Harvard CHS Open House, January 25th, 2018 1 High and low: Xerxes’ desire of Thessalian heights and Tempe gorge Dr Maria-Elizabeth G. Xanthou, CHS Harvard University USA – University of Leeds UK [email protected] – [email protected]

High and low: Xerxes’ desire of Thessalian heights and Tempe gorge

1. Hist. 7. 128 128 [1] Ξέρξης δὲ ὁρέων ἐκ τῆς Θέρμης ὄρεα [1] When Xerxes saw from Therma the τὰ Θεσσαλικά, τόν τε Ὄλυμπον καὶ τὴν very great height of the Thessalian Ὄσσαν, μεγάθεΐ τε ὑπερμήκεα ἐόντα, διὰ mountains Olympus and Ossa and learned μέσου τε αὐτῶν αὐλῶνα στεινὸν that the Peneus flows through them in a πυνθανόμενος εἶναι δι᾽ οὗ ῥέει ὁ Πηνειός, narrow pass, which was the way that led ἀκούων τε ταύτῃ εἶναι ὁδὸν ἐς Θεσσαλίην into Thessaly, he desired to view the mouth φέρουσαν, ἐπεθύμησε πλώσας θεήσασθαι of the Peneus because he intended to march τὴν ἐκβολὴν τοῦ Πηνειοῦ, ὅτι τὴν ἄνω ὁδὸν by the upper road through the highland ἔμελλε ἐλᾶν διὰ Μακεδόνων τῶν κατύπερθε people of Macedonia to the country of the οἰκημένων ἔστε Περραιβοὺς παρὰ Γόννον Perrhaebi and the town of Gonnus; this, it πόλιν: ταύτῃ γὰρ ἀσφαλέστατον ἐπυνθάνετο was told him, was the safest way. εἶναι. [2] He did exactly as he desired. He [2] ὡς δὲ ἐπεθύμησε, καὶ ἐποίεε ταῦτα: ἐσβὰς embarked on a Sidonian ship which he ἐς Σιδωνίην νέα, ἐς τήν περ ἐσέβαινε αἰεὶ always used when he had some such ὅκως τι ἐθέλοι τοιοῦτο ποιῆσαι, ἀνέδεξε business in hand, and hoisted his signal for σημήιον καὶ τοῖσι ἄλλοισι ἀνάγεσθαι, the rest also to put out to sea, leaving his καταλιπὼν αὐτοῦ τὸν πεζὸν στρατόν. ἐπεὶ δὲ land army where it was. Great wonder took ἀπίκετο καὶ ἐθεήσατο Ξέρξης τὴν ἐκβολὴν him when he came and viewed the mouth of τοῦ Πηνειοῦ, ἐν θώματι μεγάλῳ ἐνέσχετο, the Peneus, and calling his guides, he asked καλέσας δὲ τοὺς κατηγεμόνας τῆς ὁδοῦ εἴρετο them if it were possible to turn the river εἰ τὸν ποταμὸν ἐστὶ παρατρέψαντα ἑτέρῃ ἐς from its course and lead it into the sea by θάλασσαν ἐξαγαγεῖν. another way.

