no ATTICA. 



this range terminate* abruptly to the north of Rhamnus, on the sea- 

 coast opposite Kubcsa. 



According to the survey of Captain CopeUnd, the termination of 

 the range of Parnes may be placed at Cape Calamo, on the Euripiu*, 

 opposite to Cape Aliveri, in Euboea : above this cape to the west rues 

 an eminence (probably the ancient Phelleus) to the height of 2038 

 flit, and two. other jpointa in the range of Parnes (advancing westward 

 from the supposed Phelleus) are respectively 2758 and 4193 feet high. 

 A considerable part of Parnes is covered with forests of pine, oak, 

 arbutus, and wild pear-trees. 



The range of Parnes on the north and the Oneian range on the 

 north-west completely shut in the Attic peninsula, under which term 

 we include also the small plain of Megaris. There are two roads from 

 Corinth into the Megaris ; one, which is the shorter route, runs across 

 the mountains at Derveni ; the other runs to Calamaky on the Saronic 

 Gulf, and thence follows the Scironian pass, which at present only 

 admits a single vehicle for the greatest part of the way. Thin Sciro- 

 uian pass, which is the steep escarpment of the mountains which ter- 

 minate on the coast, U four leagues in length. (Thiersch. ii. 32.) 

 Megaris formed one of the four ancient divisions of Attica, and after 

 the death of Pandion it fell to the lot of his son Niaus. When the 

 Dorians invaded the Attic peninsula in the reign of Codrus, they were 

 only able to get possession of the Megaris, which however they kept, 

 and founded Megara, a Dorian city, on the confines of their Ionian 

 neighbours of Attica. The history of Megaris therefore requires a 

 separate consideration. [MzoARis.] 



A natural boundary separates Megaris from Attica properly no 

 called. A range of high land descends from the north-west boundary 

 of Attica and terminates on the west side of the Bay of Eleusis in two 

 summits (Strabo, p. 395) formerly called Kcratn, or the Horns, and 

 now Kandili, in 88 1' 53' N. lat, 23 28' 8" E. long. (Captain Cope- 

 land.) Another mountain range, which branches out from Parnes 

 and has a general southerly direction, terminates on the east side of 

 the Bay of Eleusis, and on the narrow strait which here separates the 

 mainland from the island of Salami*. The ancient name of this range 

 was <Bgal*o, a term also applied to its southern extremity, which 

 abate on the coast, and under which Xerxes sat to witness the sea-fight 

 ofSalamis. (Herod, viii. 90.) The name Corydallus was given to a part 

 of this range which terminates near the old ferry. (Strabo, p. 394.) 



Between the range of Kerate and that of jEgaleos lies the Eleusinian 

 Plain, one of the natural divisions of Attica. 



The Athenian Plain was frequently called merely ' the Plain ' (ri> 

 ritiof), but both the Athenian and the Eleusinian plains are some- 

 time* included under the general name of ' the Plain.' The Athenian 

 Plain U bounded by the range of ^Egaleos on the west. The eastern 

 boundary is formed by the mountains which run southward from 

 Parnes, and forming two mosses, terminate respectively in Cape Zoster, 

 and in the rocky promontory of Sunium, which is in 87 89' N. l.-it, 

 24 0' 68" E. long. Thus the transverse ranges of Kerata, .-Egalcoa, 

 and the mountains on the east side of the Athenian Plain, mark out 

 this province into three chief divisions, of which the third lies between 

 the eastern boundary of the Athenian Plain and the sea. 



There is no general name for the mountains which form the eastern 

 boundary of the Athenian Plain. The most northern part appears to 

 be the ancient Brilessui (Leake), but it was subsequently, as at present, 

 better known under the name of Pentelicus. The highest part of this 

 range, which lies N.E. from Athens, and near the eastern shore of 

 Attics, is 8884 feet Pentelicus consists of a mass of hard fine-grained 

 white marble, which supplied the materials for the public buildings of 

 Athens. The direction of this mountain mass is about south-east 

 towards the eastern shore, to which it approaches very close, a few 

 miles north of the Eruinus : it is separated from the range of Hymet- 

 tus by a depression about two miles in length. Hy mettus, the highest 

 point of which is 8604 feet, forms the eastern boundary of the Athenian 

 Plain down to the western coast. It is divided into two parts by a 

 depression; the northern or greater Hymettus U now called Telo 

 : ; and the southern, which formerly had the descriptive name 

 of Anhvdrus, or Waterless, is now called Mavro Vonni. 



A hilly district runs along the coast in a south-eastern direction from 

 the sotithrrn extremity of Hymettus to the mountains of Lauriun, 

 where the silver-mine* were once worked, and to the promontory of 

 M : thin hilly country also runs northward as far as the ancient 

 Brauron, which is near the eastern coast, and probably on the Erasinus. 

 The whole of this barren district was called by the general term of 

 Paralia, or the Sea-Coast District The small extent of level or 

 undulating country bounded by Pentelicus on the north, Hymettus on 

 the west, the hills of the Paralia on the south, and the sea on the east, 

 was named Mesogaia, or the Central Land, a name which is retained 

 in the .lightly-corrupted form of Mesogia. One road from the Athe- 

 nian Plain into the Mosogaia runs in the depression between the two 

 r* rt " * ; another road from the upper valley of the Cephisus 



leads into the Mesogaia between the heights of Pentelicus and the 

 north* HymeUui. That mountainous part of Attica which occupies 

 th* northeast angle of the province, between the southern extremity 

 of PenteUcus, the range of Parnes, and the sea, was called Diacria, a 

 nmroe which impli a region interspersed with rugged eminences. 

