360 DEFILE OF TEMPE. 
with white. Much of this substance has been 
used for the military road through the Defile of 
Tempe, and about the village of Ampeluhia. 
But the discovery of a natural deposit of this 
rare kind of marble, so near to the Peneiis, 
may be attended with other consequences than 
merely making known the locality of a curious 
mineral : it may throw some light over the 
dark recesses of Tempe, by pointing out the 
situation of one of its antient cities ; because 
we may now shew that Ampeldhia perhaps 
originally occupied the site of the antient 
Airahia. Atrakia, and that the original situation of 
Ampelcikia agreed with what Livy ' and Stephanus^ 
have told us of the antient city. Ampeldkia 
was formerly situate lower down, towards the 
defile ; but the inhabitants removed their village 
to these heights, owing to the incursions made 
upon them by the Turkish troops, in passing 
this way. The site of the old city Atrakia is 
manifested by this discovery of its green marble; 
because the Ferde-antico was called Atracian 
marble. There is a very curious and scarce 
(1) " Decern ferme millia ab Larissa abest : sita est urbs super 
Peneum amnem." Z/mi Hist. lib. xxxii. cap. 15. 
(2) "Argal km 'At^kxio. -roXis @t<riraXicc; rm niXiffyiurHos fioi^x;.^ 
S'tephan. de Urbib. p. 135. Amst. 1678. 
