DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4679#0186
160 V. PHRYGIAN CITIES OF THE LOWER MAEANDER.
towns were situated has been described in Ch. I. Many large and
prosperous villages (as prosperity goes in modern Turkey) are situated
on these hills. The governing centre is Kadi Keui, which is the seat
of a mudur and a manufacturing centre. Another important village
further west is Assar; while Hadji-Ibrahim, Mollah-Mehmet, Jebi-
Dere, Sarai, &c. (which appear only on Kiepert's latest map), lie below
Salbakos east of Kadi Keui. In the soft alluvial soil of this sloping
district, every little torrent that rushes northwards down the side
of Salbakos has cut for itself a deep canon. These canons greatly
impede intercourse, for their sides are almost perpendicular, and, in
crossing the country from east to west, one has to make a series of
sharp descents and ascents. The district is thus cut off from the main
stream of intercourse up and down the valley. Modern travellers
have passed and repassed, without becoming aware of its importance,
as Strabo evidently did before them.
In describing the district we shall begin by attempting to determine
with minute precision the line of the two great roads that traversed
it, the one connecting inner Phrygia with Sardis and the Hermos
valley, the other connecting it with the Aegean harbours (Miletos in
the older period, Ephesos in the Roman time).
§ 2. The Roads. It is clear from the account of Cyrus's march
given by Xenophon Anab. I a that the ancient road from Sardis to
Colossai crossed the Maeander above the Lycos-junction, and went
straight along the north side of the Lycos valley until it reached
Colossai. This is proved by the distances, % % parasangs from Sardis
to the Maeander, and 8 from the Maeander to Colossai1. This road
must have been of great importance in primitive time, connecting the
great city of Sardis with the interior; and it was in all probability
older than the road from Colossai to the mouth of the Maeander.
1 In comparing parasangs with Ro- parasang, if we allow for Xenophon's
man miles, the most certain stretch in estimates being rounded a little. The
the state of the modern maps is from only other possible path is the one pre-
Colossai to Kelainai (where we have the ferred by M. Radet (pp. 85, 164) crossing
railway survey to depend on). Xeno- the Maeander beside Serai-Keui; in
phon states the distance as 20 para- which case the distance is about 76 or
sangs; and, as accurately as I can yy Roman miles from Sardis to the
measure, the road-line is about 59 Maeander, and only 23 or 24 from
Roman miles. The distance from Sar- the Maeander to the Colossai. These
dis to the Maeander, on the course numbers are so inconsistent with'
which we assign to the road, is about Xenophon's 22 and 8 parasangs, that
68 to 70 miles, and from the Maeander we are bound to infer that Cyrus
to Colossai about 25 to 27 (measuring marched along the straight and na-
on Kiepert's new, large scale map), tural and easy route as stated in our
This gives about 3 Roman miles to the text.
towns were situated has been described in Ch. I. Many large and
prosperous villages (as prosperity goes in modern Turkey) are situated
on these hills. The governing centre is Kadi Keui, which is the seat
of a mudur and a manufacturing centre. Another important village
further west is Assar; while Hadji-Ibrahim, Mollah-Mehmet, Jebi-
Dere, Sarai, &c. (which appear only on Kiepert's latest map), lie below
Salbakos east of Kadi Keui. In the soft alluvial soil of this sloping
district, every little torrent that rushes northwards down the side
of Salbakos has cut for itself a deep canon. These canons greatly
impede intercourse, for their sides are almost perpendicular, and, in
crossing the country from east to west, one has to make a series of
sharp descents and ascents. The district is thus cut off from the main
stream of intercourse up and down the valley. Modern travellers
have passed and repassed, without becoming aware of its importance,
as Strabo evidently did before them.
In describing the district we shall begin by attempting to determine
with minute precision the line of the two great roads that traversed
it, the one connecting inner Phrygia with Sardis and the Hermos
valley, the other connecting it with the Aegean harbours (Miletos in
the older period, Ephesos in the Roman time).
§ 2. The Roads. It is clear from the account of Cyrus's march
given by Xenophon Anab. I a that the ancient road from Sardis to
Colossai crossed the Maeander above the Lycos-junction, and went
straight along the north side of the Lycos valley until it reached
Colossai. This is proved by the distances, % % parasangs from Sardis
to the Maeander, and 8 from the Maeander to Colossai1. This road
must have been of great importance in primitive time, connecting the
great city of Sardis with the interior; and it was in all probability
older than the road from Colossai to the mouth of the Maeander.
1 In comparing parasangs with Ro- parasang, if we allow for Xenophon's
man miles, the most certain stretch in estimates being rounded a little. The
the state of the modern maps is from only other possible path is the one pre-
Colossai to Kelainai (where we have the ferred by M. Radet (pp. 85, 164) crossing
railway survey to depend on). Xeno- the Maeander beside Serai-Keui; in
phon states the distance as 20 para- which case the distance is about 76 or
sangs; and, as accurately as I can yy Roman miles from Sardis to the
measure, the road-line is about 59 Maeander, and only 23 or 24 from
Roman miles. The distance from Sar- the Maeander to the Colossai. These
dis to the Maeander, on the course numbers are so inconsistent with'
which we assign to the road, is about Xenophon's 22 and 8 parasangs, that
68 to 70 miles, and from the Maeander we are bound to infer that Cyrus
to Colossai about 25 to 27 (measuring marched along the straight and na-
on Kiepert's new, large scale map), tural and easy route as stated in our
This gives about 3 Roman miles to the text.