CHAPTER XXXVIII.
And as you go from Lerna to Temenium—now Temenium belongs to the Argives, and gets its name from Temenus the son of Aristomachus: for he occupied and fortified the place, when he fought with the Dorians against Tisamenus and the Achæans from this base—the river Phrixus has its outlet into the sea, and there is a temple of Poseidon at Temenium and another of Aphrodite, and there is a monument of Temenus which is honoured by the Dorians at Argos. And about 50 stades I should say from Temenium is Nauplia, deserted in our day, it was founded by Nauplius who is reputed to have been the son of Poseidon and Amymone. And there are still some remains of walls at Nauplia, and a temple of Poseidon and a harbour, and a well called Canathus: in which the Argives say Hera bathes every year and becomes a virgin again. This is a tradition in connection with the secret rites which they perform to Hera. And the traditions of the people of Nauplia about the ass, that by gnawing twigs off the vine it makes the produce more abundant, (and consequently they have an ass carved on the rock as having taught the art of pruning vines), I pass over deeming them unworthy of mention. There is also another road going from Lerna by the seaside to a place which they call Genesium: and near the sea close to Genesium there is a small temple of Poseidon. And close to this is another place called Landing-place: for according to tradition this was the first place in Argolis where Danaus and his sons landed. And as you go on from thence is a place called Anigræa, on a road narrow and difficult of access. It is on the left hand and extends to the sea, and is a good soil for trees especially olive trees. And as you go up to the mainland there is a place called Thyrea, where 300 picked men of the Argives fought with 300 picked men of the Lacedæmonians for the possession of the land. And as they were all killed except one Spartan and two Argives, the tombs of those that fell in the action were piled up here, but the Lacedæmonians afterwards got a firm footing at the place, as they fought in full force with the Argives, and enjoyed it themselves for a time, and afterwards gave it to the Æginetans who had been driven out of Ægina by the Athenians. And in my day the Argives inhabited the district of Thyrea, and they say that they recovered it justly by conquest. Next to that burial-ground you come to Athene, where those Æginetans dwelt, and another village Neris, and a third Eua, the largest of the three villages, and Polemocrates has a temple in it. He was the son of Machaon, and brother of Alexanor, and he heals the people here, and has divine honours from the inhabitants. And beyond these villages extends Mount Parnon, which is the boundary between the Lacedæmonians and Argives and people of Tegea. And some stone Hermæ stand as border stones to mark the boundaries, and the place gets its name from them. And there is a river called Tanaus, the only river which flows from Mount Parnon. It flows through Argive territory into the Thyreatic gulf.