The Geography of Strabo, Volume 2 (of 3): Literally Translated, with NotesStrabo
History
The Geography of Strabo, Volume 2 (of 3): Literally Translated, with Notes
Strabo
Geography -- Early works to 1800
Ormenium is now called Orminium. It is a village situated below Pelion,
near the Pagasitic Gulf, but was one of the cities which contributed to
form the settlement of Demetrias, as I have before said.
The lake Bœbeis must be near, because both Bœbe and Ormenium belonged to
the cities lying around Demetrias.
Ormenium is distant by land 27 stadia from Demetrias. The site of
Iolcus, which is on the road, is distant 7 stadia from Demetrias, and
the remaining 20 from Ormenium.
Demetrius of Scepsis says, that Phœnix came from Ormenium, and that he
fled thence from his father Amyntor, the son of Ormenus, to Phthia, to
king Peleus. For this place was founded by Ormenus, the son of
Cercaphus, the son of Æolus. The sons of Ormenus were Amyntor and
Euæmon; the son of the former was Phœnix, and of the latter, Eurypylus.
The succession to his possessions was preserved secure for Eurypylus,
after the departure of Phœnix from his home, and we ought to write the
verse of the poet in this manner:
“as when I first left Ormenium, abounding with flocks,”[522]
instead of
“left Hellas, abounding with beautiful women.”
But Crates makes Phœnix a Phocæan, conjecturing this from the helmet of
Meges, which Ulysses wore on the night expedition; of which helmet the
poet says,
“Autolycus brought it away from Eleon, out of the house of
Amyntor, the son of Ormenus, having broken through the thick
walls.”[523]
Now Eleon was a small city on Parnassus, and by Amyntor, the son of
Ormenus, he could not mean any other person than the father of Phœnix,
and that Autolycus, who lived on Parnassus, was in the habit of digging
through the houses of his neighbours, which is the common practice of
every house-breaker, and not of persons living at a distance. But
Demetrius the Scepsian says, that there is no such place on Parnassus as
Eleon, but Neon, which was built after the Trojan war, and that digging
through houses was not confined to robbers of the neighbourhood. Other
things might be advanced, but I am unwilling to insist long on this
subject. Others write the words
“from Heleon;”
but this is a Tanagrian town; and the words
“Then far away I fled through Hellas and came to Phthia,”[524]
would make this passage absurd.
Hypereia is a spring in the middle of the city of the Pheræi [subject to
Eumelus]. It would therefore be absurd [to assign it to Eurypylus].
Titanus[525] had its name from the accident of its colour, for the soil
of the country near Arne and [Aphe]tæ is white, and Asterium is not far
from these places.
19. Continuous with this portion of Thessaly are the people subject to
Polypœtes.
“They who possessed Argissa; those who inhabited Gyrtone,[526]
Orthe, Elone, and the white city Oloosson.”[527]
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.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account