2. Hist. 7.129 129 [1] τὴν δὲ Θεσσαλίην λόγος ἐστὶ τὸ [1] Thessaly, as tradition has it, was in old παλαιὸν εἶναι λίμνην, ὥστε γε times a lake enclosed all round by high συγκεκληιμένην πάντοθεν ὑπερμήκεσι ὄρεσι. mountains. On its eastern side it is fenced in τὰ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῆς πρὸς τὴν ἠῶ ἔχοντα τό τε by the joining of the lower parts of the Πήλιον ὄρος καὶ ἡ Ὄσσα ἀποκληίει mountains Pelion and Ossa, to the north by συμμίσγοντα τὰς ὑπωρείας ἀλλήλοισι, τὰ δὲ Olympus, to the west by Pindus, towards the πρὸς βορέω ἀνέμου Ὄλυμπος, τὰ δὲ πρὸς south and the southerly wind by Othrys. In ἑσπέρην Πίνδος, τὰ δὲ πρὸς μεσαμβρίην τε καὶ the middle, then, of this ring of mountains, ἄνεμον νότον ἡ Ὄθρυς: τὸ μέσον δὲ τούτων lies the vale of Thessaly. τῶν λεχθέντων ὀρέων ἡ Θεσσαλίη ἐστὶ ἐοῦσα κοίλη. [2] ὥστε ὦν ποταμῶν ἐς αὐτὴν καὶ ἄλλων [2] A number of rivers pour into this vale, συχνῶν ἐσβαλλόντων, πέντε δὲ τῶν δοκίμων the most notable of which are Peneus, μάλιστα τῶνδε, Πηνειοῦ καὶ Ἀπιδανοῦ καὶ Apidanus, Onochonus, , Pamisus. Ὀνοχώνου καὶ Ἐνιπέος καὶ Παμίσου, οἳ μέν These five, while they flow towards their νυν ἐς τὸ πεδίον τοῦτο συλλεγόμενοι ἐκ τῶν meeting place from the mountains which ὀρέων τῶν περικληιόντων τὴν Θεσσαλίην surround Thessaly, have their several ὀνομαζόμενοι δι᾽ ἑνὸς αὐλῶνος καὶ τούτου names, until their waters all unite and issue στεινοῦ ἔκροον ἔχουσι ἐς θάλασσαν, into the sea by one narrow passage. προσυμμίσγοντες τὸ ὕδωρ πάντες ἐς τὠυτό: [3] ἐπεὰν δὲ συμμιχθέωσι τάχιστα, ἐνθεῦτεν [3] As soon as they are united, the name of ἤδη ὁ Πηνειὸς τῷ οὐνόματι κατακρατέων the Peneus prevails, making the rest ἀνωνύμους τοὺς ἄλλους εἶναι ποιέει. τὸ δὲ nameless. In ancient days, it is said, there παλαιὸν λέγεται, οὐκ ἐόντος κω τοῦ αὐλῶνος was not yet this channel and outfall, but καὶ διεκρόου τούτου, τοὺς ποταμοὺς τούτους, those rivers and the Boebean lake, which καὶ πρὸς τοῖσι ποταμοῖσι τούτοισι τὴν was not yet named, had the same volume of Harvard CHS Open House, January 25th, 2018 2 High and low: Xerxes’ desire of Thessalian heights and Tempe gorge Dr Maria-Elizabeth G. Xanthou, CHS Harvard University USA – University of Leeds UK [email protected] – [email protected]

