Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/280

 264 MANTINEIA. Lius (xi. 11. § 4, compared with xi. 14. § 1). Here commenced the ditch, which is said by Poly- bius to have led across the Mautineian plain to the mountains bordering upon the district of the Elis- phasii (ri Twv 'EXiffcpaffioiv X'^P") P^l. xi. 11. § 6, comp. 15. § 7, xvii. G).* Beyond the temple of Poseidon was a forest of oaks, called Pelagus (XleKayos), through which ran the road to Tegea. On turning out of the road to the left, at the temple of Poseidon, one found at the distance of 5 stadia the tombs of the daughters of Pelias. Twenty stadia further on was a place called Piioezon (*oiXcoJ'). This was the narrowest part of the plain between Tegea and Mantineia, the road being shortened by the hill Scope on the V. and a similar projecting rock on the E. Here was the tmnb of Areithous, who was said to have been slam in a narrow pass by Lycurgus (o-tck/cottw eV odw, Hom. //. vii. 143).t This narrow valley, shut in by the two projecting ridges already mentioned, formed tlie natural frontier between the territories of Blantineia and Tegea. The boundary between the two states was marked by a round altar on the road, which was about four miles distant from JIantineia, and about six mUes from Tegea. It was here that the Lacedaemonian army was posted, over which Epaminondas gained his memorable victory. He had marched from Tegea in a north-westeriy direc- tion, probably passing near the site of the modern TripoUtzd, and then keeping along the side of Mt. JMaenalus. He attacked the enemy on their right flank, near the projecting ridge of Mt. Maenalus, already described. It was called Scope (S'ccStttj, now Myrtikas), because Epaminondas, after re- ceiving his mortal wound, was carried to this height to view the battle. Here he expired, and his tomb, which Pausanias saw, was erected on the spot. (Paus. viii. 11. §§ 6. 7; for an account of the battle see Grote, vol. xi. p. 464, seq.) The road from Mantineia to Pallantium ran almost parallel to the road to Tegea till it reached the frontiers of Tegeatis. At the distance of one stadium was the temple of Zeus Charmon. (Paus. viii. 10, 11, 12. § I.) Two roads led from Mantineia eastwards to Argos, vothra, probably in one of the katavdthra on the W. side of the plain at the foot of the Maenalian moun- tains. On the other side of these mountains is the village and river named Helisson ; and as the Elis- phasii are not mentioned in any other passage, it has been proposed to read 'ZXiffcrovriwv instead of 'EMacpaaiuv. (Ross, p. 127.) Leake has con- jectured, with some probabihty, that Elisphasii may be the corrupt ethnic of Elymia ('EAL^/xia), a place only mentioned by Xenophon (^Hell. vi. 5. § 13), who places it on the confines of Orchomenus and Mantineia. Although Leake places Elymia at Levidhi, on the NW. frontier of JIantinice, he con- jectures that the whole plain of Alcimedon may have belonged to it. (Leake. Pelopcmmsiaca, p. 380.) I Leake imagines that Phoezon was situated on a side road, leading from the tombs of the daughters of I'clias. But Ross maintains that Phoezon was on the high-road to Tegea, and that Pausanias has only mentioned by anticipation, in viii. 11. § 1, the altar forming the boundary between Mantinice and Tegeatis, the more proper place for it being at the close of § 4. J-L^NTINEIA. called Primus (Jlplvos) and Climax (KAiVa|), or the " Ladder," respectively. (Paus. viii. 6. § 4.) The latter was so called from the steps cut out of the rock in a part of the road ; and the Prinus pro- bably derived its name from passing by a large holm-oak (jTpivos), or a small wood of holm-oaks ; but the roads do not appear to have borne these names till they entered Mantinice. There are only two passes through the mountains, which separate the Argive plain from Mantinice, of which the southern and the shorter one is along the course of the river Charadrus, the northern and the longer one along the valley of the Inachus. Both Ross and Leake agree in making the Prinus the southern and the Climax the northern of these two roads, contrary to the conclusions of the French surveyors. Both roads quitted Argos at the same gate, at the hill called Deiras, but then immediately parted in different directions. The Peinus, after crossing the Charadrus, passed by Oenoe, and then ascended ]Iount Artemisium {Makvos), on the summit of which, by the road-side, stood the temple of Aitemis, and near it were the sources of the Inachus. Here were the boundaries of JIantinice and Argolis. (Paus. ii. 25. §§ 1 — 3.) On descending this moun. tain the road entered ]lantinice, first crossing through the lowest and most marshy part of the " Argon," or " Uncultivated Plain," so called because the waters from the mountains collect in the plain and render it unfit for cultivation, although there is a katavothra to cany them off. On the left of the plain were the remains of the camp of Philip, son of Amyntas, and a village called Nestane (Neo'Taj'Tj), probably now the modern village of Tzipiand. Near this spot the waters of the plain entered the katavothra, and are said not to have made their exit till they reached the sea off the coast of the Argeia. Below Nestane was the " Dancing- place of lIaera" (Xophs Malpas), which was only the southern arm of the Argon Plain, by means of which the latter was connected with the great Man- tineian plain. The road then crossed over the foot of ilount Alesium,and entered the great Mantineian plain near the fountain Arne at the distance of 12 stadia from the city. From thence it passed into the city by the south-eastern or Tegeatan gate. (Paus. viii. 6. § 6— viii. 8. § 4.) The other road, called Climax, ran from Argos in a north-westerly direction along the course of the Inachus, first 60 stadia to Lyrceia, and again 60 stadia to Orneae, on the frontiers of Sicyonia and PhHasia. (Paus. ii. 25. §§ 4 — 6.) It then crossed the mountain, on the descent of which into Mantinice were the steps cut out of the rock. The road en- tered Mantinice at the upper or northern corner of the Argon Plain, near the modern village of Sanga. It then ran in a south-westerly direction, along the western side of Mount Alesium, to a place called Melangeia (to MeAa7')'e7o), from which drinking- water was conducted by an aqueduct to Mantineia, of which remains were observed by Ross. It cor- responds to the modern village of Pilxrm, which is COIN or MAMTINEIA.
 * This ditch must have terminated in a kata-