was formed by two tributary streams flowing down EUROPE. the slopes of Cithaeron, about 3 stadia apart, into CHAP. IV. the river Oëroe, which was called by the neighbouring inhabitants, the daughter of Asopus.' The island was 10 stadia distant from the Asopus and the fountain Gargaphia. Accordingly at night the Greek forces prepare to decamp. It will be remembered that their right wing was formed by the Lacedaemonians, the left by the Athenians, and the centre by the other Greek nations. The centre now proceeded beyond the island of Oëroe to the temple of Hera, which stood by the city of Plataea, and about 20 stadia from Gargaphia. The right wing, composed of Lacedaemonians, next marched 10 stadia along the hills to the river Moloeis, at a place called Argiopius, where stood a temple of the Eleusinian Demeter. The left wing, composed of Athenians, retired in the same direction along the plain. This 3 brooks uniting into one stream, and this is probably all that the historian meant by an island. His description of it as formed by two streams which were separated from one another in Mount Cithaeron, and were afterwards united, is entirely conformable to present appearances. If he had intended a real island, it would not have been necessary for him to make any mention of the two branches in Mount Cithaeron, since the separation of the waters of a single stream and their reunion would have been sufficient to form the island. It is easy to imagine that the Plataeans may have distinguished this part of their plain by the name of Island, although it was in reality no more than a peninsula. The ambiguity of the passage has not been diminished by the translators of Herodotus, who, by referring the word oi to vñoog instead of to Toraμòs, have represented Oeroe as the name of the island, whereas the historian, in describing the island as the place (x@pov) which Oeroe the daughter of Asopus surrounds, (Tepixierai,) clearly shows Oeroe to have been the river. Their mistake may have partly arisen from the belief that the river which formed the island was a branch of the Asopus, a very natural supposition for them to have made in ignorance of the real topography, as Herodotus nowhere indicates the contrary, and as it is greatly favoured by the local mythus, according to which Oeroe was the daughter of Asopus. We find however, as before stated, that although the sources of the Asopus and Oeroe are very near to one another, they are not only separate rivers, but flow in opposite directions, the former to the Euboic channel, the latter to the Corinthian gulf. Leake. It is surprising how difficult it is to eradicate the mistakes concerning the river Oeroe and the island even from our recent geographical works. The river Oëroe is sometimes mentioned as a branch of the Asopus, and the island has often been represented as having been formed by the Asopus. It is however to be hoped that the scholar will find no greater mistakes in the present volume. 2 ix. 51. 3 ix. 52. 4 ix. 56, 57. EUROPE. was the third position. Meantime Mardonius crossed CHAP. IV. the Asopus, with all his army. His Persians and Sepulchres of the slain. IV. PHOCIS General description. cavalry fell upon the Lacedaemonians, whilst the Boeotians and other allies, who formed his right wing, attacked the Athenians. The Greek centre, who were drawn up by the temple of Hera, took no part in the battle." 2 The sepulchres of the Greeks who were slain were still to be seen in the time of Herodotus on the field of battle. The Lacedaemonians distributed their dead into three several burial-places: one for the select warriors or officers; a second for the rest of the Spartans; and a third for the helots. The Tegeans buried theirs in a separate spot; as also the Athenians, Megareans, and Phliasians. Sepulchres of other Hellenic nations were also to be seen, which Heredotus was informed were only empty mounds thrown up by those who were ashamed of their absence from the battle. For instance, that of the Aeginetans was thrown up ten years after the victory. Mardonius was also buried there, and his funeral monument was still to be seen in the time of Pausanias." IV. PHOCIS was bounded by Boeotia on the east, the Locri Opuntians on the north, Doris and the Locri Ozolae on the west, and the Corinthian Gulf on the south. A mountain range traverses it in a south-easterly direction, connecting the rugged chain of Oeta with Cithaeron and Parnes, and including the lofty summits of Parnassus. Northern Phocis, or the country between Parnassus and Oeta, includes the upper valley of the river Cephissus. In some parts the banks are fertile, but in others the heights approach very near to the river. Southern Phocis is almost entirely covered with the mountains which branch off to the south from the huge mass of Parnassus, but there are a few fertile valleys between them, 1 ix. 59-69. 2 The critical student has a choice of readings, but Ipivec is generally adopted. The Ipέveç of Herodotus however were certainly not youths, but commanders. Amompharetus, in particular, was lochagus of the Pitanetan lochus. 4 ix. 84. 5 Paus. ix. 2, 2. 