Ruins of Ancient Cities (Vol. 1 of 2): With General and Particular Accounts of Their Rise, Fall, and Present Condition — John Shaqi
Ruins of Ancient Cities (Vol. 1 of 2): With General and Particular Accounts of Their Rise, Fall, and Present ConditionBucke, Charles
History
Ruins of Ancient Cities (Vol. 1 of 2): With General and Particular Accounts of Their Rise, Fall, and Present Condition
Bucke, Charles
Cities and towns, Ancient
agreed, was surrendered to Philip, during which the greatest part of the
Abydonians, who survived, vented millions of imprecations against their
fellow-citizens, and especially against the priests and priestesses, for
delivering up to the enemy those whom they themselves had devoted to
death with the most dreadful oaths. Philip marched into the city and
seized, without the least opposition, all the rich effects which the
Abydonians had heaped together in one place. But now he was greatly
terrified with the spectacle he saw. Among these ill-fated citizens,
whom despair had made furious and distracted, some were strangling their
wives and children; and others cutting them with swords to pieces; some
were running to murder them; some were plunging them into wells; whilst
others were precipitating them from the tops of the houses; in a word,
death appeared in a variety of horrors. Philip, pierced with grief, and
seized with horror at the spectacle, stopped the soldiers who were
greedy of plunder, and published a declaration, importing that he would
allow three days to all, who were resolved to lay violent hands on
themselves. He was in hopes that during this interval they would change
their resolution, but they had made their choice before. They thought it
would be degenerating from those, who had lost their lives in fighting
for their country, should they survive them. The individuals of every
family killed one another, and none escaped this murderous expedition
but those whose hands were tied, or were otherwise kept from destroying
themselves.
Nothing now remains of the ancient town, but a few insignificant ruins
in the neighbourhood of the modern one[1].
NO. II.--ABYDUS.
Abydus, in Egypt, is now called Madfuneh, or the _Buried City_.
According to Pliny and Strabo it was a colony of Milesians. It is said
once to have nearly equalled Thebes in grandeur and magnificence; but it
was reduced to a village in the reign of Augustus, and is now only a
heap of uninhabited ruins.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account