صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

far as the highest quarries, whence | summer. The plane-trees and the you proceed over the mountain sides shady banks of the Ilissus, immorcovered with rocks and brushwood. talized by the description in the As we approached the summit of the mountain, the scenery, which charmed us during our ascent, became grand and imposing in the extreme; and from the highest rock, which crowns the mountain like some Druidical cromlech on the granite Tors of Devonshire and Cornwall, the plain of Marathon and the other memorable scenes which compose the panorama opened at once upon our view. The prospect towards Marathon is remarkable for its magnificent combination of scenery. A series of undulating hills slopes gradually down from the summit of Pentelicus to the western extremity of the plain. The line of sea-coast which bounds it on the S. forms a deep semicircle, terminating at the eastern end in a long, low promontory."-Blewitt.

2. Mount Hymettus, which bounds the plain of Athens on the S.E. affords an agreeable excursion, and one may ride to very nearly the highest point, 3506 ft. above the sea-level. The view from here is very extensive; but if the traveller has not time to ascend both mountains, he should prefer Pentelicus. The two heights are separated by a depression about 2 m. in length; and Mount Hymettus itself is divided by a remarkable break into two parts, the northern or greater Hymettus (Trelo-vuno*) and the southern or lesser Hymettus (Mavro- vuno), which formerly bore also the name of Anhydrus, or the Waterless. The main branch of the Ilissus rises at the northern extremity of Hymettus, and receives near the Lyceum, on the E. side of Athens, the Eridanus, a smaller rivulet, rising on the western slope of Hymettus at a spot called Syriáni. The united stream flows towards the Phaleric Bay; but it scarcely ever reaches the sea, and in the neighbourhood of Athens is always dry in the

Mount Hymettus is, in correct Italian, Monte Imetto: this came to be corrupted into Monte Matto, which appellation was re-translated literally into Tpeλoßovvó, the Romaic for Mad Mountain.

Phædrus of Plato, have been suc-
ceeded by sunburnt rocks and stunted
bushes. The source at Syriani is a
beautiful spot, and is apparently that
celebrated in the passage of Ovid
(Ar. Am., iii. 687), beginning-
"Est prope purpureos colles florentis Hymetti
Fons sacer, et viridi cespite mollis humus."
We find accordingly the vestiges of
several demi on the slopes of Hy-
mettus (see Leake's 'Demi,' § 2).
Above the hamlet of Kará in a hol-
low, just below the highest summit
on the S., is a small convent, a con-
venient resting-place on the ascent.
Near this spot may be observed traces
of the quarries of white and grey
stone which was so much worked by
the Romans. It appears from Pliny
that Hymettus possessed mines of
silver, and vestiges of some of the
shafts may still be seen. "All these
works ceased with the Roman govern-
ment; but nature remains the same;
the bees continue to extract its natural
riches from the surface of Hymettus,
and produce from the fragrant herbs
of its dry and scanty soil the excellent
honey for which the mountain was
anciently renowned. Nonnus, an
Egyptian poet, and Synesius, a bishop
of the Cyrenaica, have recorded the
fame of the Attic honey in the 5th
centy., when little else could be said
of Athens; it is still superior to that
of the surrounding provinces of Greece,
and the Hymettian apiaries are re-
puted to furnish the best in Attica."—
Leake.

The Grotto in the southern extremity of Hymettus, near Bari (the ancient Anagyrus), is described in Rte. 3.

3. Phyle. The excursion to Phyle deserves to be strongly recommended, on account of magnificence of scenery as well as historical associations. Phyle is situated about 12 or 13 m. N.W. of Athens, near the summit of the most central of the three chief passes which lead over

