Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 1.djvu/747

 CYPASIS, 844) and Stephanos («. v.). If we follow the aathority of Strabo respecting the position of Cjpa- lissus, ita aite is perhaps indicated bj the walls of an Hellenic town, at the southern foot of the monntain, midway between the Schiste and Delphi. (Leake, voL ii. p. 579.) 2. A river of Messenia. [CTPARiSfiiA.] CYPASIS (K^oaif), a commercial town in Thrace, on the east of the Hebms, on the Bay of MeUis. (Scykz, p. 27 ; Steph. Byz. #. v.) [L. &] G YPHANTA (t& K^ifKona), a town on the east- em coast of Laoonia, belonging to the Elenthero- Laoonee. It was in mins in the time of Pansanias, bnt from the notice of it in other writers, it was evidently at one period a place of some importance. (Pans. iii. 24. § 2; Polyb. iv. 36; Plin. iv. 5. s. 9; Ptd. iii. 16. §§ 10, 22.) Pansanias describes it as sitnated 6 stadia from Zaraz, and 10 stadia in- land ; and Ptolemy speaks separately of the port- town and city. Pausanias adds that Cypbanta ooutained a temple of Asdepins, called Stethaeum, and a fountain issuing from a rock, said to have been produced by a blow of the lance of Atalante. The numbers in Pausanias, however, cannot be cor- rect At the distance of 6 stadia from Zaraz (^HiercJea), there is no site for a town or a harbour; and it is scarcely conceivable that, on this rocky and little-frequented coast, there would be two towns so dose to one another. Moreover Pausanias says that the distance from Prasiae to Gyphanta is 200 stadia; whereas the real distance from Prasiae (.Tyro) to Zaraz {Hiirdha) is more than 300 stadia. In ad- dition to this Ptolemy places Gyphanta consideiBbly further north than Zaraz ; and it is not till reaching CgparUri that there is any place with a harbour and a fountain. Accordingly, we may here place Gyphanta, changing with Boblaye the very impro- bable number in Pausanias l| irov o-tcmm, into hcarhv ordSio. CypcsritH is as nearly as possible 100 stadia from Hieraka, and 200 stadia from Tyro. In his Morea^ Leake placed Gyphanta at Cypa- risri; but in his Peloponnesiacaj he supposes its site to have been further north at Lenidhu If we are right in identifying Prasiae with TyrOy this position for Gyphanta would be at once inadmissible; but Leake, we think erroneously, places Prasiae also further north, at St. Andrew in the Gynnria. [Gt- H UKiA ; Prasiae.] (Leake, Morea, voL ii. p. 500, seq., Pelppormetiaca, p. 301 ; Boblaye, Reckercket, p. 101 ; Gurtius, Peloponnesos, voL iL p. 305.) GYPHARA- [Gypakra.] GYPHUS (K6ipos: Eih. K^muos), a town of Perrhaebia in Thessaly, which supplied 22 ships for the Trojan war. It is placed by Strabo at the foot of Mt. Olympus. (Hom. H. ii. 748; Strab. iz. p. 441; Lycophr. 897.) According to Stephanus («, V.) there were two cities of the name of Gyphus, one mentioned by Homer, and the other by Lyoo- phron; but in this he appean to have been mis- taken. (Hemsterh. ad Arist. Pint. p. 1 16.) CYPBUS (Kthpos: Etk. and Adj. Ki^pios^ Kv- vpuuc6sy Kwptt6sj KintplniSy Cyprius, Gypriacus: Kibru% an island lying off the coast of Phoenicia and Gilicia. The physical features and the legends connected -with this chosen seat of Aphrodite, have given rise to A multitude of names. 1 . Acamantis (jAjcctfjuw- risy. 2. Amathuaia (^'AftoBowria). 3. Aspelia. 4. Golinia. 5. Gerastis (KcpcurrUV 6. Gryptos (Kfvwris). 7. Macaria {MoKapla). 8. Meiouis CYPRUS. 729 (Wrfioyis). 9. Ophiusa (Ophiusia arva, Ov. Mei Z.229). 10. Spheceia (S^fceta). According to ancient admeasurements the circuit of this island amounted to 3420 stadia. (Strab. ziv. p. 682.) Its greatest length from W. to E., between Gape Acamas and the islands called the Keys of Gyprus (KAcSScf), was reckoned at 1400 stadia. (Strab. L c. ; Plin. v. 35 ; Agathem. i. 5.) The prin- cipal or SW. part of the i^and has the form of an irregular parallelogram, and terminates with a long narrow peninsula, running in a NE. direction. Its shape was compared fancifully by the old writers to a fleece (Agathem. 2. c), or to a Gallic shield (Hy- gin. Fci. 276). The surface of the ooonfery u almost entirely occupied by the elevated range of Mt. Olympus, whose culminating points reach the height of 7000 feet. The slopes descend both on the N. aiid S. shores: on the former side the cluun is bold and rugged; (m the S. side the scenery is still bolder, presenting a deeply serrated outline with thickly wooded steeps, which are broken by masses of lime- stone, or furrowed by deep picturesque valleys, in which grow the narcissus, the anemone, and ranun- culus. The mountains cootiuned copper (xoXicb; K^pcor, aes Gyprium), the most famous mines of which were to be found at Tamassus, Amathus, Soli, and Gurion (Plin. zii. 60, zzziv. 20), as well as the nobler metals, gold and silver. The precious stones of Gyprus were famous in antiquity. They were: the 15), — whether this was the diamond seems doubtful, as it has been thought that Pliny was unacquainted with the real diamond (Dana, Mineralogy, p. 401); — the ^smaragdos" (zxzvii. 17), emerald; the " chalcosmaragdos turbida aereis venis" (zzzvii. 19), malachite (?), fsc more probably red jasper; " pao- deros " (zzzvii. 22), opal; *' achates " (zzzvii. 54), agate; and asbestos (Dioscor. v. 156). The land is described as flowing with wine, oil (Strab. p. 684), and honey (Plin. zi. 14); and the fragrance of its flowers gave it the ejnthet of cvc^Stis — tlie plaything {&0vpiui) of the goddess of Love. (Eustath. ad JHonys. Per. 508.) Gyprus lies between Asia and Africa, and the flora and fauna of the island partake of the charac- teristics of both continents. A list of the plants, birds, quadrupeds, and fishes, found in Gyprus, is given in Walpole (Turkey and Greece^ vol. i. p. 253, foil.). The Ferula Graeca — or vd^OriKOy as it is now called, with a slight alteration from the ancient name — is one of the most important plants of the island in respect to its economical uses. The stalks furnish the poor Gyprian with a great part of his household furniture; and the pith is used instead of tinder for conveying fire from one place to another, as taught by PromeUieus of old. (Ae8ch.iVom. 109.) The levd tracts were in the neighbourhood of Sa- kmis and Gitium, the former was watered by the river Pediaeus, and the latter by the Tretus; but, a^ these streams are occasionally dry, marshes have in consequence been formed. Stnttx) (ziv. p. 682) begins his description of the island with Gape Aca- mas CAica^ios), at the W. eztrsmity of the island, which he describes as a thickly wooded headland, divided into two summits rising towards the K. (Gomp. Ptol. V. 14 § 1; Plin. v. 31; Stadioim. §§ 282, 292, 293.) The modem name, afler the cele* brated metropolitan of Gyprus, is Ilaghioa Epiphor nioSy which is shortened into St. Pifano. The nezt point, in a S. direction, is Droponon (Apciroi^oi', Ptol.
 * adamas vergens in aerixun colorem " (Plin. zzzviL