Listed 5 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for wider area of: "GOURA Village FENEOS" .
FENEOS (Ancient city) FENEOS
Pheneos (Hom. Il. ii. 605); Pheneos (Steph. B. s. v.): Eth. Pheneates.
The territory (he Pheneatike, Paus.; he Pheneatis, Alciphr. iii. 48; (e Phenike,
Polyb.). A town in the NE. of Arcadia, whose territory was bounded on the N. by
that of the Achaean towns of Aegeira and Pallene, E. by the Stymphalia, W. by
the Cleitoria, and S. by the Caphyatis and Orchomenia. This territory is shut
in on every side by lofty mountains, offshoots of Mt. Cyllene and the Aroanian
chain; and it is about 7 miles in length and the same in breadth. Two streams
descend from the northern mountains, and unite their waters about the middle of
the valley; the united river is now called Foniatiko, and bore in ancient times
the name of Olbius and Aroanius. (Paus. viii. 14. § 3.) There is no opening through
the mountains on the S.; but the waters of the united river are carried off by
katavothra, or subterranean channels in the limestone rocks, and, after flowing
underground, reappear as the sources of the river Ladon. In order to convey the
waters of this river in a single channel to the katavothra, the inhabitants at
an early period constructed a canal, 50 stadia in length, and 30 feet in breadth.
(Paus. l. c.; comp. Catull. lxviii. 109.) This great work, which was attributed
to Hercules, had become useless in the time of Pausanias, and the river had resumed
its ancient and irregular course; but traces of the canal of Hercules are still
visible, and one bank of it was a conspicuous object in the valley when it was
visited by Lake in the year 1.806. The canal of Hercules, however, could not protect
the valley from the danger to which it was exposed, in consequence of the katavothra
becoming obstructed, and the river finding no outlet for its waters. The Pheneatae
related that their city was once destroyed by such an inundation, and in proof
of it they pointed out upon the mountains the marks of the height to which the
water was said to have ascended. (Pans. viii. 14. § 1.) Pausanias evidently refers
to the yellow border which is still visible upon the mountains and around the
plain: but in consequence of the great height of this line upon the rocks, it
is difficult to believe it to be the mark of the ancient depth of water in the
plain, and it is more probably caused by evaporation, as Leake has suggested;
the lower parts of the rock being constantly moistened, while the upper are in
a state of comparative dryness, thus producing a difference of colour in process
of time. It is, however, certain that the Pheneatic plain has been exposed more
than once to such inundations. Pliny says that the calamity had occurred five
times (xxxi. 5. s. 30); and Eratosthenes related a memorable instance of such
an inundation through the obstruction of the katavothra, when, after they were
again opened, the water rushing into the Ladon and the Alpheius overflowed the
banks of those rivers at Olympia. (Strab. viii. p. 389.)
The account of Eratosthenes has been confirmed by a similar occurrence
in modern times. In 1821 the katavothra became obstructed, and the water continued
to rise in the plain till it had destroyed 7 or 8 square miles of cultivated country.
Such was its condition till 1832, when the subterraneous channels again opened,
the Ladon and Alpheius overflowed, and the plain of Olympia was inundated. Other
ancient writers allude to the katavothra and subterraneous course of the river
of Pheneus. (Theophr. Hist. Plant. iii. 1; Diod. xv. 49.)
Pheneus is mentioned by Homer (Il. ii. 605), and was more celebrated
in mythical than in historical times. Virgil (Aen. viii. 165) represents it as
the residence of Evander; and its celebrity in mythical times is indicated by
its connection with Hercules. Pausanias found the city in a state of complete
decay. The acropolis contained a ruined temple of Atliena Tritonia, with a brazen
statue of Poseidon Hippius. On the descent from the acropolis was the stadium;
and on a neighbouring hill, the sepulchre of Iphicles, the brother of Hercules.
There was also a temple of Hermes, who was the principal deity of the city. (Paus.
viii. 14. § 4, seq.)
The lower slope of the mountain, upon which the remains of Pheneus
stand, is occupied by a village now called Fonia. There is, however, some difficulty
in the description of Pausanias compared with the existing site. Pausanias says
that the acropolis was precipitous on every side, and that only a small part of
it was artificially fortified; but the summit of the insulated hill, upon which
the remains of Pheneus are found, is too small apparently for the acropolis of
such an important city, and moreover it has a regular slope, though a very rugged
surface. Hence Leake supposes that the whole of this hill formed the acropolis
of Pheneus, and that the lower town was in a part of the subjacent plain; but
the entire hill is not of that precipitous kind which the description of Pausanias
would lead one to suppose, and it is not impossible that the acropolis may have
been on some other height in the neighbourhood, and that the hill on which the
ancient remains are found may have been part of the lower city.
