μετὰ δὲ τὸν Πειραιᾶ Φαληρεῖς δῆμος ἐν τῇ ἐφεξῆς παραλίᾳ· εἶθʼ Ἁλιμούσιοι Αἰξωνεῖς Ἁλαιεῖς οἱ Αἰξωνικοὶ Ἀναγυράσιοι· εἶτα Θοραιεῖς Λαμπτρεῖς Αἰγιλιεῖς Ἀναφλύστιοι Ἀζηνιεῖς· οὗτοι μὲν οἱ μέχρι τῆς ἄκρας τοῦ Σουνίου. μεταξὺ δὲ τῶν λεχθέντων δήμων μακρὰ ἄκρα, πρώτη μετὰ τοὺς Αἰξωνέας Ζωστήρ, εἶτʼ ἄλλη μετὰ Θοραιέας Ἀστυπάλαια· ὧν τῆς μὲν πρόκειται νῆσος Φάβρα τῆς δʼ Ἐλαιοῦσσα· καὶ κατὰ τοὺς Αἰξωνέας δʼ ἔστιν Ὑδροῦσσα· περὶ δὲ Ἀνάφλυστόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ Πανεῖον καὶ τὸ τῆς Κωλιάδος Ἀφροδίτης ἱερόν, εἰς ὃν τόπον ἐκκυμανθῆναι τὰ τελευταῖα τὰ ἐκ τῆς περὶ Σαλαμῖνα ναυμαχίας τῆς Περσικῆς ναυάγιά φασι, περὶ ὧν καὶ τὸν Ἀπόλλω προειπεῖν Κωλιάδες δὲ γυναῖκες ἐρετμοῖσι φρύξουσι. πρόκειται δὲ καὶ τούτων τῶν τόπων Βέλβινα νῆσος οὐ πολὺ ἄπωθεν καὶ ὁ Πατρόκλου χάραξ· ἔρημοι δʼ αἱ πλεῖσται τούτων.
Next to the Piraeus is the demus Phalereis, on the succeeding line of coast, then Halimusii, Aexoneis, Alaeeis, the Aexonici, Anagyrasii; then Theoris, Lampesis; Aegilieis, Anaphlystii, Azenieis; these extend as far as the promontory Sunium. Between the above-mentioned demi is a long promontory, Zoster, the first after the Aexoneis; then another promontory after Thoreis, Astypalaea; in the front of the former of these is an island, Phabra, and of the latter an island, Eleüssa, opposite the Aexoneis is Hydrussa. About Anaphlystum is the Paneum, and the temple of Venus Colias. Here, they say, were thrown up by the waves the last portions of the wrecks of the vessels after the naval engagement with the Persians near Salamis, of which remains Apollo predicted, The women of Colias shall shudder at the sight of oars. / In front of these places lies off, at no great distance, the island Belbina; and the rampart of Patroclus; but most of these islands are uninhabited.
