Angeln in the duchy of
Schleswig stands to the extensive countries once occupied by the ancient
Angli. We should be forming a very erroneous estimate, if we were to
calculate the number of Angli who invaded Britain from the district at
present bearing their name. After the emigration of the great body of
the Dorians, the little country of Doris retained their name, while the
earlier Doris may perhaps have embraced all Phocis and other neighbouring
countries. According to the express testimony of Herodotus,[60] they
had formerly dwelt on mount Pindus, and had migrated from north to
south. The little tribe maintained itself in the impassable mountains,
but we do not know how; it may have been by alliances. They boasted
of their pure Doric origin, and regarded themselves as the μητρόπολις
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