Greek Texts & Translations

river which comes from the district of Caresene, a mountain ous country, in which are many villages. It is well cultivated by the husbandmen. It adjoins Dardania, and extends as far as the places about Zeleia and Pityeia. The country, it is said, had its name from the river Caresus, mentioned by the poet, the Rhesus, Heptaporus, Caresus, and Rhodius, ^note
Il. xii. 20. but the city of the same name as the river is in ruins.

Demetrius again says, the river Rhesus is now called Rhoeites, unless it is the Rhesus which empties itself into the Granicus.

The Heptaporus, which is called also Polyporus, is crossed seven times in travelling from the places about Cale Peuce (or the beautiful pitch tree) to the village Melaenae and to the Asclepieium, founded by Lysimachus.

Attalus, the first king, gives this account of the beautiful pitch tree; its circumference, he says, was 24 feet; the height of the trunk from the root was 67 feet; it then formed three branches, equally distant from each other; it then contracts into one head, and here it completes the whole height of two plethra, and 15 cubits. It is distant from Adramyttium 180 stadia towards the north.

The Caresus flows from Malus, a place situated between Palaescepsis and Achaeïum, in front of the isle of Tenedos, and empties itself into the Aesepus.

The Rhodius flows from Cleandria and Gordus, which are distant 60 stadia from Cale Peuce, and empties itself into the Aenius (aesepus?). 45

In the valley about the Aesepus, on the left of its course, the first place we meet with is Polichna, a walled stronghold; then Palaescepsis, next Alizonium, a place invented for the supposed existence of the Halizoni whom we have mentioned before. ^note Then Caresus, a deserted city, and Caresene, and a river of the same name, (Caresus,) which also forms a considerable valley, but less than that about the Aesepus. Next follow the plains of Zeleia, and the mountain plains, which are well cultivated. On the right of the Aesepus, between Polichna and Palaescepsis is Nea-Come, ^note and Argyria,