3 ix. 85. of which the largest is the celebrated Crisaean plain. EUROPE. The early history of the Phocians is comparatively CHAP. IV. unknown, but they appear to have been frequently engaged in hostilities with the Thessalians, and were successful in maintaining their independence. Their territory was dreadfully ravaged by Xerxes during the Persian war. scription of Athene Apollo. The small town of Delphi was the most important General dein Phocis, and on account of its oracle of Apollo was Delphi. also the most celebrated in all Hellas. It occupied a rocky theatre-shaped position on the southern slope of Parnassus, and was reached by a steep and difficult road. On its north were two great cliffs with Castalian peaked summits, and from between the two issued spring. the waters of the Castalian spring. It contained the temple of Athene Pronaea, with the adjoining pre- Temple of cinct of the hero Phylacus; but above all, the great Pronaea. temple of Apollo occupied a large space in the high- Temple of est point of the city. Immense treasures were contained in this temple. Kings and private persons who had received favourable replies from the oracle presented rich offerings; and many of the Greek states had separate thesauri, in which they deposited for the sake of security many of their valuable treasures. In the innermost sanctuary, or adytum, was the golden statue of Apollo, and before it a fire of fir wood was kept constantly burning on an altar. Laurel was also burnt as incense on the altar, and the inner roof of the temple was covered all over with laurel garlands. In the centre of the temple The oracle. there was a small opening in the ground, through which from time to time an intoxicating smoke arose from the hidden well of Cassotis. Over this chasm stood a high tripod, to which the Pythia was led by the prophetes, and took her seat whenever the oracle was to be consulted. The smoke rising from under the tripod affected her brain in such a manner that she fell into a state of delirious intoxication, and the sounds which she uttered in this state were believed to contain the revelations of Apollo. These sounds were carefully written down by the prophetes, and EUROPE. afterwards communicated to the persons who had CHAP. IV. come to consult the oracle.1 Herodotus's account of the temple and its treasures. Throne of The old temple of Delphi was burnt down by an accident. The Amphictyons then contracted to build a new one for 300 talents. The Delphians were required to furnish one-fourth of this sum, and accordingly went from city to city to raise contributions. In Aegypt the king, Amasis, gave them 1000 talents of alum, and the Hellenic settlers there contributed 20 minas.2 Afterwards the Alcmaeonidae undertook alone to rebuild the temple; and being wealthy men, they completed it in a more beautiful manner than the plan required. In particular, they built the front of Parian marble, though, according to the contract, they might have used Porine stone.3 Herodotus, who had evidently visited Delphi, mentions the following curiosities and rich offerings in the sanctuary, together with the names of the donors. Midas, king of Phrygia, was the first barbarian who dedicated offerings at Delphi. He gave the Silver offer- royal throne on which he sat. Next after him was Gyges, king of Lydia, who sent most of the silver offerings contained in the temple, together with a vast quantity of gold, including six golden bowls weighing 30 talents. The Delphians called these articles Gygadian gold and silver, from the name of the donor. The bowls of Gyges and the throne of Midas stood together in the Corinthian treasury, which, however, was not built at the cost of the state, but by the celebrated Cypselus son of Eetion. Afterwards Alyattes, another Lydian king, on recovering from sickness, dedicated a large silver bowl, with a saucer of iron inlaid, made by Glaucus the Chian, who invented the art of inlaying iron. "This object," says our author, "is deserving of more attention than all the other offerings at Delphi." But the most brilliant and costly gifts in the temple appear to have been those of the unfortunate Croesus. This mon ings and golden bowls of Gyges. Silver bowl and iron saucer of Alyattes. Gifts of 1 Dr. Smith, Dict. of Gr. and Rom. Antiquities, art. Oraculum. Comp. Leake's Northern Greece, vol. ii. p. 551, et seq. 2 ii. 180. 3 v. 62. 5 i. 25. 4 vi. 14. 117 golden plinths. silver mixing-vessels. arch dedicated 117 golden demi-plinths, or half-in- EUROPE. gots, each of which were 6 palms long, 3 broad, CHAP. IV. and 1 thick. Four of them were of pure gold, and weighed 2 talents and a half each: the remainder demiwere of pale or alloyed gold, and weighed 2 ta- Golden lents each. He also gave a lion made of refined lion. gold, which originally weighed 10 talents, and stood on the demi-plinths. When, however, the temple was burnt down, the lion fell from the demi-plinth. In the time of our author it was standing in the Corinthian treasury, and weighed only 6 talents and a half, as 3 talents and a half had been melted from it.' Croe- Gold and sus also sent two mixing-cups, one of gold and the other of silver, which were placed at the entrance of the temple-the golden one on the right hand, and the silver one on the left. After the fire, however, they were removed: the golden one, weighing 8 talents and a half and 12 minas, was placed in the treasury of Clazomenae; and the silver one, which would contain 600 amphorae, lay in a corner of the vestibule. The silver one was used by the Delphians for mixing the wine on the Theophanian festival, and they say that it was made by Theodorus the Samian. Herodotus also thought that this was the case, as it appeared to him to be no common work. Croesus likewise dedicated four Other offersilver vessels which stood in the Corinthian treasury, Croesus. and two lustral vases, one of gold and the other of silver. The golden one bore the inscription, Aakedalμονίων, "of the Lacedaemonians," who said that it was their present; but this was incorrect, for a Delphian, whom Herodotus could name if he pleased, engraved the inscription in order to please the Lacedaemonians. Many other offerings he also sent without any inscription, including some spherical-shaped ewers of silver; a golden statue of a female 3 cubits high, which the Delphians said was an image of the Artocopus, or baker, of Croesus; and the necklaces 1 i. 50. 2 3 2 Probably because they were of inferior value. 3 The importance here ascribed to a baker is perfectly in keeping with the manners of despotic eastern courts. The officers of the Turkish ings of |