§8.3.21ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Πύλου τούτου καὶ τοῦ Λεπρείου τετρακοσίων που σταδίων ἐστὶ διάστημα ἐπὶ τὴν Μεσσηνιακὴν Πύλον καὶ τὸ Κορυφάσιον ἐπὶ θαλάττῃ κείμενα φρούρια, καὶ τὴν παρακειμένην Σφαγίαν νῆσον, ἀπὸ δὲ Ἀλφειοῦ ἑπτακοσίων πεντήκοντα, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Χελωνάτα χιλίων τριάκοντα.
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.
ἐν δὲ τῷ μεταξὺ τό τε τοῦ Μακιστίου Ἡρακλέους ἱερόν ἐστι καὶ ὁ Ἀκίδων ποταμός.
In the intervening space is the temple of the Macistian Heracles and the river Acidon.
ῥεῖ δὲ παρὰ τάφον Ἰαρδάνου καὶ Χάαν πόλιν ποτὲ ὑπάρξασαν πλησίον Λεπρείου, ὅπου καὶ τὸ πεδίον τὸ Αἰπάσιον.
It flows past the tomb of Iardanos and Chaa, which was once a city near Lepreon, where also is the Aipasion plain.
περὶ ταύτης δὲ τῆς Χάας γενέσθαι φασὶν ἔνιοι τὸν πόλεμον τοῖς Ἀρκάσι πρὸς τοὺς Πυλίους, ὃν ἔφρασεν Ὅμηρος, καὶ δεῖν οἴονται γράφειν
"
ἡβῷμʼ, ὡς ὅτʼ ἐπʼ ὠκυρόῳ Ἀκίδοντι μάχοντο
ἀγρόμενοι Πύλιοί τε καὶ Ἀρκάδες
Χάας πὰρ τείχεσσιν,
"
οὐ Κελάδοντι, οὐδὲ Φειᾶς· τῷ γὰρ τάφῳ τοῦ Ἰαρδάνου τοῦτον πλησιάζειν καὶ τοῖς Ἀρκάσι τὸν τόπον μᾶλλον ἢ ἐκεῖνον.
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.
§8.3.22Κυπαρισσία τέ ἐστιν ἐπὶ τῇ θαλάττῃ τῇ Τριφυλιακῇ καὶ Πύργοι καὶ ὁ Ἀκίδων ποταμὸς καὶ Νέδα.
There are Cyparissia on the Triphylian sea, and Pyrgoi, and the river Acidon, and the Neda.
νυνὶ μὲν οὖν τῇ Τριφυλίᾳ πρὸς τὴν Μεσσηνίαν ὅριόν ἐστι τὸ τῆς Νέδας ῥεῦμα λάβρον ἐκ τοῦ Λυκαίου κατιὸν Ἀρκαδικοῦ ὄρους, ἐκ πηγῆς ἣν ἀναρρῆξαι τεκοῦσαν τὸν Δία μυθεύεται Ῥέαν νίπτρων χάριν.
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.
ῥεῖ δὲ παρὰ Φιγαλίαν, καθʼ ὃ γειτνιῶσι Πυργῖται Τριφυλίων ἔσχατοι Κυπαρισσιεῦσι πρώτοις Μεσσηνίων.
It flows past Phigalia, where the Pyrgitai, the last of the Triphylians, border on the Cyparissieis, the first of the Messenians.
τὸ δὲ παλαιὸν ἄλλως διώριστο, ὡς καὶ τινὰς τῶν πέραν τῆς Νέδας ὑπὸ τῷ Νέστορι εἶναι, τόν τε Κυπαρισσήεντα καὶ ἄλλα τινὰ ἐπέκεινα, καθάπερ καὶ τὴν θάλατταν τὴν Πυλίαν ὁ ποιητὴς ἐπεκτείνει μέχρι τῶν ἑπτὰ πόλεων ὧν ὑπέσχετο Ἀγαμέμνων τῷ Ἀχιλλεῖ
"
πᾶσαι δʼ ἐγγὺς ἁλὸς νέαται Πύλου ἠμαθόεντος. "
τοῦτο γὰρ ἴσον τῷ
ἐγγὺς ἁλὸς τῆς Πυλίας. §8.3.23ἐφεξῆς δʼ οὖν τῷ Κυπαρισσήεντι ἐπὶ τὴν Μεσσηνιακὴν Πύλον παραπλέοντι τὸ Κορυφάσιον ἥ τε Ἔρανα ἔστιν, ἥν τινες οὐκ εὖ Ἀρήνην νομίζουσιν κεκλῆσθαι πρότερον ὁμωνύμως τῇ Πυλιακῇ, Πλαταμώδης, ἀφʼ ἧς ἐπὶ τὸ Κορυφάσιον καὶ τὴν νῦν καλουμένην Πύλον ἑκατόν εἰσι στάδιοι.
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.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ νησίον καὶ πολίχνιον ἐν αὐτῷ ὁμώνυμον Πρωτή.
