Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/326

 310 MEGALOPOLIS. in the time of Pausanias, but in Zoetia there still remained a temple of Demeter and Artemis. Paro- leia probably occupied the site of raleomiri. Thy- R.vEL'Ji (©upawr) was founded by a son of Lycaon, and may be placed at Palavidri, at the foot of the mountain. The other side road branched off from Jlethydrium to the rieht, ascending to the fountain Cruxi (Kpovvoi), and from thence descending 30 stadia to the tomb of Callisto, a lofty mound of earth, upon which was a temple of Artemis Calliste. Here Pausanias turned to the left, and at the distance of 25 stadia from this tomb he reached Anemosa (JAveixaxra), on the direct road from Megalopolis to Jlethydrium. As Anemosa was 100 stadia from Tnc<iloni and 57 from Methydrium. it may be placed at Zlbovisi Beyund Anemosa the road passed over the mountain Plialanthum, upon which were the ruins of the town Phalanthus (fiaKavdos). On the other side of this mountain was the plain of Polus, and near it Schoenus (SxciraCs), which was culled from a Boeotian of this name : near Schoe- nus were the race-grounds of Atalanta. Jlethydrium was the next place. [Methydrium.] (Paus. viii. 35 §5. seq.) 5. The road to JLaenalus, led along the Helisson to the foot of Jit. Maenalus. In leaving the city it first ran through a marshy district, which was here called Helos; it then entered a narrow valley, in which was a place called Paliscil's (UaXlaKios), where a mountain torrent, named Elaphus, flowed into the Helisson on the left: this is the torrent which flows from Valtetzi. Here a side road ran along the left bank of the Elaphus, for 20 stadia, to Peraetheis (nepuiflfls), where was a temple of Pan; it must have stood near RaJchamytes. But the direct road crossed the Elaphus, and entered the JIaenalian plain, at the distance of 15 stadia from the Elaphus. This number, however, is much too small, as it is 5 geographical miles from the junc- tion of the Elaphus with the Helisson into the Mae- nalian plain. (Leake, Peloponnesiaca, p. 242 ; Paus. viii. 36. § 5, seq.) 6. The road to Phigaleia crossed the Alpheius at the distance of 20 stadia from Megalopolis. Two .stadia from the Alpheius were the ruins of Maca- reae, 7 stadia further those of Daseae, and again 7 stadia the hill Acacesius, upon which stood the city Acacesium. At the distance of 4 stadia from Acacesium, was the temple of Despoena, one of the most celebrated sanctuaries in the Pelo- ponnesus, and of which Pausanias has given a parti- cular description. Adjoining, was the temple of Pan, above which stood the ancient city of Li'co- sura. Between Lycosura and the river Plataniston, which was 30 stadia from Phigaleia, Pausanias mentions no object, though the direct distance be- tween Lycosura and this river is 9 geographical miles. (Paus. viii. 36. §§ 9—39.) 7. The road to Pallantium and Tegea, passed first through Ladoceia, a subuib of Megalopolis, next by the ruins of Haemoniae [see Vol. I. J). 192, b.] ; beyond which, to the right of the road, were the ruins of Oresthasium; while upon the direc: road were the villages of Aphkouisium and Atiiknaeum; and 20 stadia beyond the latter the rains of Asea, near which were the sources of the Alpheius and the Eurotas. From Asea there was an ascent to the mountain called Boreium, upon which was the Choma, marking the boundaries of Megalopolis, Pallantium, and Tegea. (Paus. viii. 44.) MEGARA. 8. The road to Heraea was the one by which Pausanias travelled to Jlegalopolis, and conse- quently is described by him in an inverse direction to that of tiie others. This was the great Roman road through the Peloponnesus, which occurs in the Peutinger Table. After leaving Heraea, the first place was ilELAENEAE, which in the time of Pau- sanias was deserted and covered with water. Forty stadia above Melaeneae was Buphagiuji, at the sources of the river Buphagus, near which were the boundaries of Heraea and Megalopolis. Next to Buphagium came the village Mauatha, and then GoRTYS. Further on was the sepulchre of those slain in battle against Cleomenes, and called Pa- RAEBASIUJI (XlapaiSajiov), because Cleomenes vio- lated his covenant with them. On the right of the road were the ruins of Brenthe, and on the other side of the Alpheius the ruins of Trafezus. De- scending friim thence towards the Alpheius was a place called Bathos. Ten stadia further was Ba- .siLis ; beyond which, after crossing the Alpheius, the traveller came to Thocnia, a deserted city standing upon a height above the Aminius, a tri- butary of the Helisson. (Paus. viii. 26, § 8, viii. 2—8.) (Leake, Morea, vol. ii. p. 29, seq. p. 288, seq., Peloponi7esiaca, p. 231, seq.; Boblaye, Ridterches, S^c. p. 167, seq.; Ross, Reisen im Pehponnes, 'p. 74, seq.; Curtius, Peloponnesos, vol. i. p. 281, seq.) COIN" OF MEGALOPOLIS. MEGALO'POLIS. l.InCaria. [Aphrodisias.] 2. In Pontus. [Sebastia.] ME'GARA, sometimes called, for distinction's sake, ME'GARA HYBLAEA(TaMe'7apa: Eth. Me- •yapiiis or Me7apei)S 'TSAaibs, Megarensis), a city of Sicily, situated on the E. coast of the island, be- tween Syracuse and Catana, in the deep bay formed by the Xiphonian promontory. It was unques- tionably a Greek colony, deriving its origin from the Megara in Greece Proper ; and the circum- stances attending its foundation are related in detail by Thucydides. He tells us that a colony from Me- gara, under the command of a leader named Lamis, arrived in Sicily about the time that Leontini was founded by the Chalcidic colonists, and settled themselves first near the mouth of the river Pan- tagias, at a place called Trotilus. From thence they removed to Leontini itself, where they dwelt for a time together with the Chalcidians; but were soon afterwards expelled by them, and nest established themselves on the promontory or peninsula of Thapsus, near Syracuse. Hence they again removed after the death of Lamis, and, at the suggestion of Hyblon, a Sicilian chief of the surrounding country, finally settled at a place afterwards called the Hy- blaean Megara. (Thuc. vi. 4.) Scymnus Chius follows a different tradition, as he describes the esta- blishment of the Chalcidians at Naxos and that of the Megarians at Hybla as contemporary, and both preceding the foundation of Syracuse, b. c. 734. Strabo also adopts the same view of the subject, as he represents Megara as founded about the same