Greek Texts & Translations

far from Larisa ^note
Il. xvii. 301. at least from this Larisa, but rather from the Larisa near Cyme, for there are about 1000 stadia between them. The third Larisa is a village in the Ephesian district in the plain of the Caÿster; which, it is said, was formerly a city containing a temple of Apollo Larisaeus, and situated nearer to Mount Tmolus than to Ephesus. It is distant from Ephesus 180 stadia, so that it might be placed rather under the government of the Maeonians. The Ephesians, having afterwards acquired more power, deprived the Maeonians, whom we now call Lydians, of a large part of their territory; but not even this, but the other rather, would be the Larisa of the Pelasgi. F o w e have no strong evidence that the Larisa in the plain of Caÿster was in existence at that time, nor even of the existence of Ephesus. But all the Aeolian history, relating to a period a little subsequent to the Trojan times, proves the existence of the Larisa near Cyme. 3

It is said that the people who set out from Phricium, a Locrian mountain above Thermopylae, settled on the spot where Cyme is now situated; and finding the Pelasgi, who had been great sufferers in the Trojan war, yet still in possession of Larisa, distant about 70 stadia from Cyme, erected as a defence against them what is at present called Neon-teichos, (or the New Wall,) 30 stadia from Larisa. They took Larisa, ^note founded Cyme, and transferred to it as settlers the surviving Pelasgi. Cyme is called Cyme Phriconis from the Locrian mountain, and Larisa also (Phriconis): it is now deserted.

That the Pelasgi were a great nation, history, it is said, furnishes other evidence. For Menecrates of Elaea, in his work on the foundation of cities, says, that the whole of the present Ionian coast, beginning from Mycale and the neighbouring islands, were formerly inhabited by Pelasgi. But the Lesbians say, that they were commanded by Pylaeus, who is called by the poet the chief of the Pelasgi, and that it was from him that the mountain in their country had the name of Pylaemem.

The Chians also say, that the Pelasgi from Thessaly were