ταῖς δὲ νῦν Αἰολικαῖς πόλεσιν ἔτι καὶ τὰς Αἰγὰς προσληπτέον καὶ τὴν Τῆμνον, ὅθεν ἦν Ἑρμαγόρας ὁ τὰς ῥητορικὰς τέχνας συγγράψας· ἵδρυνται δʼ αἱ πόλεις αὗται κατὰ τὴν ὀρεινὴν τὴν ὑπερκειμένην τῆς τε Κυμαίας καὶ τῆς Φωκαέων καὶ Σμυρναίων γῆς, παρʼ ἣν ὁ Ἕρμος ῥεῖ. οὐκ ἄπωθεν δὲ τούτων τῶν πόλεων οὐδʼ ἡ Μαγνησία ἐστὶν ἡ ὑπὸ Σιπύλῳ, ἐλευθέρα πόλις ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων κεκριμένη. καὶ ταύτην δʼ ἐκάκωσαν οἱ νεωστὶ γενόμενοι σεισμοί. εἰς δὲ τἀναντία τὰ ἐπὶ τὸν Κάικον νεύοντα ἀπὸ Λαρίσης μὲν διαβάντι τὸν Ἕρμον εἰς Κύμην ἑβδομήκοντα στάδιοι, ἐντεῦθεν δʼ εἰς Μύριναν τετταράκοντα στάδιοι, τὸ δʼ ἴσον ἐντεῦθεν εἰς Γρύνιον κἀκεῖθεν εἰς Ἐλαίαν· ὡς δʼ Ἀρτεμίδωρος, ἀπὸ τῆς Κύμης εἰσὶν Ἄδαι, εἶτʼ ἄκρα μετὰ τετταράκοντα σταδίους ἣν καλοῦσιν Ὕδραν, ἡ ποιοῦσα τὸν κόλπον τὸν Ἐλαϊτικὸν πρὸς τὴν ἀπεναντίον ἄκραν Ἁρματοῦντα. τοῦ μὲν οὖν στόματος τὸ πλάτος περὶ ὀγδοήκοντα σταδίους ἐστίν, ἐγκολπίζοντι δὲ Μύρινα ἐν ἑξήκοντα σταδίοις, Αἰολὶς πόλις ἔχουσα λιμένα, εἶτʼ Ἀχαιῶν λιμήν, ὅπου οἱ βωμοὶ τῶν δώδεκα θεῶν, εἶτα πολίχνιον Μυριναίων Γρύνιον καὶ ἱερὸν Ἀπόλλωνος καὶ μαντεῖον ἀρχαῖον καὶ νεὼς πολυτελὴς λίθου λευκοῦ, στάδιοι δʼ ἐπʼ αὐτὴν τετταράκοντα· εἶθʼ ἑβδομήκοντα εἰς Ἐλαίαν, λιμένα ἔχουσαν καὶ ναύσταθμον τῶν Ἀτταλικῶν βασιλέων, Μενεσθέως κτίσμα καὶ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ Ἀθηναίων τῶν συστρατευσάντων ἐπὶ Ἴλιον. τὰ δʼ ἑξῆς εἴρηται τὰ περὶ Πιτάνην καὶ Ἀταρνέα καὶ τἆλλα τὰ ταύτῃ.
To the present Aeolian cities we must add Aegae and Temnus, the birth-place of Hermagoras, who wrote a book on the Art of Rhetoric.
These cities are on the mountainous country which is above the district of Cyme, and that of the Phocaeans and Smyrnaeans, beside which flows the Hermus.
Not far from these cities is Magnesia under Sipylus, made a free city by a decree of the Romans. The late earthquakes have injured this place. To the opposite parts, which incline towards the Caïcus to Cyme from Larisa, in passing to which the river Hermus is crossed, are 70 stadia; thence to Myrina 40 stadia; thence to Grynium 40 stadia, and thence to Elaea. But, according to Artemidorus, next to Cyme is Adae; then, at the distance of 40 stadia, a promontory, which is called Hydra, and forms the Elaïtic Gulf with the opposite promontory Harmatus. The breadth of the entrance is about 80 stadia, including the winding of the bays. Myrina, situated at 60 stadia, is an Aeolian city with a harbour, then the harbour of Achaeans, where are altars of the twelve gods; next is Grynium, a small city [of the Myrinaeans], a temple of Apollo, an ancient oracle, and a costly fane of white marble. To Myrina are 40 stadia; then 70 stadia to Elaea, which has a harbour and a station for vessels of the Attalic kings, founded by Menestheus and the Athenians who accompanied him in the expedition against Ilium.
The places about Pitane, and Atarneus, and others in this quarter, which follow Elaea, have been already described.
