Antiquities of Neapolis - Belon - Via Militaris-Phagres-Tartar Couriers River Nestus- Yeniga-Ramadan-Turkish SaintRuins of Bistonia - Palus Bistonis-Pyrgis - Rhodope - River Kuru-tchi-Tombs of Turkish Saints-National Wells-Ruins at Mycena Kalis-Great Plain of Chouagilarkir-GymmergïneLeunclavius-Public Bath-Guyumdji-Disregard shewn to the Firmán Conduct of the Sourdji Bridges-Tchafts-tcheyr Turk-Serrium Promontory

Extraordinary Hospitality of a
Shepshe-Peresteria-Great Roman Road-Territory of the Cicones
-Appearance of Fairy after its conflagration-Ismarus-Perilous
Situation of the Author and his Companions-Behaviour of the

Rebels

Rebels-Particulars of the sacking and burning of Fairy-Cause of the disaster-Difficulty of quitting the town.

As we rode out of (Cavallo) NEAPOLIS, (Monday, January

the fourth,) we saw a monolithal Soros, supplying the place of a cistern, close to a very antient well. It consisted of one entire block of marble; whereon, in large and distinct characters, we observed the following Inscription; which was also noticed and copied by Belon, upon the same spot, a century and a half before our coming:

CORNELIA · P. FIL ASPRILIA SAC DIVAE AVG
ANN XXXV H S. E.

The mouth of the well consisted of two pieces of marble, which had once been fastened together by cramps of metal, either of brass or iron; but they had been long removed. The marble was deeply furrowed by the ropes used in drawing water; a circumstance which has been previously considered in this work as affording a reasonable criterion for judging of the antiquity of wells, where this appearance is exhibited. Beyond the well is the aqueduct, conveying water to the citadel. Belon mentions the time when this aqueduct was restored to its pristine use, and the name of the Pasha to whom the inhabitants were indebted for the benefaction'. The same person removed the Soros we have

now

(1) "Il n'y a pas long temps qu' Abrahin Bacha restaura un conduit d'eau, qui avoit esté autresfois fait par les Roys de Macédoine, dont le courant de la fontaine est conduict de plus de trois lieues de là jusques en la ville de la Cavalle, et vient d'une 3 I haute

VOL. IV.

CHAP. XIII. now described, with two others of similar form and

magnitude, from the suburbs, and caused them to be
placed, where they now are, by the public wells of the
town'. His name was Ibrahim Pasha, or, as Belon writes it,
Abrahin Bacha. Speaking of the three marble Soroi, he
says, they were each of them eleven feet long, five feet high,
and six feet wide. He has also given the
He has also given the inscriptions that
were upon the two others, which we did not see2.
According to his account of the public donations made by
Ibrahim Pasha to Cavallo, it appears that NEAPOLIS rose
again from its ruins under his auspices. The inscriptions
which he has preserved, as being found in the place, are all
of them Roman; but this would hardly have happened, if,
as he supposed, the city has existed ever since the time of
Alexander the Great. Paul Lucas also passed through

Cavallo:

haute montagne, tousiours suyuant la coste par le conduict, jusques à tắt qu'elle trouue vne vallée; et à fin de la faire passer, il å fallu luy faire de grădes arches hautes à l'equipollent, pour la rendre de la montagne en la ville, en sorte que les arches dudit conduict ont plus de trente toises en hauteur: et pour la grande commodité des eaux de ceste fontaine, la ville qui estoit deshabitée à esté rendue fort peuplée." Les Observations de plusieurs Sing. trouuées en Grèce, &c. par P. Belon du Mans, liv. i. c. 58. f. 58. Paris, 1555.

(1). “ Il y feit aussi transporter trois sépulchres de pierre de marbre, qui estoyent à vn quart de lieue de là, en vn champ, lesquels il feit mettre dessous les fontaines, pour servir de bassins à abreuuer les cheuaux des passants." Ibid. f. 60. Thus Belon was the first to observe the custom of using antient SOROI, all over Turkey, as cisterns at the public fountains.

