Page:Travels & discoveries in the Levant (1865) Vol. 1.djvu/256

206 I noticed traces of several walls. An Hellenic hill fortress probably stood here.

After these excursions we proceeded homewards along the skirts of Mount Atabyron, which here comes down almost into the sea, bulging out into great buttresses and spurs, so as hardly to leave room for the road, which is cut in places out of the solid rock. It is a barren, shapeless mountain on this side, very much less picturesque than the mountains of Mytilene, but exceeding them in its height, which, according to the Admiralty Chart, is 4,068 feet. I regret that I had not time to ascend to the summit to see the interesting remains of the temple of Zeus Atabyrios, which still exist there, and which are described by Hamilton, Ross, and Guérin.$92$ The ancient name of this mountain is now pronounced Ataryos. We continued to clamber over the picturesque road, below which deep ravines thinly clad with pines ran down to the sea, till we came to Embonas, a village where is excellent Avine. It is curious that the name is mentioned by the ancients as a Rhodian word, denoting a particular kind of steep mountain-ascent, very applicable to the country of Embonas.$93$

Close to Embonas, at a place called Koutzara, are a number of squared Hellenic blocks lying near the ruins of an old church. At the distance of rather more than an hour to the North is an ancient wall on a hill called Kitala. A little to the N.W. of Embonas is Castellos, where is a castle on the shore, perched on a steep rock. The village is a poor one. Between Castellos and Siana is a church called Panagia