§8.5.1ἔστι δʼ οὖν μετὰ τὸν Μεσσηνιακὸν κόλπον ὁ Λακωνικὸς μεταξὺ Ταινάρου καὶ Μαλεῶν, ἐκκλίνων μικρὸν ἀπὸ μεσημβρίας πρὸς ἕω· διέχουσι δὲ σταδίους ἑκατὸν τριάκοντα αἱ Θυρίδες τοῦ Ταινάρου ἐν τῷ Μεσσηνιακῷ οὖσαι κόλπῳ, ῥοώδης κρημνός.
After the Messenian Gulf, then, comes the Laconian Gulf between Taenarum and Maleae, inclining slightly from south toward the east; and the Thyrides of Taenarum, which are in the Messenian Gulf, are one hundred and thirty stadia distant, being a reefy cliff.
τούτων δʼ ὑπέρκειται τὸ Ταΰγετον· ἔστι δʼ ὄρος μικρὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς θαλάττης ὑψηλόν τε καὶ ὄρθιον, συνάπτον κατὰ τὰ προσάρκτια μέρη ταῖς Ἀρκαδικαῖς ὑπωρείαις, ὥστε καταλείπεσθαι μεταξὺ αὐλῶνα, καθʼ ὃν ἡ Μεσσηνία συνεχής ἐστι τῇ Λακωνικῇ.
Above these lies Taygetus; it is a mountain a little above the sea, high and steep, joining in its northern parts with the Arcadian foothills, so that a valley is left between them, along which Messenia is continuous with Laconica.
ὑποπέπτωκε δὲ τῷ Ταϋγέτῳ ἡ Σπάρτη ἐν μεσογαίᾳ καὶ Ἀμύκλαι, οὗ τὸ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος ἱερόν, καὶ ἡ Φᾶρις.
At the foot of Taygetus lies Sparta in the interior, and Amyclae, where the temple of Apollo is, and Pharis.
ἔστι μὲν οὖν ἐν κοιλοτέρῳ χωρίῳ τὸ τῆς πόλεως ἔδαφος καίπερ ἀπολαμβάνον ὄρη μεταξύ· ἀλλʼ οὐδέν γε μέρος αὐτοῦ λιμνάζει, τὸ δὲ παλαιὸν ἐλίμναζε τὸ προάστειον, καὶ ἐκάλουν αὐτὸ Λίμνας· καὶ τὸ τοῦ Διονύσου ἱερὸν ἐν Λίμναις ἐφʼ ὑγροῦ βεβηκὸς ἐτύγχανε, νῦν δʼ ἐπὶ ξηροῦ τὴν ἵδρυσιν ἔχει.
Now the ground of the city is in a rather hollow place, although it contains mountains within it; but no part of it is marshy, though in ancient times the suburb was marshy, and they called it Limnae; and the temple of Dionysus in Limnae happened to stand on wet ground, but now it has its foundation on dry ground.
ἐν δὲ τῷ κόλπῳ τῆς παραλίας τὸ μὲν Ταίναρον ἀκτή ἐστιν ἐκκειμένη τὸ ἱερὸν ἔχουσα τοῦ Ποσειδῶνος ἐν ἄλσει ἱδρυμένον· πλησίον δʼ ἐστὶν ἄντρον, διʼ οὗ τὸν Κέρβερον ἀναχθῆναι μυθεύουσιν ὑφʼ Ἡρακλέους ἐξ ᾄδου.
On the gulf, along the coast, Taenarum is a projecting peninsula containing the temple of Poseidon established in a grove; and near it is a cave, through which they mythologically say Cerberus was brought up from Hades by Heracles.
