Читать книгу The Natural History of Pliny (Vol. 1-6) - Pliny the Elder - Страница 176

Table of Contents

The islands thus far are considered as belonging to the Cyclades; the rest that follow are the Sporades2716. These are, Helene2717, Phacussa, Nicasia, Schinussa, Pholegandros, and, at a distance of thirty-eight miles from Naxos, Icaros2718, which has given its name to the surrounding sea, and is the same number of miles in length2719, with two cities, and a third now no longer in existence: this island used formerly to be called Doliche, Macris, and Ichthyoëssa2720. It is situate fifty miles to the north-east of Delos, and thirty-five from the island of Samos. Between Eubœa and Andros, there is an arm of the sea ten miles in width, and from Icaros to Geræstus is a distance of 112¹⁄₂ miles.

After we pass these, no regular order can be well observed; the rest must therefore be mentioned indiscriminately. There is the island of Scyros2721, and that of Ios2722, eighteen miles distant from Naxos, and deserving of all veneration for the tomb there of Homer; it is twenty-five miles in length, and was formerly known by the name of Phœnice; also Odia, Oletandros, and Gyara2723, with a city of the same name, the island being twelve miles in circumference, and distant from Andros sixty-two. At a distance of eighty miles from Gyara is Syrnos, then Cynæthus, Telos2724, noted for its unguents, and by Callimachus called Agathussa, Donusa2725, Patmos2726, thirty miles in circumference, the Corassiæ2727, Lebinthus2728, Leros2729, Cinara2730; Sicinus2731, formerly called Œnoë2732; Hieracia, also called Onus; Casos2733, likewise called Astrabe; Cimolus2734, or Echinussa; and Melos2735, with a city of that name, which island Aristides calls Memblis, Aristotle Zephyria, Callimachus Mimallis, Heraclides Siphis and Acytos. This last is the most circular2736 in form of all these islands. After this comes Machia, then Hypere, formerly Patage, or, as others have it, Platage, but now called Amorgos2737, Polyægos2738, Phyle, and Thera2739, known as Calliste when it first sprang from the waves. From this, at a later period, the island of Therasia2740 was torn away, and between the two afterwards arose Automate, also called Hiera, and Thia, which in our own times came into existence in the vicinity of these islands. Ios is distant from Thera twenty-five miles.

Next to these follow Lea, Ascania2741, Anaphe2742, Hippuris, and Astypalæa2743, a free state. This island is eighty-eight miles in circumference, and 125 miles distant from Cadistus, in Crete. From Astypalæa, Platea is distant sixty miles, and Caminia thirty-eight from this last. We then come to the islands of Azibintha, Lanise, Tragæa, Pharmacussa, Techedia, Chalcia2744, Calymna2745, in which is the town of Coös, Calymna, at a distance of twenty-five miles from which is Carpathum2746, which has given its name to the Carpathian Sea. The distance thence to Rhodes2747, in the direction of the south-west wind, is fifty miles. From Carpathum to Casus is seven miles, and from Casus to Sammonium, the promontory of Crete, thirty2748. In the Euripus of Eubœa, almost at the very mouth of it, are the four islands called Petaliæ2749; and, at its outlet, Atalante2750. The Cyclades and the Sporades are bounded on the east by the Asiatic shores of the Icarian Sea, on the west by the Attic shores of the Myrtoan Sea, on the north by the Ægean, and on the south by the Cretan and Carpathian seas, extending 700 miles in length, and 200 in breadth.

The Gulf of Pagasa2751 has in front of it Euthia2752, Cicynethus2753, Scyros, previously mentioned2754, and the very furthermost of the Cyclades and Sporades, Gerontia and Scandila2755; the Gulf of Thermæ2756, Iræsia, Solimnia, Eudemia, and Nea, which last is sacred to Minerva. Athos has before it four islands; Peparethus2757, formerly called Evœnus, with a city of that name, at a distance from Athos of nine miles; Sciathus2758, at a distance of fifteen, and Imbros2759, with a city of the same name, at a distance of eighty-eight miles. This last island is distant from Mastusia, in the Chersonesus, twenty-five miles; it is sixty-two2760 miles in circumference, and is washed by the river Ilisus. At a distance of twenty-two miles from it is Lemnos2761, being distant from Mount Athos eighty-seven; it is 112 miles in circumference, and has the cities of Hephæstia and Myrina2762; into the market-place of which last city Athos throws its shadow at the summer solstice. The island of Thasos2763, constituting a free state, is six miles distant from Lemnos; it formerly had the name of Aëria, or Æthria. Abdera2764, on the mainland, is distant from Thasos twenty-two miles, Athos sixty-two2765. The island of Samothrace2766, a free state, facing the river Hebrus, is the same distance from Thasos, being also thirty-two2767 miles from Imbros, twenty-two from Lemnos, and thirty-eight2768 from the coast of Thrace; it is thirty-two miles in circumference, and in it rises Mount Saoce2769, ten miles in height. This island is the most inaccessible of them all. Callimachus mentions it by its ancient name of Dardania.

Between the Chersonesus and Samothrace, at a distance of about fifteen miles from them both, is the island of Halonnesos2770, and beyond it Gethone, Lamponia, and Alopeconnesus2771, not far from Cœlos, a port2772 of the Chersonesus, besides some others of no importance. The following names may be also mentioned, as those of uninhabited islands in this gulf, of which we have been enabled to discover the names:—Desticos, Sarnos, Cyssiros, Charbrusa, Calathusa, Scylla, Draconon, Arconnesus, Diethusa, Scapos, Capheris, Mesate, Æantion, Pateronnesos, Pateria, Calate, Neriphus, and Polendos2773.