μεγίστη δέ ἐστι τῶν Αἰολικῶν καὶ ἀρίστη Κύμη καὶ σχεδὸν μητρόπολις αὕτη τε καὶ ἡ Λέσβος τῶν ἄλλων πόλεων περὶ τριάκοντά που τὸν ἀριθμόν, ὧν ἐκλελοίπασιν οὐκ ὀλίγαι. σκώπτεται δʼ εἰς ἀναισθησίαν ἡ Κύμη κατὰ τοιαύτην τινά, ὥς φασιν ἔνιοι, δόξαν, ὅτι τριακοσίοις ἔτεσιν ὕστερον τῆς κτίσεως ἀπέδοντο τοῦ λιμένος τὰ τέλη, πρότερον δʼ οὐκ ἐκαρποῦτο τὴν πρόσοδον ταύτην ὁ δῆμος· κατέσχεν οὖν δόξα ὡς ὀψὲ ᾐσθημένων ὅτι ἐπὶ θαλάττῃ πόλιν οἰκοῖεν. ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλος λόγος, ὅτι δανεισάμενοι χρήματα δημοσίᾳ τὰς στοὰς ὑπέθεντο, εἶτʼ οὐκ ἀποδιδόντες κατὰ τὴν ὡρισμένην ἡμέραν εἴργοντο τῶν περιπάτων· ὅτε μέντοι ὄμβρος εἴη, κατʼ αἰδῶ τινα κηρύττοιεν οἱ δανεισταί, κελεύοντες ὑπὸ τὰς στοὰς ὑπέρχεσθαι· τοῦ δὴ κήρυκος οὕτω φθεγγομένου ὑπὸ τὰς στοὰς ὑπέλθετε, ἐκπεσεῖν λόγον ὡς Κυμαίων οὐκ αἰσθανομένων ὡς ἐν τοῖς ὄμβροις ὑπὸ τὰς στοὰς ὑπελθετέον, ἂν μὴ σημάνῃ τις αὐτοῖς διὰ κηρύγματος. ἀνὴρ δʼ ἄξιος μνήμης ἐκ τῆσδε τῆς πόλεως ἀναντιλέκτως μέν ἐστιν Ἔφορος, τῶν Ἰσοκράτους γνωρίμων τοῦ ῥήτορος, ὁ τὴν ἱστορίαν συγγράψας καὶ τὰ περὶ τῶν εὑρημάτων· καὶ ἔτι πρότερος τούτου Ἡσίοδος ὁ ποιητής· αὐτὸς γὰρ εἴρηκεν ὅτι ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ Δῖος μετῴκησεν εἰς Βοιωτοὺς Κύμην Αἰολίδα προλιπών νάσσατο δʼ ἄγχʼ Ἑλικῶνος ὀιζυρῇ ἐνὶ κώμῃ / Ἄσκρῃ, χεῖμα κακῇ, θέρει ἀργαλέῃ, οὐδέ ποτʼ ἐσθλῇ. / Ὅμηρος δʼ οὐχ ὁμολογουμένως· πολλοὶ γὰρ ἀμφισβητοῦσιν αὐτοῦ. τὸ δʼ ὄνομα ἀπὸ Ἀμαζόνος τῇ πόλει τεθεῖσθαι, καθάπερ καὶ τῇ Μυρίνῃ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν τῷ Τρωικῷ πεδίῳ κειμένης ὑπὸ τῇ Βατιείᾳ τὴν ἤτοι ἄνδρες Βατίειαν κικλήσκουσιν, / ἀθάνατοι δέ τε σῆμα πολυσκάρθμοιο Μυρίνης / σκώπτεται δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἔφορος, διότι τῆς πατρίδος ἔργα οὐκ ἔχων φράζειν ἐν τῇ διαριθμήσει τῶν ἄλλων πράξεων, οὐ μὴν οὐδʼ ἀμνημόνευτον αὐτὴν εἶναι θέλων, οὕτως ἐπιφωνεῖ κατὰ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρὸν Κυμαῖοι τὰς ἡσυχίας ἦγον. Ἐπεὶ δὲ διεληλύθαμεν τὴν Τρωικὴν ἅμα καὶ τὴν Αἰολικὴν παραλίαν, ἐφεξῆς ἂν εἴη τὴν μεσόγαιαν ἐπιδραμεῖν μέχρι τοῦ Ταύρου, φυλάττοντας τὴν αὐτὴν τῆς ἐφόδου τάξιν.
Cyme is the largest and best of the Aeolian cities. This and Lesbos may be considered the capitals of the other cities, about 30 in number, of which not a few exist no longer. The inhabitants of Cyme are ridiculed for their stupidity, for, according to some writers, it is said of them that they only began to let the tolls of the harbour three hundred years after the foundation of their city, and that before this time the town had never received any revenue of the kind; hence the report that it was late before they perceived that they inhabited a city lying on the sea.
There is another story, that, having borrowed money in the name of the state, they pledged their porticos as security for the payment of it. Afterwards, the money not having been repaid on the appointed day, they were prohibited from walking in them. The creditors, through shame, gave notice by the crier whenever it rained, that the inhabitants might take shelter under the porticos. As the crier called out, Go under the porticos, a report prevailed that the Cymaeans did not perceive that they were to go under the porticos when it rained unless they had notice from the public crier.
Ephorus, a man indisputably of high repute, a disciple of Isocrates the orator, was a native of this city. He was an historian, and wrote the book on Inventions.
Hesiod the poet, who long preceded Ephorus, was a native of this place, for he himself says, that his father Dius left Cyme in Aeolis and migrated to the Boeotians; he dwelt near Helicon in Ascra, a village wretched in winter, in summer oppressive, and not pleasant at any season.
It is not generally admitted that Homer was from Cyme, for many dispute about him.
The name of the city was derived from an Amazon, as that of Myrina was the name of an Amazon, buried under the Batieia in the plain of Troy; men call this Batieia; but the immortals, the tomb of the bounding Myrina.
Ephorus is bantered, because, having no achievements of his countrymen to commemorate among the other exploits in his history, and yet being unwilling to pass them over unnoticed, he exclaims, at this time the Cymaeans were at peace. /
After having described the Trojan and Aeolian coasts, we ought next to notice cursorily the interior of the country as far as Mount Taurus, observing the same order.
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