Listed 3 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for destination: "ANTIKYRA Ancient city VIOTIA".
Anticyra, Antikirrha, Dicaearch., Strab., perhaps the most ancient form; next
Antikurrha, Eustath. ad Il. ii. 520; Ptol. iii. 15. § 4; and lastly Antikura,
which the Latin writers use: Eth. Anti-kureus, Antikuraios.
Aspra Spitia. A town in Phocis, situated on a peninsula (which Pliny
and A. Gellius erroneously call an island), on a bay (Sinus Anticyranus) of the
Corinthian gulf. It owed its importance to the excellence of its harbour on this
sheltered gulf, and to its convenient situation for communications with the interior.
(Dicaearch. 77; Strab. p. 418; Plin. xxv. 5. s. 21; Gell. xvii. 13; Liv. xxxii.
18; Paus. x. 36. § 5, seq.) It is said to have been originally called Cyparissus,
a name which Homer mentions (Il. ii. 519; Paus. l. c.) Like the other towns of
Phocis it was destroyed by Philip of Macedon at the close of the Sacred War (Paus.
x. 3. § 1, x. 36. § 6); but it soon recovered from its ruins. It was taken by
the consul T. Flamininus in the war with Philip B.C. 198, on account of its convenient
situation for military purposes (Liv. l. c.) It continued to be a place of importance
in the time both of Strabo and of Pausanias, the latter of whom has described
some of its public buildings. Anticyra was chiefly celebrated for the production
and preparation of the best hellebore in Greece, the chief remedy in antiquity
for madness. Many persons came to reside at Anticyra for the sake of a more perfect
cure. (Strab. l. c.) Hence the proverb Antikirrhas se dei, and Naviget Anticyram,
when a person acted foolishly. (Hor. Sat. ii. 3. 83, 166; comp. Ov. e Pont. iv.
3 53; Pers. iv. 16; Juv. xiii. 97.) The hellebore grew in great quantities around
the town: Pausanias mentions two kinds, of which the root of the black was used
as a cathartic, and that of the white as an emetic. (Strab. l. c.; Paus. x. 36.
§ 7.) There are very few ancient remains at Aspra Spitia, but Leake discovered
here an inscription containing the name of Anticyra.
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
A port E of Kirrha noted in antiquity for the production of the medicinal herb hellebore. It was destroyed by Philip of Macedon in 346 B.C. but was rebuilt; it was captured by the Romans under Otilius. Pausanias identifies it with Homeric Kyparissos and mentions gymnasia and a Sanctuary of Poseidon. At Palatia, on a promontory near Aspra Spitia, foundations have been identified with Antikyra by local inscriptions.
M. H. Mc Allister, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
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