Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/188

 172 LEUCOTHEES FANUM. rate all the inhabitants of the country by their na- tive, or rather Persian name, Cappadoces ; but it was applied more particularly to the inhabitants of the coast district on the Euxine, between the rivers Halys and Iris. (Hecat. Frafjm. 194, 200, 350; Marcian. Heracl. p. 72.) Ptolemy (v. 6. § 2) also applies the name exclusively to the inhabitants about the Iris, and treats of tlieir country as a part of the province of Cappadocia. TheLeucosyri were regarded as colonists, who had been planted there during the early conquests of the Assyrians, and were succes- sively subject to Lydia, Persia, and Macedonia ; but after the time of Alexander their name is scarcely mentioned, the people having become entirely amalgamated with the nations among which they lived. [L. S.] LEUCOTHEES FANUM (Aewo0eas Up6v), a temple and oracle in the district of the JMoschi in Colchis. Its legendary founder was Phryxus ; the temple was plundered by Pharnaces and then by Jlithridates. (Strab. xi. p. 498.) The site lias been placed near Suram, on the frontiers of Jmireiia and Kartulilla, where two large " tumuli " are now found. (Dubois de ]Montpereux, Voyage Autour du Caucase, vol. ii. p. 349, comp. p. 17, vol. iii. p. 171.) [E.B.J.] LEUCOTHEIUM. [Leucolla.] LEUCTRA (ra AedKrpa). 1. A village of Boeotia, situated on the road from Thespiae to Plataea (Strab. ix. p. 414), and in the temtory of the former city. (Xen. Bell. vi. 4. § 4). Its name only occurs in history on account of tlie celebrated battle fought in its neighbourhood between the Spartans and Thebans, B.C. 371, by which the supremacy of SparU was for ever overthrown. In the plain of Leuctra, was the tomb of the two daughters of Scedasus, a Leuctriau, who had been violated by two Spartans, and had afterwards slain themselves ; this tomb was crowned with wreaths by Epaminondas before the battle, since an oracle had predicted that the Spartans would be defeated at this spot (Xen. Hell. vi. 4. § 7 ; Diod. xv. 54 ; Pans. ix. 13. § 3; Pint. Pelop. cc. 20, 21). The city of Leuctra, is sometimes supposed to be repre- sented by the extensive ruins at Lefka {Asvko), which are situated immediately below the modern village of Rimohastro. But these ruins are clearly those of Thespiae, as appears fi-om the inscriptions found there, as well as from their importance; for Leuctra was never anything more than a village in the territory of Thespiae, and had apparently ceased to exist in the time of Strabo, who calls it simply a Tdiros (x. p. 414). The real site of Leuctra, " is very clearly marked by a tumulus and some artificial ground on the summit of the ridge which borders the southern side of the valley of Thespiae. The battle of Leuctra was fought pro- bably in the valley on the northern side of the tumulus, about midway between Thespiae, and the western extremity of the plain of Plataea. Cleom- brotus, in order to avoid the Boeotians, who were expecting him by the direct route from Pbocis, marclied by Thisbe and the valleys on the southern side of Mount Helicon; and having thus made his appearance suddenly at Creusis, the port of Thespiae, captured that fortress. From thence, he moved upon Leuctra, where he intrenched himself on a rising ground; after which the Thebans encamped on an opposite hill, at no great distance. The position of the latter, therefore, seems to have been on the eastern prolongation of the height of Rimo- LEUNL jMstro." (Leake.) The tumulus is probably the place of sepulture of the 1000 Lacedaemonians who fell in the battle. For a full account of this celebrated contest, see Grote, Hist, of Greece, vol. x. p. 239, seq. In ancient times, the neiglibourhood of Leuctra appears to have been well wooded, as we may infer from the epithet of " shady " bestowed upon it by the oracle of Delphi (AeO/crpa o-KtoerTo, Paus. ix. 14. § 3); but at present there is scarcely a shrub or a tree to be seen in the surrounding country. (Leake, North. Greece, vol. ii. p. 480, seq. 2. Or Leuctrum (ra AeC/cTpa, Paus. ; tJ) AeD/c- rpov, Strab., Pint., Ptol.), a town of Laconia, situated on the eastern side of the Messenian gulf, 20 stadia north of Pephnus, and 60 stadia south of Cardamyle. Strabo speaks of Leuctrum as near the minor Pamisus, but this river flows into the sea at Pephnus, about three miles south of Leuctrum [Pephxiis]. The ruins of Leuctrum are still called Leftro. Leuctrum was said to have been founded by Pelops, and was claimed by the Messe- nians as originally one of their towns. It was awarded to the latter people by Philip in B.C. 338, but in the time of the Eoman empire it was one of the Eleuthero-Laconian places. (Strab. viii. pp. 360, 361; Paus. iii. 21. § 7, iii. 26. § 4, seq.; Plut.Pe/o/^. 20; Plin.iv. 5. s. 8; PtoL iii. 16. § 9.) Pausanias saw in Leuctra a temple and statue of Athena on the Acropolis, a temple and statue of Cassandra (there called Alexandra), a marble statue of Asclepius, another of Ino, and wooden figures of Apollo Carneius. (Paus. iii. 26. § 4, seq). (Leake, Morea, vol. i. p. 331, Peloponnesiaca, p. 179; 'S>oha.je, Recherches, ^x. p. 93; Curtius Peloponnesos, vol. ii. p. 285.) 3. Or Leuctrum (tdi AeC/fTpo, Thuc. Xen.; tJ> AevKrpov, Paus.), a fortress of the district Aegytis, on the confines of Arcadia and Laconia, described by Thucydides (v. 54) as on the confines of Laconia towards JIt. Lycaeus, and by Xenophon (^Hell. vi. 5. § 24). It was originally an Arcadian town, but was included in the territory of Laconia. (Thuc. /. c.) It commanded one of the passes leading into Laconia, by which a portion of the Theban army penetrated into the country on their first invasion under Epaminondas. (Xen. I. c.) It was detached from Sparta by Epaminondas, and added to the territory of Megalopolis. (Paus. viii. 27. § 4.) It appears to have stood on the direct road from Sparta to Megalopolis, either at or near Leonduri, in which position it was originally placed by Leake ; and this seems more probable than the site sub- sequently assigned to it by the .same writer, who .supposes that both Leuctra and Malea were on the route from Megalopolis to Caraasium. [JIalea.] (Leake, Morea, vol. ii, p. 322, Felo2)onnesiaca, p. 248; Curtius, Peloponnesos, voh i. p. 336.) LEUCTRUM. [Leuctka.] LEUCUS. [Pydna.] LEVI. [Palaestina.] LEUXI (Aeiiroi), a tribe of the Vindelici, which Ptolemy (ii. 13. § 1) places between the Eunicatae and Consuantae. The form of the name has been the subject of discussion ; Mannert maintaining that it ought to be written Aavvoi, and that it is the general name of several tribes in those parts, such as the Bef AaGj'Oi and 'AXavvoi. But nothing cer- tain can be said about the matter ; and all we know is, that the Leuni must have dwelt at the foot of the Alps of Salzburg, in the south eastera part of Bavaria. [L.S.]