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
There are long walls of about 12 stadia in length, stretching on each
side of the road towards Lechæum. The sea-shore, extending hence to Pagæ
in Megaris, is washed by the Corinthian Gulf. It is curved, and forms
the Diolcus, or the passage along which vessels are drawn over the
Isthmus to the opposite coast at Schœnus near Cenchreæ.
Between Lechæum and Pagæ, anciently, there was the oracle of the Acræan
Juno, and Olmiæ, the promontory that forms the gulf, on which are
situated Œnoe, and Pagæ; the former is a fortress of the Megarians; and
Œnoe is a fortress of the Corinthians.
Next to Cenchreæ[223] is Schœnus, where is the narrow part of the
Diolcus, then Crommyonia. In front of this coast lies the Saronic Gulf,
and the Eleusiniac, which is almost the same, and continuous with the
Hermionic. Upon the Isthmus is the temple of the Isthmian Neptune,
shaded above with a grove of pine trees, where the Corinthians
celebrated the Isthmian games.
Crommyon[224] is a village of the Corinthian district, and formerly
belonging to that of Megaris, where is laid the scene of the fable of
the Crommyonian sow, which, it is said, was the dam of the Calydonian
boar, and, according to tradition, the destruction of this sow was one
of the labours of Theseus.
Tenea is a village of the Corinthian territory, where there was a temple
of Apollo Teneates. It is said that Archias, who equipped a colony for
Syracuse, was accompanied by a great number of settlers from this place;
and that this settlement afterwards flourished more than any others, and
at length had an independent form of government of its own. When they
revolted from the Corinthians, they attached themselves to the Romans,
and continued to subsist when Corinth was destroyed.
An answer of an oracle is circulated, which was returned to an Asiatic,
who inquired whether it was better to migrate to Corinth;
“Corinth is prosperous, but I would belong to Tenea”
which [CAS. 380] last word was perverted by some through ignorance, and
altered to Tegea. Here, it is said, Polybus brought up Œdipus.
There seems to be some affinity between the Tenedii and these people,
through Tennus, the son of Cycnus, according to Aristotle; the
similarity, too, of the divine honours paid by both to Apollo affords no
slight proof of this relationship.[225]
23. The Corinthians, when subject to Philip, espoused his party very
zealously, and individually conducted themselves so contemptuously
towards the Romans, that persons ventured to throw down filth upon their
ambassadors, when passing by their houses. They were immediately
punished for these and other offences and insults. A large army was sent
out under the command of Lucius Mummius, who razed the city.[226] The
rest of the country, as far as Macedonia, was subjected to the Romans
under different generals. The Sicyonii, however, had the largest part of
the Corinthian territory.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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