Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/180

164 the kafavothra of the Arcadian vallies. The river soon after enters a small lake, a few hundred yards in circumference, and surrounded -with a great variety of aquatic plants ; and it then forms a marsh extending to the sea-shore. The lake is now walled in, and the water is diverted into a small stream which turns some mills standing close to the sea- shore. This lake is evidently the Alcyonian pool of Pausanias; fur although he does not say that it is formed by the river Amymone, there can be no doubt of the fact. The lake answers exactly to the description of Pausanias, with the exception of being larger; and the tale of its being unfathomable is still related by the millers in the neighbourhood. Pausanias is the only writer who calls this lake the Alcyonian pool; other writers gave it the name of Lernaean; and the river Amymone, by which it is formed, is likewise named Lerna. The fountain of Amphiaraus can no longer be identified, probably in consequence of the enlargement of the lake. The station of the hydra was under a palm-tree at the source of the Amymone; and the numerous heads of the water-snake may perhaps have been suggested by the numerous sources of this river. Amymone is frequently mentioned by the poets. It is said to have derived its name from one of the daughters of Danaus, who vvas beloved by Poseidon; and the river gushed forth when the nymph drew out of the rock the trident of the god. (Hygin. Fab. 169.) Hence Euripides (Phoen. 188) speaks of Tloaei5u>via ''hfivfxdivta. v^aTa. (Coinp. Propert. ii. 26, 47; Ov. Met. ii. 240.)

(Dodwell, Classical Tour, vol. ii. p. 225; Leake, Morea, vol. ii. p. 472, seq; Boblaye, Recherches,  &c. p. 47; Mure, Tour in Greece, vol. ii. p. 194; Koss, Reisen im Peloponnes, p. 150; Curtius, Peloponnesos, vol. ii. p. 368, seq.)

LEROS ( : Eth. : Leros), a small island of the Aegean, aud belonging to the scattered islands called Sporades. It is situated opposite the Sinus lassius, on the north of Calynma, and on the south of Lepsia, at a distance of 320 stadia from Cos and 350 from Jlyndus. (Siadiasm. Mar. Magni, §§ 246, 250, 252.) According to a statement of AnaximenesofLampsacus, Leros was,like Icaros, colonised by Milesians. (Strab. xiv. p. 635.) This was probably done in consequence of a suggestion of Hecataeus ; for on the breaking out of the revolt of the lonians against Persia, he advised his countrymen to erect a fortress in the island, and make it the centre of their operations, if they should be driven from Miletus. (Herod, v. 125 ; comp. Tliucyd. viii. 27.) Before its occupation by the Milesians, it was pro- bably inhabited by Dorians. The inhabitants of Leros were notorious in antiquity for their ill nature, whence Phocylides sang of them : —

AepiOL KaKoi, ovx o fitv, ts 5' ov, ndfTes, ttAV TlpoKovi- Kal npoKAetjs Aepios.

(Strab. X. p. 487, &c.) The town of Leros was situated on the west of the modern town, on the south side of the bay, and on the slope of a hill ; in this locality, at least, distinct traces of a town have been discovered by Eoss. (Reisen auf d. Griech. Inseln, ii. p. 119.) The plan of Hecataeus to fortify Leros does not seem to have been carried into effect. Leros never was an independent community, but was governed by Jliletus, as we must infer from inscrip- tions, which also show that Milesians continued to inhabit the island as late as the time of the Romans. Leros contained a sanctuary of Artemis Parthenos,

in which, according to mythology, the sisters of Meleager were transformed into guinea fowls (^ue- XiaypiSes; Anton. Lib. 2; comp. Ov. A[et. viii. 533, &c.), whence these birds were always kept in the sanctuary of the goddess. (Athen. xiv. p. 655.) In a valley, about ten minutes' walk from the sea, a small convent still bears the name of Partheni, and at a little distance from it there are the ruins of an ancient Christian church, evidently built upon some ancient foundation, which seems to have been that of the temple of Artemis Parthenos. "This small island," says Ross, " though envied on account of its fertility, its smiling valleys, and its excellent harbours, is nevertheless scorned by its neighbours, who charEre its inhabitants with niggardliness " (I. c. p. 122 ; comp. Bockh, Corp. Inscript. n. 2263 ; Ross, Inscrlpt. ined. ii. 188.) [L. S.]

 LESBOS (: Eth. and Adj., AeaSiKos, AeaSiaKos, Lesbius, Lesbicus, Les- biacus : fem. AeaSis, AetrSids, Lesbis, Lesbias : in the middle ages it was named Mitylene, from its principal city : Geog. Rav. v. 21 : Suidas. s. v. ; Hierocl. p. 686 ; Eustath. ad II. is. 129, Od. iii. 170 : hence it is called by the modern Greeks Mili/len or Jfetelbio, and by the Turks MediUi or Medellu-Adassi.) Like several other islands of the Aegean, Lesbos is said by Strabo, Pliny and others to have had various other names, Issa, Himerte, Lasia, Pelasgia, Aegira, Aethiope, and JIacaria. (Strab. i. p. 160, v. p. 128 ; Phn. v. 31 (39); Diod. iii. 55, V. 81.)

Lesbos is situated off the coast of Mysia, exactly opposite the opening of the gulf of Adramyttium. Its northern part is separated from the mainland near Assos [Assos] by a channel about 7 miles broad ; and the distance between the south-eastern extremity and the islands of Arginusae [Arginus.e] is about the same. Strabo reckons the breadth of the former strait at 60 stadia, and Pliny at 7 miles : for the latter strait see Strab. xiii. pp. 616, 617, and Xen. Hell. i. 6. §§ 15—28. The island lies between the parallels of 38° 58' and 39° 24'. Pliny states the circumference as 168 miles, Strabo as 1100 stadia. According to Choiseul-Gouffier, the latter estimate is rather too great. Scylax (p. 56) assigns to Lesbos the seventh rank in size among the islands of the Mediterranean sea.

In shape Lesbos may be roughly described as a triangle, the sides of which face respectively the NW., the NE., and the SW. The northern point is the promontory of Argennum, the western is that of Sigrium (still called Cape Sigri), the south-eastern is that of Malea (now called ZeitounBouroun or Cape St. Mary). But though this description of the island as triangular is generally correct, it must be noticed that it is penetrated tar into the interior by two gulfs, or sea-lochs as they may properly be called, on the south-western side. One of these is Port Illero or Port Olivier, " one of the best har- bours of the Archipelago," opening from the sea about 4 miles to the westward of Cape Slalea, and extending about 8 miles inland among the mountains. It may be reasonably conjectured that its ancient name was Portus Hieraeus ; since Pliny mentions a Lesbian city called Hiera, which was extinct before his time. The other arm of the sea, to which we have alluded, is about half-way between the former and Cape Sigrium. It is the '• beautiful and ex- tensive basin, named Port Caloni," and anciently called Euripus Pyrrhaeus. From the extreme nar- I rowness of the entrance, it is less adapted for the

