Listed 4 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for destination: "ELIKI Ancient city EGIALIA".
One of the chief cities of Achaia, situated on the shore of the Sinus Corinthiacus, near Bura. It was celebrated for the temple and worship of Poseidon, thence called Heliconius. Here, also, the general meeting of the Ionians was convened, while yet in the possession of Aegialus, and the festival which then took place is supposed to have resembled that of the Panionia, which they instituted afterwards in Asia Minor. A tremendous influx of the sea, caused by a violent earthquake, overwhelmed and completely destroyed Helice two years before the battle of Leuctra, B.C. 373. The details of this catastrophe will be found in Pausanias and Aelian. Eratosthenes, as Strabo reports, beheld the site of this ancient city, and he was assured by sailors that the bronze statue of Poseidon was still visible beneath the waters, holding an hippocampus, or sea-horse, in his hand, and that it formed a dangerous shoal for their vessels. Two thousand workmen were afterwards sent by the Achaeans to recover the dead bodies, but without success.
This text is cited Sep 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Helike: Eth. Helikonios (Steph. B. s. v.); Helikeus (Strab.viii.).
A town in Achaia, and one of the 12 Achaean cities, was situated on the coast
between the rivers Selinus and Cerynites, and 40 stadia E. of Aegium. It seems
to have been the most ancient of all the cities in Achaia. Its foundation is ascribed
to Ion, who is said to have made it his residence, and--to have called it after
his wife Helice, the daughter of Selinus. It possessed a celebrated temple of
Poseidon, who was hence called Heliconins; and here the Ionians were accustomed
to hold those periodical meetings which were continued in Asia Minor under the
name of Panionia. After the conquest of the country by the Achaeans, the latter
likewise made Helice the place of meeting of their League, and it continued to
be their capital till the destruction of the city by an earthquake in B.C. 373,
two years before the battle of Leuctra. This earthquake happened in the night.
The city and a space of 12 stadia below it sank into the earth, and were covered
over by the sea. All the inhabitants perished, and not a vestige of Helice remained,
except a few fragments projecting from the sea. Its territory was taken possession
of by Aegium. The neighbouring city of Bura was destroyed by the same earthquake.
The catastrophe was attributed to the vengeance of Poseidon, whose wrath was excited
because the inhabitants of Helice had refused to give their statue of Poseidon
to the Ionian colonists in Asia, or even to supply them with a model. According
to some authorities, the inhabitants of Helice and Bura had even murdered the
Ionian deputies.
On the 23rd of August, 1817, the same spot was again the scene of
a similar disaster. The earthquake was preceded by a sudden explosion, which was
compared to that of a battery of cannon. The shock which immediately succeeded
was said to have lasted a minute and a:.half, during which the sea rose at the
mouth of the Selinus, and extended so far as to inundate all the level immediately
below Vostitza (the ancient Aegium). After its retreat not a trace was left of
some magazines which had stood on the shore, and the sand which had covered the
beach was all carried away. In Vostitza 65 persons lost their lives, and two thirds
of the buildings were entirely ruined. Five villages in the plain were destroyed.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited May 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
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