572 



THE TROAD 



from the twenty-fourth book, v. 349., in the account of Priam's jour- 

 ney to the tents of Achilles. My own opinion was, that the ancient 

 mouth of the Mendere had probably been altered, and that the Sto- 

 malimne and marshes nearer to Rhseteum had at some time received 

 it. The difficulties already mentioned induced me to adopt Cheva- 

 lier's system, which places Troy at Bounarbachi in preference to 

 Tchiblak, where, however, I conceive that Strabo found the Pagus 

 Hiensium. The rocks of the Acropolis alluded to in the Odyssey, 

 ©. 507., exist only (if they exist at all) in that direction. The station 

 of the scout Polites upon the tomb of iEsyetes corresponds with this 

 view of the subject. If Troy was at Bounarbachi, it would not only 

 be the point from whence a survey of the Grecian position would 

 naturally be taken, but one from which his swiftness of foot would 

 secure him a retreat; but if we place the city at Tchiblak, the banks 

 and waters of the Mendere would intervene, and his distance from 

 the city would be nearly equal to that of the Greeks themselves. 



Of the nature of the rivers in question, and of the plain, I would 

 observe, that you have, perhaps too hastily, adopted an idea that the 

 principal battles were fought in the Simoisian plain, in contradiction 

 to Homer, who, though he places the scene of action for several books 

 between the Simois and Scamander, or between the Scamander and the 

 ships, always, I think, designates it by the title of the Scamandrian 

 plain, which also was nearest to the camp and ships. B. v. 469. 

 The Grecians are described as issuing from the camp, and forming 

 their army, lu Xsipcovi Zxapuvfyta uvQeposvn, and the Trojans at the 

 sepulchre of Myrinna. (Ibid. 815.) The subsequent battle was fought 

 between the Simois and Scamander (z. v. 4.), and nearer to the Sca- 

 mander than to the Simois, if Heyne be correct in his note on the 

 II. E. v. 775. vol. i. p. 297., where Juno and Minerva descend at the 

 confluence of the two rivers. Indeed they leave their car and horses 

 on the banks of Simois, before they proceed to the plain, v. 777. 

 This is the scene of the first battle, and the second begins in the same 

 position ; but the Grecians being driven to their ships, the Trojan 

 are, we find, in the eighth book, II. 0. v. 556., between the ships and 

 the Xanthus, or Scamander, which last river of course they must have 



