ἐς Ἄβας δὲ ἀφικέσθαι καὶ ἐς Ὑάμπολιν ἔστι μὲν καὶ ἐξ Ἐλατείας ὀρεινὴν ὁδὸν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Ἐλατέων ἄστεως, ἡ δὲ ἐπὶ Ὀποῦντα λεωφόρος ἡ ἐξ Ὀρχομενοῦ καὶ ἐς ταύτας φέρει τὰς πόλεις. ἰόντι οὖν ἐς Ὀποῦντα ἐξ Ὀρχομενοῦ καὶ ἐκτραπέντι οὐ πολὺ ἐπʼ ἀριστερὰν ὁδός ἐστιν ἡ ἐς Ἄβας. οἱ δὲ ἐν ταῖς Ἄβαις ἐς γῆν τὴν Φωκίδα ἀφικέσθαι λέγουσιν ἐξ Ἄργους καὶ τὸ ὄνομα ἀπὸ Ἄβαντος τοῦ οἰκιστοῦ λαβεῖν τὴν πόλιν, τὸν δὲ Λυγκέως τε καὶ Ὑπερμήστρας τῆς Δαναοῦ παῖδα εἶναι. Ἀπόλλωνος δὲ ἱερὰς νενομίκασιν εἶναι τὰς Ἄβας ἐκ παλαιοῦ, καὶ χρηστήριον καὶ αὐτόθι ἦν Ἀπόλλωνος.
θεῷ δὲ τῷ ἐν Ἄβαις οὐχ ὁμοίως Ῥωμαῖοί τε ἀπένειμαν τὰ ἐς τιμὴν καὶ ὁ Πέρσης· ἀλλὰ Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν εὐσεβείᾳ τῇ ἐς τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα Ἀβαίοις δεδώκασιν αὐτονόμους σφᾶς εἶναι, στρατιὰ δὲ ἡ μετὰ Ξέρξου κατέπρησε καὶ τὸ ἐν Ἄβαις ἱερόν. Ἑλλήνων δὲ τοῖς ἀντιστᾶσι τῷ βαρβάρῳ τὰ κατακαυθέντα ἱερὰ μὴ ἀνιστάναι σφίσιν ἔδοξεν, ἀλλὰ ἐς τὸν πάντα ὑπολείπεσθαι χρόνον τοῦ ἔχθους ὑπομνήματα· καὶ τοῦδε ἕνεκα οἵ τε ἐν τῇ Ἁλιαρτίᾳ ναοὶ καὶ Ἀθηναίοις τῆς Ἥρας ἐπὶ ὁδῷ τῇ Φαληρικῇ καὶ ὁ ἐπὶ Φαληρῷ τῆς Δήμητρος καὶ κατʼ ἐμὲ ἔτι ἡμίκαυτοι μένουσι.
τοιαύτην θέαν καὶ τοῦ ἐν Ἄβαις ἱεροῦ τότε γε εἶναι δοκῶ, ἐς ὃ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τῷ Φωκικῷ βιασθέντας μάχῃ Φωκέων ἄνδρας καὶ ἐς Ἄβας ἐκπεφευγότας αὐτούς τε οἱ Θηβαῖοι τοὺς ἱκέτας καὶ τὸ ἱερόν, δεύτερον δὴ οὗτοι μετὰ Μήδους, ἔδοσαν πυρί· εἱστήκει δʼ οὖν καὶ ἐς ἐμὲ ἔτι οἰκοδομημάτων ἀσθενέστατον ὁπόσα δὴ ἡ φλὸξ ἐλυμήνατο, ἅτε ἐπὶ τῷ Μηδικῷ προλωβησαμένῳ πυρὶ αὖθις ὑπὸ τοῦ Βοιωτίου πυρὸς κατειργασμένον.
παρὰ δὲ τὸν ναὸν τὸν μέγαν ἐστὶν ἄλλος ναός, ἀποδέων ἐκείνου μέγεθος· βασιλεὺς δὲ Ἀδριανὸς ἐποίησε τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι· τὰ δὲ ἀγάλματα ἀρχαιότερα καὶ αὐτῶν ἐστιν Ἀβαίων ἀνάθημα, χαλκοῦ δὲ εἴργασται καὶ ὁμοίως ἐστὶν ὀρθά, Ἀπόλλων καὶ Λητώ τε καὶ Ἄρτεμις. Ἀβαίοις δὲ ἔστι μὲν θέατρον, ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἀγορά σφισι, κατασκευῆς ἀμφότερα ἀρχαίας.
