Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 1.djvu/218

 203 ABGOS. of Stmbo (tui. p. 876), and turns soathwards to the Khiui of Daotdij where it is jomed hj a foot-path leading from Lenia. From this spot the road nms to the W., passes Hysiae [Hysiab], and crossing Mt. l^artheniom enters the teiritoiy of T^ea. (Pans, ii. 24. § 5, seq.; Leake, MoreOf ro. ii. p. 337, seq.; Boss, i, p. 131, seq.) At the distance of ahoat a mile from the Erasinns, and abont half a mile to the right of the road, the remains uf a pyramid are finnd, ocoapTing the smnmit of a rocky eminence BUIK8 OF A PYRAMID IN THE ABGEIA. among the loirer declivities of Mt. Chaon. Its site corresponds to that of the sepulchral monuments of the Argives, mentioned by Pansanias (ii. 24. § 7); but its style of architecture would lead us to assign to it an early date. " The masonry of this edifice is of an intermediate style between the Gyclopian and polygonal, consisting of large im^lar blocks, with a tendency, however, to quadrai^ular forms and horizontal courses; the inequalities being, as usual, filled up with smaller pieces. The liurgest stones may be from four to five feet in length, and from two to three in thickness. There are traces of mortar between the stones, which ought, perhaps, to be assigned rather to subsequent repairs than to the original workmanship^ The symmetiy of the struc- ture is not strictly preserved, being interrupted by a rectangular recess cutting off one comer of the building. In this angle there is a doorway, con« sisting of two perpendicular side walls, surmounted by an open gable or Gothio arch, farmed by hori- zontal layers of masonry converging into an apex, as in the triangular opening above ^ Gate of Lions and Treasury of Atrens. This dcor gives access to a passage between two walls. At its extremity on the right hand is another doorway, of which little or noUiing oi the masonry is preserved, opening into the interior chamber or vault** (Mure, voL iL p. 196.)^^his was not the only pyramid in the Ar- geia. A second, no longer existing, is meotioned by Pausanias (ii. 25. § 7) on the road between Ar- gos and Tityns; a third, of which remains exist, is described by Gell {Itinerary of Greece^ p. 102), on the road between Nauplia and Epidaurus ; and there was probably a fourth to the S. of Lema, since that part of the coast, where Danaus is said to have landed, was called Pyramia. (Plut. Pyrrh. 32; Paus. iL 38. § 4.) It is a curious circumstance that pyramids are found in the Argeia, and m no other part of Greece, especially when taken in con- nection with the story of the A^yptian colony of Danaus. 5. The road to Thyrea and Sparta is the same as the one to Tegea, till it reaches the Enisinus, where it branches off to the left as described above, and runs southwards through the marshy plain across the Cheimarrhus to Lema. [Lbrna.] (Paus. ii. 36. 1 6, seq.) After leaving Lema, the road passes by Genesium [Gsnesium], and the place called Apobathn)i [Apobathmi], where Danaus is said to have landed, in the neighbourhood of the modem village of KyvirL To the S. of Kyviri begins the nigged road across the mountains, anciently called ABGOS. .^"^H^^. Anignea CAyrypeua), running aloAg the west mt9 the phun of Thyrea. [Timali.] (Paus. iL 38. § 4, seq.) Shortly before descending into the Thyre- atio plain, the traveller arrives opposite the And- voUm {*Aydgoos)j which is a copious sooroe of fresh water rising in the sea, at a quarter of a mile from the narrow beach under the difiEs. Leake obserred that it rose with such force as to foim a oonvex surfiM», and to disturb the sea fw several hundred feet round. It is evidently the exit of a subter- raneous river of some magnitude, and thus conv- sponds with the Dme {Atyri) of the andents, which, accoiding to Pansanias (viii. 7. § 2), is the outlet of the waters of the Argon Pedion in the Ifantinioe. (Leake, vol. ii. p. 469, seq.; Boss, p. 148, seq.) There were two other roads leading from Lema, one along the coast to Nauplia, and the other acraas the countiy to Hysiae. On the former road, whidi is described by Pansanias, stood a amaU village called Tkmekioit (Tijit^vior), which derived its name from the Doric hero Temenns, who was said to have been buried here. It was utnated on an isolated hillock between the mouths of the Inachus and the Erasinus, and on that part of the coast which was nearest to Argos. It was distant 26 stadia from Argos, and 15 from Nauplia. (Strah. viiL p. 368; Paus. ii. 38. § 1 ; Boss, p. 149, seq.) On the other road leading to Hysiae, which is not mentioiied by Pausanias, stood Elaeus. [Eulbtts, No. 2.] 6. The road to Tiryns issued from the gate Diam- pares. [Tirtns.] From Tiryns there were three roads, one Ifi^jing to Nauplia [NaupuaI, a second in a south-C^eriy direction pasLAsine [Asute] to Troezen, and a thhd in a more S&erly direction to Epidauras. Near the last of these roads Midea ap- pears to have been situated. [Midea.] 7. The road leading to the Ueraeum, or temple of Hera, issued from the gate between the gates Diam^ pares and Eileithyia. n. Aryo$, the City, Argos (t^ "Apyos), usually called Argi (-ormn) by the Bomans, was situated abont three miles from the sea, in the plain which has already been de- scribed. Its citadel, called Larisa or Larissa, the PeUsgic name for a citadel (Ad^io-o, AdpurtrOf Paus. ii. 23. § 8 ; Strab. viii. p. 370 ; Dionys. i. 2 1 ), was a striking object, being built on an insulated conical mountain <^ 900 foet in height, with steep rocky sides, diversified with grassy slopes. (Mure, vol. iL p. 183.) A little to the E. of the town flowed the river Charadrus, a tributaiy of the Inachus. [See above, p. 200, b.] According to the general testimony of antiquity, Argos was the most ancient city of Greece. It was originally inhabited by Pelasgians, and is said to have been built by the Pelasgic chief Inachus, or by his son Phoronoiis, or by his grandson Argus. Pho- runeus, however, is more commonly represented as its founder; and from him the city was called dorv ^ofmviK^, (Paua. iL 15. § 5.) The descmdants of Inachus ruled over the country finr nine genom- tions; but Gelanor, the last king of this race, was deprived of the sovereignty by Danaus, who is said to have come from Egypt. From this Danaus was derived the name of Danai, which was applied to the inhabitants of the Aigeia and to the Greeks in general. (Apollod. ii. I.) Danaus and his two successors Lynceus and Abas mled over the whole of the Argeia; but Acrisins and Proetus, the two sons of Abas, diided the territory between them^