Βοιβηίδα λίμνην, οὔτε ὀνομάζεσθαι κατά περ water as now, and thereby turned all νῦν ῥέειν τε οὐδὲν ἧσσον ἢ νῦν, ῥέοντας δὲ Thessaly into a sea. ποιέειν τὴν Θεσσαλίην πᾶσαν πέλαγος. [4] αὐτοὶ μέν νυν Θεσσαλοί φασι Ποσειδέωνα [4] Now the Thessalians say that ποιῆσαι τὸν αὐλῶνα δι᾽ οὗ ῥέει ὁ Πηνειός, made the passage by which the Peneus οἱκότα λέγοντες: ὅστις γὰρ νομίζει flows. This is reasonable, for whoever Ποσειδέωνα τὴν γῆν σείειν καὶ τὰ διεστῶτα believes that Poseidon is the shaker of the ὑπὸ σεισμοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τούτου ἔργα εἶναι, κἂν earth and that rifts made by earthquakes are ἐκεῖνο ἰδὼν φαίη Ποσειδέωνα ποιῆσαι: ἔστι the work of that god will conclude, upon γὰρ σεισμοῦ ἔργον, ὡς ἐμοὶ φαίνεται εἶναι, ἡ seeing that passage, that it is of Poseidon's διάστασις τῶν ὀρέων. making. It was manifest to me that it must have been an earthquake, which forced the mountains apart. 3. Hist. 7.130 130 [1] οἱ δὲ κατηγεόμενοι, εἰρομένου Ξέρξεω [1] Xerxes asked his guides if there were εἰ ἔστι ἄλλη ἔξοδος ἐς θάλασσαν τῷ Πηνειῷ, any other outlet for the Peneus into the sea, ἐξεπιστάμενοι ἀτρεκέως εἶπον ‘βασιλεῦ, and they, with their full knowledge of the ποταμῷ τούτῳ οὐκ ἔστι ἄλλη ἐξήλυσις ἐς matter, answered him: “The river, O king, θάλασσαν κατήκουσα, ἀλλ᾽ ἥδε αὐτή: ὄρεσι has no other way into the sea, but this alone. γὰρ περιεστεφάνωται πᾶσα Θεσσαλίη.’ This is so because there is a ring of Ξέρξην δὲ λέγεται εἰπεῖν πρὸς ταῦτα ‘σοφοὶ mountains around the whole of Thessaly.” ἄνδρες εἰσὶ Θεσσαλοί.’ Upon hearing this Xerxes said: “These Thessalians are wise men; [2] ‘ταῦτ᾽ ἄρα πρὸ πολλοῦ ἐφυλάξαντο [2] this, then, was the primary reason for γνωσιμαχέοντες καὶ τἆλλα καὶ ὅτι χώρην ἄρα their precaution long before when they εἶχον εὐαίρετόν τε καὶ ταχυάλωτον. τὸν γὰρ changed to a better mind, for they perceived ποταμὸν πρῆγμα ἂν ἦν μοῦνον ἐπεῖναι σφέων that their country would be easily and ἐπὶ τὴν χώρην, χώματι ἐκ τοῦ αὐλῶνος speedily conquerable. It would only have ἐκβιβάσαντα καὶ παρατρέψαντα δι᾽ ὧν νῦν been necessary to let the river out over their ῥέει ῥεέθρων, ὥστε Θεσσαλίην πᾶσαν ἔξω land by barring the channel with a dam and τῶν ὀρέων ὑπόβρυχα γενέσθαι.’ to turn it from its present bed so that the whole of Thessaly, with the exception of the mountains, might be under water.” [3] ταῦτα δὲ ἔχοντα ἔλεγε ἐς τοὺς Ἀλεύεω [3] This he said with regard in particular to παῖδας, ὅτι πρῶτοι Ἑλλήνων ἐόντες Θεσσαλοὶ the sons of Aleues, the Thessalians who ἔδοσαν ἑωυτοὺς βασιλέι, δοκέων ὁ Ξέρξης were the first Greeks to surrender ἀπὸ παντός σφεας τοῦ ἔθνεος ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι themselves to the king. Xerxes supposed φιλίην. εἴπας δὲ ταῦτα καὶ θεησάμενος that when they offered him friendship they ἀπέπλεε ἐς τὴν Θέρμην. spoke for the whole of their nation. After delivering this speech and seeing what he had come to see, he sailed back to Therma. 4. Hist. 7.131 131 ὁ μὲν δὴ περὶ Πιερίην διέτριβε ἡμέρας 131 Xerxes stayed for many days in the συχνάς: τὸ γὰρ δὴ ὄρος τὸ Μακεδονικὸν region of Pieria while a third part of his ἔκειρε τῆς στρατιῆς τριτημορίς, ἵνα ταύτῃ army was clearing a road over the διεξίῃ ἅπασα ἡ στρατιὴ ἐς Περραιβούς. οἱ δὲ Macedonian mountains so that the whole δὴ κήρυκες οἱ ἀποπεμφθέντες ἐς τὴν Ἑλλάδα army might pass by that way to the ἐπὶ γῆς αἴτησιν ἀπίκατο οἳ μὲν κεινοί, οἳ δὲ Perrhaebian country. Now it was that the φέροντες γῆν τε καὶ ὕδωρ. heralds who had been sent to Hellas to demand earth, some empty-handed, some bearing earth and water, returned.

Harvard CHS Open House, January 25th, 2018 3 High and low: Xerxes’ desire of Thessalian heights and Tempe gorge Dr Maria-Elizabeth G. Xanthou, CHS Harvard University USA – University of Leeds UK [email protected] – [email protected]

5. Hist. 1.1 Ἡροδότου Ἁλικαρνησσέος ἱστορίης ἀπόδεξις This is the display of the inquiry of Herodotus ἥδε, ὡς μήτε τὰ γενόμενα ἐξ ἀνθρώπων τῷ of Halicarnassus, so that things done by man χρόνῳ ἐξίτηλα γένηται, μήτε ἔργα μεγάλα τε not be forgotten in time, and that great and καὶ θωμαστά, τὰ μὲν Ἕλλησι τὰ δὲ marvelous deeds, some displayed by the βαρβάροισι ἀποδεχθέντα, ἀκλεᾶ γένηται, τά Hellenes, some by the barbarians, not lose τε ἄλλα καὶ δι᾽ ἣν αἰτίην ἐπολέμησαν their glory, including among others what was ἀλλήλοισι. the cause of their waging war on each other.

