Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 1.djvu/430

 412 BOEOTIA. since it varied so mach at different times of the year and in difilereiit seasons. On the northern and en^st- em sides its extent is limited bj a range of heights, but on the opposite quarter there is no such natural boundary to its size. 2. Mouniaint. — At the northern extremity of the Copaic lake, and between the lake, the Cephissus, and the Assus, a tributary of the latter, there are four or five long bare mountains, ofikhoots of Mt. Chlomo. They bore the general name of Hyphan- TEiuM (t^ 'T^oKTeibi' hpos^ Strab. ix. p. 424). Strabo says in one passage (L c.) that Orchomenus was situated on Hyphanteium ; but since in another passage (ix. p. 416) he places this celebrated city on Mt. AcoNTiUM (rb *Plk6vtiov hpos)^ we may regard the latter as one of the mountains of Hyphanteium. Between the latter range and the Assus there lies a smaller hill called Hedyuum {rh 'HliKiov or 'H9i$- Kiiov Spoiy Strab. ix. p. 424 ; Dem. de Fals. Leg. p. 387; VXmILSuU, 16, foil.). PTOUM (IlTwoy), was situated at the south- eastern end of the lake, and extended from the £u- boean sea inland as far as Lake Hylica. On this mountain was a celebrated sanctuary of Apollo Ptous. (Pans. ix. 23. § 5; Herod. viiL 135; for details ^ee AcKAEPHiA.) It is a long even lidge, separated from Phoenidum or Phicium, mentioned below, by the opening in which stands the modem village of Kardhitza. It is now known in different parts by the names of Paledy Stritzinaj and Skroponeri. Phoenicium {^oipIkiov, Strab. ix. p. 410), Phi- cium (^iKioy, Hes. Sc. Here. 33 ; 4iic«foy, Apollod. iii. 5. § 8 ; Steph. B. a. v. or Sfiiinoium (^iyyiotf^ Palaeph. de IncrecL 7. § 2), now called Fagd, the mountain between the lakes Copais and Hylica, con- necting Mt Ptoum with the range of Helicon. Forch- hammer supposes that Phoenicium and Sphingium are the names of two different mountains separated from one another by the small plain of the stream Datdos; but the name of Phoenicium rests only on the au- thority of Strabo, and is probably a corraption of Phicium, which occurs in otiier writers besides those quoted above. ^{{ is the Aeolic form of ^iy^ (Hes. Theoff. 326); and therefore there can be no doubt that Phicium and Sphingium are two different forms of the same name. This mountain rises immediately above the Copaic lake, and on the upper part of its surface there is. a block of stone which resembles a woman's head looking into the lake. Hence arose the legend that the Sphinx threw her victims into the lake. (Gomp. Pans. ix. 26.) TiLPiiossiUM (TiA^«^0-foy, Strab ix. p.4i3 ; TiX- ipovtrioVf Pans. ix. 33. § I ; TiK^wraeuoPj Harpocrat, s. r.), a moimtain on the southem side of the lake Co- pais, between the plains of Haliartus and Coroneia, maybe regarded as the furthest offshootof M^ Helicon, with which it is connected by means of Mount Lei- bethrium. At the foot of the hill was the small fountain Tilphossa or Tilphussa, where the seer Tei- resios is said to liave died. (Strab., Pans., IL cc.) The hill bears the form of a letter T, with its foot tumed towards the noi-th. It is now called Petra. From its position between the lake and Lei bethrium, there is a narrow pass on either side of the hill. The pass between Tilphossium and Leibethrium is now called the pass of Zagord ; the other, between Til- phossium and the lake, was one of great importance in antiquity, as the high road from northem Greece to Thebes passed through it This pass was very narrow, and was completely commanded by the for- tress Tilphos^^aeum or Tilphusium, on the summit BOEOTIA. of the hill. (Dem. de Feds. Leg. pp. 385, 387; comp. Diod. iv. 67, xix. 53.) Leibethrium, one of the offshoots of Mt. Helicon, and connecting the latter with Tilphossium, now called Zagord^ is described under Helicon. [Heli- con.] Laphystium (Aa^hoot of Mt. Helicon, ranning towards the Copaic lake, and separating the plains of Coroneia and Lebadeia. It is now called the Moimtain of Granitza^ and is evi- dently of volcanic origin. In its crater the ullage of Grdniiza is situated, and there are warm springs at its foot near the mills of Kcddmi. Pausanias (ix. 34. § 5) describes Laphystium as distant about 20 stadia firom Coroneia, and as possessing a teme- nos of Zeus Laphystius. According to the Boeotians, Hercules is said to have dragged Cerberus into the upper world at thb spot; a tradition probably having reference to the volcanic nature of the mountain. Thurium {Souptw), also called Orthopaoum (^Op0<yitdyo¥), describ^ by Plutarch as a ragged pine-shaped mountain, separated the plains of Leba- deia and Chaeroneia. (Pint StdL 13.) 3. Paaees across the Mountains. — The principal pass into northern Boeotia was along the valley of the Cephissus, which enters the plain of Chaero- neia from Phocis through a narrow defile, formed by a ridge of Mount Parnassus jutting out towards Mt Hedylium. Since this pass was the high road from northem Greece, the position of Chaeroneia was one of great military importance; and hence the plain in which this city stood was the scene of some of the most memorable battles in antiquity. [Chaero- neia.] There was likewise a pass across the moun- tains leading from Chaeroneia by Panopeus to Dau- lis, and thence to Delphi. (Paus. x. 4. § 1.) Boeotia was connected with Locris by a rood lead- ing across the mountains from Orchomenus to Abae and Hyampolis, and from thence to Opus on the Eu- boean sea. (Paus. x. 35. § I.) 4. Rivers. — The only river of importance in the northern part of Boeotia is the Ckphlssus (K^ <^i<riros), which rises in Phocis near the town of Lilaea, where it bursts forth from the rocks with a loud noise. (Horn. //. ii. 522, Hymn, m ApoU. 240; Strab. ix. pp. 407. 424; Paus. x. 33. §§ 4, 5; Plin. iv. 3. B. 7; Stat Theb. vii. 348.) It first flows to the north-east and thence to the south-east through the plain of Elateia, receives the river Assns near the city Parapotamii, and then enters Boeotia through a narrow defile in the mountains. [See above.] Its course through Boeotia, and its subterraneous passage through the katav6thra at the eastern end of the lake Copais, till it emerges at Upper Laryrana, have been described above. There are several other smaller streams in the western part of northem Boeotia descending from Mt Helicon and its offshoots, and flowing into the Cephissus or the Copais. Of these the names of the following have been pi^eserved : i. Morius (Mc&pios), rising in Mt. Thurium near Chaeroneia, and flowing into the Cephissus. Its name is perhaps presen'ed in Mera^ a village in the valley. (Plut Stdl. 17; Leake, Northern Greece^ vol. ii. p. 1 99.) — ii. Her- CYNA (^ZpKwa, Paus. ix. 39. § 2, seq. ; Plut Narr» Am. 1), rising near Lebadeia, at the foot of Mt. Laphystius, and falling into — iii. Probatia (npo- %ar[aL, Theophr. Hist. Plant, iv. 12), which flows into the Copaic gulf. — iv, v. Piialarus (^eUetfN»r, Paus. ix. 34. § 5 ; *lapos, Plut Lys. 29), .and CuARius or Corauus (Kovdptos, Strab. ix. p. 41 1 ;