 Tht^ndr level jrt of this district is the small plain of Marathon 



ATTICA. Ml 



It appears then that Attica Proper, with respect to its plain* is 

 distributed into five natural divisions : 1, the Eleusinian or Thriaitian 

 Plain ; 2, the Athenian Plain ; 3, the Paralia ; 4, the Mesogaia ; 5, the 

 Plain of Marathon. The area of Attica may be roughly stated at 

 about 700 English square miles, not including Salamis, which perhaps 

 contains about 40 square miles. Though we now know the coast-line 

 of Attica with accuracy, we are still without that exact knowledge of 

 the inland boundaries which would enable us to avoid considerable 

 error in estimating the surface ; but taking it at 700 square miles, it 

 is nearly equal to that of Worcestershire (723 square miles), and only 

 about one-eighth of that of Yorkshire. 



The plain of Peiraike, or Oropia, lying between Parnes, the Asopus, 

 and the sea, contained the town of Oropus. Though physically sepa- 

 rated from the rest of Attica, and properly considered a part of 

 Bowtia, this district generally belonged to the Athenians. To settle 

 all disputes, Philip gave it to the Athenians after he had taken 



The sea-coast of Attica begins on the west side with the fine bay of 

 Eleusis, formed by the receding coast of the mainland and the irregu- 

 larly-shaped island of Salamis, which lies in front of it. Two narrow 

 channels, one on the east and the other on the west side of the island, 

 open into this deep landlocked bay, which presents the appearance of 

 a great lake ; the channel on the west is narrower and more intricate 

 than the eastern, which has sufficient depth of water for any ships. 

 The bay itself is a capacious haven, with a great depth of water. The 

 termination of the range of ^Egalcos on the Attic coast forms a hilly 

 peninsula opposite the eastern end of Salamis ; here Strabo places the 

 ferry, to which he assigns a breadth of two stadia, or about 

 English feet, but the width of the narrowest part of the channel is at 

 least 1250 yards. The small rocky island of Psyttaleia, the n.-i 

 which is connected with the great sea-fight of Salamis (Herod, viii. 95), 

 lies at the entrance of the eastern passage into the Bay of Eleusis. 



. 



Proceeding along the coast we come to the ports of Athens already 

 described [ATHENS] ; to the promontory Colios on the east side of 

 the Phalenc Bay, and to a low marshy shore or lagoon occupying a 

 large part of the coast between Coliaa and the Cape of llakr, now 

 Cape Pavlo. Between Halto and Zoster which forms the most remark- 

 able projection on this coast, are some small rocky islands (Leake), 

 which the Persian ships when flying from the battle of Salamis at 

 first sight mistook for the enemy's fleet; but Herodotus (viii. 97, l"7i 

 says, though he probably might be mistaken, that the heights which 

 appeared like ships were on the mainland. The position of Cape 

 AstypaUea seems to be indicated by the island of Eleussa (now 

 Lagonisi), which lies in front of it The extreme point of Attica, 

 Cape Sunium, is now called Colonnes, from the fourteen remaining 

 Doric columns of white marble which adorned the temple of Athena 

 of Sunium, the tutelary goddess of the land. Kimimn was made a 

 strong fort (Thucyd. viii 4), and the walls are still traceable in all 

 their circuit except in some parts, which owing to the precipitous 

 character of the rock needed no defence. The circuit of the inclosure 

 is above half a mile ; the temple occupied a small part of it close 

 upon the bold promontory, and appears to have had Propyloea, like 

 the great temple on the Acropolis. The length of the west coast of 

 Attica from the Horns to Colonues is about 60 miles. Strabo states 

 the distance from Peirams to Sunium at 330 stadia, which is very 

 nearly the true distance of about 40 miles. 



The east coast of Attica from the small bay of Sunium north- 

 ward is rugged and barren, rising into hills covered with trees and 

 brushwood ; the hills between Sunium and Thoricus arc the silver- 

 nine district of Laurium. Between Sunium and Thoricus i the 

 Bay of Panonmo, the ancient Panormus. Thoricus, now Theriko, 

 with its port Mandri was once a demos of some importance : the 

 traces of the fortifications Oten. ' Hcllen.' i. 2. 1), the ruins of a 

 theatre, and of a quadrangular building which was surrounded l>y a 

 Doric colonnade, still exist Dhaskslio is probably the port of tho 

 ancient demos of Potamus. Hafti, further north, a port of consider- 

 able size, appears to have belonged to the ancient Prasias. On a small 

 island in this bay there is a colossal statue of white marble in a sitting 

 posture, to which the modern name of Raftes, ' the Tailor,' ban been 

 given, and hence transferred to the bay. The Krasinus, tho only 

 stream that waters the Mesogaia, runs past Vraona, supposed to be 

 Brauron, and enters the sea three miles north of Port Kafti. About 

 ten miles north of the mouth of the Erasinus some offsets of 

 Pentelicus come close upon the coast, forming tho south and south- 

 western boundary of the plain of Marathon ; the north and north- 

 eastern boundary seems to be formed by the offsets of Parnes and 

 Cape Stoini, conjecture) by Leake to be the ancient Cynosura. The 

 name Marathon which originally belonged to one of the four towns 

 -..!: K formed the Totrnpolis, was afterwards used a* a general name 

 for tli- whole district [MARATHON.] North of Marathon, on the 

 coast, we find at Ovrio Castro the remains of the ancient Rhamnus 

 and of the temple of Nemesis. Parts of a colossal figure found 

 there are supposed to be the remains of the statue of Nemesis whieh 

 was the work of I'hidias (Pausan. i 33). Tho words <' 

 seem to imply that there was a road along th> n HliiiinniM 



liis road must have passed Pa|'liH, "lii'li ''ol'.n.-l Leake. 

 place at Calamo. The coast line from Sunium to Calamo is 



