§8.6.1μετὰ δὲ Μαλέας ὁ Ἀργολικὸς ἐκδέχεται κόλπος καὶ ὁ Ἑρμιονικός, ὁ μὲν μέχρι τοῦ Σκυλλαίου πλέοντι ὡς πρὸς ἕω βλέπων καὶ πρὸς τὰς Κυκλάδας, ὁ δὲ ἑωθινώτερος τούτου μέχρι πρὸς Αἴγιναν καὶ τὴν Ἐπιδαυρίαν.
After Malea, the Argolic Gulf and the Hermionic Gulf succeed. The former, for one who sails as far as Scyllaeum, faces the east and the Cyclades; the latter, more easterly than this, extends as far as Aegina and the Epidaurian territory.
τὰ μὲν δὴ πρῶτα τοῦ Ἀργολικοῦ Λάκωνες ἔχουσι, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ Ἀργεῖοι·
Now, the Lacedaemonians possess the first parts of the Argolic Gulf, and the Argives the rest.
ἐν οἷς ἐστι τῶν μὲν Λακώνων τὸ Δήλιον ἱερὸν Ἀπόλλωνος ὁμώνυμον τῷ Βοιωτιακῷ, καὶ Μινώα φρούριον ὁμώνυμος καὶ αὕτη τῇ Μεγαρικῇ, καὶ ἡ λιμηρὰ Ἐπίδαυρος, ὡς Ἀρτεμίδωρός φησιν.
Among the possessions of the Lacedaemonians are Delium, a temple of Apollo homonymous with the Boeotian one, and Minoa, a fortress homonymous with the Megarian one (this also being feminine), and "harbor-rich" Epidaurus, as Artemidorus says.
Ἀπολλόδωρος δὲ Κυθήρων πλησίον ἱστορεῖ ταύτην, εὐλίμενον δὲ οὖσαν βραχέως καὶ ἐπιτετμημένως λιμηρὰν εἰρῆσθαι ὡς ἂν λιμενηράν, μεταβεβληκέναι δὲ τοὔνομα.
But Apollodorus records that this latter is near Cythera, and that because it is a good harbor, it was called by abbreviation and compression "limēra" as if it were "limenēra", and that the name has changed.
ἔστι δὲ τραχὺς ὁ παράπλους εὐθὺς ἀπὸ Μαλεῶν ἀρξάμενος μέχρι πολλοῦ ὁ Λακωνικός, ἔχει δʼ ὅμως ὑφόρμους καὶ λιμένας.
The Lacedaemonian coastal voyage, starting immediately from Malea, is rugged for a long distance, yet it nevertheless has anchorages and harbors.
ἡ λοιπὴ δʼ ἐστὶ παραλία εὐλίμενος, νησίδιά τε πολλὰ πρόκειται αὐτῆς οὐκ ἄξια μνήμης.
The rest of the coast is well-harbored, and many small islands lie in front of it, which are not worthy of mention.
§8.6.2τῶν δʼ Ἀργείων αἵ τε Πρασιαὶ καὶ τὸ Τημένιον, ἐν ᾧ τέθαπται Τήμενος, καὶ ἔτι πρότερον τὸ χωρίον, διʼ οὗ ῥεῖ ποταμὸς ἡ Λέρνη καλουμένη ὁμώνυμος τῇ λίμνῃ, ἐν ᾗ μεμύθευται τὰ περὶ τὴν Ὕδραν.
Among the possessions of the Argives are Prasiae and Temenium, where Temenus is buried, and even before this, the place through which flows the river called Lerne, homonymous with the lake where the myths concerning the Hydra are set.
τὸ δὲ Τημένιον ἀπέχει τοῦ Ἄργους ἓξ καὶ εἴκοσι σταδίους ὑπὲρ τῆς θαλάττης, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Ἄργους εἰς τὸ Ἡραῖον τετταράκοντα, ἔνθεν δὲ εἰς Μυκήνας δέκα.
Temenium is twenty-six stadia from Argos, situated above the sea; and from Argos to the Heraeum is forty stadia, and from there to Mycenae is ten.
μετὰ δὲ τὸ Τημένιον ἡ Ναυπλία, τὸ τῶν Ἀργείων ναύσταθμον· τὸ δʼ ἔτυμον ἀπὸ τοῦ ταῖς ναυσὶ προσπλεῖσθαι.