ἐπανελθόντα δὲ ἐς τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν ἐς Ὀποῦντα εὐθεῖαν Ὑάμπολις τὸ ἀπὸ τούτου σε ἐκδέξεται. τῶν δὲ ἐνταῦθα ἀνθρώπων καὶ αὐτὸ κατηγορεῖ τὸ ὄνομα οἵτινες ἦσαν ἐξ ἀρχῆς καὶ ὁπόθεν ἐξαναστάντες ἀφίκοντο ἐς ταύτην τὴν χώραν· Ὕαντες γὰρ οἱ ἐκ Θηβῶν Κάδμον καὶ τὸν σὺν ἐκείνῳ φυγόντες στρατὸν ἀφίκοντο ἐνταῦθα. τὰ μὲν δὴ ἀρχαιότερα ὑπὸ τῶν προσχώρων ἐκαλοῦντο Ὑάντων πόλις, χρόνῳ μέντοι ὕστερον Ὑάμπολιν ἐξενίκησεν ὀνομασθῆναι.
ἅτε δὲ καὶ βασιλέως Ξέρξου καταπρήσαντος τὴν πόλιν καὶ αὖθις Φιλίππου κατασκάψαντος, ὅμως τὰ ὑπολειπόμενα ἦν ἀγορᾶς τε ἀρχαίας κατασκευὴ καὶ βουλευτήριον, οἴκημα οὐ μέγα, καὶ θέατρον οὐ πόρρω τῶν πυλῶν. Ἀδριανὸς δὲ βασιλεὺς στοὰν ᾠκοδομήσατο, καὶ ἐπώνυμος ἡ στοὰ τοῦ ἀναθέντος βασιλέως ἐστί. φρέαρ δέ σφισίν ἐστιν ἕν· ἀπὸ τούτου μόνου καὶ πίνουσι καὶ λούονται, ἀπʼ ἄλλου δὲ ἔχουσιν οὐδενὸς πλήν γε δὴ ὥρᾳ χειμῶνος τὸ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ.
σέβονται δὲ μάλιστα Ἄρτεμιν, καὶ ναὸς Ἀρτέμιδός ἐστιν αὐτοῖς· τὸ δὲ ἄγαλμα ὁποῖόν τί ἐστιν οὐκ ἐδήλωσα· δὶς γὰρ καὶ οὐ πλέον ἑκάστου ἐνιαυτοῦ τὸ ἱερὸν ἀνοιγνύναι νομίζουσιν. ὁπόσα δʼ ἂν τῶν βοσκημάτων ἱερὰ ἐπονομάσωσιν εἶναι τῇ Ἀρτέμιδι, ἄνευ νόσου ταῦτα καὶ πιότερα τῶν ἄλλων ἐκτρέφεσθαι λέγουσιν.
ἐσβολὴ δὲ ἐκ Χαιρωνείας ἐς γῆν τὴν Φωκίδα οὐ μόνον ἡ εὐθεῖά ἐστιν ἐς Δελφοὺς ἡ διά τε Πανοπέως καὶ παρὰ τὴν Δαυλίδα καὶ ὁδὸν τὴν Σχιστήν· φέρει δὲ ἐκ Χαιρωνείας καὶ ἑτέρα τραχεῖά τε ὁδὸς καὶ ὀρεινὴ τὰ πλέονα ἐς πόλιν Φωκέων Στῖριν· μῆκος δὲ εἴκοσι στάδιοι τῆς ὁδοῦ καὶ ἑκατόν. οἱ δὲ ἐνταῦθά φασιν οὐ Φωκεῖς, Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ εἶναι τὰ ἄνωθεν, καὶ ἐκ τῆς Ἀττικῆς ὁμοῦ Πετεῷ τῷ Ὀρνέως ἀφικέσθαι διωχθέντι ὑπὸ Αἰγέως ἐξ Ἀθηνῶν· ὅτι δὲ τῷ Πετεῷ τὸ πολὺ ἐκ τοῦ δήμου τοῦ Στιρέων ἠκολούθησεν, ἐπὶ τούτῳ κληθῆναι τὴν πόλιν Στῖριν.
Στιρίταις δέ ἐστιν ἐπὶ ὑψηλοῦ καὶ πετρώδους ἡ οἴκησις· σπανίζουσιν οὖν κατὰ τοῦτο ὕδατος θέρους ὥρᾳ· φρέατα γὰρ αὐτόθι οὔτε πολλὰ οὔτε ὕδωρ παρεχόμενά ἐστιν ἐπιτήδειον. ταῦτα μὲν δὴ λουτρά σφισι καὶ ὑποζυγίοις ποτὸν γίνεται, τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὸ πότιμον ὅσον στάδια τέσσαρα ὑποκαταβαίνοντες λαμβάνουσιν ἐκ πηγῆς· ἡ δὲ ἐν πέτραις ἐστὶν ὀρωρυγμένη, καὶ ἀρύονται κατιόντες ἐς τὴν πηγήν.
