Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 1.djvu/524

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510

STRABO.

FRAGM. 24,25.

The Axius is a turbid river, but as a spring of clearest water rises in Amydon, and mingles with the Axius, some have altered the line

Ἀξιοῦ, οὗ κάλλιστον ὕδωρ ἐπικίδναται Αἶαν,
“Axius, whose fairest water o’erspreads Æa,”

to

Ἀξιοῦ, ᾧ κάλλιστον ὕδωρ ἐπικίδναται Αἴης.
“Axius, o’er whom spreads Æa’s fairest water.”

For it is not the “fairest water” which is diffused over the spring, but the “fairest water” of the spring which is diffused over the Axius.^[1] EPIT.

24. After the river Axius is the city Thessalonica, formerly called Therma. It was founded by Cassander, who called it after the name of his wife, a daughter of Philip Amyntas. He transferred to it the small surrounding cities, Chalastra, Ænea, Cissus, and some others. Probably from this Cissus came Iphidamas, mentioned in Homer, “whose grandfather Cisseus educated him,” he says, “in Thrace,” which is now called Macedonia. EPIT.

25. Somewhere in this neighbourhood is the mountain Bermius,^{[p 1]} which was formerly in the possession of the Briges, a Thracian nation, some of whom passed over to Asia and were called by another name, Phrygians (Phryges). After Thessalonica follows the remaining part of the Thermæan Gulf,^{[p 2]} extending to Canastræum.^{[p 3]} This is a promontory of a peninsula form, and is opposite to Magnesia. Pallene is the name of the peninsula. It has an isthmus 5 stadia in width, with a ditch cut across it. There is a city on the peninsula, formerly

↑ Kramer quotes the following passage from Eustathius: “In the passage ἐπίκιδναται αἴῃ, or αἶαν, (for there are two readings,) some have understood αἶαν not to mean the earth, but a spring, as is evident from the words of the geographer, where he says that the Amydon of Homer was afterwards called Abydos, but was razed. For there is a spring of clearest water near Amydon, called Æa, running into the Axius, which is itself turbid, in consequence of the numerous rivers which flow into it. There is, therefore, he says, an error in the quotation, Ἀξίοῦ κάλλιστον ὕδωρ ἐπικίδναται αἴῃ, as it is clearly not the Axius which diffuses its water over the spring, but the contrary. The geographer rather intemperately finds fault with the supposition of αἶαν meaning the earth, and seems anxious to reject altogether this reading in the Homeric poem.”

↑ Buræus.
↑ Gulf of Salonica.
↑ Cape Pailuri.

[1] Kramer quotes the following passage from Eustathius: “In the passage ἐπίκιδναται αἴῃ, or αἶαν, (for there are two readings,) some have understood αἶαν not to mean the earth, but a spring, as is evident from the words of the geographer, where he says that the Amydon of Homer was afterwards called Abydos, but was razed. For there is a spring of clearest water near Amydon, called Æa, running into the Axius, which is itself turbid, in consequence of the numerous rivers which flow into it. There is, therefore, he says, an error in the quotation, Ἀξίοῦ κάλλιστον ὕδωρ ἐπικίδναται αἴῃ, as it is clearly not the Axius which diffuses its water over the spring, but the contrary. The geographer rather intemperately finds fault with the supposition of αἶαν meaning the earth, and seems anxious to reject altogether this reading in the Homeric poem.”

[2] Buræus.

[3] Gulf of Salonica.

[4] Cape Pailuri.

[1]

[p 1]

[p 2]

[p 3]