There is also a small island and a small town in it of the same name, Prote.
οὐκ ἂν δʼ ἐξητάζομεν ἴσως ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον τὰ παλαιά, ἀλλʼ ἤρκει λέγειν ὡς ἔχει νῦν ἕκαστα, εἰ μή τις ἦν ἐκ παίδων ἡμῖν παραδεδομένη φήμη περὶ τούτων· ἄλλων δʼ ἄλλα εἰπόντων ἀνάγκη διαιτᾶν.
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.
πιστεύονται δʼ ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ οἱ ἐνδοξότατοί τε καὶ πρεσβύτατοι καὶ κατʼ ἐμπειρίαν πρῶτοι· Ὁμήρου δʼ εἰς ταῦτα ὑπερβεβλημένου πάντας, ἀνάγκη συνεπισκοπεῖν καὶ τὰ ὑπʼ ἐκείνου λεχθέντα καὶ συγκρούειν πρὸς τὰ νῦν, καθάπερ καὶ μικρὸν ἔμπροσθεν ἔφαμεν.
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.
§8.3.24περὶ μὲν οὖν τῆς κοίλης Ἤλιδος καὶ τοῦ Βουπρασίου τὰ λεχθέντα ὑφʼ Ὁμήρου προεπέσκεπται ἡμῖν.
Now indeed, what was said by Homer concerning hollow Elis and Bouprasion has been examined by us beforehand.
περὶ δὲ τῆς ὑπὸ τῷ Νέστορι οὕτω φησίν
"
οἳ δὲ Πύλον τʼ ἐνέμοντο καὶ Ἀρήνην ἐρατεινὴν
καὶ Θρύον, Ἀλφειοῖο πόρον, καὶ ἐύκτιτον Αἶπυ
καὶ Κυπαρισσήεντα καὶ Ἀμφιγένειαν ἔναιον
καὶ Πτελεὸν καὶ Ἕλος καὶ Δώριον, ἔνθα τε Μοῦσαι
ἀντόμεναι Θάμυριν τὸν Θρήικα παῦσαν ἀοιδῆς,
Οἰχαλίηθεν ἰόντα παρʼ Εὐρύτου Οἰχαλιῆος. "
Πύλος μὲν οὖν ἔστι περὶ ἧς ἡ ζήτησις· αὐτίκα δʼ ἐπισκεψόμεθα περὶ αὐτῆς.
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.
περὶ δὲ τῆς Ἀρήνης εἴρηται· ἣν δὲ λέγει νῦν Θρύον, ἐν ἄλλοις καλεῖ Θρυόεσσαν
"
ἔστι δέ τις Θρυόεσσα πόλις, αἰπεῖα κολώνη,
τηλοῦ ἐπʼ Ἀλφειῷ. "
Ἀλφειοῦ δὲ πόρον φησίν, ὅτι πεζῇ περατὸς εἶναι δοκεῖ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν τόπον· καλεῖται δὲ νῦν Ἐπιτάλιον τῆς Μακιστίας χωρίον.
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.
τὸ εὔκτιτον δʼ Αἶπυ ἔνιοι μὲν ζητοῦσι πότερον ποτέρου ἐπίθετον, καὶ τίς ἡ πόλις, καὶ εἰ αἱ νῦν Μαργάλαι τῆς Ἀμφιδολίας· αὗται μὲν οὖν οὐ φυσικὸν ἔρυμα, ἕτερον δὲ δείκνυται φυσικὸν ἐν τῇ Μακιστίᾳ.
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.
ὁ μὲν οὖν τοῦθʼ ὑπονοῶν φράζεσθαι ὄνομά φησι τῆς πόλεως τὸ Αἶπυ ἀπὸ τοῦ συμβεβηκότος φυσικῶς, ὡς Ἕλος καὶ Αἰγιαλὸν καὶ ἄλλα πλείω· ὁ δὲ τὴν Μαργάλαν τοὔμπαλιν ἴσως.
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.
Θρύον δὲ καὶ Θρυόεσσαν τὸ Ἐπιτάλιόν φασιν, ὅτι πᾶσα μὲν αὕτη ἡ χώρα θρυώδης, μάλιστα δʼ οἱ ποταμοί· ἐπὶ πλέον δὲ διαφαίνεται τοῦτο κατὰ τοὺς περατοὺς τοῦ ῥείθρου τόπους.
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.
τάχα δέ φασι Θρύον μὲν εἰρῆσθαι τὸν πόρον, εὔκτιτον δʼ Αἶπυ τὸ Ἐπιτάλιον· ἔστι γὰρ ἐρυμνὸν φύσει· καὶ γὰρ ἐν ἄλλοις αἰπεῖαν κολώνην λέγει
"
ἔστι δέ τις Θρυόεσσα πόλις, αἰπεῖα κολώνη,
τηλοῦ ἐπʼ Ἀλφειῷ, πυμάτη Πύλου ἠμαθόεντος. "
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."