Mount Parnes into Boeotia. The defile; it passes the village of western pass is that by Eleusis and Chassia, 1 hr. from Phyle; and, Eleuthera, and the eastern that by as it gradually ascends, the scenery Dekelea. The excursion from Athens continues to increase in wild beauty. to Phyle and back need not occupy Above Chassia, the first traces of the more than 7 or 8 hrs. Or one may great care with which this important proceed to Thebes by this route, pass was fortified by the Athenians, going in a light carriage as far as are the foundations of a tower at the the foot of Parnes; but the rest of junction of a by-road which leads on the journey must be performed on the rt. to the Monastery of the Trinity, horseback. From Phyle to Thebes is and thence to Tatoë, or Dekelea, at the 8 hrs.; so the traveller may ride by beginning of the eastern pass over this route from Athens to Thebes in Mount Parnes (Rte. 8). At a few one long day; but it is better to minutes' distance short of Phyle, are divide the journey into two portions, the foundations of another ancient by sleeping at the Monastery, half an tower. hour from Phyle, or at the village of The castle of Phyle stands on a Chassia. It is a ride of 5 hrs. from precipitous rock, which can only be Phyle to Marathon direct, or of 9 hrs. approached by a ridge on the eastern passing by Dekelea. A triangular ex-side; a very strong position, as Xenocursion may be made from Athens; the first day to Marathon; the second to Phyle (sleeping at Chassia); returning to the capital (or proceeding to Thebes) on the third day.

phon (Hellen., ii. 4) has remarked, and which the gallant 70 exiles might well maintain against the assaults of the forces of the Thirty Tyrants. The whole circuit of the ancient walls still remains; and, in some places, is of considerable height, with towers and bastions: they are built of very regular masonry, but are tenanted only by goatherds with their flocks. The paths to the two gates exemplify the mode in which the Greeks managed the approaches to their forti

The road from Athens passes northward of the Academy, crosses the Kephissus, and then passes at a little distance from the village of Menidhi, which Leake believes to be the site of the demus of Panida (the conversion of II into M being frequent in Romaic), though it is generally identified with Acharna, which stood in this neigh-fications, so as to oblige the enemy bourhood. There are Hellenic remains to expose the right side of his body, of a m. to the W. of Menidhi, but which was unprotected by the shield. the exact position of Acharna is not Phyle is memorable in the annals of known. The name is familiar, from Greece as the place first seized by one of the plays of Aristophanes Thrasybulus and his comrades in bearing the name of Acharnians. It B.C. 404, and from which they comwas from the woods of the neighbour-menced the operations which ended in ing Parnes that the Acharnians were the restoration of liberty to Athens. enabled to carry on that trade in char- "Spirit of Freedom! when on Phyle's brow coal for which they were noted, and which is now pursued by the inhabitants of the village of Chassia, in the pass of Phyle, standing probably on the site of the demus Chasticis. Acharnæ possessed a fertile territory; its population was warlike; and it furnished at the commencement of the Peloponnesian war 3000 hoplites, a tenth of the infantry of the Athenian commonwealth.

Thou sat'st with Thrasybulus and his train, Coud'st thou forebode the dismal hour which now

Dims the green beauties of thine Attic plain?'

Beyond Phyle, towards the summit of the ridge of Parnes, and to the 1. of the modern path, are the ruins of another fortress, which Leake identifies with Harma. The highest points of Mount Parnes lie between the Leaving the plain, the road to passes of Phyle and Dekelea; one of Thebes, by Phyle, enters a rugged | the summits rises to the height of 4193

ft. The road into Boeotia, after passing | building, doubtless the Temple of the W. of the ridge, descends into a Apollo, mentioned by Pausanias. Imstony upland plain, which appears mured in one of the walls of the church to have been the frontier district of there were formerly three fluted Ionic Panactum, long a Debateable Land columns, which were removed by Lord between the Boeotians and the Athe- Elgin in 1801; the capitals of these nians. Thence the road descends into columns, a base, and a part of one of the plain of Boeotia, across which it the shafts, are in the British Museum. leads to Beyond the Temple of Apollo was a Temple of Venus, of which the foundations remain at the distance of less than a mile from Daphne. Doves of white marble have been discovered at the foot of the rocks; and in the

Thebes (Rte. 4).

niches, the words Þíλn Appodíτn may be read. Remains may also be observed of the "wall of rude stones," which Pausanias mentions as having been in front of this temple.

4. Pass of Daphne, Eleusis, &c.-A good carriage-road, passing the Botanical Gardens to the 1., leads from Athens to Eleusis. The traveller inscriptions still visible under the should drive at least to the Pass of Daphne; so the defile in Mount Egaleos, affording communication between the Athenian and Eleusinian plains, is called-perhaps from a grove of laurel (dápvn), which may have been a feature of the pass. It is the ancient Pakitum. The road from Athens crosses the Kephissus and the olive-groves on its banks, and probably follows the same line as the ancient Sacred Way along which the processions moved to Eleusis, and of which some traces are visible. An insulated hill, crowned by ach. of St. Elias, stands a little in advance of the pass towards Athens, and is remarkable for its conspicuous position and form. The pass itself is a narrow rocky gorge; it is important in a military point of view, as it forms the direct approach to Athens from the Peloponnesus, and at the same time is easily defensible. Hence there may here be traced remains of fortifications of various epochs, from ancient Hellenic towers down to the rude breastworks of loose stones erected during the Greek War of Inde-nated by the victors. pendence. Looking back from the entrance of the defile, there is the finest view of Athens, its plain, and the surrounding mountains. (See Rte. 15.)