Δήμητρος δὲ ἐπίκλησιν Στιρίτιδος ἱερόν ἐστιν ἐν Στῖρι· πλίνθου μὲν τῆς ὠμῆς τὸ ἱερόν, λίθου δὲ τοῦ Πεντελῆσι τὸ ἄγαλμα, δᾷδας ἡ θεὸς ἔχουσα. παρὰ δὲ αὐτῇ κατειλημμένον ταινίαις ἄγαλμα ἀρχαῖόν ἐστιν ἄλλο ὁπόσα Δήμητρος ἐς τιμήν.
To reach Abae and Hyampolis from Elatea, you follow a mountain road on the right of the town. The high road from Orchomenus to Opus also leads to these cities. If, then, you take the road that leads from Orchomenus to Opus, and turn off a short way to the left, you reach Abae. The people of Abae say that they came to Phocis from Argos, and that their city took its name from Abas its founder, who was a son of Lynceus and Hypermnestra, daughter of Danaus.
Abae is one of the places which has been deemed sacred to Apollo from of old, and there was an oracle of Apollo there. But the god at Abae did not receive the same respectful treatment from the Persians as from the Romans. For whereas the Romans, out of reverence for Apollo, allowed the Abaeans to retain their independence, the army of Xerxes burned down the very sanctuary at Abae. The Greeks, who withstood the barbarian, resolved not to restore the burnt sanctuaries, but to leave them for all time as records of hate. That is why the temples in the land of Haliartus, and the temple of Hera at Athens on the road to Phalerum, and the temple of Demeter at Phalerum, remain half-burnt even in my time. Such, I take it, was the aspect also of the sanctuary at Abae until in the Phocian war a band of defeated Phocians took refuge in Abae, whereupon the Thebans gave them, and the sanctuary in which they had sought shelter, to the flames. Thus the sanctuary was twice burnt, first by the Medes and, second, by the Thebans. However, it stood down to my time the most tumble-down building ever damaged by the flames, for the Boeotian fire completed the ruin which the Persian fire had begun. 3. Beside the great temple stands a smaller one, built by the Emperor Hadrian in honour of Apollo. The images are older, and were dedicated by the Abaeans themselves: they are of bronze, and all in standing attitudes. They represent Apollo, Latona, and Artemis. There is a theatre at Abae, also a market-place, both of ancient construction. 4. Having returned to the straight road which leads to Opus, you will come next to Hyampolis. The very name is enough to show the origin of the people, and the place from which they were driven when they came to this district. They were, in fact, the Hyantians of Thebes, who fled thither from Cadmus and his army. In earlier days the city was called by the people in the neighbourhood the city of the Hyantians, but in course of time the name Hyampolis prevailed. The city was burnt down by King Xerxes, and afterwards razed to the ground by Philip, but nevertheless there are still left a market-place of ancient construction, and a Council House (a small building), and a theatre not far from the gates. The Emperor Hadrian built a colonnade which is named after him. The town possesses one well which supplies the inhabitants with all their water for drinking and washing, for they have no other water except rain-water in winter. They worship chiefly Artemis, and have a temple of her. I cannot describe the image ; for it is their custom to open the sanctuary only twice a year. They say that whatever cattle they pronounce sacred to Artemis remain free from disease and fatter than the rest.
The straight road to Delphi, through Panopeus and past Daulis and the Cleft Way, is not the only pass from Chaeronea into Phocis. There is another rough and mostly mountainous road from Chaeronea to Stiris, a city in Phocis: the distance by the road is a hundred and twenty furlongs. The people of Stiris say that they are not Phocians, but Athenians originally, and came from Attica with Peteos, son of Orneus, when he was chased from Athens by Aegeus ; and because most of the people came with Peteos from the township of Stiria, the city was called Stiris. The town is on high and rocky ground; hence the inhabitants are short of water in summer, for the wells in the place are few and their water bad. These wells supply the people with water for washing, and the beasts of burden with drinking-water ; but the inhabitants fetch their own drinking-water from a spring about four furlongs down from the town. The spring is dug in the rocks, and they go down to it and draw water. There is a sanctuary of Stirian Demeter at Stiris: it is made of unburnt brick, but the image is of Pentelic marble, and represents the goddess holding torches. Beside it is one of the most ancient images of Demeter, with ribbons tied to it.
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