(2) PC ASPER ATRIARIVS MONTANVS EQVO⚫ PVBLICO
ITEM ORNAMENTIS DECVRIONATVS ET INIVRALICIS
FLAMAN DIVI · CLAVDI PHILIPPIS

.

ANN XXIII. HIC

SE

The other contained the name of the mother of Asprilia, mentioned above :

CORNELIA

Cavallo: but neither he, nor subsequent travellers, mention having seen here any Greek inscription. The other antiquities described by Belon are rather characteristic of a Roman than of a Grecian colony; namely, the cisterns of a hardened cement, like what is found at Baia'. In short, there seems to be little ground for believing that the deductions he has made from Pliny and Mela, to prove that this town was Boucephala, have any reference to Cavallo: but, to increase the confusion thus introduced into the geography of Macedonia, he has also maintained that its more antient name was Chalastra (by him written. Chalastrea'), a town situate upon one of the Macedonian lakes, towards the Therméan Gulph'. With much more reason might he have called it Phagres; because Thucydides relates', that when the Pierians were expelled their country, they

(3) And the account of his journey proves that the lapse of a hundred years has effected no change in the mode of travelling in Macedonia. It is really curious to observe how accurately the time spent by Lucas upon this route corresponds with the rate of our progress. He arrived at Cavallo upon the 11th of January 1715. “D'Orfan, j'arrivai en six heures à Praveste, et trois heures après à la Cavalle." Voyage du Sieur Paul Lucas, tome I. p. 61. Amst. 1744.

(4)

"Ces cisternes antiques sont faites de si fort ciment, qu'elles ne prendront non plus fin, que fera une pierre de marbre dur." Belon. liv. i. c. 57. f. 58. Par. 1555. (5) Ibid. f. 57.

(6) Χαλαστραῖον νίτρον, ἀπὸ Χαλάστρας τῆς ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ λίμνης. i.e. Chalastræum nitrum, à Chalastrâ Macedoniæ palude. Suidas. Vide Annot. Gronov. in Stephan. lib. de Urbib. p. 710. (12.)

(7) Пepì rηv Oεpμałoν кÓλπоν. Stephan. de Urbib. &c. p. 710. Amst. 1678. (8) ̓Αναστήσαντες μάχῃ ἐκ μὲν Πιερίας Πίερας, οἳ ὕστερον ὑπὸ τὸ Πάγγαιον πέραν Στρυμόνος ᾤκησαν Φάγρητα, καὶ ἄλλα χωρία. Thucydides, lib. ii. cap. 99. p. 144. ed. Hudsoni. Oxon. 1696.

CHAP. XIII.

CHAP. XIII. they inhabited a town of that name, situate under PANGÆUS, and beyond the STRYMON.

Via Militaris.

Upon quitting the town, we ascended a part of MOUNT PANGEUS, now called Pangea, by a paved road, and had a fine view of the Bay of Neapolis. The top of the hill, towards the left, was covered with ruined walls, and with the antient aqueduct, which here crosses the road. From hence we descended by a paved road, as before, towards the north-east, until we arrived upon the shore of the bay, which is upon the other side of this promontory; the ISLE OF THASOS being in view, towards the south-east. Looking to the cast, we saw the high top of SAMOTHRACE, which makes such a conspicuous appearance from the Plain of Troy. To the south, towering above a region of clouds, appeared the loftier summit of MOUNT ATHOS.

After leaving this bay, we crossed another mountain, and by a paved road, as before. As we descended from it, we observed the remains of an antient gateway, which once closed this military way. Continuing our descent, we arrived upon a plain, where we saw some gipsies, and passed over a small river; and came, in two hours from the time of our leaving Cavallo, to what is termed in the country a Tchiflick, or country-seat of a Turk, called Charpantú, situate upon the side of a hill; above which, towards the left, were the ruins of a fortress, and of walls with mural towers. We have endeavoured to mark the position of these ruins with the more precision, because they are unknown. It is impossible that a citadel here could have belonged to ABDERA; because this was a maritime city, at the

embouchure