Page:The Natural History of Pliny.djvu/508

 474 plikt's natural HISTOET. [Book y. Chrysa Palaescepsis^, Gergitlia^, and Neandros'*. "We then come to the city of Perperene^, which still survives, the district of Heracleotes, the town of Coryphas®, the rivers Grrylios and Ollius, the region of Aphrodisias'', which formerly had the name of Politice Orgas, the di- strict of Scepsis^, and the river Evenus^, on whose banks the towns of Lyruesos^" and Miletos have fallen to decay. In this district also is Mount Ida^ and on the coast Adra- mytteos'^, formerly called Pedasus, which gives its name to the gulf and the jurisdiction so called. The other rivers are the Astron, Cormalos, Crianos, Alabastros, and Hieros, flow- ing from Mount Ida : in the interior is Mount Grargara^^, 1 Not improbably the Cbryse, mentioned by Homer in the IHad, B. i. 11. 37, 390, 431 ; but there were several places of tliis name. 2 See the note to Scepsis in the present Chapter. 3 Or Grergis, Gergithus, or Gergithes, a town in the Troad, north of Scamander. It was a place with an acropoUs and strong walls. Attains, king of Pergamus, transplanted the people of Gergis to another spot near the som'ces of the Caicus, whence we afterwards find a place called Gergetha or Gergithion, ia the vicinity of Larissa. The old town of Gergis was by some said to have been the birth-place of the Sibyl, and its coins have her image impressed on them. ^ South of Adramyttium ; in its vicinity were copper-mines and cele- brated vineyards. It was here that Thucydides is said to have died. ^ In the district of Coryphantes, opposite to Lesbos, and north of Atarneus. Pliny speaks of the oysters of Coryphas, B. xxxii. c. 6. 7 This Aphrodisias does not appear to have been identified. ^ Again mentioned by PUny in B. xi. c. 80. Scepsis was an ancient city in the interior of the Troad, south-east of Alexandria, ui the moun- tains of Ida. Its inhabitants were removed by Antigonus to Alexandria ; but being permitted by Lysimaehus to retmni to then* homes, they built a new city, and the remains of the old town were then called Palsescepsis. This place is famous in hterary history for being the spot where certain MSS. of Aristotle and Theophrastus were buried to prevent their transfer to Pergamus. When dug up they were found nearly destroyed by mould, and in this condition were removed by Sylla to Athens. ^ Sometimes called the Lycormas, now known as the Fidhari or Fidharo. 10 Frequently mentioned by Homer. ^^ Still known as Ida or Kas-Dagh. ^2 More generally known as Adramyttium or Adramyteum, now Adra- miti or Edremit. According to tradition it was founded by Adramys, the brother of Croesus, king of Lydia. It is mentioned as a sea-port in the Acts, xxvii. 2. There are no traces of ancient remains on its site. The territory in this vicinity, as we learn from Virgil and Seneca, was
 * Also called Neandria, upon the Hellespont.
 * 3 One of the heights of Mount Ida in the Troad, now called Kaz-Dag.