THE TROAD. 



579 



"IKt] or F*xF)7, « turma," a troop j that it was the place of exercise, the 

 Campus Martius, beyond the city, and that in that situation it exists 

 in the opening plain about Arablar. This interpretation was suggested 

 to me by my friend Mr. Payne Knight, and strongly confirms our 

 system. Be this as it may, the plain alluded to must be sought in the 

 direction of Ida, and the real geography of the country round 

 Bounarbachi appears to me to explain that of Agenor's meditation. 

 The dingle which intervenes between Bounarbachi and the tombs 

 need not create a difficulty in assigning that situation to the Acropolis. 

 If I recollect right, it does not cut off entirely Bounarbachi from the 

 hill ; and if it did, there is no proof in Homer that such an inter- 

 ruption did not intervene. It was so in other ancient cities ; as for 

 instance, between the Acropolis of Argos and the lower town on the 

 Aspis or Phoronean hill. 



I have now gone through what I thought might throw light on this 

 intricate subject, and have, I fear, tired you with a twice-told tale. 

 I have reconsidered a subject I once paid much attention to, and am 

 not sorry for an opportunity to retract some of my former errors, as, 

 I assure you, I attach no vanity to the maintaining contrary to con- 

 viction one word that I have inconsiderately written. I will conclude 

 then, as you have done, with a view of the present state of our united 

 discoveries. 



The river Mendere is the Scamander of Strabo, and Xanthus of 

 Pliny, who however gives the name of Scamander to a small river 

 now flowing into the iEgaean, south of the Sigsean promontory. The 

 Scamander of Homer was that small river which in his time flowed 

 into the Mendere, and gave its name to it. The Mendere above the 

 junction was Homer's Simois, and descends from Ida. 



The plain on the north-east side of the Mendere was the Simoisian 

 plain, that on the south-west the Scamandrian, in which the battles 

 were chiefly fought. 



The ruins of Palseo Califat I believe to have been those of the 

 Ilium of Strabo, but his description is attended with some obscurity. 

 Eastward is Strabo's Throsmos, which however disagrees completely 

 with Homer's description of that mound. 



4e 2 



