Geography

​From this Pylos and Lepreon, the distance is about four hundred stades to the Messenian Pylos and Coryphasion, which are strongholds situated on the sea, and the adjacent island of Sphagia; and from the Alpheios it is seven hundred and fifty, and from Chelonatas one thousand and thirty. In the intervening space is the temple of the Macistian Heracles and the river Acidon. It flows past the tomb of Iardanos and Chaa, which was once a city near Lepreon, where also is the Aipasion plain. Around this Chaa, some say that the war between the Arcadians and the Pylians took place, which Homer described, and they think it necessary to write: “Would that I were young, as when they fought by the swift-flowing Acidon, the Pylians and Arcadians gathering together near the walls of Chaa,” and not “by the Celadon,” nor “of Pheia”; for they say this place (the Acidon and Chaa) is closer to the tomb of Iardanos and to the Arcadians than the other.

​There are Cyparissia on the Triphylian sea, and Pyrgoi, and the river Acidon, and the Neda. Now indeed the stream of the Neda is the boundary between Triphylia and Messenia, descending impetuously from Lycaeon, an Arcadian mountain, from a spring which, as the myth goes, Rhea, after giving birth to Zeus, made to break forth for the sake of washing. It flows past Phigalia, where the Pyrgitai, the last of the Triphylians, border on the Cyparissieis, the first of the Messenians. But in ancient times it was bounded otherwise, so that some of those beyond the Neda were under Nestor, both Cyparisseeis and some other places beyond, just as the poet extends the Pylian sea as far as the seven cities which Agamemnon promised to Achilles: “And all are near the sea, the lowmost of sandy Pylos.” For this is equal to: “near the Pylian sea.”

​Next then after Cyparisseeis, as one sails along to the Messenian Pylos, that is, Coryphasion, there is Erana, which some incorrectly think was formerly called Arene homonymously with the Pylian city, and Platamodes, from which to Coryphasion and the place now called Pylos there are one hundred stades. There is also a small island and a small town in it of the same name, Prote. Perhaps we should not have investigated ancient matters to such an extent, but it would have been sufficient to state how each thing is now, if there were not a report handed down to us from childhood about these things; but since different people say different things, it is necessary to arbitrate. And those who are most famous, most ancient, and first in experience are for the most part believed; since Homer surpasses all in these respects, it is necessary to examine also what was said by him and to compare it with the present, just as we said a little while before.

​Now indeed, what was said by Homer concerning hollow Elis and Bouprasion has been examined by us beforehand. Concerning the territory under Nestor, he speaks thus: “And those who dwelt in Pylos and lovely Arene and Thryon, the ford of Alpheios, and well-built Aipy, and inhabited Cyparisseeis and Amphigeneia and Pteleon and Helos and Dorion, where the Muses meeting Thamyris the Thracian stopped his song, as he was coming from Oichalia from Eurytus the Oichalian.” Now Pylos is indeed the place about which the inquiry is made; and we shall examine concerning it immediately. But concerning Arene it has been spoken; and what he now calls Thryon, in other places he calls Thryoessa: “There is a certain city Thryoessa, a steep hill, far away on the Alpheios.” And he says “the ford of Alpheios” because it seems that the river is passable on foot at this place; and it is now called Epitalion, a place in Macistia. And as for “well-built Aipy,” some investigate which of the two is the epithet, and which is the city, and whether it is the present Margalae of Amphidolia; now indeed this is not a natural stronghold, but another natural one is shown in Macistia. He, therefore, who suspects this to be meant says that the name of the city is “Aipy” (steep) from its natural attribute, like Helos (marsh) and Aigialos (coast) and many others; while the advocate of Margalae says perhaps the opposite. And they say that Epitalion is Thryon and Thryoessa, because this whole country is rushy, and especially the rivers; and this is more clearly seen at the places where the stream can be crossed. And perhaps they say that Thryon was the ford, and “well-built Aipy” was Epitalion; for it is strong by nature; and indeed in other places he calls it a steep hill: “There is a certain city Thryoessa, a steep hill, far away on the Alpheios, the lowmost of sandy Pylos.”