[2] To the Argives belong Prasiæ,1 and Temenium2 where Temenus lies buried. Before coming to Temenium is the district through which the river Lerna flows, that having the same name as the lake, where is laid the scene of the fable of the Hydra. The Temenium is distant from Argos 26 stadia from the sea-coast; from Argos to Heræum are 40, and thence to Mycenæ 10 stadia. Next to Temenium is Nauplia, the naval station of the Argives. Its name is derived from its being accessible to ships. Here they say the fiction of the moderns originated respecting Nauplius and his sons, for Homer would not have omitted to mention them, if Palamedes displayed so much wisdom and intelligence, and was unjustly put to death; and if Nauplius had destroyed so many people at Caphareus.3 But the genealogy offends both against the mythology, and against chronology. For if we allow that he was the son of Neptune,4 how could he be the son of Amymone, and be still living in the Trojan times. Next to Nauplia are caves, and labyrinths constructed in them, which caves they call Cyclopeia. 3. Then follow other places, and after these the Hermionic Gulf. Since the poet places this gulf in the Argive territory, we must not overlook this division of the circumference of this country. It begins from the small city Asine;5 then follow Hermione,6 and Trœzen.7 In the voyage along the coast the island Calauria8 lies opposite; it has a compass of 30 stadia, and is separated from the continent by a strait of 4 stadia.
1 The ruins are on the bay of Rheontas.
2 Toniki, or Agenitzi.
3 Napoli di Romagna. Nauplius, to avenge the death of his son Palamedes, was the cause of many Greeks perishing on their return from Troy at Cape Caphareus in Eubœa, famous for its dangerous rocks. The modern Greeks give to this promontory the name of νυλοφάγος, (Xylophagos,) or devourer of vessels. Italian navigators call it Capo d'Oro, which in spite of its apparent signification, Golden Cape, is probably a transformation of the Greek word Caphareus.
4 Strabo confounds Nauplius, son of Clytoreus, and father of Palamedes, with Nauplius, son of Neptune and Amymone, and one of the ancestors of Palamedes.
5 Fornos.
6 Castri.
7 Damala.
8 I. Poros.
The Geography of Strabo. Literally translated, with notes, in three volumes. London. George Bell & Sons. 1903.
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