Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/358

 342 MESSENIA. were the Electra ('He'/CTpa) and the Coeus (K')7os). Near Ithome the Balyra receives the united waters of the Leucasia (AeuKOdia) and the Amphitus {"AjJ-fptTos), of which the fiiriner flows from tlie valley of Bogasi, in a direction from N. to E., while the latter rises in Mt. Mahrypldi, and flows throuijh the plain from E. to W. This river (the Amphitus), which may be regarded as the prin- cipal one, is formed out of two streams, of which the northern is the Charadrus (KapaSpor). (On the Balyra and its tributaries, see I'aus. iv. 33. §§ 3 — 6.) The Balyra above the junction of the Amphitus and Leucasia is called Vusiliko, and be- low it Mavrozmneno, though the latter name is sometimes given to the river in its upper course also. At the junction of the Balyra and the Amphitus is a celebrated triangular bridge, known by the name of the bridge of JMavrozumeno. It con- sists of three branches or arms meeting in a common centre, and corresponding to the three principal roads through the plain of Stenyclerus. The arm, running from north to south passes over no river, but only over the low swampy ground between the two streams. At the southern end of this arm, the two others branch off, one to the SW. over the Balyra, and the other to the SE. over the Amphitus, the' former leading to Messene and the other to Thuria. The foundations of this bridge and the upper parts of the jjiers are ancient; and from the resemblance of their masonry to that of the neigh- bouring Messene, they may be presumed to belong to the same period. The arches are entirely modern. The distance of this bridge from the ]Iegalopolitan gate of Jlessene agrees with the 30 stadia which Pausanias (iv. 33. § 3) assigns as the interval be- tween that gate and the Balyra; and as he says immediately afterwards that the Leucasia and Am- phitus there fall into the Balyra, there can be little doubt that the bridge is the point to which Pausanias proceeded from the gate. (Leake, j[orea, vol. i. pp. 480; 481.) Pr.AN OF THE BUIUGE OF MAVROZUJIKNO. The Mavrozunieno, shortly after entering the lower plain, received on its left or western side a considerable stream, which the ancients regarded as the genuine Pamisus. The sources of this river are at a north-eastern corner of the plain near the chapel of St. Flora, and at the foot of the ridge of Skala. The position of these sources agrees suf- ficiently with the distances of Pausanias (iv. 31. § 4) and Strabo (viii. p. 361), of whom the fonner writer describes them as 40 stadia from Messene, while the latter assigns to the Pamisus a course of only 100 stadia. Between two and three miles south of the sources of the Pamisus there rises another river called Fidhima, which flows SW. and falls into the Maoruzumeno, lower down in the MESSENIA. plain below I'^isi, and at no great distance from the sea. Akis ("Apis) was the ancient name of the Fidhima. (Taus. iv. 31. § 2.) The Mavrozu- 7HC710, after tlie junction of the Fidhima, assumes the name of Dhipvtamo, or the double river, and is navigable by small boats. Pausanias describes it as navigable 10 stadia from the sea. He further says that seaiish ascend it, especially in the spring, and that the mouth of the river is 80 stadia from Messene (iv. 34. § 1). The other rivers of Slessenia, with the exception of the Neda, which belongs to Arcadia also [I^eda], are little more than mountain torrents. Of these the most important is the Nedon (Ne'Soii'), not to be confounded with the above-mentioned Neda, flowing into the Messenian gulf, east of the Pamisus, at Pherae. It rises in the mountains on the frontiers of Laconia and Messenia, and is now called the river of Kala- mata : on it there was a town of the same name, and also a temple of Athena Nedusia. (Strab. viii. pp. 353, 360 ; Leake, Morea, vol. i. pp. 344, 345 ; Hoss, Reisen im Feloponnes, p. 1 .) The other mountain torrents mentioned by name are the Bias (Bias), flowing into the western side of the Messenian gulf, a little above Corone (Pans. iv. 34. § 4) ; and on the coast of the Sicilian or Ionian sea, the Selas (SsAas, Ptol. iii. 16. § 7), now the Longovdrdho, a little S. of the island Prote, and the Cyparissus (Kvndpiaaos'), or river of Arhhadhia. [See Vol. I. p. 728.] 4. Islands. — Theganussa (©r/Yovovo-tra), now Venetiko, distant 3700 feet from the southern point of the promontory Acritas, is called by Pausanias a desert island ; but it appears to have been in- habited at some period, as graves have been found there, and ruins near a fountain. (Pans. iv. 34. §12; Q-qvayovna or ©ivayovaa, Ptol. iii. 16. § 23; Plin. iv. 12. s. 19. § 56 ; Curtius, Peloponnesos, vol. ii. p. 172.) West of Theganussa is a group of islands called Oenussae {OluovaaaC), of which the two largest are now called Cabrera (by the Greeks 2x^C") and Sapienza. They are valuable for the pasture which they aftord to cattle and horses in the spring. On the eastern side of Sapienza there is a well protected harbour ; and here are found cisterns and other remains of an ancient settlement. (Paus. iv. 34. § 12 ; Phn. iv. 12. s. 19. § 55 ; Leake, vol. i. p. 433 ; Curtius, vol. ii. p. 172.) On the western coast was the island of Sphacteria, opposite the harbour of Pyl,us ; and further north the small island of Prote (Upairj]), which still retains its ancient name. (Thuc. iv. 13; Plin. iv. 12. s. 19. § 55 ; Mela, ii. 7 ; Steph. B. s. v.) III. History. The earliest inhabitantsof Messenia are said to have been Leleges. Polycaon, the younger son of Lelex, the king of Laconia, married the Argive Messene, and took possession of the country, which he named after his wife. He built several towns, and among others Andania, where he took up his residence. (Paus. i. 1.) At the end of five generations Aeolians came into the country under Perieres, a son of Aeolus. He was succeeded by his son Aphareus, who founded Arene, and received the Aeolian Neleus, a fugitive from Thessaly. Neleus founded Pylus, and his descendants reigned here over the wes- tern coast. (Paus. i. 2.) On the extinction of the family of Aphareus, the eastern half of Messenia was united with Laconia, and came under the sove- reignty of the Atridae ; while the western half con-