DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4098#0055
CHAPTER II.
Compendium of the history of Corcyra—small islands near it—villages, produce. Departure from
Corfu. Islands of Paxos and Antipaxos. Town of Parga. Arrival at Santa Maura. Ruins of
Leucas—Lover's Leap—villages—produce. Town of Prebeza—Ruins of Nicopolis—Ambracian gulph.
Departure from Santa Maura—manner in which the pirates treat their prisoners. Taphian, or Tele-
boian islands—Ithaca—villages—ports—produce—mountains—ruins of a castle and city—other ruins.
Fount Arethusa. Medals of Ithaca. Albanian robbers. Island of Cephallenia. End of my first
Tour in this part of Greece.
K«( Xi7ra.pyj Kepjcvpu (piXov ttz^qv AXxivooto.1
Before I undertake the description of modern Corfu, it will be
necessary to give a succinct account of its ancient history, with-
out entering into long details, which are foreign to the plan I pro-
pose to follow throughout the present work; nor have I time to in-
vestigate the question whether Phaeacia is Judaea, or Alcinoos Solo-
mon ? which is the opinion of a learned man of our country ; and,
although the Odyssey has not the same character of geographical
veracity, which is so conspicuous in the Iliad, yet it cannot be
allowed that the Phaeacia of Homer is a Laputa, or a Brobdignag.
The origin of the word Ionian (which is given to the islands on
this coast from the Ionian gulph) is not known with any degree of
certainty ; iEschylus2 and Hyginus3 attribute it to Io, the daughter
of Inachus; Strabo4 says that Theopompus derives it from Ionios,
an inhabitant of Issa. The ancient names of Corfu are Scheria,
1 Dionys. Orb. Descrip. v. 494; and fertile Corcyra, the loved land of Alcinoos.
* In his Prometheos, v. 846. » Fab. 145. 4 B. 7. p. 317.
Compendium of the history of Corcyra—small islands near it—villages, produce. Departure from
Corfu. Islands of Paxos and Antipaxos. Town of Parga. Arrival at Santa Maura. Ruins of
Leucas—Lover's Leap—villages—produce. Town of Prebeza—Ruins of Nicopolis—Ambracian gulph.
Departure from Santa Maura—manner in which the pirates treat their prisoners. Taphian, or Tele-
boian islands—Ithaca—villages—ports—produce—mountains—ruins of a castle and city—other ruins.
Fount Arethusa. Medals of Ithaca. Albanian robbers. Island of Cephallenia. End of my first
Tour in this part of Greece.
K«( Xi7ra.pyj Kepjcvpu (piXov ttz^qv AXxivooto.1
Before I undertake the description of modern Corfu, it will be
necessary to give a succinct account of its ancient history, with-
out entering into long details, which are foreign to the plan I pro-
pose to follow throughout the present work; nor have I time to in-
vestigate the question whether Phaeacia is Judaea, or Alcinoos Solo-
mon ? which is the opinion of a learned man of our country ; and,
although the Odyssey has not the same character of geographical
veracity, which is so conspicuous in the Iliad, yet it cannot be
allowed that the Phaeacia of Homer is a Laputa, or a Brobdignag.
The origin of the word Ionian (which is given to the islands on
this coast from the Ionian gulph) is not known with any degree of
certainty ; iEschylus2 and Hyginus3 attribute it to Io, the daughter
of Inachus; Strabo4 says that Theopompus derives it from Ionios,
an inhabitant of Issa. The ancient names of Corfu are Scheria,
1 Dionys. Orb. Descrip. v. 494; and fertile Corcyra, the loved land of Alcinoos.
* In his Prometheos, v. 846. » Fab. 145. 4 B. 7. p. 317.