Geography

​Somewhere around these sanctuaries, at a distance of thirty stades or a little more from the sea, lies the Triphylian and Lepreatic Pylos, which the poet calls “sandy” and hands down as the homeland of Nestor, as one might infer from the epics. This is either because the river flowing past to the north was formerly called Amathous, which is now called Mamaos and Arkadikos, so that from this it was named “sandy”; or because, while this river is called Pamisos, homonymously with the two in Messenia, the city has an obscure etymology for its epithet; for indeed, they say it is false that either the river or the land is sandy. To the east, near Pylos, is a mountain named after Minthe, who, they mythologize, having become the mistress of Hades, was trodden underfoot by Kore and transformed into the garden-mint, which some call hedyosmos. And indeed, there is also a sacred precinct of Hades near the mountain, honored also by the Makistians, and a grove of Demeter lying above the Pylian plain. This plain is fertile, and, adjoining the sea, extends along the whole distance between Samikon and the river Neda. But the seashore is sandy and narrow, so that one would not deny that Pylos was named “sandy” from this.

​To the north, bordering on Pylos, were two small Triphylian towns, Hypana and Tympaneai, of which the one was incorporated into Elis, while the other remained. And two rivers also flow nearby, the Dalion and the Acheron, emptying into the Alpheios. The Acheron has been named according to its affinity to Hades; for indeed the sanctuaries of Demeter and Kore are highly honored here, as well as those of Hades, perhaps on account of the contrarieties of nature, as Demetrios of Skepsis says. For indeed Triphylia is both fertile and produces rust and rushes; wherefore instead of a great yield, frequent barrenness happens to occur in these places.

​To the south of Pylos is Lepreion. This city too was forty stades above the sea; and between Lepreion and the Annios is the temple of Samian Poseidon, distant one hundred stades from each. This is the temple in which the poet says the Pylians were found by Telemachos while performing the sacrifice: “And they reached Pylos, the well-built city of Neleus; and they on the shore of the sea were offering sacrifices, bulls all black, to the dark-haired Earth-shaker.” For while it is permitted to the poet even to fashion what does not exist, whenever it is possible, he should adapt his verses to what exists and preserve the narrative. It would indeed have been more fitting to abstain from departing from it. The Lepreatans had a fertile land; and bordering on them are the Kyparissians. Both of these territories were occupied by the Kaukones, as well as Makistos, which some call Platanistous. The town is homonymous with the territory. And they say that in the Lepreatic territory there is also a tomb of Kaukon, whether of some founder or of someone else merely homonymous with the nation.