κάμψαντι δὲ τὴν κατὰ τὸ Σούνιον ἄκραν ἀξιόλογος δῆμος Σούνιον, εἶτα Θόρικος, εἶτα Ποταμὸς δῆμος οὕτω καλούμενος, ἐξ οὗ οἱ ἄνδρες Ποτάμιοι, εἶτα Πρασιὰ Στειριὰ Βραυρών, ὅπου τὸ τῆς Βραυρωνίας Ἀρτέμιδος ἱερόν, νίδες, ὅπου τὸ τῆς Ταυροπόλου, Μυρρινοῦς Προβάλινθος Μαραθών, ὅπου Μιλτιάδης τὰς μετὰ Δάτιος τοῦ Πέρσου δυνάμεις ἄρδην διέφθειρεν οὐ περιμείνας ὑστερίζοντας Λακεδαιμονίους διὰ τὴν πανσέληνον· ἐνταῦθα μεμυθεύκασι καὶ τὸν Μαραθώνιον ταῦρον ὃν ἀνεῖλε Θησεύς. μετὰ δὲ Μαραθῶνα Τρικόρυνθος, εἶτα Ῥαμνοῦς, τὸ τῆς Νεμέσεως ἱερόν, εἶτα Ψαφὶς ἡ τῶν Ὠρωπίων· ἐνταῦθα δέ που καὶ τὸ Ἀμφιαράειόν ἐστι τετιμημένον ποτὲ μαντεῖον, ὅπου φυγόντα τὸν Ἀμφιάρεων, ὥς φησι Σοφοκλῆς, ἐδέξατο ῥαγεῖσα Θηβαία κόνις αὐτοῖσιν ὅπλοις καὶ τετρωρίστῳ δίφρῳ. Ὠρωπὸς δʼ ἐν ἀμφισβητησίμῳ γεγένηται πολλάκις· ἵδρυται γὰρ ἐν μεθορίῳ τῆς τε Ἀττικῆς καὶ τῆς Βοιωτίας. πρόκειται δὲ τῆς παραλίας ταύτης πρὸ μὲν τοῦ Θορίκου καὶ τοῦ Σουνίου νῆσος Ἑλένη τραχεῖα καὶ ἔρημος, παραμήκης ὅσον ἑξήκοντα σταδίων τὸ μῆκος, ἧς φασι μεμνῆσθαι τὸν ποιητὴν ἐν οἷς Ἀλέξανδρος λέγει πρὸς τὴν Ἑλένην οὐδʼ ὅτε σε πρῶτον Λακεδαίμονος ἐξ ἐρατεινῆς ἁρπάξας ἐν ποντοπόροισι νέεσσι, νήσῳ δʼ ἐν Κρανάῃ ἐμίγην φιλότητι καὶ εὐνῇ. ταύτην γὰρ λέγει Κρανάην τὴν νῦν Ἑλένην ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐκεῖ γενέσθαι τὴν μῖξιν. μετὰ δὲ τὴν Ἑλένην ἡ Εὔβοια πρόκειται τῆς ἑξῆς παραλίας, ὁμοίως στενὴ καὶ μακρὰ καὶ κατὰ μῆκος τῇ ἠπείρῳ παραβεβλημένη καθάπερ ἡ Ἑλένη. ἔστι δʼ ἀπὸ τοῦ Σουνίου πρὸς τὸ νότιον τῆς Εὐβοίας ἄκρον, ὃ καλοῦσι Λευκὴν ἀκτήν, σταδίων τριακοσίων πλοῦς· ἀλλὰ περὶ Εὐβοίας μὲ, τοὺς δʼ ἐν τῇ μεσογαίᾳ δήμους τῆς Ἀττικῆς μακρὸν εἰπεῖν διὰ τὸ πλῆθος.
On doubling the promontory at Sunium, we meet with Sunium, a considerable demus; then Thoricus, next a demus called Potamus, from which the inhabitants are called Potamii; next Prasia, Steiria, Brauron, where is the temple of Diana Brauronia, Halae Araphenides, where is the temple of Diana Tauropola; then Myrrhinus, Probalinthus, Marathon, where Miltiades entirely destroyed the army of Datis the Persian, without waiting for the Lacedaemonians, who deferred setting out till the full moon. There is laid the scene of the fable of the Marathonian bull, which Theseus killed.
Next to Marathon is Tricorynthus, then Rhamnus, where is the temple of Nemesis; then Psaphis, a city of the Oropii. Somewhere about this spot is the Amphiaraeum, an oracle once in repute, to which Amphiareus fled, as Sophocles says, The dusty Theban soil opened and received him with his armour, and the four-horse chariot.
Oropus has frequently been a subject of contention, for it is situated on the confines of Attica and Boeotia.
In front of this coast, before Thoricum and Sunium, is the island Helena; it is rocky and uninhabited, extending in length about 60 stadia, which, they say, the poet mentions in the words, in which Alexander addresses Helen, Not when first I carried thee away from the pleasant Lacedaemon, across the deep, and in the island Cranaë embraced thee. For Cranaë, from the kind of intercourse which took place there, is now called Helena. Next to Helena, Eulboea lies in front of the following tract of coast. It is long and narrow, and stretching along the continent like Helena. From Sunium to the southern point of Euboea, which is called Leuce Acte, [or, the white coast,] is a voyage of 300 stadia, but we shall speak hereafter of Euboea.