6. Hist. 2.99.1 μέχρι μὲν τούτου ὄψις τε ἐμὴ καὶ γνώμη καὶ Up to that point my own observation as well ἱστορίη ταῦτα λέγουσα ἐστί, τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦδε as my judgment and my inquiry are at the Αἰγυπτίους ἔρχομαι λόγους ἐρέων κατὰ τὰ basis of what is said, but from now on I will ἤκουον: προσέσται δὲ αὐτοῖσί τι καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς be presenting Egyptian accounts as I heard ὄψιος. them; still, there will be an element of personal observation in it.

7. Hes. GK. fr. 60 M.-W. τῆμος ἄρ᾽ ἄγγελος ἦλθε κόραξ ἱερῆς ἀπὸ At that time a messenger came, a raven, from δαιτὸς the holy feast Πυθὼ ἐς ἠγαθέην, φράσσεν δ᾽ἄρα ἔργ᾽ to sacred Pytho and reported unseen deeds ἀίδηλα to unshorn Phoebus: that Ischys had slept Φοίβῳ ἀκερσεκόμῃ, ὅτι Ἴσχυς ἔγημε with Coronis – Κόρωνιν he Elatus’ son, her the daughter of -born Εἰλατίδης, Φλεγύαο διογνήτοιο θύγατρα [transl. G. W. Most, , vol. II: The Shield. . Other Fragments, LCL 503, Cambridge Mass. 2007, 313.]

8. H. Hymn Ascl. 16.1-3 ἰητῆρα νόσων Ἀσκληπιὸν ἄρχομ᾽ ἀείδειν, Of the healer of sicknesses first I υἱὸν Ἀπόλλωνος, τὸν ἐγείνατο δῖα Κορωνίς sing, Δωτίῳ ἐν πεδίῳ, κούρη Φλεγύα βασιλῆος son of , born in the Dotian Plain to the […] Lady Coronis, daughter of king Phlegyas, […]. [transl. M. L. West, Homeric Hymns. Homeric Apocrypha. Lives of , LCL 496, Cambridge Mass. 2003, 196]

9. ©Fabrizio Serra Editore & Xanthou, QUCC 103.3 (2015): 69.

Harvard CHS Open House, January 25th, 2018 4 High and low: Xerxes’ desire of Thessalian heights and Tempe gorge Dr Maria-Elizabeth G. Xanthou, CHS Harvard University USA – University of Leeds UK [email protected] – [email protected]

10. Il. 2.711 711 οἳ δὲ Φερὰς ἐνέμοντο παραὶ Βοιβηΐδα λίμνην [711] And they that dwelt in beside the 712 Βοίβην καὶ Γλαφύρας καὶ ἐϋκτιμένην Ἰαωλκόν, lake Boebeïs, [712] and in Boebe, and 713 τῶν ἦρχ᾽ Ἀδμήτοιο φίλος πάϊς ἕνδεκα νηῶν Glaphyrae, and well-built , [713] these 714 Εὔμηλος, τὸν ὑπ᾽ Ἀδμήτῳ τέκε δῖα γυναικῶν were led by the dear son of with 715 Ἄλκηστις Πελίαο θυγατρῶν εἶδος ἀρίστη. eleven ships, [714] even by , whom Alcestis, queenly among women, bare to Admetus, [715] even she, the comeliest of the daughters of Pelias.

Select bibliography: Buxton, R. 1992. ‘Imaginary Greek mountains’. JHS 112: 1-15. Darmezin L. 1992. ‘Sites archéologiques et territoires du massif des Chassia’. In: I. Blum ed. Topique antique et géographie historique en pays grec. Paris: 139-155. Macan, R. G. 1908. Herodotus. Vol. I. Part I. London. McInerney, J. 1997. ‘Parnassus, Delphi, and the Thyiades’. GRBS 38.3: 263-283. Müller, D. 1987. Topographischer Bildkommentar zu den Historien Herodots: Griechenland, im Umfang des heutigen griechischen Staatsgebiets. Tübingen. Poulsen Frederik, 2015. Representing Zion: Judgement and Salvation in the Old Testament. Leiden. Thomas, C. G. 2010. ‘The Physical Kingdom’. In J. Roisman & I. Worthington eds. A Companion to Ancient Macedonia. Malden /Oxford: 65-80. Vasilev, M. I. 2015. The Policy of Darius and Xerxes towards Thrace and Macedonia. Leiden. Xanthou. M. G. 2013. ‘Pind. Pyth. 3.25 Sn.-Maehl. καλλιπέπλου λῆμα Κορωνίδος: Among Literary Representation, Ethological Description and circumlocutio cum colore epico’. QUCC 105.3: 53-78.