| Pliny the Elder, Natural History (English) (XML Header) [genre: prose] [word count] [lemma count] [Plin. Nat.]. | ||
| <<Plin. Nat. 4.19 | Plin. Nat. 4.20 (Latin) | >>Plin. Nat. 4.21 |
Crete itself lies from east to west, the one side facing the south, the other the north, and is known to fame by the renown of its hundred cities. Dosiades says, that it took its name from the nymph Crete, the daughter of Hesperides [Note]; Anaximander, from a king of the Curetes, Philistides of Mallus * * * * *; while Crates says that it was at first called Aëria, and after that Curetis; and some have been of opinion that it had the name of Macaron [Note] from the serenity of its climate. In breadth it nowhere exceeds fifty miles, being widest about the middle. In length, however, it is full 270 miles, and 589 in circumference, forming a bend towards the Cretan Sea, which takes its name from it. At its eastern extremity is the Promontory of Sammonium [Note], facing Rhodes, while towards the west it throws out that of Criumetopon [Note], in the direction of Cyrene.
The more remarkable cities of Crete are, Phalasarna, Etæa [Note], Cisamon [Note], Pergamum, Cydonia [Note], Minoium [Note], Apteron [Note], Pantomatrium, Amphimalla [Note], Rhithymna, Panormus, Cytæum, Apollonia, Matium [Note], Heraclea, Miletos, Ampelos, Hierapytna [Note],
Lebena [Note], and Hierapolis; and, in the interior, Gortyna [Note], Phæstum, Cnossus [Note], Polyrrenium, Myrina, Lycastus, Rhamnus, Lyctus, Dium [Note], Asus, Pyloros, Rhytion, Elatos, Pharæ, Holopyxos, Lasos, Eleuthernæ [Note], Therapnæ, Marathusa, and Tylisos; besides some sixty others, of which the memory only exists. The mountains are those of Cadistus [Note], Ida, Dictynnæus, and Corycus [Note]. This island is distant, at its promontory of Criumetopon, according to Agrippa, from Phycus [Note], the promontory of Cyrene, 125 miles; and at Cadistus, from Malea in the Peloponnesus, eighty. From the island of Carpathos [Note], at its promontory of Sammonium it lies in a westerly direction, at a distance of sixty miles; this last-named island is situate between it and Rhodes.
The other islands in its vicinity, and lying in front of the
Peloponnesus, are the two isles known as Corycæ, and the two called Mylæ [Note]. On the north side, having Crete on the right, and opposite to Cydonia, is Leuce [Note], and the two islands known as Budroæ [Note]. Opposite to Matium lies Dia [Note]; opposite to the promontory of Itanum [Note], Onisia and Leuce; and over against Hierapytna, Chrysa and Gaudos [Note]. In the same neighbourhood, also, are Ophiussa, Butoa, and Aradus; and, after doubling Criumetopon, we come to the three islands known as Musagorus. Before the promontory of Sammonium lie the islands of Phocœ, the Platiæ, the Sirnides, Naulochos, Armedon, and Zephyre.
Belonging to Hellas, but still in the Ægean Sea, we have the Lichades [Note], consisting of Scarphia, Coresa, Phocaria, and many others which face Attica, but have no towns upon them, and are consequently of little note. Opposite Eleusis, however, is the far-famed Salamis [Note]; before it, Psyttalia [Note]; and, at a distance of five miles from Sunium, the island of Helene [Note]. At the same distance from this last is Ceos [Note], which some of our countrymen have called Cea, and the Greeks Hydrussa, an island which has been torn away from Eubœa. It was formerly 500 stadia in length; but more recently four-fifths of it, in the direction of Bœotia, have been swallowed up by the sea. The only towns it now has
left are Iulis and Carthæa [Note]; Coresus [Note] and Pœëessa [Note] have perished. Varro informs us, that from this place there used to come a cloth of very fine texture, used for women's dresses.
| Pliny the Elder, Natural History (English) (XML Header) [genre: prose] [word count] [lemma count] [Plin. Nat.]. | ||
| <<Plin. Nat. 4.19 | Plin. Nat. 4.20 (Latin) | >>Plin. Nat. 4.21 |