There were several roads from Pheneus to the surrounding towns. Of
these the northern road to Achaia ran through the Pheneatic plain. Upon this road,
at the distance of 15 stadia from the city, was a temple of Apollo Pythius, which
was in ruins in the time of Pausanias. A little above the temple the road divided,
the one to the left leading across Mt. Crathis to Aegeira, and the other to the
right running to Pellene: the boundaries of Aegeira and Pheneus were marked by
a temple of Artemis Pyronia, and those of Pellene and Pheneus by that which is
called Porinas ho kaloumenos Porinas), supposed by Leake to be a river, but by
Curtius a rock. (Paus. viii. 15. § § 5-9.)
On the left of the Pheneatic plain is a great mountain, now called
Tiurtovana, but which is not mentioned by Pausanias. He describes, however, the
two roads which led westward from Pheneus around this mountain,--that to the right
or NW. leading to Nonacris and the river Styx, and that to the left to Cleitor.
(Paus. viii. 17. § 6.) Nonacris was in the territory of Pheneus. The road to Cleitor
ran at first along the canal of Hercules, and then crossed the mountain, which
formed the natural boundary between the Pheneatis and Cleitoria, close to the
village of Lycuria, which still bears its ancient name. On the other side of the
mountain the road passed by the sources of the river Ladon. (Paus. viii. 19. §
4, 20. § 1.) This mountain, from which the Ladon springs, was called Penteleta
(Penteleia, Hesych. and Phot. s. v.) The fortress, named Penteleium (Penteleion),
which Plutarch says was near Pheneus, must have been situated upon this mountain.
(Plut. Arat. 39, Cleom. 17.)
The southern road from Pheneus led to Orchomenus, and was the way
by which Pausanias came to the former city. The road passed from the Orchomenian
plain to that of Pheneus through a narrow ravine (pharanx); in the middle of which
was a fountain of water, and at the further extremity the village of Caryae. The
mountains on either side were named Oryxis (Oruxis), and Sciathis (Skiathis),
and at the foot of either was a subterraneous channel, which carried off the water
from the plain. (Paus. viii. 13. § 6, 14. § 1.) This ravine is now called Gioza,
from a village of this name, which occupies the site of Caryae. The mountains
on either side are evidently the Oryxis and Sciathis of Pausanias, and at the
foot of either there is a katavothra, as he has remarked. The eastern road from
Pheneus led to Stymphalus, across Mt. Geronteium (now Skipezi), which formed the
boundary between the territories of the two cities. To the left of Mt. Geronteium
near the road was a mountain called Tricrena (Trikrena), or the three fountains;
and near the latter was another mountain called Sepia (Sepia), where Aepytus is
said to have perished from the bite of a snake (Paus. viii. 16. § § 1, 2.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited June 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
An ancient town in the northeast of Arcadia, at the foot of Mount Cyllene.
Total results: 10 Pheneos, 71 Pheneus, 2 Pheneans, 3 Pheneatian, 11 Pheneatians
Excavations at the place have brought to light a sanctuary of Asclepius and remains of walls, where the acropolis used to be.
A town on the N edge of the now-dry lake of the same name. Mentioned
by Homer (Il. 2.605), it rarely entered the mainstream of Greek history, though
it lay on a strategic route. It joined the Achaian League, and was taken by Kleomenes
in 225 (Polyb. 2.52.2). Pausanias describes the site in Book Eight (14.1-15.4).
The site lies on a low hill just SE of the town of Kalivia. Little
remains, save for some of the walls (now badly overgrown), and a Sanctuary of
Asklepios lower down the slope on the SE. The sanctuary contains two buildings,
one of them with a statue base of Asklepios sculpted by Attalos of Athens (2d
c. B.C.). In front of the base there is a mosaic floor with a reservoir underneath.
A colossal head of Hygeia in almost perfect condition, with inserted eyes and
eyelashes still in place, was found in the same room. Coins found nearby confirm
the site as that of Pheneos.
W. F. Wyatt Jr., 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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