Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/168

 152 LEBAEA. oir' avTTJs (i. e. ttjj TrrfAcois) rh aAcos tov Tpotpu- viov, where there is little doubt that iroTa^ds, or some equivalent term, must be applied as the nominative of Sielfiyei. The ancient city would, in that case, have stood on the right or eastern bank of the river, which also appears probable from the numerous fragments of antiquity still scattered over the eminence on this side of the river; and the grove of Trophonius would have been on the western side of the stream, on which the greater part of the modern town stands. The most remarkable object in the grove of Tro- phonius was the temple of the hero, containing his statue by Praxiteles, resembling a statue of Asclepius ; a temple of Demeter, surnamed Europe; a statue of Zeus Hyetius (Pluvius) in the open air; and higher up, upon the mountain, the oracle (rh ^avTilov). Still higher up was the hunting place of Persephone; a large unfinished temple of Zeus Basileus, a temple of Apollo, and another temple, containing statues of Cronus, Zeus, and Hera. Pausanias likewise men- tions a chapel of the Good Daemon and of Good Fortune, where those who were going to consult the oracle first passed a certain number of days. In the Turkish mosque, now converted into a church of the Panagia, on the western side of the river, three inscriptions have been found, one of ■which contains a dedication to Trophonius, and the other a catalogue of dedications in the temple of Trophonius. (See Bijckh, Inscr. 1571, 1588.) Hence it has been inferred that the temple of Trophonius occupied this site. Near the fountain of Krya, there is a square chamber, with seats cut out of the rock, which may perhaps be the chapel of the Good Daemon and Good Fortune. Near this chamber is a cavern, which is usually regarded as the entrance to the oracle. It is 25 feetin depth, and terminates in a hollow filled with water. But this could not have been the oracle, since the latter, according to the testimony both of Pausanias and Philostratus, was not situated in the valley upon the Hercyna, but higher up upon the mountain. (Paus. ix. 39. § 4; Philostr. Vit. Apoll. . 19.) Mure justly expresses Lis surprise that Leake, after quoting the description of Pausanias, who says that the oracle was i-n toO opovs, should suppose that it was situated at the foot of the hill. A person who consulted the oracle descended a well constructed of masonry, 12 feet in depth, at the bottom of which was a small opening on the side of the wall. Upon reaching the bottom he lay upon his back and in- troduced his legs into the hole, when upon a sudden the rest of his body was rapidly carried forward into the sanctuary. The site of the oracle has not yet been discovered, and is not likely to be, without an extensive excavation. An account of the rites observed in consulting the oracle is given in the Diet, of Antiq. p. 841, 2nd ed. (Dodwell, Tour through Greece,o. i. p. 216, seq.; Leake, Northern Greece, vol. ii. p. 118, seq.; Mure, Tour in Greece, vol. i. p. 233, seq.; Ukichs, Reisen in Griechen- land, p. 164, seq.) LEBAEA (AcgoiT],) an ancient city in Upper JIacedonia, and the residence of the early Macedonian kings, mentioned only bv Herodotus (viii. 137). LEBECII. [LiBici.'] LEBEDO'NTIA, a town upon the coast of His- pania Tarraconensis, situated upon the mountain Sellus, at no great distance from Tarraco. It is mentioned only by Avienus {Or. Marit. 509), in whose time, however, it had ceased to exist. LECTOCE, AD. LE'BEDOS (Ae'geSoj; Eth. A(€4dios), an an- cient city on the western coast of Asia Minor, 90 stadia to the east of Cape Myonnesus, and 120 to the north-west of Colophon. (Strab. xiv. p. 643.) The place was originally inhabited by Carians, until, on the immigration of the lonians into Asia, it was taken possession of by them under the guidance of Andraemon, a son of Codrus. (Paus. vii. 3. § 2.) Strabo (xiv. p. 633), however, in speaking of the foundation of the Ionian cities, states that it was colonised by Andropompus and his followers, having previously borne the name of Artis: the tomb of Andraemon, moreover, was shown in the neighbour- hood of Colophon, on the road crossing the river Hales. (Paus. I. c.) For a long time Lebedos continued to be a city flourishing by its commerce, the fertility of its territory, and the excellent hot mineral springs in its neighbourhood, which still exist. (Uecat.Fraffj7i.2l9; Herod, i. 142; Thucyd. viii. 19.) It was afterwards nearly destroyed by Lysimachus, who transplanted its population to Ephesus (Paus. I. c. i. 9. § 8); after which time Lebedos appears to have ftillen more and more into decay so that in the days of Horace it was more de- serted than Gabii or Fidenae. (Epist.. 11. 7.) It is mentioned, however, as late as the 7th century of the Christian era (Aelian, V. H. viii. 5; Ptol. v. 2. § 7; Mela, i. 17; Phn. H. N. v. 31; Hierocles, p. 660); and the Romans, in order to raise the place in some measure, established there the company of actors (rexi'iToi irepi rhv Aiovvaov) who had formerly dwelt in Teos, whence during a civil commotion they withdrew to Ephesus. Attains afterwards transplanted them to Slyonnesus ; and the Romans, at the request of the Teians, trans- ferred them to Lebedos, where they were very welcome, as the place was very thinly inhabited. At Lebedos the actors of all Ionia as far as the Hellespont had ever after an annual meeting, at which games were celebrated in honour of Di- onysus. (Strab. xiv. p. 643.) The site of Lebedos is marked by some ruins, now called Ecclesia or Xingi, and consisting of masses of naked stone and bricks, with cement. There also exists the base- ment and an entire floor of a small temple; and nearer the sea there are traces of ancient walls, and a few fragments of Doric columns. (Chandler's Asia Minor. ^. 125.) [L. S.] LEBEN {Ai€-r)v, Strab. x. p. 478) or LEBENA (Ae'grjra, Ptol. iii. 17. § 4; Stadiasm.; Plin. iv. 12; AeSrjuri, Paus. ii. 26. § 7 ; Ledena, Pent. Tab.'), a maritime town of Crete, which was a harbour of Gortyna, about 70 stadia inland. (Strab. l. c.) It possessed a temple of Asclepius, of great celebrity (Philostrat. Vit. ApoHon. ix. 11), and is represented by the modern hamlet of Leda. (Hiick, Kreta, vol. i. pp. 8, 394. 399.) [E. B. J.] LEBINTHUS (Aegii-eos), a small island in the Aegaean sea, one of the Sporades, NE. of Amorgus, between which and Lebinthus lies the still smaller island Cinaras. (Strab. x. p. 487 ; Steph. B. s. v. ApeTrdvn; Plin. iv. 12. .s. 23; Mela, ii. 7. § 11; Ov. Met. viii. 222, Ar. Am. ii. 81 ; B.oss,R€isen au/den Griech. Insehi, vol. ii. p. 56.) LEBONAH, a town of Palestine, north of Shiloh, identified by Maundrell with Leban, a village 4 hours S. of A'aplns. (Judg. xxi. 1 9 ; Winer, Biblisch. Real- worterbuch, s. r.) LEBUNI. [LusiTANLV.] LECHAEUM. [Cokinthus, p. 682.] LECTOCE, AD, in Gallia Narbonensis, is placed