Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 2.djvu/395

 B. xin. c. i. 67. THE TROAD. 387 ously preferred against him : but, unable to endure the disgrace, he basely destroyed himself in my native city by abstaining from food. Adramyttium produced Xenocles, a distinguished orator, who adopted the Asiatic style of eloquence and was remark- able for the vehemence of his manner ; he defended Asia be- fore the senate, at the time when that province was accused of favouring the party of Mithridates. 67. Near Astyra is a lake called Sapra, full of deep holes, that empties itself by a ravine among ridges of rocks on the coast. Below Andeira is a temple dedicated to the Andeirenian mother of the gods, and a cave with a subterraneous passage extending to Palaea. Palsea is a settlement distant 130 stadia from Andeira. A goat, which fell into the opening, dis- covered the subterraneous passage. It was found at Andeira the next day, accidentally, by the shepherd, who had gone there to a sacrifice. Atarneus l is the royal seat of Hermeas the tyrant. Next is Pitane, an JEolian city, with two harbours, and the river Euenus flowing beside it, which supplies the aqueduct of the Adramyttium with water. Arcesilaus of the Academy was a native of Pitane, and a fellow-disciple of Zeno of Citium in the school of Polemo. There is a place in Pitane called " Atarneus under Pitane," opposite to the island called Elasussa. It is said that at Pitane bricks float upon the water, as was the case with a small island 2 in Tyrrhenia, for the earth, being lighter than an equal bulk of water, swims upon it. Poseidonius says, that he saw in Spain bricks made of an ar- gillaceous earth (with which silver vessels are cleansed) float- ing upon water. After Pitane the Cai'cus 3 empties itself, at the distance of 30 stadia from it, into the Elaitic bay. Beyond the Cai'cus, at the distance of 12 stadia from the river, is Elaea, an Mo- lian city ; it is the arsenal of Pergamum, and distant from it 120 stadia. 1 Dikeli-koi. 2 For vriffiQ Meineke reads yrj ric, " a certain earth." Pliny, b. ii. c. 95, speaks of islands " which are always floating ;" something of the kind occurs in volcanic lakes. 3 Ak-su or Bakir. 2 c 2