Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 2.djvu/104

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

96 STRABO. CASAUB. 403. Greeks was in the Great Harbour. Near it is the Chalcidic Euripus, to which, from Sunium, are 70 stadia. On the Euripus, as I have already said, there is a bridge of two plethra in length ; : at each end is a tower, one on the side of Chalcis, the other on the side of Bosotia ; and a passage (for the water) is constructed between them. 2 With regard to the tide of the Euripus, it is sufficient to say thus much, that ac-i cording to report, it changes seven times each day and night ; the cause must be investigated elsewhere. 9. Salganeus is a place situated near the Euripus, upon a height. It has its name from Salganeus, a Boeotian, who was buried there. He was guide to the Persians, when they sailed into this passage from the Maliac Gulf. It is said, that he was put to death before they reached the Euripus, by the commander of the fleet, Megabates, as a traitor, for con- ducting the fleet deceitfully into a narrow opening of the sea, having no outlet. The Barbarian, however, perceived his mistake, and regretting what he had done, thought him wor- thy of burial, because he had been unjustly put to death. 10. Near Oropus 3 is a place called Graia, the temple also of Amphiaraus, and the monument of Narcissus the Eretrian, surnamed Sigelus, (the Silent,) because passers-by keep si- lence. Some say that Graia and Tanagra 4 are the same. The territory of Premandris, however, is the same as that of Tanagra. The Tanagrasans are also called Gephyraeans. The temple of Amphiaraus was transferred by command of an oracle to this place from the Thebaic Cnopia. 11. Mycalessus is a village in the Tanagrian district. It lies upon the road from Thebes to Chalcis. It is called in the Boaotian dialect Mycalettus. Harma, also, an uninhabited village in the Tanagrian territory, derives its name from the 1 See above, c. ii. 2. 2 Si^KoSo/jirjTai d' elg O.VTOVQ aupiyZ,. The passage does not give a clear explanation of the fact. Livy, b. xxviii. c. 6. 3 Thucydides, b. ii. ch. 23, says that Graia is on the road leading from Oropus to Athens. 4 In modern maps a modern town, Skoimandri, is laid down near the ruins of Tanagra. Pausanias, b. ix. ch. 20, informs us why Tanagra was called both Poimandria and Graia. Tanagra was the daughter of ^Eolus and wife of Poimandrus ; she arrived at such an extreme old age, as to receive the title of Graia, the Old.