Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 2.djvu/75

 816 ELIOGBOOA. ELICyCBOOA (Lorca), a city of the Bastetani, in Hispania Tarraconenais, W. of Carthago Nova, and on the high road from that city to Castulo. (/tin. Ant. p. 401.) It is probably identical with Ilorci, which Pliny mentions as a civiias sHpendianOy be- longing to the conventns of Carthago Nova. (Plin. ill. l.B. 3; Wesseling, ad Jtm. I. c; Florez, Esp. S. vol. vii. p. 217; MenteUe, Esp. Mod. p. 153; Ukert, vol.ii.pt l,p. 406.) [P-ii-] ELIS (^"^HAtj, Dor.'AAij, whence "Alia" in Plant Capt. Prol. 9, 26 ; ace. "HktBa of the country, ''HAiv of the town generally, in Lat ^ Elin " and the digamraa FAAI2, perhaps connected with " val- lis," wd signifying originally, a hollow. The country was also called h 'HAcfo, Thuc. ii. 25, Polyb. v. 102 ; il 'HXtluw x^P^ Polyb. iv. 77 ; Eliomn), ager, Plin. iv. 5. 8. 6. Eth. and Adj. '»k(7os, 'AKtios, FA- AEUIN on coins, Ellas, Eleus, Alios, Plant CapL ProL 24. ; 'HKidJhis, Steph. B. *. v. ; 'HAcieucds, conntry on the western coast of Peloponnesus between Achaia and Messenia, extending from the promontory Arazus and the river Larissus on the north to the river Neda on the south, and bounded on the east by the Arcadian mountains and on the west by the Io- nian sea. (Strab. viiL p. 336.) It included three dis- tinct districts, Eus Proper or Hollow Eus, the northern portion, extending from the river Araxns to the promontory Ichthys ; Pisatis, the middle por- tion, from the promontory Ichthys to the river Al- pheius ; and Triphtlu., the southern portion, from the Alpheius to the Neda. Elis Proper was divided into two parts, the plain of the Peneius, and the mountainous country in the interior, called Acko. BEIA : the name of Hollow Elis (^ Kotkii *HAts Thuc. ii. 25) appears to have been originally given to the plain of the Peneius to distinguish it from the mountainous district of the Acroreia ; but since Hol- low Elis was the larger and more fertile part, this name came to be given to the whole of the northern territory, to distinguish it fnxnthe dependent districts of Pisatis and Triphylia. Those of the ancient geographers, who represented Peloponnesus as consisting of only five divisions, made Elis and Arcadia only one district. (Pans. v. 1. § 1.) In fact Elis may be looked upon as a kind of offidioot of Arcadia, since it embraces the lower slopes of the mountains of Eiymanthus, Pholoe and Lycae- us, which sink down gradually towards the Ionian sea. Elis has no mountain system of its own, but only hills and pluns. It contains more fertile land than any other country of Peloponnesus ; the rich meadows of the fdun of the Peneius were celebrated firom the earliest times ; and even the sandy hills, which separate the plains, are covered with v^etation, since they are exposed to the moist westerly winds. Thus the land with its green hills and fertile plains forms a striking contrast to the bare and precipitous rocks on the eastern coast. Hence Oxylus is said to have conducted the invading Dorians by the more difficult way Uirough Arcadia, lest they should see the fertile territory of Elis, which he had designed for himself. (Pans. v. 4. § 1 ; Polyb. iv. 73.) The coast of Ells is a long and almost unbroken sandy level, and would have been entirely destitute of natural harbours, if a few neighbouring rocks had not become united by alluvial deposits with the mainland. In this way three promontories have been formed^ — Araxus, Chelonatas, Ichthys, — which interrupt the tmifbrmity of the coast, and a£foid some protection for ELIS. vessels. Of these the oentnl and the lai^gert ia Chelonatas, running a coDsid««ble way into the and forming on either side one end of a gulf. The northern gulf bears the name of Cyllene, and ia bounded at its northern extremity by the pnmontorj Araxus. The southern gulf is called the Cheknatic^ and is bounded at its southern extremity by the pro- montory Ichthys, which also fonns the oommenee- ment d[ the great Cyparissian gulf. The4sandy nature of the ooast interrapts the n*- tural outlet of the numerous smaUer rivers, and ab- sorbs them before they reach the sea. The sea also frequently breaks over the coast ; and thus there la formed along the coast a series of lagoans, which are separated from the sea only by narrow sand-baoks. Along the Cyllenian bay there are two such lagoooa; and the whole Elean coast upon the Cyparissian bay is occupied by three almost continoons Isgoona. Thv collection of stagnant water renders the ooaat vezy unhealthy in the summer months; and the vast number of gnats and other insects, which are gene- rated in these marshes, makes it almost impoaaible to live near the sea. The modem harbour of Kumqt^ has derived its name from the gnats, which abound in the neighbourhood (Koiwoinrf Ai ham KowrovrMir sizKtiya^) ; and even in antiquity the Eleans invoked S^eus and Hercules to protect them from this p]ag;Q)e. (Zevs hirSfwios^ Pans. v. 14. § 1 ; comp. Aelian, ZT. An. V. 17.) These lagoons, however, supply the in- habitants with a vast abundance of fish. In the summer months, when the fish are rwj nnmerooa on the coast, a small opening is made through the narrow sand-banks; and ti^e lagoons thus become soon filled with fish, which are easily taken. Thej are dried and salted on the spot, and are exported in large quantities. This fisheiy was probably carried on in ancient times also, since we find ApoUo wor- shipped among the Eleans under the epithet of Op- sophagos. (Polemon. p. 109. ed. Preller.) The physical peculiarities of Elis are not £svoiir- able to its becoming an independent state. In &6t no country in Greeoa is so little protected against hostile attacks. The broad valley of the Al^eioa runs, like a highway, through the centre of Etia: the mountains, which form its eastern boondaria, are a very slight defence, since they are only the offshoots of still higher mountains ; while the towns and villages on the flat ooast lie entirely exposed to an enemy*s fleet But these natural obstacles to ita independence were more than compensated by the sacred character attaching to the whole land in oon- sequence of its possessing the temple of the Olym- pian Zeus on the banks of the Alpheius. Ita terri- tory was regarded as inviolable by the common law of Greece; and though its sanctity was not always respected, and it was ravaged more than once by an invading fence, as we shall presently see, it enjoyed for several centuries exemption from the den- tations of war. Thus, instead of the fortified places seen in the rest of Greece, Elis abounded in unwalled villages and country houses ; and the valley of the Alpheius in particular was fiUl of various sanctuaries and consecrated spots, which gave the whole oonnlzy a sacred appearance. The prosperity of the country continued down to the time of Polybius, who notices its populousness and the fondness of its inhabitanta for a country life. (Strab. viiL pp. 343, 358; Polyb. iv. 73, 74.) The prosperity of Elis was also much indebted to the expenditure of the vast number of strangers, who visited the country once in four years at the festival of the Olympian Zens.
 * Elidem." The word was originally written with
 * HAiaic($5). — Elis, in its widest signification, was the