At the western extremity of a level space which forms the narrowest and highest part of the pass, stands the Monastery of Daphne, now partly in ruins. Both the church and the enclosing walls are built for the most part of squared blocks of marble, which had formed part of some Hellenic

As we descend the pass, a glorious prospect opens of the Bay of Eleusis, which appears a lake, being completely landlocked by the island of Salamis and the opposite coasts and mountains. It is a delightful excursion thus far from Athens, and from here a person on horseback may turn to the 1. and reach the Piræus, keeping close to the shore of the Gulf, and immediately under the slopes of Mount Egaleos. One may thus pass by the strait where the battle of Salamis was fought, and under the "rocky brow" identified by tradition with the seat of Xerxes during the engagement. The islet at the entrance of the Bay is Psyttalea, which was occupied by a Persian detachment, there stationed to destroy the Greeks who, it was expected, would be driven on shore on the island, but which was extermi

From the bottom of the pass of Daphne, the ancient Sacred Way and the modern carriage-road to Eleusis, cross the Thriasian Plain, so called from the demus of Thria. Close to the sea, near the end of the defile, may be observed the Rheiti, or salt-springs, which once formed the boundary between the Athenians and the Eleusinians, and now turn a mill. Half a mile beyond the Rheiti was the Tomb of Strato, of which some ruins still remain. Among the many beautiful

66

bays which adorn the winding shores
of Greece, there is none more remark-
able than that of Eleusis. Formed on
the eastern, northern, and western
sides by a noble sweep of the Attic
coast, it is closed on the S. by the nor-
thern shore of the island of Salamis,
which being separated only from the
mainland at either end by a narrow
tortuous channel, has the appearance of
being a continuation of the mountains
of Attica which surround the other
sides of the amphitheatre, and thus
the Bay in every direction resembles
a beautiful lake. For modern pur-
poses, however, the Bay of Salamis is
more useful as a harbour."-Leake.
The island of Salamis is mostly
rugged and barren, but some parts
of it are well suited for the vine and
olive, and the honey is abundant and
excellent. This island has always in
historical times been a dependency of
Attica, though it was originally colo-tory of Greece,' vol. i. p. 38.
nized from Ægina. Traces of the

side in the guise of an old woman,
she was found by the daughters of
Keleos, who came hither with their
pails of brass for water.
. . The
damsels prevailed upon their mother,
Metaneira, to receive her, and to
entrust her with the nursing of the
young Demophoôn, their late-born
brother. The child throve and grew
up like a god, to the delight and
astonishment of his parents: she gave
him no food, but anointed him daily
with ambrosia, and plunged him at
night in the fire like a torch, where
he remained unburnt. She would
have rendered him immortal, had she
not been prevented by the indiscreet
curiosity and alarm of Metaneira,
who secretly looked in at night and
shrieked with horror at the sight of
her child in the fire. The indignant
goddess now revealed her true cha-
racter to Montaneira."-Grote's His-

ancient city may be observed near "Eleusis was built at the eastern
the modern Ampelakia. The village end of a low rocky height, a mile in
of Kulúri, and one or two small ham-length, which lies parallel to the sea-
lets, contain the present scanty popu-
lation of the island which Homer re-
cords to have sent 12 ships to the
Trojan War.

