Cynus (Ancient Greek:Κῦνος,romanized: Kynos)[1] was the principal sea-port of theOpuntian Locrians, situated on a cape at the northern extremity of theOpuntian Gulf, oppositeAedepsus inEuboea, and at the distance of 60stadia fromOpus.[2][3]Livy gives an incorrect idea of the position of Cynus, when he describes it as situated on the coast, at the distance of a mile from Opus.[4] Cynus was an ancient town, being mentioned in theHomericCatalogue of Ships in theIliad.[5] It was reported to have been the residence ofDeucalion andPyrrha; the tomb of the latter was shown there.[2] Beside Livy and Homer, Cynus is mentioned by other ancient authors, includingStrabo,[6]Pomponius Mela,[7]Pliny the Elder,[8] andPtolemy.[9]
Colonists from Cynus foundedAutocane inAeolis, situated opposite the island ofLesbos.[10] It was one of the places that suffered the destruction caused by atsunami that took place after an earthquake in 426 BCE.[11] In 207 BCE, during theFirst Macedonian War, Cynus, which appears defined as anemporium of Opus, was the place to which the fleet ofPublius Sulpicius Galba Maximus retired after failing in its attack againstChalcis.[4]
It took its name from Cynus, son ofOpus and father ofHodoedocus and Larymna.[12]
Its site is marked by a tower, called Paleopyrgo (or Pyrgos), and some Hellenic remains, about a mile to the south of the village ofLivanates.[13][14] The archaeological site is thus also referred to as Pyrgos Livanaton. The site was excavated between 1985 and 1995 by the 14th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities inLamia. The findings of these excavations have so far only been made known in preliminary reports,[15] but archaeologists have found items from theBronze and EarlyIron Age.
Kynos, like nearbyMitrou,Kalapodi,Elateia, andLefkandi, shows continuous occupation throughout the transition from theMycenaean palatial period to the Early Iron Age.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Cynus".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
Authority control databases: Geographic |
|---|
38°43′24″N23°03′44″E / 38.7234°N 23.0622°E /38.7234; 23.0622
.jpg) | This article relating toarchaeology in Greece is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |