Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 2.djvu/221

 B. x. c. v. $ 1519. THE SPORADES. CRETE. 213 we place the rest among the Sporades, and we mention them here although they do not lie near Europe, but Asia, because the course of my work induces me to include the Sporades in the description of Crete and of the Cyclades. We shall traverse in the description of Asia the consider- able islands adjacent to that country, as Cyprus, Rhodes, Cos, and those situated on the succeeding line of coast, Samos, Chios, Lesbos, and Tenedos. At present we are to describe the remaining islands of the Sporades, which deserve mention. 15. Astypalsea lies far out at sea, and contains a city. Telos, which is long, high, and narrow, in circumference about 140 stadia, with a shelter for vessels, extends along the Cnidian territory. Chalcia is distant from Telos 80, from Carpathus 400 stadia, and about double this number from Astypalaea. It has a set- tlement of the same name, a temple of Apollo, and a harbour. 16. Nisyrus lies to the north of Telos, at the distance of about 60 stadia, which is its distance also from Cos. It is round, lofty, and rocky, and has abundance of mill-stone, whence the neighbouring people are well supplied with stones for grinding. It contains a city of the same name, a harbour, hot springs, and a temple of Neptune. Its circumference is 80 stadia. Near it are small islands, called the islands of the Nisyrians. Nisyrus is said to be a fragment broken off from Cos ; a story is also told of Neptune, that when pursuing Poly- botes, one of the giants, he broke off with his trident a piece of the island Cos, and hurled it at him, and that the missile became the island Nisyrus, with the giant lying beneath it. But some say that the giant lies beneath Cos. 17. Carpathus, which the poet calls Crapathus, is lofty, having a circumference of 200 stadia. It contained four cities, and its name was famous, which it imparted to the surround- ing sea. One of the cities was called Nisyrus, after the name of the island Nisyrus. It lies opposite Leuce Acte in Africa, which is distant about 1000 stadia from Alexandria, and about 4000 from Carpathus. 18. Casus is distant from Carpathus 70, and from the pro- montory Salmonium in Crete 250 stadia. It is 80 stadia in circumference. It contains a city of the same name ; and many islands, called the islands of the Casii, lie about it. 19. They say that the poet calls the Sporades, Calydnse,