It would be tedious to recite the names of the Demi of Attica in the inland parts, on account of their number.
τῶν δʼ ὀρῶν τὰ μὲν ἐν ὀνόματι μάλιστά ἐστιν ὅ τε Ὑμηττὸς καὶ Βριλησσὸς καὶ Λυκαβηττός, ἔτι δὲ Πάρνης καὶ Κορυδαλλός. μαρμάρου δʼ ἐστὶ τῆς τε Ὑμηττίας καὶ τῆς Πεντελικῆς κάλλιστα μέταλλα πλησίον τῆς πόλεως· ὁ δʼ Ὑμηττὸς καὶ μέλι ἄριστον ποιεῖ. τὰ δʼ ἀργυρεῖα τὰ ἐν τῇ Ἀττικῇ κατʼ ἀρχὰς μὲν ἦν ἀξιόλογα, νυνὶ δʼ ἐκλείπει· καὶ δὴ καὶ οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι, τῆς μεταλλείας ἀσθενῶς ὑπακουούσης, τὴν παλαιὰν ἐκβολάδα καὶ σκωρίαν ἀναχωνεύοντες εὕρισκον ἔτι ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀποκαθαιρόμενον ἀργύριον, τῶν ἀρχαίων ἀπείρως καμινευόντων. τοῦ δὲ μέλιτος ἀρίστου τῶν πάντων ὄντος τοῦ Ἀττικοῦ πολὺ βέλτιστόν φασι τὸ ἐν τοῖς ἀργυρείοις, ὃ καὶ ἀκάπνιστον καλοῦσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ τρόπου τῆς σκευασίας.
Among the mountains which are most celebrated, are the Hymettus, Brilessus, Lycabettus, Parnes, and Corydallus. Near the city are excellent quarries of Hymettian and Pentelic marble. The Hymettus produces also the finest honey. The silver mines in Attica were at first of importance, but are now exhausted. The workmen, when the mines yielded a bad return to their labour, committed to the furnace the old refuse and scoria, and hence obtained very pure silver, for the former workmen had carried on the process in the furnace unskilfully.
Although the Attic is the best of all the kinds of honey, yet by far the best of the Attic honey is that found in the country of the silver mines, which they call acapniston, or unsmoked, from the mode of its preparation.
ποταμοὶ δʼ εἰσὶν ὁ μὲν Κηφισσὸς ἐκ Τρινεμέων τὰς ἀρχὰς ἔχων ῥέων δὲ διὰ τοῦ πεδίου, ἐφʼ οὗ καὶ ἡ γέφυρα καὶ οἱ γεφυρισμοί, διὰ δὲ τῶν σκελῶν τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἄστεος εἰς τὸν Πειραιᾶ καθηκόντων ἐκδίδωσιν εἰς τὸ Φαληρικόν, χειμαρρώδης τὸ πλέον, θέρους δὲ μειοῦται τελέως. ἔστι δὲ τοιοῦτος μᾶλλον ὁ Ἰλισσός, ἐκ θατέρου μέρους τοῦ ἄστεος ῥέων εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν παραλίαν ἐκ τῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς Ἄγρας καὶ τοῦ Λυκείου μερῶν καὶ τῆς πηγῆς ἣν ὕμνηκεν ἐν Φαίδρῳ Πλάτων. περὶ μὲν τῆς Ἀττικῆς ταῦτα.
Among the rivers is the Cephissus, having its source from the Trinemeis, it flows through the plain (where are the Gephyra, and the Gephyrismi) between the legs or walls extending from the Asty to the Piraeus, and empties itself into the Plalericum. Its character is chiefly that of a winter torrent, for in the summer time it fails altogether. Such also, for the most part, is the Ilissus, which flows from the other side of the Asty to the same coast, from the parts above Agra, and the Lyceium, and the fountain celebrated by Plato in the Phaedrus. So much then respecting Attica.
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