Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 2.djvu/379

 B. xni. c. i. 44, 45. THE TROAD. 371 river which comes from the district of Caresene, a mountain- ous country, in which are many villages. It is well cultivated by the husbandmen. It adjoins Dardania, and extends as far as the places about Zeleia and Pityeia. The country, it is said, had its name from the river Caresus, mentioned by the poet, " the Rhesus, Heptaporus, Caresus, and Rhodius," l but the city of the same name as the river is in ruins. Demetrius again says, the river Rhesus is now called Rhoeites, unless it is the Rhesus which empties itself into the Granicus. The Heptaporus, which is called also Polyporus, is crossed seven times in travelling from the places about Gale Peuce (or the beautiful pitch tree) to the village Melasnaa and to the Asclepieium, founded by Lysimachus. Attalus, the first king, gives this account of the beautiful pitch tree ; its circumference, he says, was 24 feet ; the height of the trunk from the root was 67 feet ; it then formed three branches, equally distant from each other ; it then con- tracts into one head, and here it completes the whole height of two plethra, and 15 cubits. It is distant from Adramytti- um 180 stadia towards the north. The Caresus flows from Malus, a place situated between Palsescepsis and Achseium, in front of the isle of Tenedos, and empties itself into the JEsepus. The Rhodius flows from Cleandria and Gordus, which are distant 60 stadia from Gale Peuce, and empties itself into the ^Enius ( JEsepus ?). 45. In the valley about the ^Esepus, on the left of its course, the first place we meet with is Polichna, a walled stronghold ; then Palasscepsis, next Alizonium, a place invent- ed for the supposed existence of the Halizoni whom we have mentioned before. 2 Then Caresus, a deserted city, and Ca- resene, and a river of the same name, (Caresus,) which also forms a considerable valley, but less than that about the JEse- pus. Next follow the plains of Zeleia, and the mountain plains, which are well cultivated. On the right of the ^Esepus, be- tween Polichna and Palsescepsis is Nea-Come, 3 and Argyria, 1 II. xii. 20. 2 B. xii. c. iii. 21. 3 Below Strabo calls this same place Mnea., and in b. xii. c. iii. 23, pjiiea-Come. Pliny calls it Nea; it is said to be the same place called by the Turks Ene. 2 B 2