Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 2.djvu/98

 90 STRABO. CASAUB. 399. Diana Brauronia, Halse Araphenides, where is the temple of Diana Tauropola; then Myrrhinus, Probalinthus, Mara- thon, where Miltiades entirely destroyed the army of Datis the Persian, without waiting for the Lacedaemonians, who de- ferred setting out till the full moon. There is laid the scene of the fable of the Marathonian bull, which Theseus killed. Next to Marathon is Tricorynthus, then Rhamnus, where is the temple of Nemesis ; then Psaphis, a city of the Oropii. Somewhere about this spot is the Amphiaraeum, an oracle once in repute, to which Amphiareus fled, as Sophocles says, " The dusty Theban soil opened and received him with his armour, and the four -horse chariot." Oropus has frequently been a subject of contention, for it is situated on the confines of Attica and Boeotia. In front of this coast, before Thoricum and Sunium, is the island Helena ; it is rocky and uninhabited, extending in length about 60 stadia, which, they say, the poet mentions in the words, in which Alexander addresses Helen, " Not when first I carried thee away from the pleasant Lacedeemon, across the deep, and in the island Cranae embraced thee." ' For Cranae, from the kind of intercourse which took place there, is now called Helena. Next to Helena, 2 Eubrea 3 lies in front of the following tract of coast. It is long and narrow, and stretching along the continent like Helena. From Sunium to the southern point of Euboea, which is called Leuce Acte, 4 [or, the white coast,] is a voyage of 300 stadia, but we shall speak hereafter of Euboea. It would be tedious to recite the names of the Demi of Attica in the inland parts, on account of their number. 5 23. Among the mountains which are most celebrated, are the Hymettus, Brilessus, Lycabettus, Parnes, and Corydallus. 6 Near the city are excellent quarries of Hymettian and Pen- telic marble. The Hymettus produces also the finest honey. The silver mines in Attica were at first of importance, but are now exhausted. The workmen, when the mines yielded 1 II. iii. 443. 2 Macronisi. 3 Negropont. 4 From C. Colonna to C. Mantelo. 5 Smith gives an alphabetical list of 160 demi. 6 Monte San Giorgio.