CHAPTER IV. NORTHERN GREECE. CHAP. IV. Division into ten districts.-I. MEGARIS, general description.-Hero- EUROPE. dotus's account.-Erroneously supposed to be the most westerly point in Greece. Topography: Megara, Nisaea, Scironian Way.-II. ATTICA, general description.-Ancient history: kings, archons.-Herodotus's account: origin of the Athenians.—Ionians enter Attica.-Ionian migration.-Athenians regarded as Ionian Pelasgians.-Manners, customs, etc.-Herodotus's description of Attica and Athens.--Four ancient divisions of the Athenians.-Re-classification into ten tribes.-Each tribe formed ten demi.-Three factions.-Public buildings, etc.: temple of Aeacus, sepulchre of Cimon, grotto of Pan, temple of Boreas, Enneacrunos, Barathron, temple of Heracles, Areiopagus, harbours of Phalerum, Munychia, and Piraeus.-The Acropolis, general description.-Herodotus's account: sanctuary of Aglaurus, ancient wooden hedge, Pelasgic wall, temple of Erectheus, the Serpent, the salt Spring, the sacred Olive, trophies in the Propylaea.-Topography: Eleusis, Marathon, Lipsydrium, Alopecae, Oenoe, Hysiae, Brauron, Decelea, Thoricus, Anaphlystus, Oropus, Pallene, Anagyrus, Aphidnae, Sphendale, Thriasian plain, Cape Sunium, Mount Laurium, Cape Colias, Zoster, Paeonia, Mount Hymettus, Mount Aegaleos, Mount Cithaeron, river Ilissus.— III. BOEOTIA, general description: History.-Herodotus's account: Cadmeans. Topography: Thebes, with the temple of Amphiaraus, the oracle, and the gifts of Croesus; Delium, Thespia, Eleon, Tanagra, river Thermodon, Coronaea, Lebadeia, Scolus, Acraephia, Orchomenus, Erythrae, Plataea.-General description of the Plataean territory.-View of the scene of the battle.-Plan of the battle: 1st position; 2nd position; 3rd position.-Sepulchres of the slain.-IV. PHOCIS, general description. General description of Delphi: Castalian spring, temple of Athene Pronaea, temple of Apollo, the oracle.-Herodotus's account of the temple, and its treasures: throne of Midas; silver offerings and golden bowls of Gyges; silver bowl and iron saucer of Alyattes.-Gifts of Croesus: 117 golden demi-plinths, golden lion, gold and silver mixing vessels, and other offerings.-Miscellaneous gifts from the Lacedaemonians, Euelthon, Phocians, Pausanias, and from the Greeks after the battle of Salamis.-Herodotus's description of Mount Parnassus.--Topography: route of the army of Xerxes.-V. LOCRIS, general description.-Eastern or Opuntian Locrians.-Western, or Locri Ozolae.-Herodotus's account of the Ozolae: Amphissa.-The Opuntian Locrians.-Thermopylae as described by Herodotus and including Malis:-enclosed by the Trachinian rocks; Anticyra; river Spercheius; river Dyras; river Melas; Trachis the widest part; ravine of the river Asopus; river Phoenix; narrowest part; Thermopylae; Anthela; temple of Demeter; seats of Amphictyons; hot springs; Phocian wall and gates; stone lion to Leonidas; Alpenus; the encampments; pass of Anopaea; inscriptions EUROPE. at Thermopylae.-VI. DORIS, mother country of the Dorians.—TopograCHAP. IV. phy: Pindus, Erineus.-VII. AETOLIA; Scattered notices.-VIII. ACARNANIA; river Achelous, Echinades islands, Anactorium, and Teloboae. -IX. THESSALY, general description.-Thessaly Proper, viz. Histiaeotis, Pelasgiotis, Phthiotis, and Thessaliotis. Two other districts, Magnesia and Malis.-Herodotus's account: Thessaly anciently a lake enclosed by Pelion and Ossa, Olympus, Pindus, and Othrys; formed by the rivers Peneus, Apidanus, Onochonus, Enipeus, Pamisus, and Lake Boebeis.Outlet at Tempe formed by an earthquake.-Tribes of Thessaly.-Pass of Tempe.-Pass of Gonnus.-Topography: Iolcus, Gonnus, Meliboea, Alos, Larissa, Casthanaea, Gulf of Magnesia.-X. EPIRUS, scattered notices in Herodotus.-Thesprotians, Molossians, Epidamnus, Ambraciots, and Apollonia.-Oracle at Dodona: Aegyptian tradition of its origin; Greek traditions; opinion of Herodotus. Division into ten districts. NORTHERN GREECE may be divided into ten districts, viz. Megaris, Attica, Boeotia, Phocis, Locris, (including Malis,) Doris, Aetolia, Acarnania, Thessaly, and Epirus. These included the whole territory from the isthmus to the Cambunian and Ceraunian mountains. Their relative position on the map was as follows. I. MEGARIS was a small mountainous district on the EUROPE. isthmus beyond Corinth, between the Corinthian and CHAP. IV. Saronic Gulfs. Its only plain was the one on which the city of Megara was situated. 