δῆμοι δὲ οἱ μικροὶ τῆς Ἀττικῆς, ὡς ἔτυχεν ἕκαστος οἰκισθείς, τάδε ἐς μνήμην παρείχοντο· Ἀλιμουσίοις μὲν Θεσμοφόρου Δήμητρος καὶ Κόρης ἐστὶν ἱερόν, ἐν Ζωστῆρι δὲ ἐπὶ θαλάσσης καὶ βωμὸς Ἀθηνᾶς καὶ Ἀπόλλωνος καὶ Ἀρτέμιδος καὶ Λητοῦς. τεκεῖν μὲν οὖν Λητὼ τοὺς παῖδας ἐνταῦθα οὔ φασι, λύσασθαι δὲ τὸν ζωστῆρα ὡς τεξομένην, καὶ τῷ χωρίῳ διὰ τοῦτο γενέσθαι τὸ ὄνομα. Προσπαλτίοις δέ ἐστι καὶ τούτοις Κόρης καὶ Δήμητρος ἱερόν, Ἀναγυρασίοις δὲ Μητρὸς θεῶν ἱερόν· Κεφαλῆσι δὲ οἱ Διόσκουροι νομίζονται μάλιστα, Μεγάλους γὰρ σφᾶς οἱ ταύτῃ θεοὺς ὀνομάζουσιν.
ἐν δὲ Πρασιεῦσιν Ἀπόλλωνός ἐστι ναός· ἐνταῦθα τὰς Ὑπερβορέων ἀπαρχὰς ἰέναι λέγεται, παραδιδόναι δὲ αὐτὰς Ὑπερβορέους μὲν Ἀριμασποῖς, Ἀριμασποὺς δʼ Ἰσσηδόσι, παρὰ δὲ τούτων Σκύθας ἐς Σινώπην κομίζειν, ἐντεῦθεν δὲ φέρεσθαι διὰ Ἑλλήνων ἐς Πρασιάς, Ἀθηναίους δὲ εἶναι τοὺς ἐς Δῆλον ἄγοντας· τὰς δὲ ἀπαρχὰς κεκρύφθαι μὲν ἐν καλάμῃ πυρῶν, γινώσκεσθαι δὲ ὑπʼ οὐδένων. ἔστι δὲ μνῆμα ἐπὶ Πρασιαῖς Ἐρυσίχθονος, ὡς ἐκομίζετο ὀπίσω μετὰ τὴν θεωρίαν ἐκ Δήλου, γενομένης οἱ κατὰ τὸν πλοῦν τῆς τελευτῆς.
Κραναὸν δὲ τὸν βασιλεύσαντα Ἀθηναίων ὅτι μὲν ἐξέβαλεν Ἀμφικτύων κηδεστὴν ὄντα, ἔτι πρότερον εἴρηταί μοι· φυγόντα δὲ αὐτὸν σὺν τοῖς στασιώταις ἐς τὸν δῆμον τὸν Λαμπτρέα ἀποθανεῖν τε αὐτοῦ καὶ ταφῆναί φασι, καὶ ἔστι καὶ ἐς ἐμὲ ἐν τοῖς Λαμπτρεῦσι Κραναοῦ μνῆμα. Ἴωνος δὲ τοῦ Ξούθου —καὶ γὰρ οὗτος ᾤκησε παρὰ Ἀθηναίοις καὶ Ἀθηναίων ἐπὶ τοῦ πολέμου τοῦ πρὸς Ἐλευσινίους ἐπολεμάρχησε —τάφος ἐν Ποταμοῖς ἐστι τῆς χώρας.