ἐντεῦθεν δʼ εἰς μὲν Φυκοῦντα ἄκραν τῆς Κυρηναίας πρὸς νότον δίαρμά ἐστι σταδίων τρισχιλίων· εἰς δὲ Πάχυνον πρὸς δύσιν, τὸ τῆς Σικελίας ἀκρωτήριον, τετρακισχιλίων ἑξακοσίων, τινὲς δὲ τετρακισχιλίων φασίν· εἰς δὲ Μαλέας πρὸς ἕω ἑξακοσίων ἑβδομήκοντα κατακολπίζοντι· εἰς δὲ Ὄνου γνάθον, ταπεινὴν χερρόνησον ἐνδοτέρω τῶν Μαλεῶν, πεντακοσίων εἴκοσι (πρόκειται δὲ κατὰ τούτου Κύθηρα ἐν τετταράκοντα σταδίοις, νῆσος εὐλίμενος, πόλιν ἔχουσα ὁμώνυμον, ἣν ἔσχεν Εὐρυκλῆς ἐν μέρει κτήσεως ἰδίας ὁ καθʼ ἡμᾶς τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων ἡγεμών· περίκειται δὲ νησίδια πλείω τὰ μὲν ἐγγὺς τὰ δὲ καὶ μικρὸν ἀπωτέρω)· εἰς δὲ Κώρυκον ἄκραν τῆς Κρήτης ἐγγυτάτω πλοῦς ἐστι σταδίων ἑπτακοσίων πεντήκοντα.
From here to Cape Phycus of the Cyrenaica toward the south, the crossing is three thousand stadia; to Pachynus toward the west, the promontory of Sicily, four thousand six hundred, though some say four thousand; to Maleae toward the east, six hundred and seventy if one follows the gulfs; to Onugnathos, a low peninsula further inside Maleae, five hundred and twenty (opposite this lies Cythera at forty stadia, an island with good harbors, having a city of the same name, which Eurycles, the leader of the Lacedaemonians in our time, held as part of his private property; and several small islands lie around it, some near and some a little further off); and to Cape Corycus of Crete, the nearest point, the voyage is seven hundred and fifty stadia.
§8.5.2μετὰ δὲ Ταίναρον πλέοντι ἐπὶ τὴν Ὄνου γνάθον καὶ Μαλέας Ψαμαθοῦς ἐστι πόλις· εἶτʼ Ἀσίνη καὶ Γύθειον τὸ τῆς Σπάρτης ἐπίνειον ἐν διακοσίοις καὶ τετταράκοντα σταδίοις ἱδρυμένον· ἔχει δʼ, ὥς φασι, τὸ ναύσταθμον ὀρυκτόν· εἶθʼ ὁ Εὐρώτας ἐκδίδωσι μεταξὺ Γυθείου καὶ Ἀκραίων.
After Taenarum, as one sails toward Onugnathos and Maleae, is the city of Psamathus; then Asine, and Gytheium, the naval port of Sparta, situated at two hundred and forty stadia; it has, as they say, its naval station excavated; then the Eurotas empties between Gytheium and Acriae.
τέως μὲν οὖν ὁ πλοῦς ἐστι παρʼ αἰγιαλὸν ὅσον διακοσίων καὶ τετταράκοντα σταδίων· εἶθʼ ἑλῶδες ὑπέρκειται χωρίον καὶ κώμη Ἕλος· πρότερον δʼ ἦν πόλις, καθάπερ καὶ Ὅμηρός φησιν
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οἵ τʼ ἄρʼ Ἀμύκλας εἶχον Ἕλος τʼ ἔφαλον πτολίεθρον
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κτίσμα δʼ Ἑλίου φασὶ τοῦ Περσέως.
For some distance, then, the voyage is along the beach, about two hundred and forty stadia; then lies a marshy district and the village of Helos; formerly it was a city, just as Homer also says: "And those who held Amyclae, and Helos, a town by the sea" and they say it was a foundation of Heleus, the son of Perseus.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ πεδίον καλούμενον Λεύκη· εἶτα πόλις ἐπὶ χερρονήσου ἱδρυμένη Κυπαρισσία λιμένα ἔχουσα· εἶτα ἡ Ὄνου γνάθος λιμένα ἔχουσα· εἶτα Βοία πόλις, εἶτα Μαλέαι· στάδιοι δʼ εἰς αὐτὰς ἀπὸ τῆς Ὄνου γνάθου πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατόν· ἔστι δὲ καὶ Ἀσωπὸς πόλις ἐν τῇ Λακωνικῇ.
