Strabo Geography 8.7.5

[5] Each of the twelve divisions consisted of seven or eight communities, so populous was the country. Pellene is situated sixty stadia above the sea, and it is a strong fortress. But there is also a village Pellene, from which come the Pellenic cloaks, which they were also wont to set up as prizes at the games; it lies between Aegium and Pellene. But Pellana is different from these two; it is a Laconian place, and its territory inclines, approximately, towards the territory of Megalopolis. Aegeira is situated on a hill. Bura, which was swallowed up in an, earthquake, is situated above the sea at a distance of about forty stadia; and they say that it was from the spring Sybaris in Bura that the river ¹ in Italy got its name. Aega (for Aegae is also called thus) is now uninhabited, and the city ² is in the possession of the people of Aegium. But Aegium has a considerable population. The story is told that Zeus was nursed by a goat there, just as Aratus says: ³ and he goes on to say that ⁴ thus clearly indicating that the place is near Olene. Here too is Ceraunia, ⁵ which is situated on a high rock. These places belong to the people of Aegium, and so does Helice, and the Amarium, where the Achaeans met to deliberate on affairs of common interest. And the Selinus River flows through the territory of Aegium; it bears the same name as the river that flows in Ephesus past the Artemisium, and also the river in the Eleia of today ⁶ that flows past the plot of land which Xenophon says he bought for Artemis in accordance with an oracle. ⁷ And there is another Selinus; it flows past the territory of the Hyblaean Megarians, ⁸ whom the Carthaginians forced to migrate. As for the remaining cities, or divisions, of the Achaeans, one of them, Rhypes, is uninhabited, and the territory called Rhypis was held by the people of Aegium and the people of Pharae. Aeschylus, too, says somewhere: ⁹ Myscellus, the founder of Croton, was from Rhypes. And Leuctrum too, a deme of Rhypes, belonged to the district of Rhypis. After Rhypes comes Patrae, a noteworthy city; between the two, however, is Rhium (also Antirrhium), ¹⁰ which is forty stadia distant from Patrae. And recently the Romans, after their victory at Actium, settled a considerable part of the army at Patrae; and it is exceptionally populous at present, since it is a Roman colony; and it has a fairly good anchoring-place. Next comes Dyme, a city without a harbor, the farthest of all towards the west, a fact from which it takes its name. ¹¹ But in earlier times it was called Stratos. The boundary between it and the Eleian country, Buprasium, is formed by the Larisus River, which flows from a mountain. Some writers call this mountain Scollis, but Homer calls it the Olenian Rock. When Antimachus calls Dyme “Cauconian,” some interpret “Cauconian” as an epithet derived from the Cauconians, since the Cauconians extended as far as Dyme, as I have already said above, ¹² but others as derived from a River Caucon, just as Thebes is called “Dircaean” and “Asopian,” Argos “Inacheian,” and Troy “Simuntian.” But shortly before my time Dyme received as colonists a mixed group of people whom Pompey still had left over from the crowd of pirates, after he broke up all piracy and settled some of the pirates at Soli in Cilicia and others in other places—and in particular at Dyme. Phara borders on the territory of Dyme. The people of this Phara are called Phareis, but those of the Messenian city Pharaeatae; and in the territory of Phara is a spring Dirce which bears the same name as the spring at Thebes. But Olenus is deserted; it lies between Patrae and Dyme; and its territory is held by the people of Dyme. Then comes Araxus, the promontory of the Eleian country, one thousand and thirty stadia from the isthmus.

[5] Each of these twelve portions contained seven or eight demi, so great was the population of the country.

Pellene, ¹ situated at the distance of 60 stadia from the sea, is a strong fortress. There is also a village of the name of Pellene, whence they bring the Pellenian mantles, which are offered as prizes at the public games. It lies between Aegium ² and Pellene. But Pellana, a different place from these, belongs to the Lacedaemonians, and is situated towards the territory of Megalopolitis.

Aegeira ³ is situated upon a hill. Bura is at the distance from the sea-coast of about 40 stadia. It was swallowed up by an earthquake. It is said, that from the fountain Sybaris which is there, the river Sybaris in Italy had its name.

Aega (for this is the name by which Aegae is called) is not now inhabited, but the Aegienses occupy the territory. Aegium, however, is well inhabited. It was here, it is said, that Jupiter was suckled by a goat, as Aratus also says,

the sacred goat, which is said to have applied its teats to the lips of Jupiter. ⁴

Phoen. 163. He adds, that, and indicates the place because it was near Olenus. There also is Ceryneia, situated upon a lofty rock. This place, and Helice, belong to the Aegienses, ⁵ and the Aenarium, [Homarium,] the grove of Jupiter, where the Achaeans held their convention, when they were to deliberate upon their common affairs.

The river Selinus flows through the city of the Aegienses. It has the same name as that which was beside Artemisium at Ephesus, and that in Elis, which has its course along the spot, that 7enophon ⁶ says he purchased in compliance with the injunction of an oracle, in honour of Artemis. There is also another Selinus in the country of the Hyblaei Megarenses, whom the Carthaginians expelled.

Of the remaining Achaean cities, or portions, Rhypes is not inhabited, but the territory called Rhypis was occupied by Aegienses and Pharians. Aeschylus also says somewhere,

Myscellus, the founder of Croton, was a native of Rhypes. Leuctrum, belonging to the district Rhypis, was a demus of Rhypes. Between these was Patrae, a considerable city, and in the intervening country, at the distance of 40 stadia from Patrae, are Rhium, ⁷ and opposite to it, Antirrhium. ⁸ Not long since the Romans, after the victory at Actium, stationed there a large portion of their army, and at present it is very well peopled, since it is a colony of the Romans. It has also a tolerably good shelter for vessels. Next is Dyme, ⁹ a city without a harbour, the most westerly of all the cities, whence also it has its name. It was formerly called Stratos. ¹⁰ It is separated from Eleia at Buprasium by the river Larisus, ¹¹ which rises in a mountain, called by some persons Scollis, but by Homer, the Olenian rock.

Antimachus having called Dyme Cauconis, some writers suppose that the latter word is used as an epithet derived from the Caucones, who extended as far as this quarter, as I have said before. Others think that it is derived from a river Caucon, in the same way as Thebes has the appellation of Dircaean, and Asopian; and as Argos is called Inachian, and Troy, Simuntis. ¹²

A little before our time, Dyme had received a colony consisting of a mixed body of people, a remnant of the piratical bands, whose haunts Pompey had destroyed. Some he settled at Soli in Cilicia, and others in other places, and some in this spot.

Phara borders upon the Dymaean territory. The inhabitants of this Phara are called Pharenses; those of the Messenian Phara, Pharatae. In the territory of Phara there is a fountain Dirce, of the same name as that at Thebes.

Olenus is deserted. It lies between Patrae and Dyme. The territory is occupied by the Dymaei. Next is Araxus, ¹³ the promontory of the Eleian district, distant from the isthmus 1000 stadia.