Pliny the Elder, The Natural History, BOOK IV. AN ACCOUNT OF COUNTRIES, NATIONS, SEAS, TOWNS, HAVENS, MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, DISTANCES, AND PEOPLES WHO NOW EXIST OR FORMERLY EXISTED., CHAP. 3. (2.)

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CHAP. 3. (2.)—ÆTOLIA.

The peoples of Ætolia are the Athamanes¹, the Tymphæi², the Ephyri³, the Ænienses, the Perrhæbi⁴, the Dolopes⁵, the Maraces, and the Atraces⁶, in whose territory rises the river Atrax, which flows into the Ionian Sea. Calydon⁷ is a city of Ætolia, situate at a distance of seven miles from the sea, and near the banks of the river Evenus⁸. We then come to Macynia⁹, and Molycria, behind which lie Mounts Chalcis¹⁰ and Taphiassus. On the coast again, there is the promontory of Antirrhium¹¹, off which is the mouth of the Corinthian Gulf, which flows in and separates Ætolia from the Peloponnesus, being less¹² than one mile in width. The promontory which faces it on the opposite side is called Rhion¹³. The towns of Ætolia, however, on the Corinthian Gulf are Naupactus¹⁴ and Pylene¹⁵; and, more inland, Pleuron and Hali- cyrna¹⁶. The most famous mountains are Tomarus, in the district of Dodona, Crania¹⁷ in Ambracia, Aracynthus¹⁸ in Acarnania, and Acanthon¹⁹, Panætolium²⁰, and Macynium²¹, in Ætolia.

1 Pouqueville says that Athamania occupied the localities now known as Djoumerca and Radovitch. It properly belonged to Epirus, and Pliny makes a mistake in considering it as a part of Ætolia.

2 According to Pouqueville the ruins of Tymphæa are to be seen near the village of Paliouri, four miles from Janina.

3 Ephyre, a town of the Agreei, is also mentioned by Strabo, but nothing whatever is known of it.

4 The main body of the Perrhæbi were a people of Thessaly.

5 Dolopia, now called Anovlachia, was properly reckoned part of Epirus.

6 They are probably not the same people as the inhabitants of Atrax in Thessaly, which will be found mentioned in the 15th Chapter of this Book.

7 The most famous city of Ætolia in its day, and the residence of Œneus, father of Meleager and Tydeus, and grandfather of Diomedes. The greater part of its inhabitants were removed by Augustus to his new city of Nicopolis. Leake supposes its ruins to be those seen by him at Kurt-Aga, to the east of the river Evenus.

8 Now called the Fidaris.

9 Pouqueville supposes the site of Macynia to have been that of the modern Koukio-Castron, and that of Molycria the present Manaloudi.

10 Probably the present Varassova; there was a town called Chalcis, or Hypochalcis, at its foot. The present Kaki-Skala was probably the mountain of Taphiassus.

11 Opposite the Promontory of Rhium, at the entrance of the Corinthian Gulf. It is now called the Castle of Roumelia, or the Punta of the Dardanelles of Roum Ili.

12 Leake and Dodwell make it a mile and a half.

13 Or Rhium. It is now called the Castle of the Morea.

14 The modern Enebatché or Lepanto; whence the Corinthian Gulf takes its modern name.

15 Proschium was built at a later period on the site of Pylene. Its site appears to be unknown. The modern Kyra-tis-Irinis is thought to occupy the site of Pleuron.

16 Leake supposes some ruins between Kurt-aga, the site of Chalcedon, and the east end of the Lagoon of Missolonghi, to be the remains of Halicyrna.

17 Leake supposes it to be identical with the high mountain now called Kelberini. Others again identify it with Gribovo.

18 Pliny erroneously places this mountain in Acarnania. It was a range of Ætolia, now called Zygos.

19 Perhaps the modern Djourmerca.

20 Either the present Plocopari, or perhaps, more probably, Viena.

21 A part of Mount Taphiassus. It is mentioned only by Pliny.

The Natural History. Pliny the Elder. John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S. H.T. Riley, Esq., B.A. London. Taylor and Francis, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street. 1855.

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- The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, PORTUS IULIOBRIGENSIUM or Portus Victoriae Iuliobrigensium, Santander, Spain.
- The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, SUANCES (“Portus Blendium”) Santander, Spain.
- Harper's, Naulŏchus
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), AETO´LIA
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), BOEO´TIA
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), BULIS
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), CA´LYDON
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), CHALAEUM
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), CORSEIA
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), DRYMAEA
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), EUPA´LIUM
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), EVE´NUS
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), HALICYRNA
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), MACY´NIA
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), OEANTHEIA
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), PHAESTUS
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), PYLE´NE
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), SIPHAE
- Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), TRITAEA
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Pliny the Elder, The Natural History
John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S., H.T. Riley, Esq., B.A., Ed.

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CHAP. 3. (2.)—ÆTOLIA.

Pliny the Elder, The Natural History John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S., H.T. Riley, Esq., B.A., Ed.

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CHAP. 3. (2.)—ÆTOLIA.

Pliny the Elder, The Natural History
John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S., H.T. Riley, Esq., B.A., Ed.