The Geography of Strabo, Volume 3 (of 3): Literally Translated, with NotesStrabo
History
The Geography of Strabo, Volume 3 (of 3): Literally Translated, with Notes
Strabo
Geography -- Early works to 1800
41. Among the illustrious natives of Magnesia were Hegesias the orator,
who first introduced the Asiatic fervour, as it was called, and
corrupted the established Attic style of eloquence; Simon (Simus?) the
lyric poet, who also corrupted the system and plan of former lyric
poets, by introducing the Simodia; it was still more corrupted by the
Lysiodi and Magodi;[102] Cleomachus the pugilist, who was enamoured of a
certain cinædus, and a female servant, who was maintained by the
cinædus, imitated the sort of dialect and the manners of the cinædi.
Sotades was the first person that employed the language of the cinædi,
and he was followed by Alexander the Ætolian; but these were only prose
writers. Lysis added verse, but this had been done before his time by
Simus.
The theatres had raised the reputation of Anaxenor, the player on the
cithara, but Antony elevated him as high as possible, by appointing him
receiver of the tribute from four cities, and by giving him a guard of
soldiers for the protection of his person. His native country also
augmented his dignity, by investing him with the sacred purple of
Jupiter Sosipolis, as is represented in the painted figure in the forum.
There is also in the theatre a figure in brass, with this inscription:
[CAS. 648] “It is truly delightful to listen to a minstrel
such as he is, whose voice is like that of the gods.”[103]
The artist who engraved the words was inattentive to the space which
they would occupy, and omitted the last letter of the second verse,
ΑΥΔΗΙ, (voice,) the breadth of the base not being large
enough to allow its insertion; this afforded an occasion of accusing the
citizens of ignorance, on account of the ambiguity of the inscription;
for it is not clear whether the nominative ΑΥΔΗ, or the
dative ΑΥΔΗΙ, is to be understood, for many persons write
the dative cases without the Ι, and reject the usage, as not
founded on any natural reason.
42. After Magnesia is the road to Tralles;[104] travellers have on the
left hand Mesogis,[105] and on the right hand, and from the road itself,
the plain of the Mæander, which is occupied in common by Lydians,
Carians, Ionians, Milesians, Mysians, and the Æolians of Magnesia.
The character of the sites of places is the same even as far as
Nysa[106] and Antioch.
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