After Temenium is Nauplia, the naval station of the Argives; its etymology comes from being sailed to by ships.
ἀπὸ τούτου δὲ πεπλάσθαι φασὶ τὸν Ναύπλιον καὶ τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ παρὰ τοῖς νεωτέροις· οὐ γὰρ Ὅμηρον ἀμνημονῆσαι ἂν τούτων, τοῦ μὲν Παλαμήδους τοσαύτην σοφίαν καὶ σύνεσιν ἐπιδεδειγμένου, δολοφονηθέντος δὲ ἀδίκως, τοῦ δὲ Ναυπλίου τοσοῦτον ἀπεργασαμένου φθόρον ἀνθρώπων περὶ τὸν Καφηρέα.
From this name, they say, the story of Nauplius and his children was fabricated by the more recent writers; for Homer would not have failed to mention them, since Palamedes displayed such great wisdom and understanding and was unjustly murdered, and Nauplius wrought such great destruction of men around Caphereus.
ἡ δὲ γενεαλογία πρὸς τῷ μυθώδει καὶ τοῖς χρόνοις διημάρτηται· δεδόσθω γὰρ Ποσειδῶνος εἶναι, Ἀμυμώνης δὲ πῶς τὸν κατὰ τὰ Τρωικὰ ἔτι ζῶντα;
Moreover, the genealogy, in addition to being mythical, is erroneous in its chronology; for let it be granted that he was the son of Poseidon and Amymone, how could he still be living at the time of the Trojan War?
ἐφεξῆς δὲ τῇ Ναυπλίᾳ τὰ σπήλαια καὶ οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς οἰκοδομητοὶ λαβύρινθοι, Κυκλώπεια δʼ ὀνομάζουσιν.
Next to Nauplia are the caves and the labyrinths built in them, which they call Cyclopean.
§8.6.3εἶτʼ ἄλλα χωρία καὶ ἐφεξῆς ὁ Ἑρμιονικὸς κόλπος· καὶ ήρου τάξαντος ὑπὸ τῇ Ἀργείᾳ καὶ ἡμῖν οὐ φηνεν ὁ μερισμὸς τῆς περιοδείας οὗτος.
Then there are other places, and next is the Hermionic Gulf; and since Homer also placed it under the Argive territory, this division of our journey will not appear alien to us.
ἄρχεται δʼ ἀπὸ Ἀσίνης πολίχνης· εἶθʼ Ἑρμιόνη καὶ Τροιζήν· ἐν παράπλῳ δὲ πρόκειται καὶ Καλαυρία νῆσος, κύκλον ἔχουσα τριάκοντα σταδίων, πορθμῷ δὲ τετρασταδίῳ διεστῶσα τῆς ἠπείρου.
It begins from the small town of Asine; then come Hermione and Troezen; and in the coastal voyage lies Calauria, an island with a circuit of thirty stadia, separated from the mainland by a strait of four stadia.
§8.6.4εἶθʼ ὁ Σαρωνικὸς κόλπος· οἱ δὲ πόντον λέγουσιν, οἱ δὲ πόρον, καθʼ ὃ καὶ πέλαγος λέγεται Σαρωνικὸν πᾶς ὁ συνάπτων πόρος ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑρμιονικῆς καὶ τῆς περὶ τὸν Ἰσθμὸν θαλάττης τῷ τε Μυρτῴῳ πελάγει καὶ τῷ Κρητικῷ.
Then comes the Saronic Gulf; some call it a sea, others a strait, in accordance with which the entire passage that connects the Hermionic Gulf and the sea around the Isthmus with both the Myrtoan and the Cretan seas is also called the Saronic Sea.
τοῦ δὲ Σαρωνικοῦ Ἐπίδαυρός τέ ἐστι καὶ ἡ προκειμένη νῆσος Αἴγινα· εἶτα Κεγχρεαὶ τὸ τῶν Κορινθίων ἐπὶ τὰ πρὸς ἕω μέρη ναύσταθμον· εἶτα λιμὴν Σχοινοῦς πλεύσαντι τετταράκοντα καὶ πέντε σταδίους· ἀπὸ δὲ Μαλεῶν τοὺς πάντας περὶ χιλίους καὶ ὀκτακοσίους.
On the Saronic Gulf are Epidaurus and the island of Aegina which lies in front of it; then Cenchreae, the naval station of the Corinthians on the eastern side; then the harbor of Schoenus, at a distance of forty-five stadia of sailing; from Malea, the total distance is about one thousand eight hundred stadia.
κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σχοινοῦντα ὁ δίολκος τὸ στενώτατον τοῦ Ἰσθμοῦ, περὶ ὃν τὸ τοῦ Ἰσθμίου Ποσειδῶνος ἱερόν· ἀλλὰ τα μὲν ὑπερκείσθω· ἔξω γάρ ἐστι τῆς Ἀργείας.
Near Schoenus is the diolkos, the narrowest part of the Isthmus, around which is the temple of the Isthmian Poseidon; but let these matters be postponed, for they lie outside the Argive territory.
ἀναλαβόντες δʼ ἐφοδεύσωμεν πάλιν τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἀργείαν.
Let us resume and go over the parts of the Argive territory again.
§8.6.5καὶ πρῶτον ποσαχῶς λέγεται παρὰ τῷ ποιητῇ τὸ Ἄργος καὶ καθʼ αὑτὸ καὶ μετὰ τοῦ ἐπιθέτου, Ἀχαιικὸν Ἄργος καλοῦντος ἢ Ἴασον ἢ ἵππιον ἢ Πελασγικὸν ἢ ἱππόβοτον.
And first, let us consider in how many ways "Argos" is used by the poet, both by itself and with an epithet, when he calls it "Achaean Argos" or "Iasian" or "equine" or "Pelasgian" or "abounding in horses".
καὶ γὰρ ἡ πόλις Ἄργος λέγεται
"
Ἄργος τε Σπάρτη τε. "
"
οἱ δʼ Ἄργος τʼ εἶχον Τίρυνθά τε. "
καὶ ἡ Πελοπόννησος
"
ἡμετέρῳ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ ἐν Ἄργεϊ. "
οὐ γὰρ ἡ πόλις γε ἦν οἶκος αὐτοῦ.
For indeed the city is called Argos: "Argos and Sparta," and "and those who held Argos and Tiryns." And the Peloponnese is also so called: "in our house in Argos," for the city itself was certainly not his house.
καὶ ὅλη ἡ Ἑλλάς· Ἀργείους γοῦν καλεῖ πάντας καθάπερ καὶ Δαναοὺς καὶ Ἀχαιούς.
And the whole of Greece is so called; at least, he calls all Greeks Argives, just as he calls them Danaans and Achaeans.
τὴν δʼ οὖν ὁμωνυμίαν τοῖς ἐπιθέτοις διαστέλλεται, τὴν μὲν Θετταλίαν Πελασγικὸν Ἄργος καλῶν
"
νῦν αὖ τοὺς ὅσσοι τὸ Πελασγικὸν Ἄργος ἔναιον. "
τὴν δὲ Πελοπόννησον
"
εἰ δέ κεν Ἄργος ἱκοίμεθʼ Ἀχαιικὸν
"
"
ἢ οὐκ Ἄργεος ἦεν Ἀχαιικοῦ. "
σημαίνων ἐνταῦθα, ὅτι καὶ Ἀχαιοὶ ἰδίως ὠνομάζοντο οἱ Πελοποννήσιοι κατʼ ἄλλην σημασίαν.
At any rate, he distinguishes the homonymy by means of epithets, calling Thessaly Pelasgian Argos: "now again, those as many as dwelt in Pelasgian Argos," and the Peloponnese: "if we should come to Achaean Argos," or "or was he not in Achaean Argos?" indicating here that the Peloponnesians were also specifically named Achaeans in another sense.
Ἴασόν τε Ἄργος τὴν Πελοπόννησον λέγει
"
εἰ πάντες γʼ ἐσίδοιεν ἀνʼ Ἴασον Ἄργος Ἀχαιοί
"
τὴν Πηνελόπην, ὅτι πλείους ἂν λάβοι μνηστῆρας· οὐ γὰρ τοὺς ἐξ ὅλης τῆς Ἑλλάδος εἰκός, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἐγγύς.
And he calls the Peloponnese Iasian Argos: "if all the Achaeans should look upon Iasian Argos," referring to Penelope, because she would receive more suitors; for it is not likely that suitors would come from the whole of Greece, but rather from those nearby.
ἱππόβοτον δὲ καὶ ἵππιον κοινῶς εἴρηκε.
As for "abounding in horses" and "equine", he has used them in a general sense.