ταῦτα μὲν δὴ οὕτω λέγεται, Φλυεῦσι δέ εἰσι καὶ Μυρρινουσίοις τοῖς μὲν Ἀπόλλωνος Διονυσοδότου καὶ Ἀρτέμιδος Σελασφόρου βωμοὶ Διονύσου τε Ἀνθίου καὶ νυμφῶν Ἰσμηνίδων καὶ Γῆς, ἣν Μεγάλην θεὸν ὀνομάζουσι· ναὸς δὲ ἕτερος ἔχει βωμοὺς Δήμητρος Ἀνησιδώρας καὶ Διὸς Κτησίου καὶ Τιθρωνῆς Ἀθηνᾶς καὶ Κόρης Πρωτογόνης καὶ Σεμνῶν ὀνομαζομένων θεῶν· τὸ δὲ ἐν Μυρρινοῦντι ξόανόν ἐστι Κολαινίδος. Ἀθμονεῖς δὲ τιμῶσιν Ἀμαρυσίαν Ἄρτεμιν·
πυνθανόμενος δὲ σαφὲς οὐδὲν ἐς αὐτὰς ἐπισταμένους τοὺς ἐξηγητὰς εὗρον, αὐτὸς δὲ συμβάλλομαι τῇδε. ἔστιν Ἀμάρυνθος ἐν Εὐβοίᾳ· καὶ γὰρ οἱ ταύτῃ τιμῶσιν Ἀμαρυσίαν, ἑορτὴν δὲ καὶ Ἀθηναῖοι τῆς Ἀμαρυσίας ἄγουσιν οὐδέν τι Εὐβοέων ἀφανέστερον· ταύτῃ μὲν γενέσθαι τὸ ὄνομα ἐπὶ τούτῳ παρὰ Ἀθμονεῦσιν ἡγοῦμαι, τὴν δὲ ἐν Μυρρινοῦντι Κολαινίδα ἀπὸ Κολαίνου καλεῖσθαι. γέγραπται δʼ ἤδη μοι τῶν ἐν τοῖς δήμοις φάναι πολλοὺς ὡς καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐβασιλεύοντο τῆς Κέκροπος· ἔστι δὲ ὁ Κόλαινος ἀνδρὸς ὄνομα πρότερον ἢ Κέκροψ ἐβασίλευσεν —ὡς οἱ Μυρρινούσιοι λέγουσιν—ἄρξαντος.
ἔστι δὲ Ἀχαρναὶ δῆμος· οὗτοι θεῶν Ἀπόλλωνα τιμῶσιν Ἀγυιέα καὶ Ἡρακλέα. καὶ Ἀθηνᾶς βωμός ἐστιν Ὑγείας· τὴν δʼ Ἱππίαν Ἀθηνᾶν ὀνομάζουσι καὶ Διόνυσον Μελπόμενον καὶ Κισσὸν τὸν αὐτὸν θεόν, τὸν κισσὸν τὸ φυτὸν ἐνταῦθα πρῶτον φανῆναι λέγοντες.
The small townships of Attica, to take them in order of situation, offer the following notable features. Alimus has a sanctuary of Lawgiver Demeter and the Maid. In Zoster (‘girdle’) on the sea there is an altar of Athena, Apollo, Artemis, and Latona. They do not say that Latona gave birth to the children here, only that she loosed her girdle in preparation for the birth, and that so the place got its name. Prospalta has also a sanctuary of the Maid and Demeter, and Anagyrus has a sanctuary of the Mother of the Gods. At Cephale the Dioscuri are chiefly worshipped, for the people here name them Great Gods.
In Prasiae there is a temple of Apollo. It is said that the first-fruits of the Hyperboreans come thither: the Hyperboreans, they say, hand them over to the Arimaspians, the Arimaspians to the Issedonians, and from the Issedonians the Scythians convey them to Sinope, and from there they are brought by Greeks to Prasiae, and the Athenians carry them to Delos. These first-fruits, it is said, are hidden in wheaten straw, and nobody knows what they are. At Prasiae there is the tomb of Erysichthon, who died on the voyage as he was returning from Delos after the sacred embassy. I have already mentioned that Cranaus, king of Athens, was expelled by Amphictyon, his kinsman by marriage. They say that Cranaus fled with his partisans to the township of Lamptrae, where he died and was buried. His tomb is in Lamptrae to this day. In Potami is the grave of Ion, the son of Xuthus ; for Ion also dwelt amongst the Athenians, and commanded them in the war against the Eleusinians. So runs tradition. At Phlya there are altars of Dionysus-given Apollo and Light-bringing Artemis, and Flowery Dionysus, and the Ismenian Nymphs, and Earth, whom they name Great Goddess. Another temple contains altars of Demeter, the Sender-up of Gifts, and of Zeus, god of Acquisition, and of Athena Tithrone, and of the First-born Maid, and of the goddesses named Venerable.
In Myrrhinus is a wooden image of Colaenis. The Athmonians honour Amarysian Artemis. On inquiry I found that the guides knew nothing definite about these goddesses. My own conjecture on the subject is this: there is a place Amarynthus in Euboea, and the inhabitants honour Amarysia; but the Athenians also celebrate a festival of Amarysia with no less splendour than the Euboeans. That is the reason, I believe, why the goddess got the name of Amarysia among the Athmonians. And I think that Colaenis at Myrrhinus was called after Colaenus. I have already observed that many people in the townships aver that they were ruled over by kings before the reign of Cecrops. Now Colaenus is the name of a man who, according to the Myrrhinusians, ruled before Cecrops reigned. There is a township Acharnae: the inhabitants worship Apollo, god of Streets, and Hercules, and there is an altar of Health Athena. They name Athena the goddess of Horses ; and Dionysus they call Minstrel and also Ivy ; for they say that the ivy plant first appeared there.
Cite This Text