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
In the same manner as Phocis lies along the side of Bœotia, so are both
the divisions of Locris situated with respect to Phocis, for Locris is
composed of two parts, being divided by Parnassus. The western part lies
along the side of Parnassus, occupies a portion of it, and extends to
the Crisæan Gulf; the eastern part terminates at the sea near Eubœa. The
inhabitants of the former are called Locri Hesperii, or Locri Ozolæ, and
have engraven on their public seal the star Hesperus. The rest are again
divided into two bodies: one, the Opuntii, who have their name from the
chief city, and border upon the Phocæans and Bœotians; the other, the
Epicnemidii, who have their name from the mountain Cnemis;[414] and
adjoin the Œtæi, and the Malienses. In the midst of the Hesperii, and
the other Locri, is Parnassus, lying lengthwise towards the northern
part, and extending from the neighbourhood of Delphi to the junction of
the Œtæan, and the Ætolian mountains, and to the Dorians, who are
situated between them. For as both divisions of Locris extend along the
side of Phocis, so also the region of Œta with Ætolia, and some of the
places situated in the Doric Tetrapolis, extend along the sides of the
two Locri, Parnassus and the Dorians. Immediately above these are
situated the Thessalians, the northern Ætolians, the Acarnanians, and
some of the Epirotic and Macedonian nations, as I observed before, the
above-mentioned tracts of country may be considered as a kind of
parallel bands stretching from the west to the east.
The whole of Parnassus is esteemed sacred, it contains caves, and other
places, which are regarded with honour and reverence. Of these the most
celebrated and the most beautiful is Corycium, a cave of the nymphs,
having the same name as that in Cilicia. Of the sides of Parnassus, the
western is occupied by the Locri Ozolæ, and by some of the Dorians, and
by the Ætoli, situated near Corax, an Ætolian mountain. The eastern side
is occupied by Phocians and by the greater part of the Dorians, who hold
the Tetrapolis, situated as it were round the side of Parnassus, but
spreading out in the largest extent towards the east. The sides of the
above-mentioned tracts and each of the bands are parallel, one side
being northern, and the other southern. The western sides, however, are
not parallel to the eastern, for the sea-coast from the Crisæan Gulf to
Actium[415] is not parallel to the coast opposite Eubœa, and extending
to Thessalonica. It is on these shores the above-mentioned nations
terminate. For the figure of these countries is to be understood from
the notion of lines drawn parallel to the base of a triangle, where the
separate parts lie parallel to one another, and have their sides in
latitude parallel, but not their sides in longitude. This is a rough
sketch of the country which remains to be examined. We shall examine
each separate part in order, beginning with Phocis.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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