There is also a plain called Leuce; then a city situated on a peninsula, Cyparissia, having a harbor; then Onugnathos, having a harbor; then the city of Boiae, then Maleae; and the stadia to them from Onugnathos are one hundred and fifty; and there is also a city of Asopus in Laconica.
§8.5.3τῶν δʼ ὑφʼ Ὁμήρου καταλεγομένων τὴν μὲν Μέσσην οὐδαμοῦ δείκνυσθαί φασι· Μεσσόαν δʼ οὐ τῆς χώρας εἶναι μέρος τῆς Σπάρτης, καθάπερ καὶ τὸ Λιμναῖον, κατὰ τὸν κα.
Of those catalogued by Homer, they say that Messe is nowhere to be shown; and Messoat is not a part of the territory, but of Sparta itself, just as the Limnaeum, according to...
ἔνιοι δὲ κατὰ ἀποκοπὴν δέχονται τὴν Μεσσήνην· εἴρηται γὰρ ὅτι καὶ αὕτη μέρος ἦν τῆς Λακωνικῆς.
But some take it by apocope for Messene; for it has been said that this also was a part of Laconica.
παραδείγμασι δὲ χρῶνται τοῦ μὲν ποιητοῦ τῷ κρῖ καὶ δῶ καὶ μάψ, καὶ ἔτι
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ἥρως δʼ Αὐτομέδων τε καὶ Ἄλκιμος,
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ἀντὶ τοῦ Ἀλκιμέδων· Ἡσιόδου δέ, ὅτι τὸ βριθὺ καὶ βριαρὸν βρῖ λέγει· Σοφοκλῆς δὲ καὶ Ἴων τὸ ῥᾴδιον ῥᾴ· Ἐπίχαρμος δὲ τὸ λίαν λῖ, Συρακὼ δὲ τὰς Συρακούσσας· παρʼ Ἐμπεδοκλεῖ δέ
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μία γίνεται ἀμφοτέρων ὄψ
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ἡ ὄψις· καὶ παρʼ Ἀντιμάχῳ
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Δήμητρός τοι Ἐλευσινίης· ἱερὴ ὄψ. "
καὶ τὸ ἄλφιτον ἄλφι· Εὐφορίων δὲ καὶ τὸν ἧλον λέγει ἧλ· παρὰ Φιλήτᾳ δέ
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δμωίδες εἰς ταλάρους λευκὸν ἄγουσιν ἔρι
εἰς ἄνεμον δὲ τὰ πηδά
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τὰ πηδάλια Ἄρατός φησι, Δωδὼ δὲ τὴν Δωδώνην Σιμμίας. τῶν δʼ ἄλλων τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ ποιητοῦ κατωνομασμένων τὰ μὲν ἀνῄρηται, τῶν δʼ ἴχνη λείπεται, τὰ δὲ μετωνόμασται, καθάπερ αἱ Αὐγειαὶ Αἰγαιαί· γὰρ ἐν τῇ Λοκρίδι οὐδʼ ὅλως περίεισι.
And they use as examples from the poet "kri" and "do" and "maps," and also: "And the heroes Automedon and Alcimus," instead of Alcimedon; and from Hesiod, that he says "bri" for "brithy" and "briaron"; and Sophocles and Ion say "rha" for "rhadion"; and Epicharmus says "li" for "lian," and "Syraco" for "Syracusae"; and in Empedocles: "one sight of both becomes" for "opsis"; and in Antimachus: "of Eleusinian Demeter, indeed; the sacred sight." And "alphiton" is shortened to "alphi"; and Euphorion even calls "helos" "hel"; and in Philetas: "handmaids carry white wool into baskets" and Aratus says "peda" for "pedalia" (rudders), and Simmias says "Dodo" for "Dodona." Of the others named by the poet, some have been destroyed, of some traces are left, and some have been renamed, like Augeiae to Aegaeae; for that in Locris does not survive at all.
τὴν δὲ Λᾶν οἱ Διόσκουροί ποτε ἐκ πολιορκίας ἑλεῖν ἱστοροῦνται, ἀφʼ οὗ δὴ Λαπέρσαι προσηγορεύθησαν.
And Las is recorded to have been taken by the Dioscuri at one time after a siege, from which indeed they were called Lapersae.