Διδυμον ΜΑΝΤΟΣYΝΑΣ.
The word Ηλιβατος, Elibatos, was a favourite term with Homer, and other poets; and is uniformly joined with Petra. They do not seem to have known the purport of it; yet they adhere to it religiously, and introduce it wherever they have an opportunity. Ηλιβατος is an Amonian compound of Eli-Bat, and signifies solis domus, vel [[864]]templum. It was the name of the temple, and specified the Deity there worshipped. In like manner the word Petra had in great measure lost its meaning; yet it is wonderful to observe how industriously it is introduced by writers, when they speak of sacred and oracular places. Lycophron calls the temple at Elis [[865]]Λευραν Μολπιδος πετραν: and the Pytho at Delphi is by Pindar styled Petraëssa: [[866]]Επει Πετραεσσας ελαυνων ἱκετ' εκ Πυθωνος. Orchomenos was a place of great antiquity; and the natives are said to have worshipped Petra, which were supposed to have fallen from [[867]]heaven. At Athens in the Acropolis was a sacred cavern, which was called Petræ Macræ, Petræ Cecropiæ.
[[868]]Ακουε τοινυν, οισθα Κεκροπιας πετρας,
Προσβοῤῥον αντρον, ας Μακρας κικλησκομεν.
I have shewn that people of old made use of caverns for places of worship: hence this at Athens had the name of Petra, or temple. [[869]]It is said of Ceres, that after she had wandered over the whole earth, she at last reposed herself upon a stone at Eleusis. They in like manner at Delphi shewed the petra, upon which the Sibyl Herophile at her first arrival sat [[870]]down. In short, there is in history of every oracular temple some legend about a stone; some reference to the word Petra. To clear this up, it is necessary to observe, that when the worship of the Sun was almost universal, this was one name of that Deity even among the Greeks. They called him Petor, and Petros; and his temple was styled Petra. This they oftentimes changed to λιθος; so little did they understand their own mythology. There were however some writers, who mentioned it as the name of the Sun, and were not totally ignorant of its meaning. This we may learn from the Scholiast upon Pindar. [[871]]Περι δε του Ἡλιου ὁι φυσικοι φασιν, ὡς λιθος καλειται ὁ Ἡλιος. Και Αναξαγορου γενομενον Ευριπιδην μαθητην, Πετρον ειρηκεναι τον Ἡλιον δια των προκειμενων.
Ὁ γαρ Μακαριος, κ' ουκ ονειδιζω τυχας,
Διος πεφυκως, ὡς λεγουσι, Τανταλος,
Κορυφης ὑπερτελλοντα δειμαινων ΠΕΤΡΟΝ,
Αερι ποτᾳται, και τινει ταυτην δικην.
The same Scholiast quotes a similar passage from the same writer, where the Sun is called Petra.