7 2 6 9 8 I. MEGARIS scription. account. ly supposed ly point in Way. Megaris was conquered by the Athenians' under Herodotus's Pisistratus. Herodotus says it was the most westerly point of Europe reached by the Persians. This Erroneousstatement is incorrect, as the expedition against t Delphi proceeded much farther towards the west. most westerThe general course of the invaders, however, was Greece. from east to west; and Herodotus speaks of the farthest point of this course as if it were in fact the farthest point westward. The Megarians sent 20 ships to Artemisium and the same number to Salamis," and 3000 of their soldiers fought well at Plataea. Herodotus mentions the following places in Me- Topography garis. Megara, the capital, and native place of Megara. Eupalinus, who constructed the great aqueduct at Samos; Nisaea, which was taken by Pisistratus; Nisaea. [and was the port of Megara, and about 2 miles from the city;] and the Scironian Way, which was blocked Scironian up by the Peloponnesians during the Persian war. II. ATTICA is a triangular peninsula, having two of II. ATTICA. its sides washed by the sea, whilst a third is protected scription. by mountains. On the eastern side is the Aegean Sea; on the western is the Saronic Gulf. The base on the north is formed by the following mountains. The range which descends from Northern Greece forms a knot at the huge mass of Cithaeron, from which two chief branches run off. First, the Oenean mountains in a south-westerly direction through Megaris to the Scironian rocks on the Saronic Gulf. Secondly, Mount Parnes, in an easterly direction to the sea-coast. These two branches, with the central mass of Cithaeron, completely protect the Attic peninsula from the remainder of Greece. Through the range of Cithaeron and Parnes were three principal passes into Boeotia. The western was called the Three Heads by the Boeotians, and the Oak's 1 i. 59. 3 viii. 35-37. 7 iii. 60. 8 i. 59. 4 viii. 1. 5 viii. 45. 9 viii. 71. General de EUROPE. Heads by the Athenians. The central was called CHAP. IV. Phyle. The eastern was called Deceleia. The west and eastern passes are both mentioned in Herodotus. Other ranges descend into the interior under the names of Aegaleos, Hymettus, Laurium, etc. The whole territory of Attica is distributed into five natural divisions. (1.) The Eleusinian or Thriasian plain. (2.) The Athenian plain. (3.) The Diacria, or Highlands, including the plain of Marathon. (4.) The Mesogea, or midland district. (5.) The Paralía, or sea-coast district. Ancient his tory. Kings. Archons. At a very ancient period we find Attica governed by a line of kings apparently commencing with Cecrops and ending with Codrus. Cecrops lived a little before Deucalion: Codrus reigned for some time after the Dorian invasion of Peloponnesus. This monarchical period therefore extended from about B. c. 1550 to B. c. 1050. The most important princes of this mythical line were the following. CECROPS, the first king, called an autochthon, or earth-born. The Athenians called themselves autochthonous or aborigines. Cecrops civilized the Athenians, instituted marriage, divided Attica into twelve communities, and introduced a new mode of worship, inasmuch as he abolished bloody sacrifices to Zeus and substituted cakes. CRANAUS, who reigned at the time of the flood of Deucalion. AMPHICTYON, who married the daughter of Cra naus. ERECTHEUS. ION (?) the fabulous ancestor of the Ionians. Traditions say that the Athenians, in their war with the Eleusinians, called in the assistance of Ion, who accordingly became their king between the reigns of Erectheus and Codrus. THESEUS, who united the twelve communities established by Cecrops into one state, and made Athens the capital. CODRUS, the last king. After the death of Codrus the monarchy was abol ished, and the supreme executive power was vested EUROPE. in an archon. The office at first was hereditary and CHAP. IV. for life, and the succession of these perpetual and hereditary archons lasted from about B. c. 1050 to B. c. 680, commencing with Medon and terminating with Alcmaeon. After the death of Alcmaeon it was decreed that the archonship should be held for ten years only. Six archons followed in succession. Finally another change was effected. The archonship was declared to be a yearly office, and its duties were distributed amongst nine archons instead of one. The facts recorded of this period down to the legislation of Solon, B. c. 594, are few and uncertain. Draco, B. c. 621, was the author of the first written code of laws at Athens. He affixed the penalty of death to nearly every crime. Solon, B. C. 594, established another and a better system of legislation. The government as altered by him may be thus described: 1. Division of the people into four classes, according to property. Offices of state filled only by citizens of the first three classes. 3. Nine annual archons at the head of affairs. 4. Council of four hundred chosen annually by lot to debate upon all matters previously to their being submitted to the people. 5. The right of confirming the laws, electing magistrates, and debating all matters decided upon by the council of four hundred, was given to the people. 6. The council of the Areiopagus was restored and renovated. The Pisistratidae subsequently obtained the tyranny of Athens, but were expelled prior to the Persian war. 2 2. account. The Athenians were a Pelasgian race, who had Herodotus's settled in Attica from a very ancient period. First Origin of of all they were called Cranai; next under Cecrops the Athenithey were called Cecropidae; and then under Erectheus they were called Athenians. Their name and 1 1i. 56; vii. 161. 3 Herodotus 2 Cranaus, as we have seen, was posterior to Cecrops. therefore either followed a peculiar chronology, or else the name of Cranai was derived from the rough and rugged nature of the soil. 3 viii. 44. ans. |