shore, and is separated to the W. from the falls of Mount Kerata by a narrow branch of the plain. The eastern extremity of the hill was levelled artificially for the reception of the Hierum Eleusis, the birthplace of Eschylus, of Demeter (Ceres) and the other sacred is still a considerable village. This buildings. Above these are the ruins very ancient city is supposed to have of an Acropolis. (Castellum, quod et derived its name from the advent imminet, et circumdatum est templo.(λevois) of Ceres, who, with Proser- Livy, xxxi. 25.) A triangular space of pine, was worshipped here with annual about 500 yds. each side, lying between processions and the celebrated Eleu- the hill and the shore, was occupied sinian Mysteries, said to have been by the town of Eleusis. On the eastern prescribed by Ceres herself, under side, the town wall is traced along the the following circumstances:-"Dê- summit of an artificial embankment mêtêr was inconsolable at the disap-carried across the marshy ground from pearance of her daughter, but knew some heights near the Hierum, on one not where to look for her: she wan- of which stands a castle (built during dered for nine days and nights with the middle ages of the Byzantine torches in search of the lost maiden. empire. This wall, according to a She renounced Zeus and the common practice in the military archisociety of Olympus, abstained from tecture of the Greeks, was prolonged nectar and ambrosia, and wandered into the sea, so as to form a mole on earth in grief and fasting until sheltering a harbour, which was enher form could no longer be known. tirely artificial, and was formed by In this condition she came to Eleusis, this and two other longer moles which then governed by the Prince Keleos. project about 100 yds. into the sea. Sitting down by a well at the way-There are many remains of walls and

buildings along the shore, as well as | the plain. The Emperor Hadrian

in other parts of the town and citadel; but they, are mere foundations, the Hierum alone preserving any considerable remains."-Leake.

Upon approaching Eleusis from Athens, the first conspicuous object is a dilapidated pavement, terminating in heaps of ruins, the remains of a propylæum, of very nearly the same plan and dimensions as that of the Acropolis of Athens. Before it, near the middle of a platform cut in the rock, are the ruins of a small temple, 40 ft. long and 20 broad, which was undoubtedly the temple of Artemis Propylæa. The peribolus which abutted on the propylæum, formed the exterior inclosure of the Hierum. At a distance of 50 ft. from the propylæum was the north-eastern angle of the inner inclosure, which was in shape an irregular pentagon. Its entrance was at the angle just mentioned, where the rock was cut away both horizontally and vertically to receive another propylæum much smaller than the former, and which consisted of an opening 32 ft. wide between two parallel walls of 50 ft. in length. Towards the inner extremity, this opening was narrowed by transverse walls to a gateway of 12 ft. in width. Near this spot lay, until the year 1801, the colossal bust of Pentelic marble, crowned with a basket, which is now deposited in the public library at Cambridge. It has been supposed to be a fragment of the statue of the goddess Ceres; but some antiquaries consider it to have been rather that of a Cistophorus, serving for some architectural decoration, like the Caryatides of the Erechtheum. The temple of Ceres, designed by Ictinus, architect of the Parthenon, was the largest in all Greece. Its site is occupied by the centre of the modern village, in consequence of which it is impossible to investigate the details of the building. Eleusis has in all ages been exposed to inundations from the (Eleusinian) Kephissus, which, though dry during summer, is sometimes swollen in winter and spreads itself over a large part of

raised some embankments near Eleusis, of which the mounds are visible; most probably it is to the same Emperor that Eleusis was indebted for a supply of good water by means of the aqueduct, the ruins of which stretch across the plain in a north-easternly direction from here.

From Eleusis there is a carriageroad to Megara, whence there are two horse-tracks, one along the mountain ridge, the other near the sea, both of which lead to Corinth (Rtes. 14, 15).

The carriage-road from Athens to Thebes leaves the sea at Eleusis, and mounts, by a very picturesque gorge, over Mount Kitharon-a continuation of the range of Parnes. The Khan of Casa is a convenient resting-place, about 2 hours' journey from Eleusis. This pass from Attica into Boeotia was known as the Three Heads, as the Boeotians called it, or the Oak's Heads, according to the Athenians (Herod. ix. 38). On the Attic side the defile was guarded by a strong fortress, of which the ruins form a conspicuous object on the summit of a height. They bear the name of Ghyphto-kastro, or Gipsy Castle, a name frequently given to such buildings by the Greek peasants. These remains were identified with Eleuthere, but Leake believes Ghyphtokastro to be the site of Enoe, and that Eleuthera was situated at Myúpoli, about 4 m. to the S.E.

From the summit of the pass is an extensive prospect over the plain of Boeotia. To the left of the northern entrance are the ruins of Plataa; 6 or 7 m. across the plain lies

Thebes. (See Rte. 4.)

5 Ægina. (See Rte. 22.)
6 Marathon. (See Rte. 4.)

« السابقةمتابعة »