Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 2.djvu/160

 152 STRABO. CASATJB. 445- ^Egean Sea is called Boos-Aule, (or the Cow's Stall,) where lo is said to have brought forth Epaphus, so the island may have had the name Euboea 1 on this account. It was also called Oche, which is the name of one of the largest mountains 2 there. It had the name of Ellopia, from Ellops, the son of Ion ; according to others, he was the brother of -ZEclus, and Go- thus, who is said to have founded Ellopia, 3 a small place situated in the district called Oria of the Histiaeotis, near the mountain Telethrius. 4 He also possessed Histisea, Perias, Cerinthus, JEdepsus, 5 and Orobiae, where was an oracle very free from deception. There also was an oracle of Apollo Selinuntius. The Ellopians, after the battle of Leuctra, were compelled by the tyrant Philistides to remove to the city Histiaea, and augmented the number of its inhabitants. Demosthenes 6 says that Philistides was appointed by Philip tyrant of the Oreitse also, for afterwards the Histiseans had that name, and the city, instead of Histiasa, was called Oreus. According to some writers, Histisea was colonized by Athenians from the demus of the Histiseeis, as Eretria was from the demus of the Eretrieis. But Theopompus says, that when Pericles had re- duced Euboea, the Histiaeans agreed to remove into Mace- donia, and that two thousand Athenians, who formerly com- posed the demus of the Histiaeans, came, and founded Oreus. 7 4. It is situated below Mount Telethrius, at a place called Drymus, near the river Callas, on a lofty rock; 8 whence perhaps because the Ellopians, the former inhabitants, were a mountain tribe, 9 the city had the name of Oreus. Orion, who was brought up there, seems to have had his name from the place. But according to some writers, the Oreitae, who had a 1 From ev, well, and fiovg, a cow. The ancient coins of the island bear the head of an ox. 2 Mount St. Elias, 4748 feet above the level oF the sea. Bochart de- rives the name from an eastern word signifying " narrow." 3 At the base of Ploko Vuno. 4 Mount Galzades, celebrated for producing medicinal plants. Theo- phrastus, Hist. Plant, b. ix. c. 15 and 20. 5 Dipso, according to Kiepert. 6 Philipp. iii. 7 Not the town named Histiaea-Oreus, which was on the sea-coast. 8 Livy, b. xxxi. c. 46. 9 Sid TO bpiiovq tlvai.